December Webcasts focus on energy, safety, assets

Plant Engineering’s Fourth-Quarter Webcast series will provide viewers with cutting-edge knowledge on three areas of vital interest to plant floor managers. The Dec. 2 arc flash webcast will discuss resistance grounding as a strategy in arc flash detection. Long used in mines, petrochem and other heavy industrial plants, resistance grounding is now winning converts in general industry.

November 1, 2009

Plant Engineering’s Fourth-Quarter Webcast series will provide viewers with cutting-edge knowledge on three areas of vital interest to plant floor managers.

The issue of arc flash detection will be the subject of a Webcast sponsored by Littelfuse on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. CDT.

The Smart Grid and its implications for the plant floor will be discussed in a Webcast sponsored by Infor on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. CDT.

Plant Engineering and IBM will present a two-part University series on enterprise asset management. EAMU will convene on Thursday Dec. 10 and Thursday Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. CDT each day.

The Dec. 2 arc flash webcast will discuss resistance grounding as a strategy in arc flash detection. Long used in mines, petrochem and other heavy industrial plants, resistance grounding is now winning converts in general industry.

Tony Locker, product manager for Littelfuse’s POWR-GARD protection relays, will discuss how to convert from a solidly grounded or ungrounded system, and Techniques for tracking down faults while your plant keeps running.

The Dec. 3 Webcast brings a focused attention to one of the most discussed electrical changes in decades. Smart Grid makes it possible to shed energy load, time slot electric consuming processes, mitigate energy waste and take advantage of cleaner and more reliable energy at lower prices.

Presenters on this topic will include Harry Forbes from ARC Advisory Group, who has just completed research with ARC on the issue of the Smart grid, and Rod Ellsworth from Infor.

Webcast attendees will learn how manufacturers can benefit from the Smart Grid and how to integrate real-time energy visibility, cost and consumption in your day-to-day operations.

The issue of enertrise asset management is among the most crucial on the plant floor, as plant managers look to maximize their equipment without sacrificing downtime, maintenance delays or productivity.

EAM University on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 will provide both an overview of how enterprise asset management works as a strategy, and a discussion of why so many manufacturers are not using such a strategy.

The second class at EAMU will look at the challenges and obstacles to implementing an effective asset management strategy in your plant, including a look inside General Motors’ efforts to develop and maintain the EAM strategy.

EAMU attendees will learn about the challenges and issues around an EAM implementation, and how to measure results, benefits and value.

Registration for all Webcasts, and the archived versions of recent Plant Engineering Webcasts on energy management, asset availability and mobility can be found by going to www.plantengineering.com and clicking on the “Plant Live” tab.