Tag Archives: OSISoft

AVEVA completes OSIsoft acquisition

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

AVEVA has now joined forces with OSIsoft to, it says, meet the expanding information management needs of industrial companies and accelerate their digital transformation.

The combined portfolio brings OSIsoft’s data management together with AVEVA’s industrial software to unlock Performance Intelligence.

AVEVA announced the planned acquisition of OSIsoft for an enterprise value of $5 billion back in August.

“Providing greater operational agility and resilience, Performance Intelligence connects information and artificial intelligence (AI) with human insight, to enable faster and more accurate decision making, helping industries boost sustainability,” the company says. “By pairing the trusted capabilities of OSIsoft’s PI System with the leading industrial software of AVEVA, Performance Intelligence gives the people behind essential processes the rich, reliable data they need to better measure and understand the entire industrial lifecycle. Areas where Performance Intelligence is likely to have the most impact will include organizational productivity, operational agility, and sustainability.”

Craig Hayman, CEO at AVEVA, said: “Together we’re redefining the capabilities of industrial software. Through Performance Intelligence, we can see worlds of data from bold new angles, and inspire better understanding of complex value chains, to boost performance and drive sustainability. The combined impact of AVEVA and OSIsoft will enable our customers to manage complex industries more efficiently. Our expanded capabilities elevate AVEVA’s commitment to deliver operational agility that turns opportunity into business value for our customers.”

Philip Aiken, Chairman, AVEVA Group, said: “AVEVA’s sustained performance and growth has laid the groundwork that enables the acquisition of a market leader such as OSIsoft. Our joint portfolio of offerings and potential new capabilities will help deliver AVEVA’s long-term strategy for growth and market leadership in industrial software and information management by accelerating the solid growth trajectory and continuing to help customers on their digitalisation journeys.”

OSIsoft Founder, Dr J Patrick Kennedy, said: “We stand in awe of the innovation of our customers – the people who operate our society’s essential industries – who use our technology every day to improve performance, protect health and safety, keep the lights on and make the world run more smoothly. They have inspired us to join forces with AVEVA so that we can broaden our scope and increase the value we can bring to their important work.”

Hayman concluded: “This acquisition is a major milestone for AVEVA, enabling our team to draw on Dr J Patrick Kennedy’s vast leadership experience and domain expertise. We are honoured to continue the journey together with Pat in his new role as Chairman Emeritus. With Performance Intelligence, we can confidently say that AVEVA is paving the way to become the industrial software and data leader, heralding the start of an exciting new chapter for the industrial software market.”

AVEVA is 60% held indirectly by Schneider Electric.

Boliden Kevitsa collaborating on process plant maintenance

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boliden is a front-runner when it comes to applying technology and innovation to its Europe-based mines, and the company is now leading an industry move in condition monitoring and predictive maintenance in its process plants.

At its Kevitsa copper-nickel mine, 130 km north of the Arctic Circle in Finland, Boliden has been collaborating with the likes of IBM Maximo, OSISoft, SKF and Metso on condition monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions, according to Sami Pelkonen, Maintenance and Engineering Manager at Boliden Kevitsa.

Expansion in the plans

The mine is in the throes of an SEK800 million ($82 million) expansion that will see plant throughput go from 7.8 Mt/y to 9.5 Mt/y. This involves the addition of a new autogenous mill and peripheral equipment (including a new Metso MF series screen), and a new mill building. Commissioning of the new equipment is expected in 2020, with the mine reaching full 9.5 Mt/y capacity in 2021.

With this expansion going on, plant maintenance has moved up the agenda.

Some 80% of process plant maintenance is currently pre-scheduled, with the Kevitsa mine achieving, on average, 93% availability from its equipment, according to Pelkonen, but Boliden Kevitsa is looking to increase these numbers.

Pelkonen told IM late in October that the Kevitsa mine has been looking to acquire “good quality…and useful data to support our daily maintenance operations and procedures” at its plant. This is all part of the company’s plan to increase uptime and cut costs at the operation.

As part of this initiative, it installed the IBM Maximo asset management system in May of this year. At the same time, the operation has been working with the Boliden Mines Technology Department on a wider asset management program.

When it comes to plant reliability, Boliden Kevitsa has enlisted the help of SKF (for condition monitoring of bearings throughout the plant), OSISoft for process data acquisition, and Metso to ensure uptime of mineral processing equipment is maximised and unplanned downtime is reduced.

Partnering for performance

The partnership with Metso dates back to before the mine was acquired by Boliden in 2016, but in recent years the two have collaborated on crusher and mill uptime projects, with the OEM supplying mill liners and wear parts that can be switched out quickly and cost effectively. The two firms have also been in constant communication about accessing and analysing valuable process plant data during the last three years.

When the mine acquired a new MF screen from Metso in May (pictured), it decided now was the time to trial the new Metso Metrics predictive maintenance platform in this part of the flowsheet.

Pelkonen explained: “After the increase in production (to 9.5 Mt/y), the front end will be even more critical for us, so we have to be aware if any failures are developing in our front end; especially in our screen.”

The remote location of Kevitsa, situated some 40 km by road from Sodankylä, is also behind the need for this type of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

“If something happens like we have an equipment failure, it takes around one hour for our employees to get to the mine,” he said. “Condition monitoring helps us address the need to get resources to site in the correct time.”

The Metso Metrics test paid off almost instantly, when, soon after installation, the company noticed there was something wrong with the running speed of the screen.

“The indication we received from Metso Metrics helped us map out that there were two broken V belts. We were able to cut the downtime to a minimum thanks to the information coming from Metrics,” Pelkonen explained.

Sami Pelkonen was speaking to IM as part of an upcoming Insight Interview with experts from Boliden Kevitsa and Metso that will be published in early-2020