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Tips for New Process Automation Folks

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Blog - Post List

Emerson Automation Experts: Mitigating Shutdown, Turnaround, and Outage Issues

Jim Cahill

Plant shutdowns, turnarounds, and outages (STOs) have never been simple, but in recent years they have become even more challenging due to labor shortages and difficulties procuring parts. My article in Processing , titled “ Rethinking shutdown, turnaround, and outage planning ,” discusses the impacts of these challenges on STO planning and execution, and it offers strategies to minimize their effects. Increasingly…
- 19 Dec 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Mitigating Shutdown, Turnaround, and Outage Issues

Jim Cahill

Plant shutdowns, turnarounds, and outages (STOs) have never been simple, but in recent years they have become even more challenging due to labor shortages and difficulties procuring parts. My article in Processing , titled “ Rethinking shutdown, turnaround, and outage planning ,” discusses the impacts of these challenges on STO planning and execution, and it offers strategies to minimize their effects. Increasingly…
- 19 Dec 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: 5Ps of Control System Reliability and Performance–Part 4: Parts & Extended Warranty

Jim Cahill

The next P in our 5P’s series is Parts & Extended Warranty . This topic is often underestimated or even ignored, but effective Spare Parts management involves various factors that must inform your parts inventory decisions, as they can significantly affect your operating costs and uptime. We will examine these drivers and explore an integrated approach to optimize your spares. FACTORS TO CONSIDER Cost of Downtime…
- 15 Dec 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: 5Ps of Control System Reliability and Performance–Part 4: Parts & Extended Warranty

Jim Cahill

The next P in our 5P’s series is Parts & Extended Warranty . This topic is often underestimated or even ignored, but effective Spare Parts management involves various factors that must inform your parts inventory decisions, as they can significantly affect your operating costs and uptime. We will examine these drivers and explore an integrated approach to optimize your spares. FACTORS TO CONSIDER Cost of Downtime…
- 15 Dec 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Quality in Emerson Education Services Podcast

Jim Cahill

Modern digital technologies are vital in driving manufacturing and production performance improvements. Getting the most out of these technologies requires the knowledge and skills specific to their use. Educational courses help in upskilling personnel. The quality of that education helps determine how successfully the learned skills will be applied. Emerson’s Sandra Schwarz joins me in this podcast to discuss how quality…
- 30 Nov 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Quality in Emerson Education Services Podcast

Jim Cahill

Modern digital technologies are vital in driving manufacturing and production performance improvements. Getting the most out of these technologies requires the knowledge and skills specific to their use. Educational courses help in upskilling personnel. The quality of that education helps determine how successfully the learned skills will be applied. Emerson’s Sandra Schwarz joins me in this podcast to discuss how quality…
- 30 Nov 2023
Implement & Build Blog: Ethernet-APL and Fieldbus Migration

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Klaus Erni and a staff member from a leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturer teamed up to present How Latest Ethernet Technology Helped in a Fieldbus Migration Project at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their presentation abstract. Ever thought of upgrading your existing 2-wire Profibus PA Fieldbus Installation to the next level to be able to either expand the existing…
- 3 Nov 2023
Implement & Build Blog: Ethernet-APL and Fieldbus Migration

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Klaus Erni and a staff member from a leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturer teamed up to present How Latest Ethernet Technology Helped in a Fieldbus Migration Project at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their presentation abstract. Ever thought of upgrading your existing 2-wire Profibus PA Fieldbus Installation to the next level to be able to either expand the existing…
- 3 Nov 2023
Implement & Build Blog: Ethernet-APL and Fieldbus Migration

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Klaus Erni and a staff member from a leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturer teamed up to present How Latest Ethernet Technology Helped in a Fieldbus Migration Project at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their presentation abstract. Ever thought of upgrading your existing 2-wire Profibus PA Fieldbus Installation to the next level to be able to either expand the existing…
- 3 Nov 2023
Implement & Build Blog: Ethernet-APL and Fieldbus Migration

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Klaus Erni and a staff member from a leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturer teamed up to present How Latest Ethernet Technology Helped in a Fieldbus Migration Project at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their presentation abstract. Ever thought of upgrading your existing 2-wire Profibus PA Fieldbus Installation to the next level to be able to either expand the existing…
- 3 Nov 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Maximizing Workforce Performance Podcast

Jim Cahill

Getting the most out of your instrumentation and automation technologies requires a skilled workforce. Emerson Education Services has developed MyTraining , which provides courses that hone critical thinking skills and help ensure your staff keeps pace with industry innovations. The training is geared toward specific teams within your workforce and founded on rigorous IACET (International Accreditation for Continuing…
- 23 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Maximizing Workforce Performance Podcast

Jim Cahill

Getting the most out of your instrumentation and automation technologies requires a skilled workforce. Emerson Education Services has developed MyTraining , which provides courses that hone critical thinking skills and help ensure your staff keeps pace with industry innovations. The training is geared toward specific teams within your workforce and founded on rigorous IACET (International Accreditation for Continuing…
- 23 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: 5Ps of Control System Reliability and Performance–Part 3: Predictive Maintenance

