innovationsin Process Automation

Creating the workforce

of the futureWhy is enhancing

worker skills essential to your success?

Tibor Szabó, Downstream Specialist, Process Engineering Automation, MOL Group

Operator Training Solutions (OTS) use dynamic process models to familiarise control room operators with control and safety systems by exposing them to typical operational scenarios they

might face. OTS can also deliver benefits in terms of process optimisation, and at MOL Group’s Danube Refinery near Budapest, Hungary, an Emerson DeltaV™ OTS is helping the company optimise energy and process efficiency.

MOL implemented the OTS for the refinery’s gasoil hydrodesulphurisation process unit, where the main feed streams are gas oil from the crude and vacuum distillation units, delayed coker and fluid catalytic cracking units. The cold properties – cloud point and cold filter plugging point – are improved in the first reactor catalyst bed, which processes the heavier feeds with the higher paraffin content. The second reactor is used for catalytic desulphurisation in the presence of hydrogen for both heavier and lighter feed. The reactors’ product is then separated, via a series of columns, into gasoil, gasoline, LPG and fuel gas.

With Emerson’s DeltaV distributed control system (DCS) having been used to control the unit for over a decade, Emerson was also chosen to provide the OTS. Emerson’s familiarity with the unit was an obvious advantage, and because the new OTS could be integrated into the existing DCS without the need for an additional interface, this helped to reduce the complexity of the project and minimise the potential for errors.

By using an OTS with a high-fidelity process model, operators can test alternative process set-ups and different feeds and throughputs, to see what effect these changes would have on process efficiency. If they find that certain changes would result in efficiency improvements, then similar amendments can subsequently be made on the real system.

Another significant benefit of the OTS is that it teaches operators how to respond to process disturbances and upsets in a smoother way, so that the amount of product stream sent off-spec is significantly reduced and product qualities remain in the economically viable range. Also, process interlocks, that prevent incorrect operation or possible equipment damage, are activated less often due to improved operator response to disturbances, resulting in higher plant availability.

Learn how Emerson’s training solutions can get your operations up to speed quickly at emrsn.co/IM1401

Today’s manufacturing and process industry companies face a host of challenges, including the pace of technological change, increased global competition, more stringent compliance requirements, and in some regions, a shortage of skilled labour. To help our customers meet these challenges, Emerson provides the broadest portfolio of advanced automation technologies, designed to be as easy as possible to install, operate and maintain. Complementing this, Emerson provides extensive educational, training and consulting services that deliver wide-ranging customer benefits, from enhancing workforce skills through to helping achieve quantifiable business results. These services give Emerson personnel the perfect platform to use their vast experience and expertise to help customers achieve Top Quartile performance in areas such as capital projects, operational reliability and energy management. This edition of Innovations in Process Automation looks at these services and explains the value they provide.

We explore the role of Emerson’s Operational Certainty Consulting service, revealing how the broad industry experience of Emerson’s consultants enables our customers to better understand their challenges and provides effective solutions to achieve specific business goals. We reveal how Emerson’s Educational Services help narrow the skills gap created by advanced technologies that require new work processes. We also look at some of the many industry training and education initiatives Emerson supports with technology and engineering services worth millions of dollars, to prepare next-generation workers for roles with digitised technologies.

The industry not only has a skills gap to contend with, but also a gender imbalance. We reveal Emerson’s worldwide support for programmes that encourage STEM education and careers awareness, including initiatives aimed exclusively at women. We also explain how Emerson nurtures and develops talent within its own organisation, and how our Europe Business Academy trains personnel to develop a more rounded view of our business objectives and those of our customers.

