Honeywell acquires rights to Shell’s operator technology for process manufacturers

Technology helps process manufacturer field workers safely increase production while reducing maintenance and operating costs.

By Renee Robbins February 17, 2010

Honeywell announced that it has acquired rights to technology developed by Shell Global Solutions (Shell) for gathering field data and helping industrial plants to safely increase production while reducing maintenance and operating costs. This acquisition strengthens Honeywell’s reliability and operational excellence offerings and delivers an integrated solution for the mobile field worker.

In combination with Honeywell’s OneWireless network and Dolphin mobile computer devices, this technology also will allow manufacturers to optimize communication, coordination, execution and tracking of critical field tasks and activities in real-time.

The Otter technology, which stands for "operational and technical task for efficient rounds," is currently used in more than 25 sites to help guide operators as they execute key field surveillance tasks that keep assets running within safe operating limits and at optimum performance. It also delivers best practices to all field operators; provides decision support capabilities; improves regulatory reporting; and facilitates communication between groups to address problems immediately.

Honeywell will integrate the Otter technology in its operational excellence solutions to provide operations teams complete sets of relevant data for all production assets. This data can help customers optimize plant performance and comply with health, safety and environment regulations. Shell uses the Otter technology along with Honeywell’s Operations Management Pro (OM Pro) solution as part of its Ensure Safe Production (ESP) program. According to

 

Mark Stevens, vice president of downstream technology services at Shell Global Solutions, the ESP program has significantly reduced Shell’s unplanned downtime and process safety incidents, and is being rolled out to its facilities globally.

"By providing timely and convenient access to relevant data in the field and improving communication between teams, Otter gives operators the information they need to make the best decisions, which can ultimately improve plant and business performance," explains Stevens. "Honeywell has a strong future vision when it comes to solutions for the integrated mobile field worker and I am sure that Otter technology will be a strong addition to their portfolio."

Bart Winters, reliability solutions global marketing manager for Honeywell Process Solutions, said, "Honeywell understands that mobilizing the workforce means more than giving a field worker a handheld device; it means providing operators a complete solution that gives them meaningful data they can use to execute the right tasks at the right times. In acquiring the Otter technology, we bring our world class levels of support to all users as we provide a future vision for an integrated mobile field worker solution."

More news on Shell from Control Engineering.

–Edited by Renee Robbins, senior editor
Control Engineering News Desk

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