Jim Cahill

In Part 2 of this series, we briefly mentioned the concept of Predictive Maintenance . We continue here with a deeper examination of its benefits, components, and considerations for its implementation. Monitoring the health of your industrial control system is vital to ensure its reliability and performance. Continuous, or at least frequent, periodic monitoring leads to early detection of potential failure points and…
- 17 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: 5Ps of Control System Reliability and Performance–Part 3: Predictive Maintenance

Jim Cahill

In Part 2 of this series, we briefly mentioned the concept of Predictive Maintenance . We continue here with a deeper examination of its benefits, components, and considerations for its implementation. Monitoring the health of your industrial control system is vital to ensure its reliability and performance. Continuous, or at least frequent, periodic monitoring leads to early detection of potential failure points and…
- 17 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Improving Control System Reliability

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Venkat Sekar and Emerson Impact Partner Puffer-Sweiven ’s Gary Rhodes presented Increasing System Reliability Through Consistent System Management via Guardian at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their session abstract: Reliability is one of the main goals of every enterprise with production control systems. In order to reach that goal, one must identify the possible risks that can affect…
- 10 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Improving Control System Reliability

Jim Cahill

Emerson’s Venkat Sekar and Emerson Impact Partner Puffer-Sweiven ’s Gary Rhodes presented Increasing System Reliability Through Consistent System Management via Guardian at the 2023 Emerson Exchange Immerse Conference. Here is their session abstract: Reliability is one of the main goals of every enterprise with production control systems. In order to reach that goal, one must identify the possible risks that can affect…
- 10 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Training for New Employees and Upskilling Existing People Calls for Classroom and Hands-On Experience. Here’s How Emerson Provides It.

Jim Cahill

I suspect that when many parents are teaching teenagers to drive, they wish for an environment where the novice can drive an actual car but without other traffic. Simulators are great, but they aren’t real cars, so what’s needed is a safe driving area where accidents can’t happen. Many process plant managers want the same thing: a training environment where classroom instruction is supplemented with actual pumps,…
- 6 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Training for New Employees and Upskilling Existing People Calls for Classroom and Hands-On Experience. Here’s How Emerson Provides It.

Jim Cahill

I suspect that when many parents are teaching teenagers to drive, they wish for an environment where the novice can drive an actual car but without other traffic. Simulators are great, but they aren’t real cars, so what’s needed is a safe driving area where accidents can’t happen. Many process plant managers want the same thing: a training environment where classroom instruction is supplemented with actual pumps,…
- 6 Oct 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Workforce Development as a Strategic Lever

Jim Cahill

In case you missed the earlier post, Emerson Education Services Overview Podcast , here is the YouTube version of my discussion with Emerson’s Adelina Decean . We focused our discussion on the benefits of improving the skills and knowledge of your workforce to take full advantage of the automation technologies and solutions you have deployed. Give the podcast a listen and visit the Education Services section on Emerson…
- 29 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Workforce Development as a Strategic Lever

Jim Cahill

In case you missed the earlier post, Emerson Education Services Overview Podcast , here is the YouTube version of my discussion with Emerson’s Adelina Decean . We focused our discussion on the benefits of improving the skills and knowledge of your workforce to take full advantage of the automation technologies and solutions you have deployed. Give the podcast a listen and visit the Education Services section on Emerson…
- 29 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Careful Valve Material Selection Prevents Premature Failures

Jim Cahill

In refineries and petrochemical plants, frequent contact with process media can result in premature corrosion of valves and related components. To help prevent this, vendors can provide expert advice and, in some cases, lab testing to verify compatibility between wetted parts and process media. Below is a summary of our article in the August 2023 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, titled “Select the Appropriate Construction…
- 25 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Careful Valve Material Selection Prevents Premature Failures

Jim Cahill

In refineries and petrochemical plants, frequent contact with process media can result in premature corrosion of valves and related components. To help prevent this, vendors can provide expert advice and, in some cases, lab testing to verify compatibility between wetted parts and process media. Below is a summary of our article in the August 2023 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, titled “Select the Appropriate Construction…
- 25 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Advice for Choosing a Valve Repair Company for Your Next Outage

Jim Cahill

Choosing a valve maintenance company that you can trust is difficult. During a shutdown or outage, you want your plant back up and running as quickly and safely as possible , while staying within budget and completing reliable repairs. Here are some tips from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on what kind of provider you should choose to protect your assets. Tip 1 – Investigate their “valve service expertise…
- 22 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Advice for Choosing a Valve Service Repair Company for Your Next Outage

Jim Cahill

Choosing a valve maintenance company that you can trust is difficult. During a shutdown or outage, you want your plant back up and running as quickly and safely as possible , while staying within budget and completing reliable repairs. Here are some tips from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on what kind of provider you should choose to protect your assets. Tip 1 – Investigate their “valve service expertise…
- 22 Sep 2023
Emerson Automation Experts: Emerson Education Services Overview Podcast

Jim Cahill

Technology advances at a breathtaking pace. This advancement includes our world of automation and instrumentation. To take full advantage of the capabilities introduced by these technologies, upskilling personnel is paramount. In this Emerson Automation Experts podcast, Adelina Decean joins me to discuss the importance of this workforce development and the benefits it can deliver in improving operational performance…
- 15 Sep 2023