Finnish company acquires US software tools leader

ExperTune  has been acquired by the Finnish company Metso. ExperTune’s products are widely used as software tools to analyse and monitor the performance of industrial processes and to identify the associated maintenance and improvement opportunities.

ExperTune’s acquisition is in line with Metso's strategy to deliver customer value solutions and grow the scope of the services business globally. The acquisition expands and strengthens Metso's ability to globally provide business-enhancing services to customers. ExperTune’s products will be sold as stand-alone solutions that can be used in any automation system environment and as part of Metso's performance business solutions, targeted to optimize plant performance.

"The combination of ExperTune’s products and Metso's services portfolio extends our capability to offer solutions targeted to improving process and business performance," says Mikko Keto, President, Services, Metso Automation.

"With ExperTune we can provide more versatile and more cost effective customer value solutions to our customers so that they can meet their most pressing business challenges, such as reducing raw material consumption, energy usage, product variability and environmental impact. ExperTune’s products help our customers to find areas of improvement in their processes to which Metso has customer value solutions."

Metso's services business has developed strongly over the last decade. In 2011, the services share of the company's turnover was 45 per cent. ExperTune will be integrated into Metso’s Automation segment’s Services business.

Upgrades available

No-cost upgrade to Rockwell's RS Tune® and RS Loop Optimizer®

ExperTune  is offering a no-cost upgrade for existing users of Rockwell RSTune® and RS Loop Optimizer®.  The transition is simple because ExperTune is the developer of the RSTune and RSLoop Optimizer software.

ExperTune's PID Loop Optimizer software provides a direct replacement for the Rockwell products, with many feature upgrades included.  Users also have the option to step up to a multi-platform version of PID Loop Optimizer.  This system can connect to over 700 industrial control algorithms, including PLC and DCS systems beyond the Rockwell family.

Users who upgrade can make use of ExperTune's features, including fast loop tuning in either Auto or Manual operation, instrument and valve analysis, process modeling, choice of tuning criteria, simulation of new tuning, and automated reporting.

ExperTune has been supplying controller tuning software to the automation industries, including Rockwell, for over 25 years.  John Gerry, President and Founder of ExperTune, comments "Controller tuning is our core business.  We have continued to develop and evolve these tools, far beyond the original software provided to Rockwell. Those who upgrade will be delighted to see these new capabilities."

Finds root cause of upsets automatically

ExperTune’s PlantTriage software now automatically finds the root cause of process upsets.  The latest advance, “Root Cause Finder™”, automates the in-depth analysis that was previously performed by an experienced engineer.

The new technology works by evaluating correlations between instrument readings throughout an entire manufacturing facility.  Upsets that start in one part of the plant are reflected in the data patterns from other parts of the plant.  By evaluating the correlations between these patterns, and the time-shift from one to the other, PlantTriage is able to determine the most likely sources of process variation.

George Buckbee, Vice President of ExperTune, comments “Process plants can be very complex, and root cause can be difficult to find.  Our clients have been able to uncover the root cause of many difficult problems, often within minutes.  This is a real ‘needle in a haystack’ type of tool.”

Using advanced mathematical techniques, the Root Cause Finder™ works without requiring any process models or other prior knowledge of the process. 

Root Cause Finder™ results are displayed graphically, at the top of PlantTriage’s “Process Interaction Map”.  This display also shows other affected process areas.  The color-coded results show the extent and the time-lag of the cause.

John Gerry, President and Founder of ExperTune, adds “Our clients have seen literally millions of dollars in savings from people using PlantTriage Interaction Analysis.  With Root Cause Finder™, the average plant engineer can look like a genius.”

Usergroup meeting

ExperTune User Conference offers case studies, training

ExperTune will hold its 2011 User Conference,  May 10-12 in Milwaukee, (Wi US).  The conference will feature training by world-class experts, as well as many case studies that show the value from control system improvements.

Many of the case studies focus on the use of ExperTune's PlantTriage software.  Proven in hundreds of plants worldwide, PlantTriage control performance monitoring system automatically diagnoses and prioritizes process, control, and instrumentation problems, 24 hours a day.  Integrated analysis and tuning tools improve plant results by focusing effort on the most critical issues. 

John Gerry, President of ExperTune, says  "This conference is an excellent forum for the sharing of ideas between users of our software.  We know from previous conferences that people are saving millions of dollars using these proven tools and techniques."

In addition to the case studies, there will be several training sessions and discussion panels presented by world-class experts.  Mr. Gerry adds "We work with some of the most knowledgeable people in the automation industry.  These are people with a remarkable combination of practical knowledge and theoretical understanding.  The formal training and the informal environment allows conference attendees to actually solve their real-world problems."

Control performance monitoring

PlantTriage Diagnostics automatically initiate work orders

ExperTune’s PlantTriage can now share information with maintenance planning and other enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools. PlantTriage’s diagnostics can be used to initiate work requests for instrument repairs, control tuning, and valve replacements.

Proven in hundreds of plants worldwide, the PlantTriage control performance monitoring system automatically diagnoses and prioritizes process, control, and instrumentation problems, 24 hours a day.  Integrated analysis and tuning tools improve plant results by focusing effort on the most critical issues.

“ PlantTriage contains tremendous knowledge of the process and the equipment.  Now, users can fully integrate that knowledge into their ERP system workflow.” says George Buckbee, ExperTune’s Vice President of Product Development.

The new integration tools can be applied to any of the 20 “Problem-Solver” reports that come with PlantTriage.  Beyond that, users can design custom reports to pass any set of PlantTriage information, directly from a web browser interface.  A flexible XML intermediary language enables users to further customize the information being passed.  This new approach complements the existing capability to share data via OPC, e-mail, and export to Microsoft Excel and Word.


