Challenge: After aggressively introducing wind power and other renewable energy sources into his portfolio, a utility executive is stung by forecasting issues and inconsistent power supply.
Expert Solution 1: Four technological approaches to improving the flow of renewable energy sources to the smart grid.
Expert Solution 2: Emerging technologies in energy storage – and why storage is the responsibility of utilities and power generators alike.

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Challenge: Still smarting two years after losing a contract to China, a die casting company has the chance to bring the work back home – if it can improve manufacturing processes.
Expert Solution 1: Automation is the likely answer, but understanding why the business was vulnerable in the first place is a prerequisite to meaningful improvement.
Expert Solution 2: The two basic approaches to adding flexible cells, which will decrease hand finishing and improve throughput.

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Challenge: The head of refinery operations has just received a challenge from corporate headquarters: Reduce energy consumption by at least 10% within 18 months.
Expert Solution 1: A third-party energy audit is likely to identify more than enough opportunities to meet sustainability goals.
Expert Solution 2: Replacing single-speed motors and control valves in pumping systems with variable-speed drives may provide the single largest opportunity for improved energy efficiency.

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Challenge: The head of plant maintenance has been asked to provide detailed assessments of machine operating costs, with a special interest in how motors have been maintained. It’s not the way he’s used to working, and he’s certain that nobody could be any more careful about costs to repair, rewind and replace motors. He wonders how much more there is to consider.
Expert Solution 1: Motor performance management is a full-time discipline that begins with a thorough documentation of machinery and motors.
Expert Solution 2: The old rules for motor rewinds may no longer apply; repairing old units may save cash now, but other solutions can cut operating expenses.

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Challenge: Stuck in traffic and thinking about the news that’s crossed his desk about plug-in electric vehicles, the head of distribution for a local utility notices a hot, new car pulling up alongside – a Chevy Volt. And that’s when it hits him: It’s time to get serious about preparing for the power demand these cars are going to cause.
Expert Solution 1: With the right kind of planning and attention to details, EV-driven demand can be a tremendous asset for utilities.
Expert Solution 2: Preparing for EVs doesn’t necessarily mean large capital outlays, but there is a tremendous cost advantage to starting early.

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Challenge: A hot day, heavy server traffic and a series of alarms cause staff to lose sight of energy consumption. While diesel generators were available to provide needed power on-site, they weren’t turned on in time. Now the operations director has some explaining to do – while he figures out how to improve energy monitoring, alarm management and a host of other issues.
Expert Solution 1: Improved energy management requires baseline measurements, power consumption transparency and established escalation strategies.
Expert Solution 2: Why exceeding peak load is a symptom of larger issues that can be addressed through data center infrastructure management (DCIM).

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Challenge: The incident report from a serious accident gives the general manager of Adomach Processing an unwelcome surprise: Despite the company’s commitment to safety, the accident has been attributed to a series of breakdowns in safety protocols and processes. Now he needs to overhaul those processes – and get them right.
Expert Solution 1: By organizing around the “Four Pillars of Operator Effectiveness” an organization can invest for safe and efficient operations.
Expert Solution 2: More incidents result from having too many alarms than too few. Developing an effective alarm management strategy is an important safety step.

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Challenge:After attending a webinar on NERC-CIP security and High Frequency/Low Impact events, an executive at a mid-sized power company decides it’s time to get serious about vulnerability of its control systems. But without a full-time security chief, the company doesn’t have in-house expertise.
Expert Solution 1: While larger companies may conduct their own security assessments, companies without in-house expertise often need a third-party consultant to test technology, people and policies.
Expert Solution 2: Managing control system security is different than security for corporate enterprise systems. System availability is often the main concern, and the control platform’s OEM is usually the best place to start.

