Yokogawa Marex has been making large gains in the process control sector, and today (3 November 2003) announces the 200th installation of its market-leading Exaquantum plant information management system (PIMS). Yokogawa dominates many regions and industry groups with its ultra-powerful control and integrated information systems (IIS), frequently providing a full turnkey service from planning to implementation.

New Exaquantum installations in 2002 such as GASCO in the Gulf, Taiwan Power, Takeda Chemical, Mitsubishi Rayon, Shell Australia, Powergen UK, and Fujian Cement, have joined existing mega-installations at Shell Pernis, GARMCO and Ar-Razi in the Gulf, to provide one of the largest installed bases in the world.

Integration by design

Yokogawa's Windows-driven Exaquantum PIMS is at the heart of each IIS, which defines not only the entirety of client plants - process relationships, but more importantly, the crucial business relationships that govern the plant's total performance, effectiveness and efficiency. Exaquantum is tailored for continuous and batch processes. It provides the essential keystone element in Yokogawa's operational optimization suite and is the core technology in the Yokogawa Enterprise Technology Solutions (ETS) concept.

Intelligent external-world interfaces and server-resident data management ensure up-to-the-minute data availability, consistency and validity. Coupled with plant oriented high-value applications, all key departments - from management through planning to maintenance and production - are kept in touch with the information they need to perform their specific tasks effectively.

Yokogawa has supplied IIS systems to many of the world's plants and oil and gas refineries, with systems ranging from 40 000 to a million data points (tags).

Most supply contracts have covered the complete supply, engineering, and commissioning of the systems as well as the training of users and full through-life support. Tailored systems have included applications which provide: Operations Management; Production Support; Planning & Scheduling; Quality Management and Environmental Management. There are many sub-applications or modules - such as Plant Scheduling, or Emissions Monitoring - which are built into each application and which can be tailored for the individual needs of each user.

Nigel Bowden, Yokogawa Managing Director, adds: "The Yokogawa IIS is structured around Exaquantum PIMS which has a massive, intelligent, object-oriented database. This means that it automatically performs substantive enhancement of the raw process data by introducing both an engineering and business brain into the base process database. This way users get the business information that they need, in the format that they need it.

"Today's new plants require PIMS that are powerful, robust and flexible. Modern best-of-breed systems are massively powerful programs, forming the core of integrated information systems that enable plant operators to optimize their businesses, discovering new and substantial business benefits that contribute to their profits. The requirement is for speed of installation and the unique contribution that a world-class integrated information systems can deliver: the total, plant-wide integration of all process and business data and its conversion into high value, real-time business information.

"Above all, these systems must be ultra-powerful, scalable, comprehensive and future-proof. The best proving ground for these systems are real world implementations, and the Yokogawa installations around the world provide proof of our comprehensive capabilities and a massive installed user base."

Notes for Editors:
1. Yokogawa is a world leader in information management systems for process industries. The company provides a systems development and integration capability specializing in integrated information systems for process industries throughout the world. The Yokogawa Exaquantum Plant Information Management System (PIMS) delivers benefits for plant operators in many process industries in most parts of the world. Yokogawa PIMS integrate data from many systems in a plant and produce high value business information for use by decision makers at all levels of the enterprise. Yokogawa PIMS automatically integrate data from process control systems, including Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), with other data from quality, maintenance, laboratory, planning, scheduling, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and many other systems. Yokogawa PIMS convert Plant Data into Business Information.

2. The Yokogawa software being installed today is already in use in chemicals, food, petrochemicals, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, power generation and general manufacturing throughout the world, providing monitoring, management, optimization, modelling and control of many diverse, dynamic, and hazardous processes, in often the largest plants.

3. Issued on behalf Thomas Cowley: Yokogawa Marex Ltd, Marex House, 34 Medina Rd, Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, PO31 7DA. Tel: +44 (0)1983 296011. Fax: +44 (0)1983 291776 e-mail: Thomas.Cowley@ymx.yokogawa.com

4. Yokogawa Marex Website: www.ymx.yokogawa.com

5. Issued by John Ockenden, John Ockenden international public relations, Whindrum House, Methven, Perth PH1 3QU. +44 (0)7710 391 054. e-mail: john@jockenden.freeserve.co.uk

6. Photographs (both high res electronic and print) and system/network graphics are available to accompany this story. Please contact John Ockenden.