ULTRAMAX-Advanced Process Management



Ultramax® NEWSLETTER, January 2008

Welcome partners, customers, agents, suppliers, friends and visitors… 

 

New release 7.1.d January 29, 2008

This release includes the Introduction and Discovery (I&D) mini-trial license in all regular licenses for three months, to facilitate many people getting acquainted and trained with Ultramax, without requiring the software key (dongle) of the full License.  In addition, there is a specific trial I&D license (only) to explore Ultramax at low cost. 

There were significant cosmetic improvements in License and application messages as explained at the end of www.ultramax.com/Umax71.htm

We request users to be particularly attentive till the end of April in detecting (and reporting) anything that does not appear normal or as good as desirable.

The upgrade is available for free to all holders of unexpired Ultramax® 7.1 licenses.  

 

New Version 7.1 and associated offerings

Since August 2007 Version 7.1 is available for upgrades and new customers. 

Version 7.1 culminates the efforts started with 7.0 of greater simplification, achieved by adding new automated features for optimization set-up and management.  Installation and re-starts as the process or requirements change has been made much easier.  In particular, 7.1 has greatly enabled and simplified the evaluation of performance gains when there are important uncontrolled inputs (which still need to be measured) which also affect operating performance (i.e., it separates the gains in performance due to better adjustments from the changes in performance due to changing uncontrolled inputs). 

As part of the core technology, there have been significant improvements in the achievement of sequential gains for processes with very many inputs and low gradients (slopes).   For more details see www.ultramax.com/Umax71.htm.  

The top Ultramax product -- now called Ultramax® Pro Integrated -- continues to be the traditional unlimited in size and implemented on-line for dynamic optimization as conditions, requirement and economic factors change.  The interface or integration with the Process Control system for automatic data exchange supports both Advisory and Closed-Loop optimization – easily selected by the user.  The concept of “Closed-Loop” is that when a sufficiently unusual combination of values (for the current conditions) is observed, Closed-Loop will automatically turn to Advisory to get the attention of plant personnel to be aware of the situation, and possibly to detect and solve the problem. 

In addition it happens that there is a very large demand for “optimization studies”, that is, engineering optimization projects of relatively short duration in laboratories, prototypes, pilot plants or existing production facilities.  Ultramax is considerably faster, simpler and a more effective optimizer – including cost-savings in production -- than Design-of-Experiments (DOE).  That demand, especially for smaller companies, is well satisfied with the 7.1 new features and versions of Ultramax:

1.     All licenses now include a complete self-training Tutorial for Stand-Alone optimization.  It includes templates for documentation, analysis and reporting.  The Tutorial leaves the customer personnel self-capable much longer.  From an exclusively technical point-of-view, such as for personal use, it does not require an on-site visit by an optimization expert, with the consequence savings. 

On‑site Services are still available for customers that prefer to get that extra level of confidence and reliability.  On‑site Services are especially desirable when there is a management thrust to improve general practices towards making true operations optimization with existing equipment (as compared to just “improvements”) a normal aspect of maintaining a competitive advantage.

Integrated installations continue to require, in addition, on-site support. 

2.     To make the software more accessible for smaller applications 7.1 has limited-size versions at corresponding costs.  These licenses can be expanded in size as required.  The size required for a particular application can be estimated up front by the customer completing a Questionnaire (see #5 below).

The traditional unlimited-size (Ultramax® Pro) continues to be available for studies and for integrated installations.

3.     There is an Introductory three-month license, the Tutorial and Discovery version to go through the full Tutorial (6 to 12 hours), and for small applications of up to three inputs.  This fully satisfies the need to get well aquatinted with Ultramax at the customer’s own pace.  

4.     Since 7.0 we offer the service of the Capability and Consistency Analysis™ (CCA™) – no on-site visit required.  Here the customer collects regular operating data in a spread-sheet format and submits to the supplier, who in turn will analyze and deliver a written report.  This analysis is a standard part of the Ultramax software, so in the future the customer can perform its own analyses after acquiring a License. 

In particular, the CCA report focuses on detecting possible specific problems in the process (the symptoms, not the causes) to understand and resolve any basic inconsistencies with management requirements – which should be done before doing optimization.  Thus, the CCA is very valuable -- even for processes where optimization is not yet contemplated. 

