Analytical Tools, Track-and-Trace Are Key New Software Releases

Our data historian is used by hundreds of customers at thousands of sites, began Harsh Chitale, Honeywell Process Solutions vice president of strategy and global marketing, in announcing the latest enhancements to Honeywells PHD historian this week at the companys user group gathering in Phoenix. So we are very exited to introduce a completely new visualization and analysis engine for PHD.

The user-friendly interface includes workflow management applications that enable engineers to build trend graphs and graphics with minimal training or manual configuration. Uniformance provides a rich, flexible environment for the collection, storage and analysis of data, Chitale said.

Uniformance Process Studio is designed for use with Honeywells Uniformance PHD, which gathers critical data from equipment and instrumentation located throughout a plant. In the event of a plant upset, for instance, users can pull historical data to examine how a certain unit functioned in the moments leading up to the incident and use that information to avoid future upsets.

The system contains a utility that allows customers to diagram their supply chain and track logistics throughout a clinical trial. Honeywells Carey Clements on the companys new POMStrace product, designed to facilitate track-and-trace for life sciences companies.

Having a keen understanding of how a plant has performed in the past is critical to maximizing business results and improving safety, reliability and efficiency, said Ashish Gaikwad, global director of advanced solutions for Honeywell Process Solutions.

Uniformance Process Studio was designed to help engineers make sense of this data faster and easier. Engineers can perform basic functions such as trending with only a few mouse clicks so their time is spent analyzing the process, not manipulating the tool.

For engineers, using Uniformance Process Studio for trend analysis is as easy as selecting tags from Uniformance PHD and using a drag-and-drop function to insert them into a trend graph or table. Many commonly used options, such as selecting trend times and sampling methods, are also available through simple drop-down menus. Uniformance Process Studio also provides a variety of trend styles, including single scales, XY correlations and histograms. A multitrend view allows engineers to view the status of numerous trends, making it easy to monitor the status of several processes or pieces of equipment at once.

The programs graphics are based on Honeywells HMIWeb technology, which is also used in Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS). This allows graphics used in Experion to be replicated in Uniformance Process Studio, which eliminates the need for engineers to spend hours building duplicate graphics.

Uniformance Process Studio also allows users to organize information such as tags, trends, graphics and other items used on a regular basis in personal and shared workspaces. This makes it easier for users to find relevant information. These workspaces are not limited to plant historian information; users can include Web page links, applications and a variety of documents. With this approach, engineers arent required to constantly switch between Uniformance Process Studio and Internet browsers.

And in the next revision, Chitale said, giving a look to the future, Uniformance Process Studio will be usable with any data historian, not just PHD.

Track it, Trace itSave Time and Money with POMStrace

POMSnet is our MES product for life sciences, said Chitale, as he continued his new product introductions. POMSnet helps improve pharmaceutical manufacturing performance by controlling and tracking all aspects of production, promoting best practices and capturing critical data for compliance, quality control and process improvement.

According to Chitale, the new POMSnet upgrade supports multiple languages and offers improved material-handling and new recipe features that can reduce cycle times, roll-out times for new procedures, production errors and compliance costs. The new upgrade features a batch rescaling tool that automatically adjusts recipes to partial batch quantities and includes new weighing methods and dispensing rules for increased accuracy. The system can reduce production errors up to 50%, Chitale said.

Walt Boyes Talks Wireless with Honeywells Jeff Becker

Honeywells standards-ready version of OneWireless was among the many new products released at the Honeywell User Group gathering this week. Walt Boyes, Control editor-in-chief, caught up with Jeff Becker, director of global wireless business for Honeywell Process Solutions, to talk wireless. View the five-minute video.

The new POMSnet upgrade also includes integration with Honeywells Procedure Analyst, an advanced software application that manages information about plans, production and supply chain performance. This integration allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to troubleshoot their batches for increased operational efficiency more effectively.

There truly is no room for error in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and technology is needed that can help drug makers produce the highest-quality products while maintaining plant safety and meeting very strict regulatory compliance, added Gaikwad. The new POMSnet upgrade was designed to run tighter processes while making the technology more user-friendly. The new support for multiple languages enables customers worldwide to take advantage of this technology.

POMStrace reduces the effort to maintain and track inventory records for supplies used in clinical trials. The system provides up-to-date information on supply levels, including patient distribution. It also can reduce potential risks to patients in case of a cancelled or recalled trial by blocking dispensing and providing immediate access to all logistical information. The system produces a traceability record of each patient kit and provides complete accounting for all materials.

As more drug makers transition from paper systems to electronic records, reducing the effort needed to maintain inventory records can save up to $30,000 per clinical trial, which quickly adds up for companies that may execute as many as 200 trials per year, said Gaikwad.

This product was designed in consultation with a major life sciences customer, added Carey Clements, marketing manager for POMS. The system contains a utility that allows customers to diagram their supply chain and track the logistics throughout a clinical trial. This makes it easy to use in many disparate supply chains for many different life sciences customers.