Westinghouse Process
Control, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., engineers and supports process control
technology to improve the performance and efficiency of power plants,
wastewater treatment facilities and water treatment facilities. As part
of Emerson Process Management, Westinghouse Process Control offers a complete
control and instrumentation solution, supplying public and private utility
organizations with technology, and providing process expertise, service
and ongoing support through strong customer relationships. Ann Pauley
serves as president of Emerson Process Management's Westinghouse Process
Control business.
World-Gen:
75 percent of Westinghouse Process Control's total business (distributed
control systems, optimization software and control related services to
power generation facilities) is US based. How much does the optimization
software area add to the bottom line?
Pauley: When you
look at the Westinghouse Process Control business, in terms of distributed
control system installations and related services, we're around that split
between domestic and international. However, Westinghouse is only one
piece of Emerson Process Management, which leads the worldwide process
automation market, ahead of ABB, Siemens and Invensys. Emerson is also
the market leader in power generation, with over 3,000 process control
systems installed in generating facilities around the world, spanning
all types of configurations and boiler types. We're also a leader in broad
turbine control capability. And the Emerson Process Management family
is also the definitive market leader in field equipment with Fisher vales
and Rosemount transmitters.
Currently, our optimization
software market sales are also 75 percent domestic. However, recent trends
are showing newer applications in Europe and in Asia for this product,
so we think that number is changing quickly. Optimization products are
not a large revenue generator for us, but play a very large part in our
role as a total solutions provider. When customers look at Westinghouse
as a vendor or process control partner, one of the important capabilities
we offer is that we can optimize the performance of their plants. We offer
SmartProcess as part of a total solution package, or as an optimization
solution in itself, capable of working with any distributed control system.
Our optimization products are a key enabler of measurable performance
improvement and significantly strengthen our position in the marketplace,
so their impact on our business is far greater than the direct revenue
they generate.
World-Gen:
As part of Emerson Process Management, Westinghouse Process Control will
be party to "Partnering for Power." Our readers would like to
know how this will be implemented and what cost savings will be realized.
Pauley: "Partnering
for Power" is the approach to the power market that grew out of issues
facing generators across the country - aging equipment, outmoded design,
changing operating modes, and, perhaps most the most critical, the process
knowledge gap that has developed on the generation side of the industry.
The approach integrates Westinghouse Process Control technology and expertise
with other key Emerson Process Management offerings, including PlantWeb
digital architecture, Rosemount and Fisher intelligent field instrumentation,
knowledge-based management solutions software from AMS, and a variety
of maintenance, training, software, benchmarking and assessment tools.
We've seen a trend
over the last few years in which plant customers look to us for more than
products - they look to us for expertise. Downsizing that took place when
the move to deregulation began resulted in plants with overworked staffs
and less overall process knowledge. It's now up to outside sources like
vendors to provide extra hands and additional experience to get the job
done.
"Partnering
for Power" is about quality relationships - we partner with customers
to provide more than a control system - we provide the expertise, training
and operations solutions they now need to run older plants efficiently.
Through a process that includes performance audits, benchmarking, planning
and consultation, and ongoing support for sustained achievement, we project
improvements in heat rate, availability, maneuverability, maintenance
costs and startup fuel costs. These improvements can offer savings that
total more than $1 million annually. We are taking on a key role in ensuring
the success of our customers by providing what they need when they need
it at a reasonable cost. One of the benefits were seeing from deregulation
is that power plants are no longer tied to bureaucratic procurement rules,
and the doors are now open for things like vendor alliances and programs
like "Partnering for Power," which, quite frankly, are better
ways of doing business.
World-Gen:
Congratulations on achieving 300 percent growth of the SmartProcess Optimization
Software line for fiscal year 2001, ending September 30. What do you attribute
this growth to be from?
Pauley: Thank you.
We've worked hard to make SmartProcess Optimization Software one of the
key tools in the Emerson Process Management tool box. It's a product that
helps power generators successfully target specific process challenges,
while providing quick return on investment, which is a primary goal of
the "Partnering for Power" initiative.
We think it's been
successful because it not only provides positive results and ROI quickly,
but because those results are sustainable within the plant. SmartProcess
is not a one-size-fits-all software package - it combines the power of
technology with the expertise of all of the Emerson Process Management
companies. Our engineers apply the proper technology tools to solve our
customers' process problems.
SmartProcess provides
consistent, reliable results during all plant operating scenarios, including
startup, shutdown, load swings and baseload operation. We have five modules,
which are customized during each installation to account for the unique
operation of each plant. Our Combustion Optimization addresses boiler
issues like NOx production, efficiency and opacity. We also offer a Steam
Temperature Optimizer; Sootblower Optimizer and a Global Performance Advisor.
Our Economic Dispatch Module helps plants to manage load changes to maximize
profit.
What differentiates
us is the combination of best in class advanced software tools along with
power application know how to provide customers a fully integrated, proven
solution.
World-Gen:
You have reached 25 percent market share in the optimization software
field - does this lead the pack of Pegasus, the former Pavillion power
unit, NeuCo, and Ultramaxx?
Pauley: Our optimization
market share of 25 percent is particularly gratifying, since we only introduced
SmartProcess a few years ago.
We're currently a
strong number two in North American power optimization and closing the
gap rapidly. Customers are finding out that to be successful in this market,
suppliers need to have not only state of the art advanced control software,
but also a deep bench of power experts who know how to properly deploy
this technology for maximum results in the real world.
Additionally, through
Emerson Process Management, we are the only company in the optimization
field that also provides total solutions for power generators' instrumentation
and control needs.
World-Gen:
You just announced that "AMS inside" will be incorporated into
the signature Westinghouse DCS, the Ovation Information & Control System.
What other new products are in the pipeline?
Pauley: AMSinside
is actually a product of our sister Emerson Process Management company,
AMS Software. AMS software is now part of the Ovation System.
AMSinside offers
Ovation users the ability to retrieve and analyze information from smart
field devices like HART and FOUNDATION fieldbus directly through the main
process control system. Because of the maintenance savings these devices
can provide by offering specific equipment information, more and more
power customers will look to them to improve efficiency and reliability.
AMS inside allows our customers to implement this new technology in a
more seamless, user-friendly manner. The combination of AMS and Ovation
can turn information into lower maintenance costs, lower startup and commissioning
costs, and it can get plants on line faster when demand increases
We'll continue using
industry-leading technology from other Emerson Process Management companies
to strengthen the overall solutions we offer power customers. The Emerson
product and service development process is really about what customers
tell us they need.
World-Gen:
You have recently announced contracts in Italy, Bosnia and Korea, and
plan on expanding in Eastern Europe in 2003. Will the Warsaw, Poland office
cover both Europe and Asia?
Pauley: Emerson Process
Management has offices throughout the world, where company representatives
work together, pulling from the expertise of all Emerson companies to
provide the best possible instrumentation and control solutions to all
of our customers.
Emerson Process Management
operates offices in Europe, India and Asia, as well as the Middle East.
With this kind of reach, Emerson can readily provide high-quality, reliable
control systems to power generators as they work to expand the energy
capacity of nations around the globe.
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