News from Plant-Design.Com

Philadelphia, PA (October 1, 1999) -- PlantWebr field-based architecture from Fisher-Rosemount is gaining market momentum as it reshapes the process automation landscape. The innovative architecture has become a proven solution with expanded capabilities and a broad spectrum of customers around the world.

"Since we announced availability of complete automation solutions using PlantWeb architecture with FOUNDATION fieldbus, we've won over 480 projects," says John Berra, senior vice president and process group business leader for Fisher-Rosemount's parent company, Emerson Electric Co. Recent applications range from offshore oil and gas production in the Philippines, to pharmaceutical manufacturing in Sweden, to agricultural chemicals in the U.S., to a major brewery in Australia, to a power company in Italy.

Results drive repeat business

Even more impressive are the more than 50 repeat orders Fisher-Rosemount has already received. "Customers who already have PlantWeb projects in place are pleased with the results," Berra explains, "and they're scaling up or adding new systems to get those benefits in more areas of their operations. We're also getting larger projects - as much as 20,000 I/O - as customers move beyond the smaller, trial installations that you expect as new technologies are introduced."

Users report as much as 30% reduction in automation project time and cost - or more - with even greater savings for operations and maintenance. Fisher-Rosemount's interactive website at www.testdrivePlantWeb.com enables prospective PlantWeb users to build a "virtual plant" and see the potential savings for themselves.

More products, more capabilities

PlantWeb architecture's growing market strength also reflects its growing capabilities in intelligent field devices, scalable platforms and standards, and integrated software.

Fisher-Rosemount now offers not only a full range of HART-based field devices, but also more Fieldbus Foundation-registered instruments than any other supplier - including pressure, temperature, level, flow, and density transmitters; pH, conductivity, and oxygen analyzers; and digital valve controllers and actuators. In the near future Fisher-Rosemount will release additional FOUNDATION fieldbus products, plus new functionality and diagnostics for some of its existing products.

The DeltaV system - designed to easily deliver the full benefits of field-based architecture -- handles projects of virtually any size. Other capabilities added during the past year include integrated batch software functionality, controller and I/O redundancy, and enhanced OPC connectivity, as well as support for popular discrete bus technologies.

Fisher-Rosemount's Asset Management Solutions (AMS) software also gained new capabilities, including a Calibration Manager module that enables users to streamline their calibration activities and interface their AMS systems with self-documenting calibrators. AMS software now works with smart devices from 21 instrument manufacturers, making it a de facto standard for instrument management.

Despite these advances, Berra says the best is yet to come. "We're just getting warmed up. The capabilities we offer now - and those we'll continue to add in the future - deliver revolutionary process and business results that give users a competitive advantage. All in all, it's an exciting time to be in this business - for us, and for our customers."

Fisher-Rosemount is a leading supplier of process management products and solutions, including control valves, regulators, transmitters, analyzers, process management systems, and related services and solutions. Its innovative PlantWeb field-based architecture combines intelligent field devices, scalable platforms and standards, and integrated modular software to provide not only process control, but also asset management and integration with other plant and business systems. Fisher-Rosemount is part of Emerson Electric Co.