I was not able to be in two places at one time, so this report on the Honeywell User Group (HUG) relies on a few of my sources who were there and press releases from Honeywell marketing. I noticed also a paucity of news and reporting from HUG in other media outlets. So, here goes.
[As an aside, I just did a search on Honeywell Process Solutions for some background information, and a blog post of mine from last September was on the first page. That confirms my feeling that there has not been much news from the company lately.]
Darius Adamczyk, who succeeded Norm Gilsdorf as President, Honeywell Process Solutions only about six weeks ago, was given the difficult task of charging up customers whom he barely knows. Previously, he was president, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility.
Several reports of attendance reached me ranging from 800 to 1,200. It’s possible that it reached the level of last year of just over 1,000, which was up considerably over the recession years of 2008-2010.
I saw no release about the new software, Intuition, which I wrote about in May, but I heard that it was a much discussed topic at the conference.
Following are summaries of other product news released at the event.
Asset Management
Honeywell has refreshed its Asset Manager and Field Advisor technologies–two solutions designed to help proactively manage the health and performance of assets–and also announced it is collaborating with global consulting, training and services firm GPAllied, in an initiative that will help plants more effectively implement reliability-centered and predictive maintenance programs.
“Industrial manufacturers pour money and resources into asset management solutions, but a critical barrier to success is having the right strategy and information to make the right decisions,” said Ron Stallworth, asset management business leader, Honeywell Process Solutions. “These newest software releases and working with GPAllied allow Honeywell to offer wall-to-wall consulting and technology for a wholly integrated solution that makes asset management part of our customers’ organizational cultures for sustainable results.”
Experion Process Knowledge System Updates
Honeywell launched its next-generation Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS). Experion PKS Orion introduces two major innovations: it is the first industrial process system to use Universal Channel Technology to remotely configure process and safety systems without the need for additional hardware; and it comes equipped with a complete virtualization solution that includes the most advanced and complete package of hardware, software, skills, guidance and best practices, training and support from Honeywell.
In addition to these advancements, Honeywell also announced the Experion platform is the first distributed control system to achieve ISA99 certification, which assures manufacturers that Experion PKS Orion meets the industry’s most-rigorous cyber security standards.
“Honeywell has a long history of technology leadership in industrial automation, and Experion PKS Orion is a major leap in innovation, system flexibility and cyber security,” says Jason Urso, vice president-Technology, Honeywell Process Solutions. “Universal Channel Technology simplifies engineering and configuration during the design stage of a project, which can save up to 33 percent of the installation costs. It provides the industry’s most complete portfolio of turnkey virtualization solutions for improved open systems management and reliability in the industrial domain, leading to significant reductions in the total cost of ownership.”
Cyber Security
The company also announced the formation of the Industrial IT Solutions group, a global team of experts who can help manufacturers and process industry facilities protect against cyber threats.
