YOKOGAWA USER CONFERENCE 2010

In mid June Process Industry Informer attended the 5th Yokogawa Users conference that took place at the Novotel in Amsterdam and included a visit to their “new” impressive offices in Amersfoort.
Harry Houptmeijer – President Yokogawa Europe BV welcomed the delegates & the members of the press to the event the theme of which this year was “The Benefits of Operational Excellence”.

For the press Yokogawa’s main objective was to announce the introduction of their “world’s first” ISA100.11a wireless transmitters (see on page 10 of the current issue of  P.I.I. or click the link https://www.processindustryinformer.com/Process-Instrumentation/Yokogawa-announces-the-release-of-field-wireless-devices-based-on-the-ISA100-11a-industrial-communications-standard)

This launch is of course significant, but in “beating the rest” to market Yokogawa have opened something of a controversial “hornets nest”, for although claiming that the IAS100 standard is the users preferred standard, and according to Joost van Loon, their Director of Industrial Automation, this is the only standard Yokogawa will accept, they have to some degree “ruffled the feathers” of WirelessHART users, not to mention Emerson Process Management!!!!

Yokogawa are obviously very much in favour of a single standard in the belief that two varying standards are not in the industry’s interest, however this is unlikely to materialise, certainly in the near future, as it is most unlikely that any changes to the “status quo” will be allowed by the ISA100.12 committee when they meet later in the year, but as far as Yokogawa is concerned they are pressing forward without interoperability extending to include WirelessHART!!!!,

Whilst Wireless technology is advancing apace it is not by any manner of means appropriate for all areas of application and Yokogawa see their immediate target markets as being Hazardous Areas, Oil & Gas (inevitably) Chemicals, Petrochem, Pulp & Paper, Metals, Cement, Waste & Wastewater and, although not necessarily obvious, Food & Beverage.

To date it is true to say that wireless networks are not predominant in industrial automation applications, for a variety of reasons, reasons that essentially relate to reliability, environmental issues, and safety in potentially explosive areas, but these and other doubts, are well on their way to being dispelled

Actual applications managed via this emerging technology initially approached by Yokogawa relate to temperature & pressure measurement, relating to flow is still some way off.

Again “time” will be the test of where & how wireless instrumentation can & will be applied but it is here to stay and will be proven to be a valuable asset in process plant management and safety, no matter the agreed (or disagreed) standards, and clearly Yokogawa look to be at the forefront in the development and application of wireless technology.

The user conference.

Although the number of delegates for around Europe was down on numbers compared to last year, there was no shortage of “workshops” for them to attend and gain knowledge from, to name but a few of these: – Improving plant management via wireless instrumentation, Advanced diagnostics using Valve positioners, How Analysers justify Production Improvement, Optimising Production Task Management, Core Values in Flow Measurement, Dynamic modelling in Process Automation, Functional Safety Management and Advanced Asset Management KPI Monitoring.

All of the two dozen or so workshops and the two “user only” sessions, held over two days, were well attended and having spoken with a good number of the delegates, who came from across Europe this years’ conference, was again considered well worth the time attending.

Yokogawa plus…

In addition to the conference there was a busy “exhibition” that allowed delegates to meet with Yokogawa’s group of Business Partners who provided expert services and specialist products in keeping with Yokogawa system networks. The “partners” on show were; Badotherm – solution providers for diaphragm seal systems, Cisco – network solutions, Hamilton Bonaduz AG – suppliers of quality products for the measurement and dispensing of liquids, Hirschmann – homogenous data communications, Dresser Masoneilan – deliver flexible, best fit process valve solutions, Flowserve Corporation –  – Flow Solutions & Flow Control, Metso – Control Valves, automated on-off valves and safety valves, MTL Instruments – electronic instrumentation and protection equipment for process control, Parker Instrumentation – tube fittings, valves, manifolds and enclosures, Pepperl + Fuchs – intrinsically safe explosion protection and sensors solutions for factory automation, Phoenix Contact – electrical connection, electronic interface and automation technology, Samson AG control valves, SICK Process Automation – analysis & measurement systems, R. STAHL Schaltgerate – explosion prevention, WAGO Kontakttechnik – spring pressure connection technology and finally but not least WIKA Alexander Wiegand – pressure & temperature solutions.

And finally with thanks’…

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, there was a visit to Yokogawa’s new offices in Amersfoort and they are indeed impressive and provide all of the facilities that you would expect of an international company of standing and it was here that the user delegates and those of us from the media were wonderfully “wined & dined” and also entertained by an extremely good jazz/blues band and their 3 excellent female singers – a fond memory.  PDU