PlantSuccess Newsletter

Volume IV, Issue 8

31 March 2004

Dear Subscriber:

Were just three weeks from PlantSuccess Gulf Coast 2004 22 April at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake, our 10th conference in the major process industry centers of Houston and Philadelphia. The theme is Best Practice Driving Plant Performance. As keynote, Tom Jefferson, Director, IT Production & Technology, Bayer Polymers, LLC, will lead another roster of outstanding speakers from industry leaders:

Visit www.PlantSuccess.com to review agendas and presentations from previous conferences, register online and take advantage of the early bird discount. If lodging is required, use the special rate for PlantSuccess at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake 281-333-9300.

Join us for a very special Welcome Reception a Texas BBQ by Truett My hobby is competitive cooking. Airhart

We have an attractive discount for multiple attendees from the same company -- let us know if this applies to your company. If you have questions or need additional information, please call me at 770-565-3282.

Carl Howk, Chairman

 

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Sponsors Include

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Dimension4 Inc

Dimension4 uses Intelligraf to deliver state of the art conversion services to leading companies for projects involving parts assemblies, highly intelligent P&IDs, schematics, and Plant Life Data Models. D4 also provides software development and systems integration and implementation services in a wide range of applications and industries:

Mechanical CAD dimensionally accurate work for the DoD and other organizations for use in spare parts ordering and in engineering redesign applications.

Power Generation complex data conversions for some of the worlds largest conventional and nuclear power generation operators to improve regulatory positions and operational efficiencies.

Process Industry P&ID and other legacy data conversions for process plants to improve efficiency and safety.

 

IndX Software Corporation a Siemens Company

XHQ software solution is an operations intelligence platform that enables managers and operations personnel of large industrial manufacturers to manage production more efficiently and to make more informed decisions about plant operations that positively impact the bottom line by:

 

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Current Links

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The Adaptive Edge

By leveraging three key componentstechnology, people, and processesto drive business, companies can build in flexibility, a variable-cost environment, and a competitive advantage. from an article by Corey Ferengul the current issue of Optimize Magazine.

A company that can predict the future, map current IT resourcesnamely people, technologies, investments, and projectsto business demands, and analyze those it has used in the past is an adaptive organization. It has the edge on the competition and can show value to stakeholders. Adaptive organizations are flexible and link business processes in previously unachievable ways, unearthing more sophisticated business options. They also move from a heavily fixed-cost environment to a variable-cost one, where overall IT costs reflect demands in real time. This flexibility creates new options for leveraging existing technology to drive the business. READ MORE.

 

The HBR List of Breakthrough Ideas for 2004

HBR Online has done a nice job with flash technology promoting its annual list of breakthrough ideas and the esteemed Harvard Business Review. These ideas are worth a read and a subscription is never a bad idea. A few of my favorites from the top 20:

If you asked most people to describe the past decade of IT, they would call it boom and bust, a roller coaster ride. The reality is that despite the sharp swings, the bursting bubble, the scandals and the countless other disappointments, technology has marched smoothly and relentlessly ahead. Ray Kruzweil

Investors are always scrambling to find out where the smart money is going. Its also important, whether youre an investor or a business manager, to know where the stupid moneys going. Joel Kurtzman

Fear of risk can cripple a companys ability to compete aggressively. But a new framework for enterprise risk management may finally convince businesses that they can systematically assess hazards on all fronts without damping their managers entrepreneurial zeal. Leigh Buchanan READ MORE

 

PlantSuccess Gulf Coast 2004

Join us for a comprehensive series of presentations on Best Practices driving plant performance including a presentation on Risk Management by noted author and consultant Bill Treasurer.

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 IV, Issue 8 Newsletter articles:

1. http://www.plantsuccess.com/

2. http://www.dimension4.com/

3. http://www.is.siemens.com/itps/indx/index.htm

4. http://www.optimizemag.com/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=18201385

5. http://images.ed4.net/images/htdocs/hbsp/hosted/hbs/hosted.htm

6. http://www.right-risk.com/

7. www.PlantSuccess.com