Protecting ROI with Scaleable Service and Information Technology, 2003 Spring Technical Conference Proceedings

Like many process manufacturers, Gulf States Paper mill in Demopolis, Ala., has made extensive investments in process automation, distributed controls and quality controls over the past two decades. Typically, manufacturers who make these investments soon face a dilemma: how to get the service support and training necessary to keep return on investment high without incurring excess costs that can eat into profits. The mill met these challenges through a strategic service partnership with its automation and control vendor, Honeywell Inc. The success of this partnership is based on a scaleable service arrangement that delivers additional on-site support when needed and uses remote diagnostics and Internet-based learning to connect the mill with off-site experts. This paper provides examples of how this partnership works and highlights the benefits to The mill, which include quick resolution when problems occur, more-efficient outages and continued refreshment of technology.