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2010/07/14

Traditionally, we think of permits to work as a tool to protect employees, contractors and the assets that they are maintaining. Permits characteristically list possible hazards in the workplace and spell out how these are to be mitigated through isolation of energy sources and appropriate use of PPE.

In the context of a greater social awareness of the impact of industry on the environment and surrounding communities, we have seen changes to the type of instructions and conditions for work included on permits. An excellent example is the use of IntelliPERMIT to support Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) protocols in food processing factories.

HACCP is a requirement for FDA approval for certain food and pharmaceutical products. In short, it is focussed on making sure that your morning yoghurt is not flavoured with axel grease, that the number of bolts in your muesli is minimised and that there are no pigeon droppings in your sugar. (You can read more about HACCP here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_Analysis_and_Critical_Control_Points )

IntelliPERMIT assists permit issuers to identify work taking place in HACCP-related areas and ensures that the appropriate measures to be taken are acknowledged on the permits. Once the job is complete, the responsible team is prompted to make certain that hygiene guards have been replaced and maintenance debris such as iron filings or grease have been cleared. These steps are signed off by the appropriate HACCP authorities in the specific work area (as verified by their competencies in IntelliPERMIT.) The benefit of this approach is that it streamlines the work approval process and eliminates the need for dedicated HACCP-related forms to be completed and signed off. Furthermore, the system provides a time-stamped audit trail to help with the investigation of any non-conformances.

The benefits of a well planned and comprehensive permit system needn’t stop at the factory gate: they may be traced through the supply chain right onto the shelves of your local grocery store.

Posted at 16:26 by Scott Bredin | Category: IntelliPERMIT; Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2010/06/24

“OpSUITE Information Days” receives the thumbs up

Delegates who attended the two successful OpSUITE™ Information Days in Johannesburg and in Durban gave the event an overwhelming “Excellent” rating based on the feedback received afterwards.

The theme “Some things work better together” was illustrated through a series of interactive demos that showcased the OpSUITE solutions working in a typical control room environment. The integrated nature of plant operations requires that production logs, work orders, permits and SHEQ activities are all managed in a common system to improve productivity and operations performance.

ApplyIT is actively working on combining OpSUITE with SharePoint and some of these concepts were illustrated at the Johannesburg information days, held appropriately at the Microsoft office. The recent launch of Office 2010 and the new version of SharePoint unlock great opportunities for manufacturing companies which are further strengthened with a powerful transactional system (OpSUITE) running on SQL Server.

The underlying message was that when exceptional technologies from ApplyIT and Microsoft are combined with good people, plant performance can be improved dramatically, leading to improved throughput, less downtime, reduced waste, safer operations and ultimately improved profits.

The networking and discussion opportunities at these events prove to be invaluable to customers, partners and ApplyIT’s product team. The overall consensus is that attending Information Days is time well spent and the event format should be repeated in future!

Posted at 10:39 by Gavin Halse | Category: Operations Suite; FlexiLOG; IntelliPERMIT; OptiRUN; SmartSURE | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2009/12/03

Technology Design objectives for OpSuite Version 5

The ApplyIT product team has been hard at work building the new version 5 of OpSuite and preparing for general availability in 2010. This version includes several functionality enhancements that have already been deployed at early adopter customers during the course of 2009. However many more enhancements are in progress and will be delivered within the next couple of months.

In summary

Version 5 is a major release of OpSuite with most of the changes taking place in the underlying technology. However the requirements of users have not been ignored and a significant effort is going into enhancing the Version 5 user interfaces while making the software more responsive, more user friendly and intuitive to use.

OpSuite 5.0 will focus on enhancements to the Foundation Server, FlexiLOG and IntelliPERMIT. Upgrades to OptiRUN and SmartSURE are planned in the subsequent version 5.1 release cycle shortly afterwards.

Design goals

The design intent of OpSuite 5.x is to extend the product reach through mobile technology, Microsoft SharePoint (MOSS) integration, improved workflow, new biometrics and security capabilities and integration points into third party systems such as SCADA, site access control etc. Furthermore the capabilities of all four modules will be leveraged to provide a comprehensive operations management and SHEQ system that will cover all aspects of operations and safety, from sustainability management and reporting right through to the plant operations themselves (e.g. permit to work and maintenance work orders). The overall capability is only available in OpSuite.