If you would like to discuss how Emerson’s education, training and consulting services can benefit your company, please contact us today via Emerson.com/ContactUs

Roel Van Doren President Europe Emerson Automation Solutions

04Emerson’s commitment to training and education is closing the skills gap

06 STEM initiatives inspire next generation of innovators

08 The business case for gender balance is clear

10Training solutions help maximise return on technology investments

12Industry experience helps consultants deliver specified business outcomes

14 Business Academy helping develop tomorrow’s leaders

Welcome to innovations

Operator Training Solutions increase plant availability

innovations 3

Emerson’s commitment to training and education is closing the skills gap

Digital transformation provides exciting opportunities for process industry organisations to make significant operational improvements. However, as the rapid introduction of new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies reshapes the competencies required of workers, companies can be left facing a skills shortage. Emerson understands the need to close this skills gap. Consequently, it is actively involved in supporting training and education that helps prepare next-generation workers for roles with digitised technologies.

This support is perfectly demonstrated by Emerson’s collaboration with Ireland’s National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT). Biopharmaceuticals is an extremely important industry for Ireland and is worth more than €40 billion in annual exports. However, in a 2016 NIBRT study of the industry, more than half of respondents said they have a high degree of difficulty recruiting and developing bioprocess engineers. Such a skills shortage is a deep cause for concern, but NIBRT is leading the way in helping to meet the country’s growing demand for skilled workers. Emerson was therefore delighted to enter a collaboration agreement that includes a donation of automation software and systems valued at $1 million (approximately €820,000) to help upskill workers. This reinforces Emerson’s commitment to both workforce training and education and supporting the biopharma industry.

Located in a world-class facility in Dublin, NIBRT is a centre of excellence that aims to be a global leader in biopharma manufacturing research, education and training, enabling it to support the growth and development of all aspects of the industry in Ireland. It performs industry-aligned research in all aspects of bioprocessing, manufacturing, therapeutic protein characterisation, compliance and regulation, and it designs, develops and delivers education and training programmes for national and international students and workforces.

The Dublin facility is purpose-built to closely replicate a modern biopharma plant with state-of-the-art equipment. Its planned Emerson Room will simulate an innovative

bioprocessing environment and will include a fully operational Emerson DeltaV™ distributed control system. DeltaV is one of the most extensively used automation platforms within the industry, and NIBRT will utilise it to provide advanced training and education in a safe environment.

Emerson has supported industry training and education initiatives around the world over many years. For example, helping to provide safe, hands-on instruction for the next generation of skilled operators in the oil and gas industry, it donated automation technology worth over £650,000 for an onshore training rig at the ASET International Oil and Gas Training Academy in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Emerson is currently working with more than 300 educational institutions and organisations around the world. These include the University of Surrey, in the UK, where Emerson is providing state-of-the-art automation technologies to help researchers develop solutions as part of their Sixth Sense project to see into the future of industrial processes. In Saudi Arabia, Emerson is collaborating with the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Aramco and SABIC to develop a curriculum around new automation strategies and technologies, that will prepare the Kingdom’s workforce of the future. Another example is in the US, where future classes of undergraduate engineering students at Texas A&M University will have access to advanced automation technologies as a result of a US$1.5 million donation by Emerson. The company’s donation will fund the Emerson advanced Automation Laboratory, which will provide the students with a modern, high-tech learning environment, simulating real world plant operations found in the oil and gas, refining and other industries.

By supporting initiatives such as these, Emerson aims to help to create an appropriately skilled workforce, capable of operating digitised plants in a continuously evolving industry for many years to come.

To learn more about Emerson’s solutions for the biopharmaceuticals industry, visit emrsn.co/IM1404

“Emerson has supported industry training and education initiatives around the world over many years”

To fully maximise the benefits provided by digital transformation, it is essential to train and upskill current and future employees. Daniel Keogh, Regional Business Leader, Ireland, reveals how Emerson is collaborating with NIBRT to prepare next-generation workers for roles in Ireland’s digitised biopharmaceuticals industry.

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With fast-evolving automation technologies transforming the way industrial process and manufacturing plants operate, organisations increasingly need workers with excellent technical knowledge and skills. However, with fewer students graduating with engineering degrees, there are fears that many jobs in these industries may go unfilled in the coming years. To help close this skills gap, Emerson is committed to supporting a broad range of projects around the world that encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and careers awareness.

