Presenting ARC's Digital Plant of the Future Forum

October 13-15, 2008 - Houston, Texas

Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) is high on the agenda of executives in manufacturing, utilities and every other enterprise where success depends upon complex equipment.  They are worried about capital budget overruns and startup delays that can turn excellent market opportunities into major calamities.  They are also concerned with revenue, safety, compliance, quality and operating cost problems that arise when asset performance is less than expected. Shareholders and regulators will no longer tolerate these costs and risks.  They expect Excellence in Asset Lifecycle Management and want companies to take action to ensure this.

Asset Information Management (AIM) is the foundation for and key enabler of Excellence in every asset lifecycle stage.  Studies show that asset-intensive organizations suffer staggering losses each year as a result of poor Asset Information Management across plant design, build and handover.  Asset Information Management issues likewise plague groups involved with facility operation and maintenance.  Neglect in this area has also been linked to major safety and compliance violations that blemished corporate reputations and jeopardized their very survival.

Asset Information exists in many forms and is created and used by many groups across the enterprise and plant asset supply chain.  Each group feels some pain from poor Asset Information Management and most contribute to the problem.  Asset owner/operators suffer the most as they incur the impact this has on asset performance.

ARC’s research shows that collaboration and teamwork across all asset stakeholders is vital to ensuring good Asset Information Management.  Each group needs to appreciate the impact their practices have on asset performance.  And, all groups need to align their practices and goals to achieve optimal asset performance. Leading companies recognize this need and have implemented technology and programs to enable collaborative teams of stakeholders within and external to their organization.

Join ARC at our Houston Forum to learn more about how Asset Information Management impacts your asset performance and what you can do to develop your own winning strategy. Encourage other Asset Information stakeholders in your company who are involved in the design, operation or maintenance of your assets and key suppliers to attend.  This will ensure that they appreciate the importance of collaboration and have an opportunity to begin building relationships that can help them overcome some of their major obstacles.  Whether you are an asset owner/operator, an EPC, a supplier of equipment, an asset service provider or someone involved with AIM technology you simply cannot afford to miss this event!

• Learn about the many “hidden ways” that Asset Information Management impacts Asset Performance
• Gain the knowledge to identify significant “hidden costs” in your Asset Information Management program
• Discover what leading companies are doing to overcome cultural, contractual and infrastructure roadblocks that can frustrate collaborative programs
• Understand what technology suppliers are doing to enable you to improve Asset Information Management
• See what industry and standards groups are doing to enable better information interoperability
• Share challenges, ideas and strategies with peers and gain from their experience with similar issues  
• Get valuable ARC Best Practice research that shows you what works and what doesn’t
• Network with top industry executives

This conference is unique.  Other events may touch on Asset Information Management from the perspective of a specific group or lifecycle stage, but this is the only event that considers Asset Information Management across all stakeholders and lifecycle stages, showing you some of the best opportunities for improvement.  Likewise, no other conference offers you such an excellent opportunity to network with people responsible for other lifecycle stages, who may be able to solve some of your biggest Asset Information problems. 

Who Should Attend The Houston 2008 Forum is a must-attend event for: CEOs, COOs, and Presidents CIOs, CTOs, Directors, and Managers of IT VPs, Directors, and Managers of Engineering VPs, Directors, Managers of Maintenance and Reliability VPs, Directors, and Managers of Operations VPs, Directors, and Managers of Supply Chain VPs, Directors, and Managers of Manufacturing Plant Managers and Supervisors responsible for Operations and Maintenance Project Managers, Procurement Managers IT Team Leaders in areas related to AIM Leaders of industry and standards efforts related to AIM

Agenda

Following is the schedule for the Forum.

Monday, October 13

Tuesday, October 14

Wednesday, October 15

Forum Session Descriptions

Tuesday AM Session

Asset Information Management (AIM):  The Foundation for Optimizing Asset Performance
The opening session of the Forum focuses on the many dimensions and various impacts that Asset Information Management (AIM) has on asset performance.  Issues identified in this session will be used as the springboard for more probing panel discussions among various asset management stakeholders in the following sessions.

AIM Excellence:  What Is It?  What Is It Worth? 
An ARC analyst will define an overall framework for Asset Information Management and the value proposition for action by owner/operators.

AIM Excellence in Capital Projects (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion identifies the key AIM challenges that need to be addressed in Design & Build processes.  Panelists will include owner/operators involved with plant design, EPCs, and suppliers of key process equipment who support the owner/operator during project stages of the asset lifecycle.

AIM Excellence in Operations and Maintenance (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion identifies the key AIM challenges that need to be addressed in operating, reporting, maintaining, and improving performance of the asset.  Panelists will include owner/operators involved in plant operations and maintenance, maintenance service providers, and suppliers of key process equipment who support the owner/operator during this lifecycle stage. 

