CHEManager Europe's Dr. Volker Oestreich asked Gertjan van der Ven, General Manager Sales & Marketing Germany, about current trends in process automation.

CHEManager Europe: Mr. van der Ven, you've been responsible for Emerson Process Management's sales and marketing for a year now. How do your German customers differ from those from other countries around the world?

Gertjan van der Ven: Most of the German customer base has been around for a long time, and we are seeing very few newly built facilities in Germany. German customers in general have a deep knowledge of technology and have a wealth of experience. As Emerson Germany, we are strongly represented in the chemical industry but less in oil and gas and power compared to other countries.

Our portfolio for the power industry for example is very strong and it is one of my goals to make this better known to the major German power players. We also see that the world is getting more global so the differences are becoming smaller and smaller.

In fieldbus communication, Emerson Process Management was committed to Hart and Foundation Fieldbus for years. Nowadays, the company also supports Profibus PA. Is this a response to the German market?

Gertjan van der Ven: We believe the FF-H1 is the best solution for PID Control as their communications are scheduled and synchronized and therefore deterministic. This is not the case with Profibus. DeviceNet/ Profibus are better solutions for discretes and drives. Our DeltaV system is specifically designed to support all of these solutions. Our field equipment portfolio has been designed to support most of the protocols. This is a worldwide strategy that for Germany has most effects on the Profibus side.

20mA with and without Hart, fieldbuses, wireless - when does Emerson think the different transfer matrix methods will be ready for use? What does the future hold?

Gertjan van der Ven: Our goal is to provide our users with easy-to-use equipment that provides maximum flexibility, security and availability tailored to specific application and user requirements. New technologies like wireless and our IO on Demand (CHARMS) are specifically designed to give the user maximum flexibility in their IO configuration during project execution. With the CHARMS technology, a user can roughly plan their IO in a certain area and at the latest moment put in the required I/O types and quantities.

This late binding provides enormous advantages in dealing with the usual changes in projects. Wireless of course is the most flexible in this perspective and delivers the highest value. We continue to support a wide range of IO systems to serve our customers in extensions to existing plants, upgrades, migrations and building new facilities. Emerson provides all the consultancy services to plan and design complete control and safety systems to all customer requirements.

Process control these days shouldn't just reliably regulate and control the process, rather also play a role in the efficient use of resources - often in conjunction with MES or PLM systems ...

Gertjan van der Ven: ... Absolutely. Emerson has always offered a wide range of traditional process control equipment with top brands like Rosemount, MicroMotion, Fisher Valves and DeltaV. True value is only delivered if the entire production system is taken into the equation. Emerson has a wide range of layered solutions to offer.

Productized solutions that are designed, implemented and services by our worldwide project services teams. With AMS, Emerson has provided tremendous value in the management of field equipment that when rightly integrated in the maintenance regime of plants is a huge contributor to resource optimization and safety. Emerson has integrated most of its MES offerings integrated in the Syncade Platform. Good examples of these can be found in the pharmaceutical and bulk storage industries. The first installations in Germany have been ordered and will be installed in the next few months.

This also means more complexity - which presents new challenges to plant operators. How can the human-machine interface be designed so that the operator has a clear overview? What tasks can be taken over by the control system in order to lighten the operator's load?

Gertjan van der Ven: This is probably the best question you could ask! Today, automation users face twin challenges. The task of building and running a safe, efficient operation is more complex than ever. At the same time, many of the experienced workers needed to deal with such complexity are nearing retirement or simply not available. Emerson understands these challenges and is investing not only to make our products easier to use, but also to make customers' jobs easier to do.

This investment includes Emerson's work in applying human centered design to process automation. Understanding customers' roles, tasks, and interactions with others has become part of our product-development culture.
Emerson's Smart Wireless is an excellent example of how the company is using technology to overcome the challenge for running plants - reducing the complexity of adding "eyes and ears" in the pro¬cess so that maintenance and operations can be more effective.

Recently, Emerson Process announced the first Global Users Exchange in Europe.

Gertjan van der Ven: Yes, and it will be held just in front of our German offices. The three-day event, themed "Exchanging Ideas. Creating Solutions," runs from May 29-31 at the Hotel Maritim in Duesseldorf, close to the airport. We are proud to have this event here in Germany for the very first time.

First Global Users Exchange in Europe
Emerson announces the first Global Users Exchange in Europe. Themed "Exchanging Ideas. Creating Solutions," the three-day event will run from May 29-31 at the Hotel Maritim, Duesseldorf, Germany. Tailored to meet the needs of users in Europe, the Middle East and ¬Africa, delegates will learn about best practices and see how colleagues are meeting new regulatory requirements, increasing yields, improving efficiency and reducing costs with enhanced automation.

The event will include workshops, presentations, industry forums, short courses, technology exhibits and product roadmaps. Delegates will be able to choose from themed presentations in English, German and Russian.

"We are delighted to announce the details of the first Global Users Exchange for our many users across Europe and others who will join us from other regions," said Bob Sharp, president, Emerson Process Management Europe. "The Emerson Global Users Exchange is much more than an industry-leading technical conference. It is a community of manufacturing leaders committed to extracting the most from their automation investment and sharing their learning with each other."

The Emerson Global Users Exchange organization is offering users the possibility to share their experiences and expertise with their process automation peers by giving a presentation, workshop or short course at the event. Presenting at the Global Users Exchange provides a unique opportunity for users to showcase their company and its successful operational practices.

www.emersonexchange.org/emea