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Challenge: A public utility faces a trifecta of reliability challenges: pressure from economic development officials, trouble meeting state-regulated performance metrics, and slow response to outages caused by major weather-related events. Is it just too much to handle?
Expert Solution 1: Considering each of these issues independently, the utility can find ample opportunity for improvement by updating, upgrading and repairing different elements of the distribution system.
Expert Solution 2: The three issues may be interrelated, and can be addressed strategically by integrating the various operations and management systems, and improving the way they work with data from the distribution network.

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Challenge: As production ramps up in a slowly improving economy, the CFO faces a troubling reality: The state-of-the-art production facility is struggling with issues of reliability, and none of the process-improvement projects on tap seem to address the problem head-on.
Expert Solution 1: By measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness and emphasizing improvements in reliability, the steel company can increase performance, sustain profitability and create a culture of operational excellence.
Expert Solution 2: The real issue may be in the way the company assembles its portfolio of improvement projects; a new process may be what’s needed to identify – and fix – the root cause of the plant’s underperformance.

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Challenge:When an arc flash study clarifies the impact of institutionalized workforce attrition and lean budgets, the CEO faces two challenge: Addressing the most urgent safety hazards without investing in obsolete equipment; and embarking on the long road to proactive upkeep of the distribution infrastructure.
Expert Solution 1: Here is a full portfolio of techniques that will be required to mitigate the immediate arc flash hazards.
Expert Solution 2:Long-term control of maintenance costs begins with a calibration exercise and documentation for a detailed preventive maintenance program.

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Challenge: When an apparent lightning strike takes several wind turbines offline on a good, windy day, the general manager must determine whether the source of these routine lockouts is the breaker system, voltage control, the wind turbines themselves or some other part of the system.
Expert Solution 1: With the likely causes being a high-voltage spike or a low-voltage ride-through fault, data from the time of the system trip will drive the diagnosis.
Expert Solution 2: Improving reliability with voltage support designed for the dynamic environment of wind and other renewable energy sources.

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Challenge: Faced with stiff foreign competition, a builder of industrial waste equipment must improve quality and reduce costs fast. What’s the best strategy?
Expert Solution 1: Implement and excel at lean manufacturing .
Expert Solution 2: Rethink product development and change design standards from NEMA to IEC.

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Replacing obsolete Reliability Must Run power plants

Challenge: When an old, urban steam plant becomes too costly to run, a utility seeks to shut it down. But it would need to transmit replacement power through already crowded corridors while providing local voltage support. Can it overcome these obstacles?
Expert Solution 1: Underground circuits with a dynamic reactive power source can bring new power through existing rights-of-way.
Expert Solution 2: New technologies make underground DC transmission more effective and affordable than in the past.

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Using process controls to rein in material costs in process manufacturing

Challenge: When a process manufacturing company’s initiative to cut fuel costs also reduces process stability, well-intentioned workers add expense by overriding the automation. How can it be fixed?
Expert Solution 1: Rebuild manufacturing processes from the ground up.
Expert Solution 2: Improve real-time decisions with process control data.

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Using manufacturing automation to address an employee shortage

Challenge: When a company in the food-and-beverage industry has trouble finding and keeping workers, executives consider applying robotic automation for the first time. Where should they start?
Expert Solution 1: Automating a bottling plant is likely to require a custom solution.
Expert Solution 2: The first step to successful robotics engineering is an automation audit.

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Easing seasonal power failures with smart grid technology

Challenge: An investor owned utility with summertime overloads looks to ease outages and manage demand before the public utilities commission steps in. Is there a strategy that will work?
Expert Solution 1:Managing consumer demand and applying smart grid technology can ease seasonal crises.
Expert Solution 2: Reduce power lost during transmission and distribution with voltage and Var optimization.

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Dealing with tight maintenance budgets at public utilities

Challenge: With tight control by public utilities commissions, an electric company must maintain its aging infrastructure with declining resources. Is there a strategy that can help?
Expert Solution 1: Risk modeling and strategic purchasing partnerships are vital tools in the current environment.
Expert Solution 2: Tackle one ongoing maintenance expense with a game plan to minimize transformer failures.

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