Yokogawa GMSC of Cowes, UK, the Global Manufacturing Execution Solutions (MES) Center for the Yokogawa industrial automation group, announces today (1 Dec ’05) the latest release of its flagship eLogBook product which incorporates a new web-enabled user interface facility.
The new release compliments the existing eLogBook version already available. It can now be deployed more widely without the IT overhead of installing and maintaining a client application on numerous computers. eLogBook is an advanced, computer-based replacement for traditional control-room paper-based logbooks. It enables the capture of events, instructions and non-automated data within the control room and throughout the plant, making this information available to all Production/Business users across an organization.
The need for eLogBook came from discussions with customers over their need to manage non-automated plant events. Such events are traditionally recorded in paper logbooks. Yokogawa GMSC discovered that large volumes of data were being lost using manual data-entry systems. Key problems were the difficulty of identifying priority actions, handwriting that was hard to read, and the lack of awareness of control-room activities among other parts of the plant.
The benefits of eLogBook are:
- The easy input of data through click menus and drop-down screens, with little typing required
- The ability to announce important events by email, pager or SMS
- Prompting for relevant data e.g. if downtime is reported then there is a need to know the cause and duration.
An established user of eLogBook is Acordis Tow (formerly Courtaulds Viscose) at their Acetate Products works near Derby, UK. Acordis required a more efficient method of logging plant incidents to replace their custom electronic diary system where engineers and operators entered freeform text. Commenting on their 30-user system Phil Baskerville the Senior Business Systems Analyst at Acordis says: "The use of eLogBook in our business has enabled much improved communications and handover between shift teams. The system has allowed these teams to see at a glance what issues are affecting them now and where efforts should be focused. It has also had an added benefit of improving communications and visibility between different teams".
eLogBook can be used as either a standalone system or as a core component of a larger MES solution, with the application providing form-based manual data entry for non-automated plant events. Linked to company email systems, eLogBook can dispatch integrated end-of-shift reports to the in-coming team leader, providing awareness of all outstanding activities and their level of priority, in a powerful reporting environment. eLogBook is used at plants around the world, including the UK, Holland, Germany, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
eLogBook is a key component of Yokogawa’s VigilantPlant solutions that promises to bring operational excellence to visionary plants, creating an environment where plant personnel can See Clearly, Know in Advance, and Act with Agility.
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 integrates 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 integrates 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. Exaquantum PIMS is in use in oil & gas, chemicals, food, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, power generation, semi-conductors and general manufacturing throughout the world, providing monitoring, management, optimization, modeling and control of many diverse, dynamic, and hazardous processes, often in the world’s largest plants.
3. Issued for and on behalf Christian Beasley:
Yokogawa Marex Ltd (GMSC),
Marex House,
34 Medina Road,
Cowes, Isle of Wight,
UK, PO31 7DA.
Tel: +44 (0)1983 296011
Fax: +44 (0)1983 291776
4. Yokogawa Marex is now known as Yokogawa GMSC, reflecting its new role as the Global MES Solutions Centre for Yokogawa.
5. Yokogawa Marex (GMSC) Website: www.yokogawa.com/iis
6. Issued for and on behalf of Yokogawa GMSC by John Ockenden,
John Ockenden international public relations,
Whindrum House,
Methven,
Perth PH1 3QU,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0)7710 391 054.
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