Emerson’s own award-winning ‘We Love STEM’ initiative was launched to help young people understand the significant impact STEM careers can have on the world. In partnership with YouTube science channels presenter Hank Green, ‘We Love STEM’ encourages talented students to develop their interest in STEM subjects. The initiative provides a rich variety of resources to motivate the next generation of innovators. These include inspirational videos, social media feeds, and employee-hosted ‘We Love STEM’ days, which have already seen thousands of youngsters enjoy fun-filled and educational visits to Emerson facilities around the world.

In the UK, for example, Emerson has hosted STEM school outreach days at its facilities in Slough, Leicester and Aberdeen, while Emerson employees in Cluj, Romania, have hosted job fairs and careers days for university students. In the United States, Emerson has forged a long-term education and training partnership with Ranken Technical College, St Louis, and in the Philippines, Emerson’s first STEM Innovation Challenge will see university students devising innovative Internet of Things solutions to engineering problems.

Alongside its ‘We Love STEM’ initiative, Emerson launched its ‘We See’ campaign to raise awareness of the impact a STEM education can have. Engineers and scientists are a leading force behind the innovations powering our daily lives, and ‘We See’ aims to show young people the amazing possibilities a STEM career gives them to make a difference in the world. To emphasise the potential of a STEM career path, the campaign highlights the societal

achievements of Emerson engineers and scientists in areas such as environmental conservation, food safety and manufacturing efficiency.

These campaigns highlight Emerson’s far-reaching support for STEM projects in general. In addition, the company places great emphasis on championing initiatives that specifically target raising STEM awareness and career opportunities among women. Traditionally, women have been underrepresented in the manufacturing industries, but Emerson is committed to attracting, recruiting, retaining and advancing more women within the company.

Central to this commitment was the establishment of Emerson’s ‘Women in STEM’ organisation, to provide networking, professional development, and volunteering and mentoring opportunities for women working in the company. The group’s activities include recognition events for female employees, coordinating participation in Society of Women Engineers activities, promoting awareness of career opportunities at schools and youth groups, and participating in company recruiting activities. Membership of Emerson ‘Women in STEM’ has grown rapidly, and by the end of fiscal 2017, the network had 1,700 members globally and had held 292 events worldwide. In recognition of Emerson’s commitment to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace, the company was ranked by Woman Engineer magazine among the top 50 employers in the US for which women engineers would most like to work.

These initiatives highlight Emerson’s firm commitment to ensuring that the STEM field remains robust. By providing resources and support across the areas of education, careers awareness and professional development, Emerson is helping to close the skills gap and produce a new generation of engineers capable of driving innovation and advancing technology.

To learn more about Emerson’s ‘We Love STEM’ and ‘Women in STEM’ initiatives, visit emrsn.co/IM1405 To view a video from an Emerson ‘We Love STEM’ day in St Louis, visit emrsn.co/IM1406

STEM initiatives inspire next generation of innovators

“Emerson’s own award-winning ‘We Love STEM’ initiative was launched to help young people understand the significant impact STEM careers can have on the world”

Not enough students are graduating with engineering degrees, sparking fears of technical jobs going unfilled. However, as Veronica Constantin, Vice President Southern Region Europe, reveals, Emerson supports many programmes around the world that encourage STEM education and careers awareness, with the aim of closing the engineering skills gap.

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According to the World Economic Forum, women comprise more than 20% of engineering school graduates, yet only 11% of practicing engineers are women. Closing this gender gap is a challenge for engineering companies, and there is a good reason why organisations such as Emerson and Shell are putting gender balance at the heart of their plans – because it clearly makes good business sense.

Companies that have top quartile representation of women in their executive committees and senior leadership positions regularly outperform companies that do not. For example, organisations with a woman on their board of directors regularly outperform those with all-male boards by 32%. Despite this, many women working in STEM industries are still coming up against bias in their workplaces. Even though young women are increasingly being encouraged to pursue STEM studies, we still suffer sexist comments about our abilities or our appearance during our working lives. This is not only clearly wrong; it is also dangerous, because it can push women out of their career path in engineering and technology and can cause companies to miss out on some of the most talented individuals.

