PlantSuccess Newsletter

Volume II, Issue 15

6/19/02

Dear Subscriber:

Like most events from last fall, PlantSuccess 2001 attendance was impacted by the travel ban put in place by many major corporations. Although we did not lose any sponsors and only one speaker from the UK, many of our supporters from the Gulf Coast, West Coast and other areas could not get to Philadelphia.

To counter this, we embarked on a series of regional PlantSuccess conferences in our countries major process manufacturing centers – Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles – between March 6^th and June 5^th. Abbreviated in schedule by virtue of beginning at 8:00am and concluding at 2:30pm (including a Continental breakfast and buffet lunch), there was no reduction in the quality of the speakers or the vigor of the discussion.

Our goal was to have a program – speakers and content -- conductive to attracting corporate and plant personnel responsible for plant operations and maintenance, equipment reliability and asset management. We succeeded.

The owner community was represented by more than a dozen presentations, ranging from Mike Emery, Rhodia plant manager, to Vlad Djuric, senior reliability engineer for Dofasco, Inc, to Terry Leigh, Dow’s Global Maintenance Resource Center Leader, to David Bachtel, manager of the engineering design section for the County Sanitation Districts of LA County.

Participants in an industry initiative by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) shared the efforts of this group to develop a common methodology for risk assessment of process plants. The EPA recently announced that this initiative is the basis for the requirements to be formulated by this agency. READ MORE.

CDI Engineering Group, in conjunction with client Vulcan Chemicals, put together a great presentation on turnaround planning. Dean Findley, regional director for IPA Global, addressed an interesting new series of research projects on Small-Plant-Based projects.

Visit http://www.plantsuccess.com/ to review the program agendas from each of the four conferences and to review and download presentations of interest. The effort of the regional PlantSuccess conferences will contribute greatly to the next annual PlantSuccess conference – 9-10 October at the PHL Airport Marriott.

We are very proud of the keynoters we have been able to attract to PlantSuccess – vice presidents responsible for engineering, operations and manufacturing from DuPont, Rohm and Haas and Bayer. PlantSuccess 2002 will continue this trend of excellence with keynoter Hermann Ortega, vice president of engineering and manufacturing for the Chemicals Group of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. He will lead another outstanding roster of innovative managers from industry leaders discussing increased competitiveness through the use of advanced technologies to improve work practices.

Additional information will be available soon. Mark your calendar now to spend 9-10 October 2002 with PlantSuccess at the PHL Airport Marriott.

Regards, Carl Howk.

Chairman

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Current Links

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· Web Collaboration Tools Can Generate Significant ROI Improvements

A recent report on research by a leading consulting firm, The Yankee Group, concludes that web collaboration tools can generate significant ROI improvements during all stages of the product life cycle. CLICK HERE for the synopsis and visit the company’s website to download a complimentary copy of Part 1 of the report.

· The Changing World of the CIO

Prepared for Microsoft by Knowledge@Wharton

CIO Employment Advertisement - circa 1975
Seeking candidate with a B.S. degree in information systems, math, engineering or related area, plus 10-12 years of hands-on experience with large-scale, real-time information switching systems using IBM architecture and relational database applications. Report to VP of Administrative and Support Services.

CIO Employment Advertisement - 2002
Ideal candidate has 10-15 years experience at senior management level. Experience required in strategic planning and execution of multiple enterprise-wide IT initiatives. Partner with corporate officers to identify opportunities to improve operating efficiency, enhance customer service and open new markets. Consulting background helpful. Report to CEO.

“The CIO has come a long way. Over the years, as technology grew more integral to a company's operations, the job of the CIO expanded and became more business-centered. Instead of managing only the computing technology of a company, from the wires to the networks and applications, CIOs in many firms are now involved in determining their company's strategic direction.” READ MORE.

The PlantSuccess Newsletter generates a substantial number of visits to our website, we welcome the interest and the access to previous issues of the Newsletter which are available there. If you'd like to share this newsletter with a colleague, just forward a copy. Subscribe or cancel by sending a request to Carl.Howk@PlantSuccess.com

Full links to Volume II, Issue 15 Newsletter articles: