Our Variability Management practice is dedicated to helping process industries reduce variability and gain the manufacturing efficiency and product quality benefits that result.

Actual Client Services are very much dependent on the needs of the client.  Nevertheless, they generally fall into the following categories:

Control Performance Assessment
Exploratory "consult for a day" process variability improvement assessment.  A consultant will inspect your process, gather data manually, and identify & prioritize critical opportunities for improvement.

Control Performance Study
Typically a two to five day investigation that may be a control strategy review, or a small investigation around part of your process.  Involves a consultant working with your plant to test the process online, identify process dynamics and nonlinearities, optimize controller tuning, and recommend improvements to control strategy and process design.

Control Performance Project
Larger engagement typically between two and six weeks long.  Usually includes a survey of your process from the control performance perspective, the evaluation and tuning of key loops, assessment of problems in the control strategy and equipment and in the design or operation of the process. It may, instead of the survey, focus on identifying and removing the source of process problems in a particular process area. This project may also include an economic assessment of the opportunities for process improvements.

Control Performance Program
A sustained effort for ongoing variability reduction that includes periodic visits by a variability management consultant to the plant as a catalyst to the ongoing mill program of variability reduction and process optimization. This program may include training and tools to allow the personnel in the plant to eventually take full ownership of the program.

Each of these Services are components of our Variability Management practice and may include such activities as:

• Investigations into the non-linearities of the loops
• Scientific tuning of loops using the Lambda tuning methodology
• Control strategy review and/or design
• Variability or runnability investigation (not necessarily control problems only)

• Emerson EVI (EnTech Variability Index) for assessing product variability on paper machines
• Pre-Shutdown Control Performance Service for identifying and prioritizing critical control items to focus on during a shutdown
• Cross Direction Control Audit for paper making processes
• High fidelity process simulation to assist in training, troubleshooting and with process modifications
• Control Valve Performance Audit

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