Biases must be challenged and overcome if the gender gap is to be closed, and thankfully there is a lot that can be done to help achieve this. Organisations can implement strong diversity and inclusion practices, to level the playing field between men and women. For example, at Shell we launched a social media campaign to highlight Shell’s commitment to closing the gender gap in engineering. Visible leadership in gender equality, plus STEM programmes such as the ones run by both Emerson and Shell, have resulted in a significant increase of female graduates in the engineering field. Let me tell you about my personal experience: I am a mother of a five-year-old boy, and I am divorced, so my personal and professional lives are in principle quite constrained. However, Shell gives me flexible working patterns so that I can take care of my family and pursue my career.

As a manager, I have four men in my team who have children and they also benefit from a flexible working pattern. And I find that when I give them this flexibility, that’s when I get the best out of them.

There is also a lot that we can do as individuals, starting with challenging our own unconscious biases, to make sure they don’t negatively influence the way we take decisions and the way we work with others. We can go one step forward and join gender balance groups such as the Women’s Network at Shell, and Women in STEM at Emerson.

Employers are set to face a shortage of 40 million highly-skilled employees by 2030, and this gap will not be closed by using ‘business as usual’ practices. It needs something different. Achieving an equal rate of employment for women may help to close this gap, so gender balance is not just a women’s issue, it is a big business opportunity for everyone in the STEM industries.

It may take many years of integrated effort among our industries to solve this challenge, but if we give the same fair chance to both women and men across our organisations, at all levels and in all areas of work, we can eventually close the gender gap.

Watch a video on how Shell is helping to close the gender gap in engineering and technology: emrsn.co/IM1407

See how Emerson is helping more women have successful careers with its Women in STEM programme: emrsn.co/IM1408

The business case for gender balance is clear

“Organisations can implement strong diversity and inclusion practices, to level the playing field between men and women”

Emerson puts diversity and inclusion at the heart of its business plans. Having been invited by the directors of the 2018 Emerson Global Users Exchange to be a keynote speaker, Roberta Pacciani, President of the Women’s Network at Shell Netherlands, explains why it is important to close the gender gap in engineering.

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Changing work processes, necessitated by the implementation of new technologies, can create a skills gap in workforces. Shahin Meah, Senior Director Plantweb Solutions and Services, Europe, explains how Emerson’s Educational Services provides an extensive range of training packages and courses to help plug this gap and assist customers in achieving their business goals.

Automation technology helps manufacturing and process industry organisations improve their operations, but realising the full potential value of investments in this area is not always straightforward. New technology often necessitates changes in work processes and procedures, which can create a skills gap within a workforce, especially when more experienced staff are retiring. Failure to upskill employees to maximise the potential of new technology can adversely affect a company’s ability to turn capital investments into quantifiable results.

Emphasising the importance of quality training, the American Society for Training and Development collected information from over 2,500 companies and found that those investing $1,500 or more per employee per year on training reaped a range of benefits, including:

• 218% higher income per employee than those with less comprehensive training.

• 24% higher profit margin than those who spend less on training.

• 6% higher shareholder return if the training expenditure per employee increases by $680.

Emerson understands how workforce development can help customers maximise their return on technology investments. Whether a customer wants to train new employees, enhance workforce skills and expertise, or help its team adapt to new technologies, the broad range of innovative, scalable training options provided by Emerson’s Educational Services allows them to optimise training costs and more easily identify the training solution that best suits their needs.

Emerson is an authorised training provider with the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), and has 376 instructors globally certified. Around 13,000 trainees per year enrol with Emerson, resulting in some 273,000 hours of training, and these figures are rising every year. Emerson’s

tailored training packages provide more than 300 courses. Trainees are taught how to install, operate and maintain equipment, and how to identify and solve potential problems, which will ultimately help to improve their plant’s safety, reliability, efficiency and performance.

