2006 Press Releases-11 - Yokogawa United Kingdom

Runcorn, United Kingdom - 06 December 2006

Yokogawa begins implementation of Vigilant Integration Partners (VIP) Initiative

Under the Vigilant Integration Partners (VIP) Initiative announced in February 2006, Yokogawa Electric Corporation has entered into a formal mutual co-operation agreement with four control valve suppliers and is accelerating its efforts to play an active role in the global IA market.

The VIP Initiative is an open and non-exclusive mutual technological co-operation program that Yokogawa has proposed in order to realise standard-based interoperability in control systems, sensors, and control valves in the process automation field.

In the first stage, Yokogawa will co-operate with four leading control valve suppliers Dresser-Masoneilan, Flowserve, Metso Automation, and Samson AG to ensure that its PRM asset management system and CENTUM series production control system are interoperable with their control valves. Through this initiative, Yokogawa will provide customers with an environment that ensures safe and reliable operation.

In the future, Yokogawa will promote further technological co-operation with these four companies and develop solutions that integrate their partial stroke tests and self-diagnostics functions, each of which is different from those of other suppliers. This will enable PRM to realise truly integrated management of valves from multiple vendors.

Customer benefits
This VIP Initiative ensures smooth integration and interoperability between the field devices supplied by VIP member companies and Yokogawa's CENTUM series production control and PRM asset management systems. Interoperability is guaranteed by full support of both Field Device Tool (FDT - a new standard field device interface) and Electronic Device Description Language (EDDL - a long-existing standard description language for defining field device parameters).

This guarantee of open standards-based interoperability enables Yokogawa customers to implement state-of-the-art plant asset management solutions flexibly and efficiently, avoiding compatibility concerns and supplier-enforced limitation of choice.

Yokogawa and the VIP member companies are further joining forces for the ongoing development of innovative plant asset management solutions such as predictive diagnostics and process performance diagnostics that can be deployed by customers using open standards-based production control systems and plant asset management systems.

Member company benefits
Yokogawa and the VIP member companies can jointly promote the field devices supplied by the VIP member companies to customers of Yokogawa's CENTUM and PRM systems. Furthermore, the technical collaboration framework is fully open and standards-based, enabling VIP member companies to avoid proprietary R&D costs associated with supplier-specific frameworks. The plant asset management solutions developed under the VIP Initiative are fully compatible with any plant asset management systems that support the open FDT and EDDL standards.

A VIP member company must be a supplier of best-in-class field devices and must support both FDT and EDDL. Suppliers supporting both of these standards are true proponents of customer-centric openness and interoperability.

Future plans
Yokogawa plans to expand the VIP Initiative by enhancing its field instrument line-up, and enriching complimentary product support portfolios as well as enterprise asset management solutions. The same principle of open, non-exclusive, standard-based, interoperability-driven partnership will be applied in expanding the scope of the VIP Initiative.

Member companies
Dresser Masoneilan is a global leader in providing innovative best fit control valve solutions for the process industries. With over 120 years of experience, Masoneilan supplies the industry's widest range of general and severe service control valves, actuators, instrumentation, accessories, software and field service support. Masoneilan has a significant presence in virtually all corners of electrical power generation, hydrocarbon exploration & production, oil & gas processing and refining, as well as the petrochemical, chemical, food & beverage, pulp & paper, and mining industries.

Flowserve Corp.(NYSE:FLS) is one of the world's leading providers of fluid motion and control products and services. Operating in 56 countries, the company is a recognized leader in the Chemical, Power and Oil & Gas industries. Flowserve's valve business offers highly respected brands of control valves and digital products including Valtek, Kammer, NAF, Schmidt, and PMV. For more than a century, Flowserve engineers have been applying their knowledge and creativity to provide solutions for some of the world's toughest applications.

Metso Automation's Neles product line's smart positioners, partial stroke testing solutions, control, on-off and ESD valves, accessories and software products offer innovative, yet fundamentally simple construction, operation, and maintenance features to optimize process performance at the lowest cost in oil and gas, petrochemical, refining, pulp and paper and other process industries. Metso Automation operates worldwide and has sales and customer support units in 34 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia, and Africa.

Samson AG is recognized worldwide as a synonym for high-quality work, entrepreneurial spirit and innovative strength. Founded in 1907, SAMSON has become a worldwide leading manufacturer of expertly engineered control valves, positioners and accessories for all industrial processes. Modular design of its products offers quick local supply. A worldwide network of 47 subsidiaries and 145 associated engineering and service centers guarantee global expertise and service support.

About Yokogawa Electric Corporation
Yokogawa's global network of 18 manufacturing facilities, 83 companies, and over 650 sales and engineering offices spans 28 countries. Since its founding in 1915, the US$4 billion company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 7,000 patents and registrations, including the world's first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement. Industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems and industry support are the core businesses of Yokogawa. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit our web site at www.yokogawa.com

About Yokogawa Europe B.V.
The European headquarters were founded in Amersfoort, the Netherlands in 1982. Throughout Europe Yokogawa has its own sales, service and engineering operations. This dedicated network has been extended to Central and East Europe and Southern Africa to further enhance the coverage and support associated with serving the process control and automation market place. We develop and produce flowmeters at Rota Yokogawa in Germany, liquid analysers and industrial safety systems in the Netherlands. In addition to this dedicated network of Yokogawa subsidiaries a select organisation of Test & Measurement (T&M) subsidiaries and distributors is established in certain areas to support the specific customer needs of this continuously developing and specific market of T&M instrumentation. For more information about Yokogawa Europe go to www.yokogawa.com/eu

About Yokogawa UK Ltd
Yokogawa UK Ltd., part of the global Yokogawa Corporation, is a supplier of enterprise technology solutions to the process, manufacturing and utility sectors. The company is a technology and market leader in instrumentation and control, and holds many key patents and national and international approvals. Yokogawa UK's offices are in Runcorn, Cheshire and High Wycombe.

For more information contact:
Michelle Crowder
Yokogawa UK Limited
Stuart Road
Manor Park
Runcorn
CHESHIRE
WA7 1TR

Tel: +44 (0) 1928 597100
Fax: +44 (0) 1928 597101
E-mail: info@yokogawa.co.uk
www.yokogawa.com/eu