The Value of AIM Excellence:  An Owner/Operator Perspective
A senior owner/operator executive will discuss the critical importance of AIM and the need for AIM cooperation across the complete plant lifecycle value chain.

Tuesday PM Track 1

Design & Build:  AIM for the Bullseye in All Your Capital Projects 
This session delves more deeply into the key issues that arise in the management of information during the Design & Build stages of the asset lifecycle.  The impact this has upon achieving bumpless operational readiness in new plants and major upgrades of brownfield facilities will also be discussed.

AIM for Design & Build:  What Is Needed?  What Is Reality?
An ARC analyst will frame the issues in this session and present results from ARC’s research regarding the current state of AIM across Design & Build activities.

AIM Strategies for Meeting Your Operational Readiness Goals (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What information is needed for operational readiness (plant design information, vendor information, operations and maintenance procedures, BOMs, etc.)?
• When is the information needed?  How can this best be supported during plant design?
• What are the benefits and challenges of continuous vs. one-shot information handover?
• Who should collect, structure, and transform the information needed for operations and maintenance?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in project management, operations, and maintenance, along with suppliers of plant design and plant maintain and improve solutions.

AIM Strategies for Managing Global Projects and Global Resources
This session addresses:

• Which processes and technologies are required for global information sharing and collaborative design?
• How can AIM facilitate enforcement of standard processes, methodologies, equipment selections, etc., across multiple design groups and multiple projects?
• What is AIM's role in managing consistent use of terminology, nomenclature, and naming across multiple design groups and multiple projects? 
• How can AIM facilitate performance management across multiple groups and multiple projects?

The Role of Design and Scan-based 3D Models in AIM (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• The value of 3D models in greenfield plant design:  When is the investment justified?
• The value of 3D models in brownfield plant upgrades:  When is the investment in a design model justified?  When/How should laser scanning be used?
• The value of 3D models for operations and maintenance:  What are the benefits?  What kind of model is required?
• What are the tradeoffs in maintenance of design 3D models?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in project management, plant design, operations and maintenance, along with suppliers of plant design solutions and laser scanning technology.

Tuesday PM Track 2

Maintain & Improve:  AIM for Optimal Availability and Output
This session delves more deeply into the key issues that arise in the use and management of information in the maintenance and improvement of the asset.  This includes:

• Design & Build information passed during plant handover
• Transformations of the Design & Build information into operations and maintenance procedures, MRO BOMs, etc.
• Information created as part of the maintenance and improvement activities, such as maintenance and inspection histories, reliability analyses, asset health records, and asset operating histories. 

AIM for Maintain & Improve:  What Is Needed?  What Is Reality?
An ARC analyst will frame the issues in this session and present results from ARC’s research regarding the current state of AIM across Maintain & Improve activities.

AIM Strategies for Role-Friendly, On-Demand Access to Asset Information (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What AIM information do operators really need?  When do they need it?  How do they need it presented?  What is the best way for them to access it?  What kinds of devices need to be supported?  Who should do this?
• What AIM information do maintenance and reliability personnel really need?  When do they need it?  How do they need it presented?  What is the best way for them to access it?  What kinds of devices need to be supported?  Who should do this?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in operations, maintenance and plant engineering, along with suppliers of solutions for ERP, plant maintenance, and plant automation.

Integrating Real-time Asset Information into Your AIM Strategy (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What is the role of on-line asset health monitoring information within the overall AIM strategy?  
• What information needs to be tracked and saved?  Who should do this and who needs access to this information?
• How should this information be integrated with other Maintenance & Reliability solutions?  
• When/How should outside experts be given access to this information?  What other information should they have access to?  How should their recommendations and actions be integrated with the owner/operator’s overall AIM strategy?
• How should this information be linked with plant design solutions and the associated Design & Build information?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in operations, maintenance, plant engineering, and process automation, along with maintenance service providers, plant maintenance suppliers, and reliability and automation solution suppliers.

Using AIM to Drive Evergreen, Ever-Better Maintenance Strategies
This session addresses:

• What role should AIM play in the development, monitoring, and continuous improvement of maintenance strategies?  What kind of requirements does this place on the corporation's AIM strategy?
• What role should standards play in the AIM strategy to facilitate benchmarking of maintenance strategy performance across different facilities within a corporation? 

Wednesday AM Track 1

Incorporating AIM in Corporate IT Strategies 
This session will delve more deeply into the key issues that arise in the management of information within the context of all owner/operator IT activities.  Issues addressed will include the best IT architecture and technology, support for external partners, and allocation of the costs and responsibilities for AIM across all asset stakeholders.

AIM for the CIO and IT:  What Is Needed?  What Is Today's Reality?
An ARC analyst will frame the issues in this session and present results from ARC’s research regarding the current state of AIM integration across the enterprise and recognition of AIM as a key issue in top-level IT strategies.

The Best AIM IT Strategy for Owner/Operators (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What is the best data management strategy for integrating AIM across all lifecycle stages and all asset stakeholders?
• Where is data kept and who should be responsible for collecting, managing, and distributing this information to everyone else?
• What is the role of information and business process standards in this strategy?  Which standards should be used?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in IT for design, maintenance, or operations; IT specialists for platforms and integration strategies; and suppliers of plant design suites, ERP solutions, platforms, and maintenance solutions.

Integrating Partners into the Owner/Operator AIM Strategy
This session addresses:

• What partners need to be considered in the owner/operator’s overall AIM strategy?  What type of access, support privileges, and responsibilities should they have?
• What is needed to enable small and occasional partners to properly support AIM?
• What is the role of information and business process standards in this strategy?  Which standards should be used?

Who Should Pay for AIM? (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• Who benefits from AIM?  What should they be expected to pay for?
• What can be done to get those with little benefit to support the program?
• How can information and business process standards help?  What is the status of these standards? 
• What should companies do while other standards are being developed?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in IT for design, maintenance, and operations; IT specialists for platforms and integration strategies; and suppliers of plant design suites, ERP solutions, platforms, and maintenance solutions.

Wednesday 2 AM Track 2

Taking AIM on Safety, Regulatory Compliance, and the Aging Workforce
This session will delve more deeply into how AIM can support asset stakeholders with some of their challenges around safety, compliance reporting, and aging workforces in key asset management areas.  The discussions will address information requirements, information ownership, and stakeholder responsibilities for supporting the asset owner/operator in these critical areas.

AIM for Operate & Report:  What Is Needed?  What Is Today's Reality?
An ARC analyst will frame the issues in this session and present results from ARC’s research regarding the current state of AIM across Operate & Report activities.

AIM Strategies for Optimizing Plant Operations (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What AIM information is needed to support owner/operator efforts to identify and overcome key plant production bottlenecks?
• What is required to ensure that models used during process design are kept accurate enough to support analysis during operations? How should this be integrated with real-time data collection on asset use and plant performance?
• Who should be responsible for these activities?
• How should these modeling efforts be integrated with other efforts like ISO 15926?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in operations and process engineering, along with suppliers of process modeling and automation solutions.

AIM as a Knowledge Management Strategy
This session addresses:

• What is the role of AIM in capturing knowledge regarding asset design, use, and maintenance?
• What knowledge needs to be captured to address aging workforce and lack-of-skill issues? 
• Who should capture this information and how should it be accomplished?
• Who owns the knowledge captured by partners?

AIM Strategies for Effective Compliance and Incident Management (Panel Discussion)
This panel discussion addresses:

• What information is required in the AIM database to support reporting and root cause analysis of all incidents? Who should be responsible for providing and managing this information?
• What role should AIM play in managing the workflow for incidents to ensure proper reports are made, proper analysis is performed, and required actions are taken with regard to any asset or procedures?
• What information and business process standards do owner/operators need to consider for their AIM design?  What regulatory requirements need to be considered?

Panelists will include owner/operators involved in operations, maintenance, safety, and compliance, along with suppliers of ERP, maintenance, reliability, and automation solutions.

Lessons Learned, Key Takeaways, and a Call for Action
This summary session for the Forum will review and reinforce what was learned and will identify the key takeaways and best practices that attendees should consider as they return to their own companies.

Innovations Showcase Solutions for Asset Information Management will be showcased at the Innovations Showcase. This is an excellent opportunity for executives to assess the potential for emerging applications in Plant Design, Predictive Asset Management, Maintenance, Reliability Management, Maintenance Outsourcing, MRO Procurement, and more. Exhibits will have application scenarios for attendees to see how the technologies are applied to help solve some of the biggest issues companies have in managing their assets and their asset information.

Location

The Forum is held at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston, Texas.

Marriott Westchase
2900 Briarpark Drive
Houston, TX 77042
713-978-7400
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houwm-houston-marriott-westchase/

Attendees should make their own hotel reservations.  Reservations can be made by calling 713-978-7400.  ARC has contracted a reduced rate of $159, based on availability, if reservations are made by September 12, 2008.  When making reservations, please specify that you will be attending the ARC Forum.  

To Register

Forum Fee

The Forum fee is $1,495 if registered by September 1, 2008.  After that date, the fee is $1,695.  The fee includes breakfast and lunch each day, a dinner and reception on Tuesday evening, and all program materials.  Group rates are available.  Please contact info@arcweb.com for more information. 

Cancellations and Substitutions

Substitutions may be made at any time at no additional charge. The registration fee is fully refundable up to three weeks prior to the Forum date. A 50% cancellation fee will be assessed after that date. All cancellations must be received in writing.http://www.arcweb.com/Brochures/Forum1008.pdf

Registration Methods

Please use one of the following methods to register for the Forum:

	Fax Brochure and Registration form to 781-471-1100.