Emerson’s full learning and support portfolio encompasses:

• Instructor-led training, accessed at one of Emerson’s certified training centres around the world, on-site, or in close proximity to a customer.

• Its ‘Virtual Classroom’, with real-time classes taking place in a virtual training room with hands-on workshops performed on live virtual machines.

• A comprehensive eLearning portfolio, which is perfect for those who prefer academic, self-paced learning.

• An interactive plant environment, providing a hands-on training facility simulating a typical plant and accurately replicating various process scenarios.

• Blended Learning - a mix of different teaching methods delivered via digital and online media to maximise effectiveness and convenience for those who want to minimise the extent to which training disrupts their plant operations.

Emerson is at the forefront of innovation and technology in training delivery, an example of which is its Operator Training Solutions (OTS). Using dynamic simulation integrated with a control and safety system replica, OTS create a hands-on learning environment tailored to a customer’s specific needs. Designed to accelerate learning, OTS enable operators to gain experience in an offline environment, exposing them to what they will experience in their actual control room. The practical experience gained from an OTS raises operator skills, which can consequently help in getting production started quicker, maximising throughput and minimising downtime.

Training solutions help maximise return on technology investments

Emerson’s training packages and courses arm workers with the practical knowledge and skills they need to perform their duties competently, and provide organisations with a strong foundation of expertise, enabling their workforce to be more productive, versatile and proficient, to maximise the return on their technology investments.

Learn more about how Emerson’s Educational Services training solutions can help your company by visiting emrsn.co/IM1403

“Around 13,000 trainees per year enrol with Emerson, resulting in some 273,000 hours of training, and these figures are rising every year”

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Industrial digitised technology is helping to transform the way many companies control and manage their manufacturing or process plants. The latest automation technologies continue to support companies in making improvements to their business performance, but the widespread adoption of these technologies means it can be increasingly difficult to gain a meaningful competitive advantage – they are essential core capabilities for any producer. To achieve a real and meaningful advantage, a more holistic approach to performance improvement is required, which Emerson provides through its Operational Certainty Consulting service.

Emerson is committed to helping its customers reach Top Quartile performance. The purpose of the Operational Certainty Consulting service is not to recommend a

specific technology to solve a technical problem, which Emerson is very adept at doing. Instead, the team functions at a more elevated level, with its role involving the analysis of business objectives across all aspects of the customer’s operation. This then enables it to evaluate potential investments, define project requirements, develop business cases and quantify benefits. Taking this holistic approach enables Emerson to help customers look at their operations in a different way, and to attain the tangible results they desire.

A critical difference between Emerson’s Operational Certainty Consultants and traditional consulting services is that we don’t simply perform assessments, identify opportunities and provide recommendations. Having established potential quantifiable business improvements,

our role is to deliver specific agreed business outcomes – for example, reducing the cost of production by x% or increasing throughput by y%. Working in close partnership with the customer we help implement changes to processes, procedures and technology that will achieve those gains.

To guarantee these outcomes, we draw upon the full, broad spectrum of Emerson’s thought leadership and experience in areas such as reliability, safety, energy management and process efficiency. We can then make use of a huge portfolio of industry-leading automation technologies and a global support network to implement these solutions.

One of the major strengths of our consultants is their extensive experience of working for companies within the manufacturing and process industries that Emerson supports. Fully understanding not only the typical challenges customers face, but also the significance of manufacturing improvements to their overall business model, is crucial in enabling us to provide them with the most effective solution possible and deliver the results they demand.

For example, prior to joining Emerson I worked within the petrochemicals industry for almost 20 years, with ICI,

Industry experience helps consultants deliver specified business outcomes

Emerson’s Operational Certainty Consulting service is responsible for both identifying and realising quantifiable business improvements that can help customers achieve Top Quartile performance. Chris Hamlin, Director Operational Certainty Consulting, explains how previous manufacturing and process industry experience helps in better understanding customer challenges and achieving these goals.

