Alarm response

GE Intelligent Platforms has announced the availability of the Proficy® SCADA Alarm Response Management Solution Pack. The new Solution Pack provides operators with step-by-step instructions during alarm events, takes automatic action on nuisance alarms and escalates alarm notification to speed response, minimize training time and costs, decrease errors, rework and waste, and improve safety. It also automatically generates detailed reports by alarm location to ease compliance and track and improve staff performance.

Proficy SCADA Alarm Response Management allows operators to focus on the critical alarms that create the largest problems. Alarms – including those that can shut down the entire facility or create safety hazards – can trigger step-by-step instructions to operators, even from within the window of their usual HMI /SCADA application. Operators do not have a new system to learn and can immediately improve response to alarms and ensure operations run smoothly. Additionally, Proficy can filter out nuisance alarms and take automatic action, so the team only needs to perform steps on certain alarms. As needed, Alarm Response Management will escalate alarms, notifying management of the critical situation and next steps, automatically triggering emails or text messages, for example, when the situation requires.

“The insight through information provided by the Proficy Software platform is a foundation for optimizing operations,” said Sheila Kester, General Manager, Operations Management for GE Intelligent Platforms. “By tracking the results of the operations team – both for performance improvement and compliance, managers will know who performed what tasks, when they performed them, and how long each step took, giving them a sustainable competitive advantage in their field.

“In addition, with the ability to automate compliancy reporting, the solution provides the proof needed to show regulatory entities that the operations team is following proper procedures,” Kester continued. “This is particularly useful in the Food & Beverage, Water & Wastewater, Power & Energy, Life Sciences, and other heavily regulated industries.”

Proficy SCADA Alarm Response Management solution allows organizations to capture knowledge from experienced operators and provide it via traceable, easy to follow work instructions for newer employees. Operators see screens and Work Instructions that reflect the operational knowledge base and best practices of the company. Results are provided detailing where the alarms occurred and which response steps required the most amount of troubleshooting time, allowing organizations to analyze how to improve responses in the future.

An easy-to-use solutions pack, Alarm Response Management includes templates for creating response workflows and escalating alarms.

• Alarm response instructions automatically trigger based on pre-existing alarms in the SCADA/HMI, providing operators with necessary work instructions as needed.

• Procedures documented electronically allow operators to follow instructions through a user-friendly, step-by-step task list.

• Managers receive reports showing how long each team member took to complete tasks and where the alarm occurred in the facility, offering a means to easily identify whom requires additional help and in which areas.

• Videos can be embedded in Workflows for visual feedback.

• Workflows used for training decrease the time to ramp up new operators.

•Digitized procedures reduce alarm response time, operator errors and waste.

Proficy SCADA Alarm Response Management is the latest example of how GE’s $4 billion-a-year software and solutions services businesses are helping customers improve productivity.