Process systems suppliers send press releases proclaiming their larger systems sales–or at least a few of them do that. Most are interesting just to see what technologies users are interested in. Sometimes it’s just interesting that someone is investing in new technology in order to upgrade operations.
Then there is the release that validates a new direction a supplier has taken. Invensys Operations Management announced something called InFusion several years ago. Pundits and editors have been confounded ever since. What is it? Is it selling any? Why would anyone buy it? I have weighed in on the discussion a few times in feeble attempts to explain what can be a somewhat vague concept. Some of my blog posts are here and here.
Invensys Operations Management just issued a press release specifically about the sale of an InFusion system. Specifically, the announcement proclaimed, “Invensys Operations Management has signed a multi-million dollar contract to implement an integrated refinery information system (IRIS) for Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical Company (SATORP). Under the terms of the agreement, Invensys Operations Management, in a strategic alliance with Wipro Arabia Limited, will provide an integrated InFusion enterprise control system solution.”
Until now, Invensys has deflected questions about InFusion sales with comments that InFusion actually is a solution package or suite that includes parts or all of a number of existing Invensys products. In this release, we see a clearer definition. Quoting the release, “(InFusion solution encompasses) total supply chain management; refinery planning and scheduling; operations management, including health, safety and environment management; quality control and assurance; and performance control and management. The company will also provide data validation and reconciliation, mass energy balance, utilities optimization, electronic logbooks and control performance solutions to help SATORP achieve operational excellence.”
This reads just like the vision of InFusion shared at its launch.
A note about the other companies involved:
Wipro Arabia Limited is a joint venture between Wipro Limited, a global IT services provider based in India, and Dar Al Riyadh, a Saudi Arabia-based company with business expertise in engineering services, industrial products, systems integration and information technology.
A joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Total France, SATORP is constructing a state-of-the-art, 400,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, that is expected to be operational before the end of 2013. The refinery will produce diesel, jet fuel and gasoline, as well as petrochemicals like paraxylene, aromatic benzene and propylene.
