Culture of Continuous Improvement Supports Leadership Position for First Solar
Air Date: Dec. 15, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
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First Solar enjoys 18% of the Solar Energy Market, while lesser competitors are dropping out - what keeps them at the top of their game is their Culture of Continuous Improvement that permeates their organization from the very top to the very bottom of the corporate hierarchy.
This is a Culture built on the principles of Intelligent Risk Taking - supported by information, nurtured through education, and encouraged through involved innovation at every level of the organization.
This discussion will focus on how this Culture of Continuous Improvement has affected Maintenance and Operations. For those who aspire to create an environment of innovation, this discussion will provide insight on the business values and where to start the process.
Speakers:
- Mr. Kevin Schenk, Maintenance Manager, First Solar
- Mr.Rob Palicka, Planner and CMMS Administrator, First Solar
- Bob Vavra, Content Manager and Moderator, Plant Engineering
Sponsored by IBM
Plant Design for Operational Effectiveness: How OpenPlant Improves RAFAKO’s Productivity and Efficiency
Air Date: Dec. 1, 2011 at 11 a.m. EST
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Plant Engineering will present a Webcast focused on a new strategy for plant floor collaboration and how plant floor design can be tied to operational efficiency on Thursday, December 1, 2011.
Our speaker, Zbigniew Harezlak, is head of the CAD/CAE design department at RAFAKO, a 60-year-old Polish power plant equipment supplier. He will describe RAFAKO’s implementation of OpenPlant and how it met their specific Power Generation needs better than any other plant design system. You’ll learn how OpenPlant's modern user interface enables them to work better as a group internally and work in cooperation with their external partners.
Attend this Webcast and learn about:
- Operational Efficiency
- Interoperability through all aspects of the manufacturing process
- New strategies for plant floor collaboration
All webcast attendees will be able to download a copy of the latest whitepaper entitled "Bentley OpenPlant – At the Forefront of Interoperability." In this report, the Schnitger Corporation examines Bentley’s OpenPlant, how it use ISO 15926 to capture, exchange, and present plant information throughout the design, construction, and handover processes and highlights a number of users (including RAFAKO) who share their thoughts about OpenPlant, ISO 15926, and the benefits they hope to gain in their implementations.
Speakers:
- Zbigniew Harezlak, Head of the CAD/CAE Design Department, RAFAKO
- Bob Vavra, Content Manager and Moderator, Plant Engineering
Sponsored by Bentley
Arc Flash University 2011, Session 3: Document the Steps to Electrical Safety
Air Date: Nov. 29, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
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Electrical safety and compliance means ensuring your plant workers have all the knowledge they need to create a safe work environment that meets both electrical standards and regulatory compliance. The Webcast will provide practical ways to give plant managers and safety managers the necessary background documentation to make sure that safety always comes first in your business units.
Mike Doherty of the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) will lead the Webcast, taking a deeper dive into electrical safety standards such as NFPA 70E / CSA Z462, with a particular focus on training and qualification standards. Health & Safety Managed Systems (ANSI Z10 & CSA Z1000) principles will also be discussed.
Topics include:
- The NFPA 70E / CSA Z462 Standards
- ANSI Z10 / CSA Z1000 principles
- Comprehensive Safe Electrical Work Planning
- Job Planning Folders & principles
- Electrical Hazard identification and quantification
- Strategies for risk mitigation
- The importance of documentation, observation, and coaching programs and corrective action plans and more.
Speakers:
- Mike Doherty, Health & Safety Consultant - Training & Evaluation, Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA)
- Bob Vavra, Content Manager & Moderator, Plant Engineering
Attendees are qualified to receive one Professional Development Hour (PDH) after passing a short exam after the Webcast.
