11-12-2012

Honeywell sees record attendance at 2012 EMEA users group conference

Honeywell  today announced record attendance at its annual Honeywell Users’ Group (HUG) conference for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In total, over 900 delegates representing more than 285 companies attended the conference, which took place in Istanbul, Turkey from November 13-16, 2012.

Themed ‘Sustain.Ability’, HUG EMEA 2012 informed attendees how the latest advancements in process automation and control can help them sustain their performance and existing assets to maximize plant safety, reliability and efficiency. The conference programme featured an extensive selection of presentations, industry breakout sessions and panel discussions based on the conference theme.

Throughout the event, Honeywell customers such as Shell, SASOL, Saudi Aramco, Marathon Oil and Repsol shared insights and best practices from their respective industries, including hydrocarbon processing; pulp and paper; metals, mining and minerals; power generation; chemicals and oil and gas.

A major technology focus was the next generation of Honeywell’s flagship process automation system, Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS). Launched in June 2012, Experion® PKS Orion saw its European debut at Istanbul and includes major advancements that can help significantly improve plant production by up to 13 percent, dramatically reduce operator-related safety incidents and lower the total of cost of ownership by up to 30 percent.

Honeywell also made several global product announcements in Istanbul including:
* A new range of SmartLine™ industrial pressure transmitters, which enhance communication abilities, improve operational efficiency and reduce lifecycle costs for process manufacturers;
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* The next generation of Terminal Manager server software that will allow bulk terminal operators to integrate any disparate business, operations, safety, security and access control systems into a single control and operating solution;
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* The Enhanced High-Performance Process Manager (EHPM) controller which allows 25 years of distributed control system installed base to seamlessly migrate to the Experion® Process Knowledge System. With EHPM, the cost of migration is significantly reduced by preserving control strategies and wiring.

In addition, Honeywell unveiled the winner of its fifth annual student competition dedicated to the encouragement of design and innovation in the process industry. This year’s competition, which focused on the use of Honeywell’s UniSim® Design process simulation technology, was won by Davide Bocciardo from the University of Edinburgh for his entry: “Customising UniSim Design: membrane separation and its application to carbon capture”.

The conference also included an extensive demonstration area where Honeywell showcased solutions such as Universal Process I/O, Experion Virtualization, Safety Management, Advanced Software Applications and Cyber Security alongside all of its newly announced products.

Parallel conferences organized by Honeywell, and running at the same venue, included the Honeywell Enraf Global Distributor Conference and Field Products Channel Partner Conference, the latter attracting almost 90 distributors and system integrators.

“Every year, Honeywell’s EMEA Users Group conference gives our customers an invaluable opportunity to share and discuss their experiences in an open, collaborative environment,” said Orhan Genis, vice president of sales, EMEA, Honeywell Process Solutions. “The information gathered allows us to tailor future products and solutions to fit the needs of customers and solve real issues our customers face. This approach is evident in all of our new solutions such as Experion PKS Orion, which embodies the ‘Sustain.Ability’ theme by allowing our customers to achieve – and more importantly, sustain – better process and business performance.”

Honeywell’s User Group Conferences are developed by and for Honeywell’s industrial automation customers and feature educational presentations on process industry innovations and advancements. The agenda is developed by the Customer Steering Committee, which includes delegates from companies such as Total, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Repsol, Rio Tinto Alcan, SABIC and ExxonMobil.