PlantSuccess
Newsletter
Volume III, Issue 23
29 October 2003
Dear
Subscriber:
PlantSuccess
Northeast 2003,
held recently at the PHL Airport Marriott, confirmed the uniqueness of our
conference with its focus on the owner-operator in the process industry and its
commitment to outstanding content: moderated sessions featuring presentations
by industry leaders speaking to the successful implementation of engineering IT
and an active Q&A.
The launch
of PlantSuccess in 1999 featured a team of speakers led by Jim Porter,
DuPont’s VP of Engineering and Operations, as keynote. Porter returned to
lead a roster of outstanding speakers for our 5th anniversary
conference and its theme: Best Practices Driving Plant Performance. Jim
is very generous with his time, knowledge and experience and many of us have
heard him in other venues. His address: Six Sigma and Best Manufacturing
Practices -- Delivering Powerhouse Performance, was great and will be a
popular download for a long time.
Again, our
agenda included a wide range of excellent speakers with industry leaders, all
with a story to tell about the effective utilization of engineering IT to
improve plant performance. Leading organizations contributed to an outstanding
2-day conference: Accenture, Air Products and Chemicals, AspenTech, BPSolvay,
Dow Chemical, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, Rohm and Haas, US Chamber of
Commerce and the US Postal Service were well-represented by innovative
managers. Their sessions were managed by an experienced group of active
moderators; PlantSuccess is sponsored by leaders among the technology
providers: AVEVA Inc, Ivara Corp, McLaren Inc, Mill Creek Systems Inc, Skire
Inc and The Shaw Group.
We make it
easy at www.PlantSuccess.com for you
to review the agenda, abstract and bio and download the presentations that
appeal to you. Please provide the contact information requested.
In April,
we will return to the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake for the third year and
PlantSuccess Gulf Coast 2004. Information on this unique event will be
forthcoming at www.PlantSuccess.com
and in this Newsletter. Of course, we are always interested in talking to
potential speakers, moderators and sponsors. Please call me at 770-565-3282.
Best
regards,
Carl. Howk,
Chairman
*****************
Current
Links
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Setting
the Stage for Success – Information Architecture Earns Performance Kudos
An interesting article by Judith Lamont of Zentek,
begins:
“Information architecture is the
process of organizing and structuring information so that it is logical in
design and presentation. It establishes categories and relationships among
different pieces of information. It defines metadata schemes, navigation and
search interfaces. Good architecture not only helps users find information, but
also facilitates updating content by having clear rules for adding new
information. And its effects show up on the bottom line with surprising speed
when users can get what they need in just a few clicks.” READ
MORE.
For almost
half a century, the Cold War required the US and Western Europe to maintain a
united front against the Soviet Union and keep any differences in the
background. The threat from the Soviet Union has been gone for almost 15 years
and some of the greatest effects are just being felt. The relationship between
the US and Europe will never be the same, the power of the EU, centered in
Brussels, will make sure of that.
The
European Commission’s proposed chemicals law is a case in point and has
received a great deal of comment, justification and criticism from all fronts.
This piece from The Economist is a good addition. READ
MORE.
Now that’s
saying something! More importantly, will we learn any lessons from the loss of
thousands of homes and too many lives – only time will tell. Our prayers go to
those who have lost their homes or are in the midst of uncertainty. As
transient as our country’s population is, we all must know someone there.
We are
pleased to be able to share a mapping system, provided by Dave Ransier,
GeoMicro Inc www.geomicro.com and The
Harlow Report, that allows you to enter an address and determine the
proximity of that address to a current map of the series of fires that
currently spans 250 miles from southern California into Baja, Mexico. LEARN 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 III, Issue 23 Newsletter articles:
3. http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2172664