Software, hardware and virtualization

July 8, 2014 – Honeywell Process Solutions has launched Leap project services to help manufacturers in the processing industries get their plants up and running faster and at a lower cost. Leap combines Honeywell Process Solutions’ proprietary hardware and software, virtualization and cloud engineering to give users greater scheduling flexibility while reducing risk and total automation costs by up to 30 per cent, the company explained. Leap represents a major departure from the way plants are typically designed and built by using parallel workflows to keep automation systems off critical implementation paths. Leap creates separate streams of work for the physical and functional aspects of project design. This approach allows project engineering to take place from anywhere in the world, and removes workflow dependencies to allow core project tasks to start much earlier in the process. It also dramatically minimizes the cost and volume of rework typically associated with automation projects, the company said. Leap combines three key core technologies available in Honeywell’s Experion PKS Orion:
• Universal channel technology – Honeywell’s proprietary solution allows instant remote configuration of channel types, standardized input/output cabinets, reduction or elimination of marshalling cabinets and reduction in equipment needed.
• Virtualization – Use of virtual machines in the control system removes dependencies between the functional and physical design, enables standardized server cabinets, reduces hardware requirements and delivers corresponding savings in space, power, cooling and weight.
• Cloud engineering – Engineering in a secure, centrally hosted cloud environment allows project execution and testing anywhere in the world, delivering improvements in collaboration and travel savings.

www.honeywellprocess.com