Emerson contest for "wireless innovators"

The Emerson Smart Innovators awards, including a US$2500 cash prize, will be given for the most creative use of wireless technologies and most significant business impact achieved

Emerson Process Management announces the "Smart Wireless Innovators Contest" to recognize customers for innovative applications of their Smart Wireless solutions that deliver high business impact in process industry production, manufacturing, and distribution facilities.

The global introduction of Smart Wireless solutions began in North America last fall, with Emerson wireless products being shipped to users from December 2006.

The realisation of easy, fast commissioning and up to 90% reduction of sensor and transmitter installed cost has stirred the enthusiasm of engineers toward capturing new data to improve plant performance.

"We frequently have customers trialing our Smart Wireless technologies for one reason, then finding many other good uses once they get it up and running," said Peter Zornio, chief strategic officer for Emerson Process Management: "We are introducing this contest and award to celebrate the innovative spirit of those finding new and exciting ways to experience the value of reliable, secure and easy-to-use wireless".

This particular section of the Emerson "Smart Wireless Innovators Contest" is open to all manufacturing customers in the American continent, will run until 31 March 2008.

Separate arrangements will be made to award such innovation in other continents, as wireless products are applied in the different areas.

A panel of customer peers will judge the entries, and award prizes in two categories: 'Most innovative use of wireless technologies' and 'Greatest business impact from using wireless'.

To qualify for the contest, applications must include at least five of the Emerson Smart Wireless instruments with a 1420 Smart wireless gateway or a ROC800-series Remote Operations Controller with on-board wireless gateway, and AMS Device Manager software with wireless PlantWeb interface.

This application can be conveniently purchased and implemented as a Smart Wireless solution instrumentation order, or by using the Emerson offering of Wireless SmartPack Starter Kits.

Contest winners will receive free admission to the 2008 Emerson Global Users Exchange in Washington, USA, where they will be formally honoured with a crystal Smart Wireless Innovators Award and the US$2500 cash prize.

Winners will also have an opportunity to present to industry peers at the Users Exchange, sharing details of their application which makes unique use of Smart Wireless products and services.

Contest submittals must include a description of the actual Smart Wireless application, business objectives, Emerson technologies involved, an assessment of performance and results achieved.

Emerson Smart Wireless Solutions deliver control and monitoring functionality of new wireless field networks, expanded mobile operations of control networks, and plant functionality like asset tracking and physical security.

The field networks feature the world's first intrinsically safe, high reliability devices to capture valuable measurement and diagnostic information from a wide range of field locations in the harsh environments our customers deal with every day.

The Smart Wireless field devices are built on industry leading instrument platforms from Emerson, such as the Rosemount 3051S pressure transmitter, and incorporate built-in power and highly reliable self organizing networks communications capability.

The wireless networks can retrieve data from parts of a plant that were previously unreachable due to fiscal and/or physical constraints.

The new expanded data can be used for a wide range of purposes, including: monitoring, troubleshooting, or predictive maintenance, to name a few.

Smart Wireless solutions are fully compatible with all Emerson automation systems and applications, and are fully scalable so customers can expand their wireless networks as their needs dictate.

The Emerson Wireless SmartPack Starter kit includes 5 to 25 Rosemount Smart Wireless devices, industry leading Asset Management software, and SmartStart installation and commissioning services performed by an on site wireless technician, and is ready "out of the box" to form a secure, highly reliable, self-organizing wireless network.

The kit is designed to prove the limitless potential of wireless to solve the most difficult process data needs in our customer's plants and to give potential users a risk-free way to gain practical experience with this technology in their own facilities.

From the development of communications protocols like HART and Foundation fieldbus, Emerson has a long history of leading the development of industry standards, and the company will help protect customer investments in wireless by guaranteeing an upgrade path of current Smart Wireless products to future wireless standards which are currently under development.

For further information on Emerson Smart Wireless Solutions or the Wireless SmartPack Starter Kit, go to the Emerson Smart Wireless website.

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