Comspec Corp.'s CEO Unveils An Entirely New Web-based Computing Environment for Process Plant Operations and Maintenance.

Business Editors

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2000

Eager for ways to increase efficiency and profitability in their plants, process manufacturing owner-operators hailed an announcement at Daratech Plant 2000 by Michael Slatter, chief executive officer of Comspec Corp., of an entirely new and innovative computing environment for plant operations and maintenance.

Based on advanced portal computing technology, Comspec's Portal Computing Environment(TM) for Manufacturing represents a whole new way of viewing computing at the plant level.

This product allows each operator within the plant to create and customize one point on the plant web that has all the services, information, and applications necessary for them to perform their job efficiently and to collaborate with others effectively.

Slatter stated that with the advent of Internet computing, &uot;Traditional operating systems are becoming irrelevant as a unifying structure.&uot;

He went on to explain, &uot;From our experience in providing development and professional services . . . for more than ten years, we learned that it is critical to have an environment of foundation services that allows rapid development of applications.

&uot;These foundation services include at a minimum a single knowledge management system, a unified workflow engine, and reporting services, all operating with a common database.&uot;

Slatter and others at Comspec knew that by combining these foundation services with an Internet portal, they would create a whole new platform from which plant applications could run over the Internet.

In addition, not only would the applications be able to span the plant, and multiple locations if need be, but they also create &uot;a cohesive, unified, and consistent environment that is a natural extension of the operator's work processes.&uot; Their pursuit of this vision led them to create and launch a new product for process manufacturing - the Portal Computing Environment for Manufacturing.

In describing the new Portal Computing Environment, Slatter explained that, &uot;This is a place where tools like email . . . are available along with other important services such as myTasks, myFiles, myReading, myCalendar, the plant scorecard, forums for threaded discussions, and system-wide search capabilities.&uot;

To help the assembled audience understand how seamless and unified the new environment is, Slatter demonstrated how myTasks is not a standard To Do list, but it is actively linked to the business' work processes.

For the operator, this means that when he is part of a Management of Change (MOC), his role in the process will appear automatically in myTasks. When he clicks on the link, the system will bring him to the point in the appropriate application where he can accomplish what is needed, along with providing access to the required documents from the embedded knowledge management system.

In addition to the foundation services within the Portal Computing Environment, Slatter also announced a cohesive suite of applications that run within the portal and cover task management, incident reporting and follow-up, operational compliance, and Management of Change.

By using the embedded knowledge management system and workflow engine, these applications inter-operate seamlessly, give the plant easy access to the required documentation, and allows change to defined workflows to meet changing business requirements. In addition, legacy connections are enabled through the use of XML, CORBA, and other open standards that are pervasive throughout the entire system.

Slatter went on to give an example of what is now possible through the Portal Computing Environment for Manufacturing, &uot;Maintenance personnel needing to plan work on a pump should have a single view from their computer to access the equipment database and have links to drawings and P&Ds stored in the document management system.

&uot;At the same time, they should have transparent access to the operating procedures for assembly and repair, and a link to the ERP system for cost and procurement information.

&uot;Likewise, they should be able to complete Management of Change documentation related to the Process Safety Management requirements of OSHA's 1910.119. Finally, using the same system, the paper trail should be managed electronically.&uot;

The Portal Computing Environment for Manufacturing along with key applications is available immediately for implementation within the plant facility or as a remotely hosted application service (ASP).

Comspec Corp., a private corporation, is the developer of a Java-based Portal Computing Environment for Manufacturing that includes a Web-based suite of integrated applications accessible from a plant portal, to manage mission-critical knowledge and processes and create excellence in plant operations and maintenance.

Portal Computing Environment is a trademark of Comspec Corp. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks are used herein for reference purposes only and remain the property of their respective owners.