Chemical Engineering August 2014 - 25

Opto 22
Figure 3. The
groov, which allows
access to a facility's
automation system
from a mobile device,
makes mobile devices
more accessible. It
allows users to build
mobile operator interfaces
- customized
mobile apps - and
securely monitor and
control just about any
automation system
and equipment
It provides depth of experience and
is always looking after the process
and can identify where things
might go wrong and notify engineers
about what needs to get done
and when to prevent that from happening, "
says Buckbee.
Solutions for mobility are also
helping to increase productivity by
giving people the power to control
operations from wherever they are
and to keep track of maintenance
tasks and procedures while in the
field. Used properly, mobile devices
and related software applications
make people's jobs easier, more efficient
and more effective, according
to Steve Elliot, an industry solutions
executive with Ventyx. Ventyx's Mobile
Work Management solution is a
fully integrated, end-to-end suite of
applications that enhance work performance
by automating field force
operations. With mobile work management,
field personnel can perform
the right job, at the right time,
with the right resources. This solution
is for asset-intensive industries
that need to address strategic issues
like improving enterprise-wide
asset utilization, asset performance,
asset maintenance strategies and
asset field service. It includes automating
work processes to safely
and efficiently perform inspections,
maintenance and repairs.
Other tools, such as the groov,
which allows access to a facility's automation
system from a mobile device,
from Opto 22 (Temecula, Calif.;
www.opto22.com) are also helping
to make mobile more accessible.
Groov allows users to build mobile
operator interfaces - customized
mobile apps - and securely monitor
and control just about any automation
system and equipment, according
to David Engsberg, regional
sales engineer with Opto 22 (Figure
3). To use the tool, all that is needed
is an Internet browser. To build an
interface, users just drag and drop
from a library of touchscreen-ready
gadgets, then browse the tag server
and tag the gadget with an input,
output or variable from the system
or equipment. There is no programming
and no coding needed. Groov
works on any device from an iPod
touch all the way up to a web-enabled
big screen television. Graphics,
buttons, labels, images, live
video and trends all scale to fit the
device on which it's being viewed.
" There are no limits on this system, "
notes Engsberg. " It lets you
build the system as large or as small
as you want for as many users as
you want. Since it's a webserver, if a
user builds an app and adds a dial
or moves the screen around based
on an operator change and saves
it to the groov server, the deployment
happens automatically. This
increases reliability and efficiency
in the facility. "
While no tool is foolproof, today's
software provides easy-to-use, easyto-read
and truly helpful information
and data to assist plant engineers
in keeping the plant running
safer and smoother.
■
Joy LePree
AT REDGUARD, THE WORK WE DO IS MORE THAN A JOB-IT'S A PASSION.
From extensive product research and third-party blast tests to an unmatched
design and a relentless attention to detail, we go the extra mile every day to
ensure your-and our-employees make it home safely every night.
That's what makes us the industry's leading manufacturer of successfully
tested blast-resistant buildings.
Circle 1 on p. 68 or go to adlinks.che.com/50979-01
ChemiCal engineering www.Che.Com august 2014 25
http://www.opto22.com http://adlinks.che.com/50979-01 http://www.Che.Com
Chemical Engineering August 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering August 2014
