Three Sides to Every Story

When it comes to articles in our magazine, there are usually three sides to the story. The first is the opinion of the writer, the second is input from vendors, and the third and most important by far is input from our readers: automation professionals working in process plants. 

In my January 2008 Technically Speaking column, I wrote about analyzers based on my opinion and on input from a vendor. It turns out that the third side to the story was neglected, as an alert reader pointed out. 

In the article, I gave a glowing opinion on SpectraSensor’s analyzers in general, and specifically on their reliable performance in refinery catalytic reformer units. An alert reader with first hand experience in a similar application disagreed, saying that his company has had significant problems with the analyzers. 

To be fair and to close the loop, we gave SpectraSensors an opportunity to reply. Here’s what Ron Eddleman, their director of process sales, had to say:  “We at SpectraSensors are aware of a few specific site installations in which our analyzers appear to not be performing as expected. We are currently working closely with these sites to investigate the problems and resolve them. At this time it is not clear if the problems are due to the analyzer or to unknown components in the process stream. We have installed many analyzers into the process industry that have performed as designed with no problems. SpectraSensors will continue to work with these specific sites at no charge to resolve any problems and do what is required to bring these applications online and operating within specifications.”