5.     To complete the picture of offerings, to help new customers understand what they really need for specific products and processes, for some ten years we have analyzing (as a free service) the data in a Questionnaire – please ask for it. 

We have also formalized a Profit-Sharing option that delivers over 100% return-on-investments for License and Services, plus Positive Cash Flow after the down payment.  Travel expenses are covered separately.  

 

New Publications about Ultramax® Optimization since 2006:

The relationship between operations optimization and Lean Operations (part of Lean Manufacturing) is explored by C. W. Moreno in “Optimization in Production Operations: Optimal “Lean Operations” in Manufacturing”, IIE Lean Division web publication, October 24, 2006.  Link

Chapman & Hall / CRC. ©2007, Boca Raton, Florida, USA published on Dec 2006 the book “Bayesian Process Monitoring, Control and Optimization” edited by Colosimo, B.M.,  and del Castillo, E.  Chapter 11 describes in detail the Bayesian approach used in Ultramax® to create models with useful knowledge for optimization when there is very little data (when other technologies cannot even venture an advice). 

InTech, ISA (Instrumentation, Systems and Automation) Society, April 2006, “Software: A gentler step-up” pp. 45, by, C. W. Moreno  Link

 

Dissolution of dependency on Pegasus Technologies in Power Generation, May 2006

Ultramax Corporation ("UMC") announces that it resumes the supply and maintenance of Ultramax® Method and Software for Advanced Process Management™ for power utility companies in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom

In 2002, UMC granted Pegasus Technologies, Inc. ("PT") an exclusive license to market, distribute, and sublicense Ultramax to power plants operated by utility companies in those geographic areas.  UMC subsequently became dissatisfied with PT’s performance, and both parties have agreed on a settlement, the termination of the agreement, and full restoration of rights to UMC.  It is now clear that the technologies the two parties provide satisfy significantly different customer needs, and require different expertise to deliver.  UMC is also concerned about the possibility of insufficient support of past utility customers, to whom we apologize and invite to get back in touch with us.  There is a list of 100 boiler combustion optimizations, where the improvements were principally aimed at reduction in emissions and LOI, and/or increases in efficiency, while safeguarding the equipment. 

The main difference between Ultramax and the solutions offered by other suppliers that include optimization, Pegasus included, is that generally their solutions include and require changes to the Process Control System; while the Ultramax generic optimization is a totally separate and non-intrusive analytic tool-set, which can be used at will with reliability.  This feature means that when the customer is overwhelmed by other priorities they are not forced to have Ultramax optimization working at the same time, or to have Ultramax personnel on-site.  Ultramax applies just as well to combustion optimization as to all other ancillary processes in a utility plant ‑‑ especially now that so many subsystems are being added for emissions control -- as well to virtually all other industries. 

 

Invitation for New Agencies

We continue looking for new Agencies; either regionally, vertical by industry, or a combination. 

We also offer customers the option to designate potential Agencies – with whom they already have close relationships -- to provide the Ultramax solution. 

For those of you interested in becoming independent Agencies to provide local marketing, sales and support for Ultramax customers, these are the characteristics of a desirable Agency:

1.      Is an established firm with good reputation, or has a well funded start-up business plan. 

2.      Is engaged in marketing, selling and providing technical services to production and manufacturing.  Good – and complementary – expertise are: Process Control and refinements, Automation, Instrumentation, Manufacturing Execution Systems, Real-time metrics, Integration, Quality, Six-Sigma and Lean Manufacturing.    

3.      Is truly customer-oriented

4.      It is not required to have specific process expertise except for a vertical market focus.

5.      Will propose a reasonable marketing plan for Ultramax that realistically includes a minimum revenue to Ultramax Corporation by the second year, with increases thereafter. 

For a vertical industry focus we look forward to capitalize on past areas of success, such as anything dealing with Combustion, Chemicals, Molding (injection, blow, foam, extrusion, etc.), Paper, Fibers, Painting and Coating, Metal Cutting and Machining, and Semiconductor Processing (Fab and Development).  

Of particular interest today is the area of Bio-Fuels such as Gasohol, Glass and Food Processing.

Ultramax Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA      www.ultramax.com      ultramax@ultramax.com