Industrial Utility Efficiency

Best Practices EXPO & Conference Announces Dean Smith as Plenary Session Speaker

The Best Practices 2022 EXPO & Conference announced Dean Smith, Manager of Auditing & System Design, iZ Systems as a Keynote Speaker of the Plenary Session. The Best Practices 2022 EXPO & Conference occurs October 4-6, 2022, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Smith’s presentation is titled Multi-Factory Remote Control & Monitoring of Chiller Water & Compressed Air System Performance. The Plenary Session, on October 5th, is open to all EXPO, Exhibitor and Conference registrants.


Dean Smith, Manager of Auditing & System Design, iZ Systems.

Dean Smith previews his presentation with the following:

Compressed air and cooling water energy in industrial environments often represent the largest opportunity for energy reduction in most facilities. While these opportunities are well known, monitoring these systems so that the energy savings and efficiency gains can be maintained in the long term has been inconsistent. However, with the advent of IoT and other industrial data collection and display systems, the ability to view and analyze system performance has proven its value and is becoming more common place. Appropriately designed automation platforms, now provide an IoT interface to deliver data to these cloud-based systems but also provide a local display to provide plant level access to data and setpoint changes to tune system performance to optimize energy savings.

The opportunities in compressed air and chilled / cooling water energy usually provide a 24 month or better simple payback which typically meets or exceeds most industrial firm requirements, and properly automated, these systems can actually enhance productivity and consistency at the same time. For example, in PET bottle blowing facilities, stable pressure and enhanced efficiency go hand in hand. One such firm has implemented automation in compressed air systems, tower water, and chilled water on a common platform while also deriving the corporate level benefit of real-time IoT. This program will provide plant level accountability in over 20 plant facilities with a single, common platform.

The key to implementing this type of strategy is, of course, the security of the connections to the networks involved, otherwise, the strategy will never get initiated. Connection level security can be achieved via a hardware-based VPN system which provides discreetly controllable access to any system via the hardware key distribution and the ability to turn-off that access to any key (lost, stolen or abused) as desired via a Master key. iZ Systems is a globally respected firm that has provided literally hundreds of these systems, and never had an intrusion.  

Another key to implementing such a sustainability energy strategy is experience in an automation/IoT platform which is consistent with any corporate level strategy; for example, Rockwell Allen Bradley in the US, or an internationally, open-source code platform such as Beckhoff. This automation experience provides compatibility which greatly simplifies the delivery of data from any automation systems to a central network DCS which delivers data to the corporate IoT platform.  

iZ Systems is a globally known, independent compressed air auditing and technical services firm who provides guaranteed performance solutions, specific to energy efficiency, and production processes in numerous and various industries.

To register for the Best Practices 2022 EXPO & Conference, please visit cabpexpo.com/registration/. SUPER Early Bird Rates end July 15, 2022.

About Best Practices EXPO & Conference
Best Practices EXPO & Conference is an event devoted exclusively to optimizing on-site utilities powering modern plant automation. The event is produced for the important reader segments of Best Practices Magazines – the engineering firms, manufacturing plants and equipment companies responsible for specifying, purchasing, operating, selling and servicing industrial equipment. For more information on the Best Practices EXPO & Conference, please visit cabpexpo.com.