Invensys announces 2013 Customer Conference Series

The events kick off with a Foxboro and Triconex Client Conference, being held at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, September 10 through September 13. This will be followed by a customer conference covering the company's Avantis, SimSci and Wonderware software offerings. That event will be held October 15 and 16 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Gary Freburger, president of the company's systems business, says: "The theme of the Foxboro and Triconex Client Conference is "The Future Starts Here'. Today's manufacturers continue to face new, ever-more complicated challenges, such as new regulations, cyber security concerns and more competitive pressure, even as their systems, equipment and workforce continue to age. Our automation and safety customers need to think about how modern control and safety systems can help them address these challenges. This conference is a perfect opportunity for our customers to understand how new, modern technologies from Invensys can help their workforce make better, real-time operating and business decisions while maintaining a safe and secure operation."

Central to the event will be an Expo Hall featuring an integrated system of all Invensys brand products, as well as third-party partner offerings. There will be tracks for users of the company's Foxboro distributed control systems and Triconex safety systems, as well as presentations, hands-on demonstrations, workshops and training classes featuring upgrade opportunities across all Invensys offerings. Topics for automation systems customers will include virtualisation, wireless, Microsoft Windows 7 upgrades, workflow, real-time performance management, operator training tools and many more. Safety systems customers will receive updates on safety, security and turbo machinery standards, as well as in-depth information about how these updates impact the way they maintain and operate safety systems.

An Invensys expert will present an industry issue at each session, with discussions on possible approaches and the value such options create. The sessions will be followed by actual client case studies with lessons learned and advice on how to apply best practices. Dedicated industry focus groups will look at issues impacting customers from the chemicals; food and beverage; hydrocarbon processing; mining, metals and minerals; pharmaceuticals; power; upstream oil and gas; pulp & paper; and nuclear markets.

Cyber security

Due to the strong interest in cyber security from automation and safety systems users, the keynote speaker in San Antonio will be Richard Clarke, an internationally recognised expert on homeland and national security, cyber security and counterterrorism. An on-air consultant for ABC News and faculty member of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Clarke will provide insight to current and future security requirements for industrial organisations.

Ravi Gopinath, president of the company's software business, says: "This year's theme for our software Customer Conference is "The Industrial Software Revolution Begins Now,'. The manufacturing and industrial business is changing, and it requires a fundamental rethinking of current industry approaches. Executives, managers and operators need to rely more on modern software technologies to create a sustainable business, one built for today and tomorrow. This conference will help our global customers understand how existing and exciting new software solutions from Invensys can help them make their journey a success and accelerate their time to value. It is a great opportunity for engineering, operations, maintenance, IT and management personnel to discuss and learn from their own industry peers and Invensys experts how they can apply revolutionary approaches to optimize their plant operations and processes."

The conference will include presentations and hands-on training and demonstrations for users of the company's Avantis, IntelaTrac, SimSci and Wonderware products. Sessions will cover topics such as high-performance visualisation, virtualisation, mobile systems, EAM, MES, SCADA and partner offerings. The event will also integrate the Technical Support Symposium for the Customer FIRST Support Program and Enterprise Customers.

For more information about the company's 2013 global customer conferences, please visit iom.invensys.com/EN/Pages/CustomerConferenceSeries.aspx.