Module enhancements

IntelliPERMIT version 5 will including improvements to competencies, user management, isolation management, dual signature capability, enhanced editing capabilities and several user interface improvements based on leading technologies.

FlexiLOG version 5 will include improved data capture and validation capabilities, improved control of duplicate entries, improved linking and moving of information between logs, spell checks and enhanced templates. A major design goal of FlexiLOG 5.x is to deliver pre-packaged solution accelerators that fast track configuration and deployment of proven solutions for improving production processes. These solutions might include contractor management, enterprise level incident reporting and investigation to compliment and further enhance SmartSURE, surveys, workplace and job observation capabilities, risk assessment methodologies etc.

Overall the OpSuite foundation improvements include enhancements to reporting, KPI metrics and relevant dash board presentations.

Technology refresh

OpSuite version 5.0 introduces a full technology refresh with improved administration tools and several enhancements to facilitate deployment. The new version is built on new technology (Microsoft’s .NET) while maintaining compatibility with the underlying SQL server 2005 or 2008 database. Deployment will be enhanced through “click once” deployment technologies which will make administration of rich client installations and upgrades significantly more efficient.

To improve the user interface and enable rapid addition of new features going forward, the version 5 FlexiLOG and IntelliPERMIT applications will be delivered through a combination of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) technology and ASP.NET applications.

The underlying reason for the technology refresh is to future proof OpSuite and benefit from the new technologies from Microsoft. Once our development environment is completely migrated to the latest Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, new capabilities and features will be built and deployed very quickly.

There is a tremendous amount of work being done to ensure that when Version 5 reaches general availability it will impress customers with a range of new capabilities that will continue to provide benefits into the future.

Posted at 16:18 by Gavin Halse | Category: Feature Focus; Operations Suite; FlexiLOG; IntelliPERMIT; OptiRUN; SmartSURE | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2009/11/20

Exporting Opsuite Report Data to Excel

An often overlooked feature of the reports in Operations Suite is that they may be exported to a number of alternative formats such as PDF, TIFF and MS Excel. Accessing this feature could not be easier: select the required format from the dropdown in the toolbar, and click <Export>. You will be prompted to either save the file, or open the file in the relevant application - Voila!

Posted at 00:14 by Scott Bredin | Category: Feature Focus; Operations Suite; FlexiLOG; IntelliPERMIT; Consolidations | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2009/10/22

Operations Suite and Windows 7

With Windows 7 only 1 day away from being released to the public, we thought it apt to provide our customers with some details regarding Operations Suite and Windows 7 compatibility.

As many might already know, we are hard at work finalising Operations Suite v5.0 for early 2010, which will be fully complaint with Windows 7. But what about the current version of Operations Suite out there?

The good news is we have verified that using the XP Mode feature, that will be available with Windows 7 (Only certain versions), Operations Suite 4.3 SP 4 will run with now reduction in functionality on Windows 7. Good news for the early technology adopters out there.

We will be releasing a document detailing the procedures on how to enable the XP Mode in Windows 7, as well as the procedures to follow during the installation of the Operations Suite 4.3 SP 4 Client .

Posted at 15:44 by Henry Fourie | Category: Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2009/06/08

Introducing the OpSuite Product Specialists!

As our OpSuite business continues to grow rapidly we have seen the need to structure our product and consulting side more effectively. Therefore for some time we have been developing the idea of “Product Specialists” within our OpSuite Product Group. A “Product Specialist” is a formal role and the consultant is asked to act as a leader and evangelist within ApplyIT, and among our partners and customers around a specific module and associated subject matter.

It is great to now finally introduce our product specialists to you. Essentially our product specialists are those experienced consultants who we recognise as experts in the specific module; and who will be major players in the setting of direction of each of the respective modules in future. Together with the Product Manager (Scott) these individuals are a vital part of our product development process, and the positioning of ApplyIT’s products in the market. They are also the first point of call for in-depth pre-sales expertise in a particular module.

Our thanks in advance to each of you for your continued enthusiasm for OpSuite, and congratulations from all of us on this recognition!

	Scott Bredin, Product Manager
	Shirley Breytenbach
	Dinesh Naidoo
	Henry Boshoff

Posted at 14:23 by Gavin Halse | Category: Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2009/01/18

Windows 7 around the corner…

With Vista only now starting to find its place in the corporate environments, and Microsoft has released their next version of Windows into the public Beta testing community. And ApplyIT is already starting it’s investigations on how this will affect Operations Suite in the next 12 months.