Sponsored by IRISS, UE Systems, and Schneider Electric
Unthrottle Your Profits: Tips for Boosting Pump Efficiency, Reliability and Process Control
Air date: Sept. 15, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
Earn 1 PDH/0.1 CEUs: Watch on-demand
As electricity costs rise, many industrial plants are implementing energy management software and efficiency programs to reduce costs. But managing energy use is only part of the equation for improving efficiency. Process pumps are the biggest consumers of energy in most plants – and every watt of power wasted by oversized or over-throttled pumps is converted to heat and vibration that reduce equipment reliability. This Webcast will teach the basics of optimizing pump performance to achieve a triple benefit – lower energy costs, lower maintenance costs, and improved process control.
Plant Engineering Content Manager Bob Vavra will be joined by ITT experts on energy efficiency and equipment reliability, including Mike Pemberton, a member of the Hydraulic Institute who has edited industry guidebooks and led education efforts on pump optimization.
Supported by case studies from a variety of industries, Mike and his fellow presenters will give attendees practical, how-to advice for applying the efficiency formula to improve pump performance and bottom-line results, while benefiting the environment.
Presenters:
- Mike Pemberton, Manager of Energy Performance Services for ITT Goulds Pumps
- Bob Vavra, Content Manager and Moderator, Plant Engineering
Who Should Attend:
- Plant Managers
- Engineering/Maintenance Managers
- Production/Maintenance Supervisors
- Maintenance/Reliability Engineers
- Purchasing/Accounting/Finance Managers
Key Take-Aways:
- Selecting the right-sized pump -- and why many are oversized
- The physical relationship between pump efficiency and reliability, and how that translates to maintenance costs
- Mechanical and digital options for improving pump efficiency, and how to determine which one works best
- Essential steps for improving process control
Arc Flash Session Two: Safeguarding your Investment in Arc Flash Safety
Air Date: June 23, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
Earn 1 PDH/0.1 CEUs: Watch on-demand
Designing and implementing programs to protect workers from electric arc flash hazards can involve significant upfront costs. This presentation looks at 3 critical considerations to help assure your investment in financial and staff resources will deliver the desired results for worker safety over time. The tips and techniques provided are derived from Lanny Floyd’s 30+ years experience in designing, implementing and managing workplace electrical safety programs. It will include insight in how to monitor the quality of your program and how to integrate aspects of the following standards to help assure a robust and sustainable arc flash safety program:
- NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
- IEEE 1584, Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations
- ANSI Z10, Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
- NFPA 70B, Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance
- IEEE 3007.2, Recommended Practice for Maintenance of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
- IEEE 3007.3, Recommended Practice for Electrical Safety of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
Speakers:
- H. Landis “Lanny” Floyd, PE, CSP, CMRP, Fellow IEEE
- Bob Vavra, Plant Engineering Content Manager and Moderator
Arc Flash University 2011, Session I: Electrical Arc Flash Safety and Risk Management
Air date: Feb. 24, 2011 at 2 p.m. EST
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This session presents an overview of the NFPA 70E 2009 Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and the requirements of the standards, which are intended to better protect electrical workers from injury when they work on energized electrical equipment.
The types of major electrical faults that can occur in electrical equipment are presented, with a focus on arcing faults as particularly damaging and dangerous to workers and equipment. Statistical occurrences of arc flash accidents that cause significant injuries and fatalities are discussed in both human and financial terms. The presentation covers all aspects of facility and employer responsibilities for compliance to the NFPA 70E standards, as well as the current status of OSHA enforcement of these standards.
Topics:
- Characteristics and causes of arcing faults
- Statistics of arc flash accidents and results
- OSHA enforcement and legal responsibilities
- Equipment hazard warning labels
- Training for qualified persons
- Hazard levels and Personal Protective Equipment requirements
- Methods of determining arc flash hazard levels (arc flash analysis)
- Recent changes in NFPA 70E 2009 and the National Electric Code 2008
- Mitigating high hazard levels in existing systems
- Design for Safety for new electrical distribution systems
Speakers:
- Joe Weigel, Product Manager, Square-D Services
- Bob Vavra, Content Manager and Moderator, Plant Engineering
Sponsored by IRISS, UE Systems and Square-D