Product category:
Telemetry, data acquisition + loggers
News Release from: Powelectrics | Subject: Partnership with Box
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 October 2003
Partnership for process monitoring
Two West Midlands companies, Powelectrics and Box Telematics, have formed a strategic partnership to deliver remote monitoring solutions into the field of process monitoring and control
Two West Midlands companies, Powelectrics and Box Telematics, have formed a strategic partnership to deliver remote monitoring solutions into the field of process monitoring and control This co-operation will provide end users and system integrators alike with components and turnkey packages from sensors, through communications and processing hardware, to data presentation and management solutions
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 18 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Powelectrics have been providing sensing and telemetry for many years and have seen the advances in wireless based telemetry at first hand.
In the past these tended to be UHF systems operating around the 400-500Mhz band using set-aside delicensed frequencies.
The utilities have pioneered the conversion to wireless techniques after successive privatisation has lead to staffing reductions, which inevitably has left some sites unmanned.
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The water boards in particular have many sites which are too remote to use a telephone network effectively so the best solution is to employ wireless equipment to monitor process signals and relay values to central control sites.
Increased use has lead to increased confidence and many wireless installations now offer real-time control facilities.
Engineers are now starting to embrace the freedom that wireless systems can bring.
Confidence has grown to the extent that engineers now rely on wireless communications to monitor effluent systems on pharmaceutical plants and offshore installations.
Thanks to companies such as Box Telematics, wireless systems are now available at a price that is affordable to many new markets, with the functionality required to embrace the peculiarities of each one.
Data acquisition systems are invaluable.
They generate significant improvements in efficiency and, by recording process events, they provide a basis for quality control.
Efficient data acquisition also highlights potential problems and indicates the most productive way of solving problems.
Any data acquisition system, though, is only as good as the interface through which the results are presented.
With fixed line systems you still have to be in the right place to monitor the data.
What happens if you need access to information, but you are not at your desk, or you are in transit? What happens if the equipment you want to monitor is not near a phone line, or is mobile? The latest developments in mobile communications prove that immediate response, from anywhere, is now a real possibility.
Whether you're on the other side of your plant or on the other side of the world, advances in cable-free communication mean that you can acquire data and, vitally, act on your findings within minutes.
A new generation of data acquisition systems is driving the development forward, and the leading manufacturer of such systems is Box Telematics.
The powerful and flexible hardware designed and manufactured by Box embraces many application areas and it is this partnership between Box Telematics and Powelectrics that will give customers the turnkey solutions they require.
At the centre of the system is a GSM enabled 'Box,' which not only logs the data, but also analyses it and takes the appropriate actions.
Think of the 'Box' as a data logger, a programmable logic control (PLC) and a GSM communications device, all rolled into one.
The power is at times 'mind boggling' and takes the world of remote monitoring to a new level, but at price that is often lower than just one of the 3 components.
Bolt onto the back of this a couple of powerful data presentation and alarm handling solutions and you're away.
You can also combine the use of GSM with GPS (the global positioning system).
Perhaps you are chemical manufacturer and you supply your clients in bulk, and in order to achieve this you have a fleet of tankers.
A level sensor on your clients tank can be linked directly to an IN4MA unit which in turn communicates information back to your head office.
When a tank is running near to empty you are alerted and can arrange to send a tanker.
Your tankers are fitted with a GPS capable IN4MA so you can find out where it is, where it has been and where it's heading.
You can then instantly find out which is the nearest tanker to your needy customer, work out the fastest route to get the tanker to site, you can see when he arrives, how much product is delivered and when, and check that all is OK.
Not only can the system be used to help reduce operating costs and improve customer service, but you can also improve safety.
By forming this alliance, Box Telematics and Powelectrics are able to combine their companies knowledge and expertise to give the customer what he or she wants.
Powelectrics are able to bring together the world of process monitoring and instrumentation, as well as factory automation, with the world of remote monitoring and telemetry.
David Oakes, Sales Director for Powelectrics, says "The power of the Box is immense.
I have worked with many different telemetry devices over the years but I am continually taken aback by the power that the Box has.
I have yet to come across an application that we cannot provide a cost effective and reliable solution to.
I am delighted that we are forming this partnership with Box Telematics - the solutions they provide stand head and shoulders above the competition and we are proud to be associated with them".
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