A major US-based natural gas distribution utility company is using the ProcessVue alarm management software suite from MAC Solutions to manage and report on process alarms across its operation. ProcessVue interfaces with the gas utility company's legacy control system. The gas utility company provides natural gas services to more than 150,000 customers.

UCDS Inc. (User Centered Design Services), MAC Solutions' distribution partner for ProcessVue in the USA, was awarded the contract from the utility company. Founded in 2000, UCDS consultants have more than 100 years' operational experience in the Refining and Petrochemicals industries and have designed over 1500 control room facilities, which optimise operator and organisational performance. UCDS has installations in a variety of industry sectors, including oil & gas, iron & steel, aluminium, pipelines, power plants, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper.

UCDS is responsible for managing meeting US regulatory requirements at the customer's control room facilities, ensuring that the correct software and control systems are in place to support this.

There were two primary reasons why the customer originally selected ProcessVue. The company's previous alarm management software was written by one of its SCADA programmers. The software meets the criteria for PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) but couldn't supply the reporting needs that the customer required. The system could pull raw data and categorise this but lacked the proper analysis, report generation, automation and a means of transferring the actions taken back into the main SCADA database. The customer did consider other alarm management software applications, but ProcessVue was the most cost effective in terms of implementation and annual support.

ProcessVue is a suite of software from MAC Solutions that provides clear, relevant and prioritised information to plant operators, supervisors and managers, enabling them to make better-informed decisions about their processes and plant safety. The software combines the latest communication, data logging and reporting technologies with more than 30 years' experience in design and implementation of Alarm Management and Printer Replacement software. ProcessVue can be used as a standalone application or to bring together multiple disparate systems onto one common platform.

Features within ProcessVue include: advanced KPI reporting based on EEMUA 191 guidelines, alarm rationalisation (locating 'bad actors' and 'nuisance alarms'), Sequence of Event and real time display, alarm system benchmarking, alarm and event analysis and alarm and event archiving.

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James Fox, ProcessVue Product Manager at MAC Solutions comments: "We are delighted that another overseas customer has chosen to implement ProcessVue. Whilst other alarm management software providers are withdrawing support of their existing products, MAC Solutions is continuing to invest in new features, functionality and support services for ProcessVue."

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