Representative End User Clients
Representative Automation Clients
Representative Software Clients
Summary
At the recent ARC India Forum, silver sponsor Emerson Process Management teamed up with one of its many chemical industry customers to make a compelling presentation about adopting 
wireless technology for operational excellence. ARC Advisory Group believes that joint case study presentations such as these are particularly effective as they highlight how advanced technologies can help end user organizations overcome similar real-world challenges.
Poonam Parmar Thorave, Plantweb IIoT Sales, Emerson presented from the supplier’s side; H.K. Kadam, Chief Manager (HRD), Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) provided the end user’s perspective.
As Ms. Thorave explained, Emerson’s IIoT portfolio covers the company’s solution package of smart sensor technologies; integration of the OT and IT (operational and information technologies) layers, and applications of smart analytical technologies. Mr. Kadam then spoke about the operational benefits of deploying wireless technology.
Key points culled from the joint presentation:
- IT and OT must work together to extract business value
- Wireless technology saves energy, reduces carbon footprint, and increases equipment availability
- Secure connectivity architectures are mandatory
Amalgamation of the OT-IT Layers
“When we talk about IIoT, it is very important that there is an amalgamation of the OT and IT layers,” said Ms. Thorave as she began her presentation. Previously, in meetings between the suppliers and customers, the discussions tended to focus on the process or maintenance aspects; but now the operational and IT teams sit across the table to arrive at appropriate solutions. Traditionally, OT and IT have different competencies and mindsets. According to Ms. Thorave, Emerson bridges this gap by understanding and discussing the strategic mindset, which differs between the OT and IT teams; technologies deployed; security objectives; and digital transformation competencies.
Service-related Operations
Earlier, when solutions were deployed, local experts were on site to troubleshoot and handle downtime and other issues. Now the scenario has changed; there are monitoring and diagnostic centers across all sites in India. In this context, Ms. Thorave spoke about Adani Power and NTPC, which have centralized control. Today, Emerson experts are globally available to handle problems/issues through multiple channels of communication to investigate, assess, diagnose, and send the report to the customer.
Plantweb Digital Ecosystem
Next, Ms. Thorave explained Emerson’s Plantweb Digital Ecosystem, the company’s branded Industrial IoT offering. To enable people to make the right decisions, it is important to have the right sensors installed to provide smart apps with the required data, she said. According to the company, Plantweb harnesses the power of Industrial IoT to expand digital intelligence to the entire manufacturing enterprise to help organizations achieve operational certainty. She explained how Plantweb supports enterprise-wide operations through connected layers: Data (Pervasive Sensing field instruments); Connectivity (Secure First Mile) gateway from the OT layer to IT layer; Analytics for different assets and processes in the plant; Services – consulting layer.
Emerson has introduced Project Lifecycle and Educational Services to help its customers understand the technology before making the CapEx investment to deploy. Elaborating on software-as-a-service, Ms. Thorave spoke about the benefits of deploying the digital twin and OTS (operator training simulator) for pilot plants in greenfield projects.
Using the example of a pump monitoring system, Ms. Thorave explained that different smart sensors are needed to gauge vibration, temperature, acoustics etc. to gather the required information (such as cavitation, leaks, ruptures etc.) for the Analytics app to perform. Emerson has a solution to convert existing wired field devices into wireless field devices.
Platforms and Solutions
The company categorizes its flexible and scalable application platforms into two buckets: Plantweb Insight and Plantweb Advisor. Both adhere to worldwide standards. Emerson provides a security layer across applications and solutions for its Connected Services for critical assets like control valves which have multiple parameters. From data to cloud computing, Emerson has deployed solutions at more than 600 sites in India.
Globally, Emerson has deployed solutions for real-time location tracking (of assets and people) at Chevron, BP, and ExxonMobil; but this is yet to gain traction in India. The most popular applications across India relate to health, safety, security, and environment; reliability; energy and emissions; and production. Concluding her presentation, Ms. Thorave said that digital transformation can be achieved in five steps:
- Align (culture, operations, and infrastructure)
- Justify (business case and opportunity prioritization)
- Design (architecture and functional specification)
- Deploy (program implementation); and
- Sustain (program management)
RCF Deploys Emerson’s Wireless Technology
Presenting the end user perspective, Mr. Kadam explained how this technology can be implemented in a practical manner. RCF, a Government of India undertaking, produces urea, complex fertilizers, and industrial chemicals across 30 process plants at two locations in Mumbai and Thal (near Mumbai). He explained the journey from manual operations to analog; then to 
digital; and now wireless. Most companies like to adopt proven and time-tested technologies; and the easiest way is to follow what your peers are doing, said Mr. Kadam. To adopt new technologies requires awareness, understanding, and the ability to justify the decision. The company developed a pilot plan to test, train, and amplify.
Training is provided both at the training center and in the field; and also to other industries and academic institutes. The training center helps develop guidelines on wireless applications and best installation practices at RCF plants. Mr. Kadam showcased use cases of wireless monitoring at the company’s training centers; implementations for cooling tower lifecycle monitoring and on-off control; and wireless control devices integration with Emerson’s DCS.
According to Mr. Kadam, benefits of implementing wireless technology include:
- Improved lifecycle, reduced maintenance
- Reduced cabling and erection material; thereby reducing the size of the control room
- Reduced complexity enables quicker deployment and reduces CapEx
- Ability to monitor and control remote measurements
Conclusion
It’s not enough for technology suppliers to just talk about their prowess and skills in a particular domain; these must be demonstrated through actual implementations. The joint presentation by Emerson and its customer RCF showcased how collaboration on the digital journey is vital both for the solution provider and end user. Wireless technology brings with it a host of benefits; but these can be realized only if suppliers and users work in tandem to achieve operational excellence. Companies in India are adopting wireless technology; but the pace needs to quicken. The ARC India Forum, like all ARC forums globally, provided an effective platform for sharing such solutions and technologies among all stakeholders.
ARC Advisory Group clients can view the complete report at ARC Main Client Portal or at ARC Office 365 Client Portal
If you would like to buy this report or obtain information about how to become a client, please Contact Us
Keywords: ARC India Forum, Industrial IoT, Wireless, Emerson, Operational Excellence, OT-IT Integration, ARC Advisory Group.