Huntsman Corporation and SABIC. Initially I had control engineering roles, which developed my understanding of core processes and technologies. I then took on operational planning responsibilities, which involved coordinating the manufacturing activities of much of the petrochemicals industry in Teesside. That was followed by a two-year secondment into the civil service to perform policy work for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which routes public money into academic research into engineering and science. This background has enabled me to better understand and advise customers as to how they can make improvements to their overall value model and business processes.

There are currently around eighty Operational Certainty Consultants globally, but we are continually looking at how we can broaden our capability. For example, one such area is data science, in which we are expanding rapidly. We are also looking to expand the team’s language, cultural and geographical range. This will ensure we can provide the dual benefit of local experts supported by the resources of a global organisation.

Find out how Emerson’s consulting services can help your business by visiting emrsn.co/IM1402

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Business Academy helping develop tomorrow’s leaders

Two challenges often faced by large companies are: Finding ways to identify and develop talent and being able to align the business, across functions and responsibilities, with a single strategic direction. For Emerson, developing employees is vital for expanding its pool of prospective future leaders. Strategic alignment generates a more rounded understanding of both the company’s business objectives and those of its customers.

As a global business spanning multiple industries, Emerson is familiar with these challenges. Emerson realised that an internal talent identification and development programme would help solve them simultaneously. For many years

Emerson has conducted successful sessions to develop potential leaders within its UK and Ireland organisation. In 2017, expanded the programme with the launch of the Emerson Europe Business Academy.

The Europe Business Academy consists of a one-year training course, for which all employees are invited to apply, irrespective of position or function. Up to 24 applicants take part each year, selected by a steering committee. Participants undertake modules in operations, sales and marketing, finance, and leadership, with experienced professionals and business leaders on hand to support the development of their professional

and personal skills. Over three-month blocks, the participants work as part of a group to solve genuine business challenges currently faced by Emerson, presenting their proposed solutions during the next session.

The course provides participants with a more holistic view of the business operations of both Emerson and its customers. By bringing together employees from different roles, backgrounds and countries, it enables new networks to be formed across the Emerson organisation, with links forged across diverse areas of the business. Ensuring there is a deep understanding of how Emerson functions, at every point in the customer supply chain, enables the company to solve customer challenges quicker and more efficiently.

An Emerson instrument engineer considers that the tasks performed during the Business Academy have improved his ability to contribute to complex customer projects, such as plant turnarounds. Previously he executed services very much at an individual field device level. By gaining a better understanding of broader customer needs, objectives and project schedules he supported a major oil and gas customer during a turnaround, by coordinating instrument maintenance and commissioning according to prioritised needs. This resulted in the service team executing a diverse workload on time and exceeding expectations.

“The course provides participants with a more holistic view of the business operations of both Emerson and its customers”

Teams are given a specific business challenge to address. They are open tasks that require both business insight and judgement to make progress. Recent projects included bringing a new wireless technology to market and winning business. The teams were so successful in identifying the problem that the technology solved, that the amount of customer orders covered the cost of the training course.

These are just two of many examples where customer challenges have been solved quicker and more efficiently due to the Business Academy.

To learn about career opportunities at Emerson, visit emrsn.co/IM1409

Identifying and nurturing talent is a key focus for large organisations. Travis Hesketh, Vice President Marketing, explains how Emerson’s Europe Business Academy works. It enables potential future leaders to gain a more holistic view of the operational and strategic goals of their own company and its customers.

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Publication Director: Bruno Cotteron Guillon, Marketing.Europe@Emerson.com

The contents of this publication are presented for informational purposes only and, while every effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, they are not to be construed as warranties or guarantees, express or implied, regarding the products or services described herein or their use or applicability. All sales are governed by our software licensing agreement and terms and conditions, which are available upon request. We reserve the right to modify or improve the designs or specifications of our product and services at any time without notice. Emerson and the Emerson logo are trademarks and service marks of Emerson Electric Co. ©2018 Emerson Electric Co. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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