With promise of better hardware compatibility, greater ease of use, and cutting edge technology, the Labs takes Windows 7 for an initial test drive.

Installation

Now from a familiarity perspective, not much has changed with regards to the setup process. A plus for systems administrators, as the jump from Windows XP and vista was fairly significant. In most cases it was much easier to setup, which was a welcome to the technical community.

Installation went very smooth, and removing some of the unnecessary steps, makes system setup a lot smoother, and faster when doing manual installations.

First Start Up

Seeing that the setup was virtually identical to Windows Vista, our expectation was similar in nature. And most of it was. The first thing that made an impact, and it was purely the eye-candy which one do not always suspect from a Beta product, was the fairly bland black screen with the “Windows Loading” text. But there was this unexpected movement. Coloured balls moving and rotating, colliding to form the Windows Logo. This time around though, it was very blurry, and pulsating as the operating system loaded.

Final Configurations

Something we have all been accustomed to in the last few versions of windows, is the self configurations that occurs on start up, and this time around it was now different. With choosing your first logon user, and then sitting through a few screen loads while Windows does its final thing. The process is however a little smoother and quicker than Windows Vista. Always a welcome surprise.

And then...

So far, so good. Not much new, or so we thought. Microsoft decided to add something new, something fairly unexpected. But nevertheless very exciting, and one can immediately see the promise, especially with product development. Microsoft introduced and Action (Message) Manager. A very handy little tool that will inform you of all potential security or system issues that your system might experience. Actions that you would need to complete to ensure system or product stability. The perfect place to inform users of potential Operations Suite upgrades etc.

Some other nice screens…

While browsing around this new and exciting environment, one or two things jumped out at us. These are not so much productivity tools, or areas in which we can significantly improve the way Operations Suite works with the operating system, but nice non the less.

The first is the Theme Manager. We all like a nice and personalised environment.

And then there was the Widgets. Something Microsoft introduced with Windows Vista and the side bar. This time around however, the whole desktop is a “Side Bar”. This means that you can place your widgets anywhere on the desktop. Another perfect technology for us to bring your plant KPIs to you attention, before even logging into Operations Suite.

So where to next…

With current development heading towards an update in the technology stack of Operations Suite, bringing it into the realm of cutting edge, we will be keeping an eye on further enhancements in Windows 7, and ensuring that we stay as close to these enhancements as possible, ensuring that Operations Suite stay with the newer operating system, and leveraging of their features, whilst not forgetting that some of our customers embrace technology at a slightly different pace, ensuring a better return on their investments.

Watch this space, for more and exciting new developments in this space, and how we strive to bring you a better product, by leveraging off our technology partners.

Posted at 22:00 by Henry Fourie | Category: Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

2008/09/18

Operations Suite and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

Even though I have blogged about IE 8 Beta 2 on several other blogs, I have resisted from doing so here, until I had something to comment about.

We have been testing IE 8 Beta 2 on various aspects of Operations Suite over the past two weeks, and so far the results have been very promising. With the exception of scripting issue, all seems to be running without any problems.

There are still some tests that have to be completed, and since we are busy with Service Pack 3 development and testing, IE 8 testing is getting more attention than was originally envisaged.

So what is the verdict, well, so far so good. With the release of Operations Suite Service Pack 3, we will have an even clearer picture of any potential compatibility issues, and these will be clearly communicated to our existing client base. We might even decide to built some of those new features in IE 8 into Operations Suite...

Posted at 00:03 by Henry Fourie | Category: Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (1)

2008/07/31

Welcome to the Operations Suite Official Team Blog Site

It had to be done and finally we have got the ball rolling! The Operations Suite official team blog site has been commissioned! (Without any frills, these will be added later)!

The intention of the blog site is to engage with our developers, consultants, customers and partners to get the most out of investments in OpSuite, learn about functionality, help steer new developments and share tips, tricks and comments about the product.

There are so many great and innovative things that can be done with our product, that it is almost impossible to include all of the ideas in the standard product documentation. This blog will allow us to share these great ideas with each other and assist users in deriving the most out of their investment.

The ideas came from our successful SMART Summit 2008 - where we undertook to create a forum for direct interaction between users and the product team. This is it, and may the community grow from strength to strength!

Oh, and congratulations to Henry for posting the first entry - in this business if you snooze you lose!

Regards, Gavin

Posted at 14:52 by Gavin Halse | Category: Operations Suite | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)