John Gerry, President of ExperTune, adds, “One key to delivering bottom-line results is to use control performance data in the daily workflow at each plant.  These tools streamline the workflow process, accelerating the pace of improvement.”

The new tools are included in the version 10 release of ExperTune’s PlantTriage software.

Trend the process on your mobile device

ExperTune’s PlantTriage now provides real-time trending of process variables on your mobile phone.  Live data from a control system is relayed to your cell phone’s browser.  This feature allows users to have immediate access to control-room data, even when working remotely out in the plant.

Proven in hundreds of plants worldwide, the PlantTriage control performance monitoring system automatically diagnoses and prioritizes process, control, and instrumentation problems, 24 hours a day.  Integrated analysis and tuning tools improve plant results by focusing effort on the most critical issues. 

“Once you detect a physical problem with an instrument or a valve, you may have to walk 15 minutes to repair it.  Once it is repaired, you need to see if you truly fixed the problem.  Rather than walk back to the control room, now you can simply check your phone.” says George Buckbee, ExperTune’s Vice President of Product Development.

The trending tools provide immediate trends of process variables, setpoints, and controller outputs.  Users can zoom, span and scale the trends to see details. Other features of the PlantTriage Control Performance Monitor are also available directly via a cell phone browser.  For example, users can browse through reports and dashboards that pinpoint instrument issues, valve issues, and tuning problems. 

John Gerry, President of ExperTune, adds, “These mobile tools add a new level of efficiency for plant engineers and technicians.  By eliminating wasted time, plants can focus more effort in the right place.”

The new tools are included in the version 10 release of ExperTune’s PlantTriage software. 

Tune cascade loops from a web browser

ExperTune, now has the capability to tune cascade control loops directly from the web browser interface of the PlantTriage Loop Performance Monitor. This greatly streamlines the tuning process, according to ExperTune's Founder John Gerry.

The PlantTriage system monitors control system performance continuously, 24 hours a day. It automatically diagnoses and prioritizes process, control, and instrumentation problems. Integrated analysis and tuning tools improve plant results by focusing effort on the most critical issues.

Typical cascade control loops involve two instruments, two controllers, and a single control valve or variable-speed drive. Cascade controls are designed to reduce variation, by offering faster response to process upsets. The outer loop provides a setpoint to the inner loop. Unfortunately, says Gerry, "Most cascade loops in plants are poorly tuned, resulting in constant oscillations and interactions between the inner and outer cascade loop."

The new tools allow users to tune both loops, with a single bump test, directly from a web browser interface. Oscillations are eliminated because the PlantTriage tools select tuning constants that are outside the range of interaction. The new tools are also fully integrated with PlantTriage's "Active Model Capture Technology", so dynamic models and controller tuning can be developed based on normally-occurring events, such as operator setpoint changes.

Mr. Gerry, a member of the Process Automation Hall of Fame, who will be acclaimed an ISA Fellow at this years Automation Week (4th October in Houston), says "Cascade control, especially cascade tuning, is often mis-understood. These tools make it simple to tune loops the right way, which will help to stabilize plant operations, improving quality and energy efficiency."

Control system health

Software diagnoses all aspects of control system health

ExperTune's PlantTriage® Control System Monitoring Software now has tools to diagnose the health of instruments, valves, and controls.

For years, ExperTune's patented "Control Loop Health" approach has accurately identified problem control loops, based on technical and economic factors. Several new tools provide more specific performance metrics and diagnostics for each control loop component: the instrument, the valve, and the controller.

The Valve Health measurement, for example, combines information about control valve sizing, application, and mechanical performance, to give an overall picture of the valve's health. PlantTriage's "context-sensitive drill-down" also provides the next level of detail, including measures of each specific aspect of performance, such as "% valve stiction".

Likewise, Sensor Health uses real-time data to look at common symptoms of instrumentation problems. The Controller Health tools focus on aspects of actual control performance, including variability, inability to hold setpoint, and dynamic response.

John Gerry, President and Founder of ExperTune, was recently inducted into the Process Automation Hall of Fame. Asked about the new metrics, Gerry says "The team at ExperTune is always focused on blending engineering expertise with real-time information. The goal is to provide accurate, actionable, real-time advice. This new approach provides a straightforward way to diagnose specific control loop issues - from high-level performance metrics, straight down to root cause."

Finding the root cause of process upsets

A new whitepaper from ExperTune, "Finding the Root Cause of Process Upsets", can be downloaded at no-charge from their website.

The white paper explains new methods to identify and resolve the root cause of process upset conditions. Finding the root cause of upsets is critical to permanently solving process upsets. Solving the root cause issue saves time and increases efficiencies faster than other methods. For example, attempting to tune all affected control loops involved much effort compared to finding and fixing the one root cause of the upset.

It shows how to identify and track down the two different primary categories of process upsets. One approach involves large-scale correlation analysis using existing real-time data from a process data historian. New graphical techniques are used to show correlation as patterns of color, simplifying the analysis.

John Gerry, President and Founder of ExperTune, says "We are seeing people develop tremendous process knowledge in a very short time. When engineers graphically see the process interactions, they immediately zoom in to root causes. This approach has efficiently solved many long-standing problems at our customer's process plants."

The tools and techniques have been proven in dozens of plants, including refining, chemicals, pulp & paper, and other process industries. The white paper includes an example case study showing how hydrogen swings were eliminated saving over 50,000 MMBtu annually.