Champion Presents at Rockwell Automation Process Solutions User Group (PSUG)

Several Automation Engineers prepared and gave presentations at this year’s Rockwell Automation Process Solution User’s Group (PSUG) to showcase two of Champion’s recently-completed projects.

William Sulzer and Joseph Driver from the Baton Rouge office presented “Migrating from Bailey® INFI90 to PlantPAx® using a Multi-Phase Approach,” while Asa Ange from Lake Charles presented “Phillips 66 Upgrades Automation System and Improves Uptime and Change Management with PlantPAx® Platform” for both he and Daniel Kopsco (on a project startup at the time).  Both presentations were well-attended and well-received by audience members.

Abstracts for each presentation are shown below, and please see this more detailed spotlight article on the Control Global website highlighting the presentation that Asa gave.  For questions on either of the topics or more detailed information on the presentations, please reach out to the Joe, William, Asa, or Daniel.

Joe Driver of Champion (left) and William Sulzer of Champion (right)

Baton Rouge Presentation Team

Joseph Driver, Corporate Application Engineer

William Sulzer, Senior Automation Engineer

Migrating from Bailey® INFI90 to PlantPAx® using a Multi-Phase Approach

Looking to capitalize on extensive in-house Allen-Bradley® knowledge and reduce training time, a specialty chemical producer selected Champion Technology Services, Inc. to oversee the migration of their Bailey INFI90 to the PlantPAx® DCS. Phase 1 of the multi-phase migration laid the foundation by introducing FactoryTalk® View SE graphics and redundant HMI servers, including a live cutover with no downtime and no shutdowns, resulting in improved product quality and operator experience. The planned Phase 2 will complete the migration and is scheduled to occur during the customer’s scheduled downtime before fully migrating the system to PlantPAx®.

Asa Ange of Champion (center) with Scott Thompson of Champion (left) and Justin Ryan of Rockwell (right)

Lake Charles Presentation Team

Asa Ange, Senior Automation Engineer

Daniel Kopcso, Automation Engineer

Phillips 66 Upgrades Automation System and Improves Uptime and Change Management with PlantPAx® Platform

The Phillips 66 Pasadena Terminal is capable of loading 65,000 barrels per day via truck through a tank farm with approximately 3.2 million barrels of storage capacity. The existing pipeline/terminal and truck loading control system consisted of 24 SLC-500s, one PLC-5®, and seven Wonderware standalone HMIs. Phillips 66 worked with Champion Technology Services, Inc. to deliver a solution that would drive consistency across the facility and reduce the number of controllers. The implemented PlantPAx® solution consolidated all logic execution into two ControlLogix®, the backward compatibly of the platform minimized capital investment as existing I/O remained intact, and substantial messaging was eliminated. The result is a single application that increased uptime and improved system maintainability.

 

Announcements (December 2017)

 

William Sulzer becomes an ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert

 

We’d like to congratulate William Sulzer (an AE III in our Baton Rouge, LA office) who has taken all 4 modules of the ISA Cybersecurity training (Fundamentals, Risk Assessment, Design, and Maintenance) and passed all the required testing for each.  He is now an ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert.  Great job, William!

For more details on the certification program click here: ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Certificate Programs

It’s That Time Again… Open Enrollment Period for 2018 Benefits

It is that time of the year again – open enrollment for your employee benefits through Champion!

Our open enrollment period runs from 12/1/2017 – 12/31/2017. Remember all changes will be effective 1/1/2018 and run through the 12/31/2018. This is your one and only opportunity annually to make changes to your plan without a qualifying event. You should have received detailed emails introducing our plan options, new 2018 forms, and other pertinent information. Forms are due to HR by 12/11/2017. All eligible employees must complete a form and send it in, even if they aren’t making any changes.

OPEN ENROLLMENT IS DECEMBER 1, 2017 – DECEMBER 31, 2017

Service Awards – Employee Spotlights (December 2017)

 

Richard “Dickie” Garon

Q: Why did you decide to join Champion?

A: Prior to joining Champion, I had two jobs; a full time employee at Kaiser Aluminum and I ran a small business, providing instrumentation resources for small plants that had no in-house I/E people. When I retired from Kaiser Aluminum in 2002, I decided to catch up on some of the repairs I needed to do around the house and concentrate on my small business.

Well, in ten days I fixed everything that need fixing and I was getting restless. A few days later, Champion was installing a boiler control system at RainCII in Norco, Louisiana and was having troublee integrating the new control system with the existing instrumentation. I just happened to be at that plant doing routine calibrations and I saw that they were having problems, so I volunteered to help, as I knew the old system and there were few, if any drawings, loop sheets or documentation. We seemed to be a good match for each other and I joined the very small team, doing anything and everything that helped grow the business.

Q: Describe a memory from your first years at Champion.

A:

 

This is a picture of a panel being built on the inside of the “dungeon”.

The original Champion office was a suite on the second floor of a building on Convention Street in downtown Baton Rouge, almost under the elevated Interstate highway. The surrounding neighborhood was very undesirable, with bars on every window and door and a large halfway house across the street.

We needed a place to build panels and the only area available was an abandoned suite downstairs that others were using for storage. It was full of junk from the 1950’s.

 

We built thirteen panels like this one in the “dungeon” on Convention Street. We hauled them to the plant in an open utility trailer so we couldn’t install the wire-way covers

I cleaned out an area in the dark, dank downstairs for a work space and each morning I ran an extension cord down the stairs from the office suite to the “dungeon” below, just so I could power portable lights, fans and other tools necessary to build panels. The portable lighting was needed, as all the windows and doors to the street were boarded up to cover the bullet holes. It truly had the dark dungeon look, musty smell and I shared the workspace with a nice rat family that didn’t seem to mind me being there, but we built a lot of top quality panels there. You got to start somewhere and that was it.

 

Q: When were you proudest to be part of the Champion team?

A:I have always been proud to be a part of the Champion team.

Q: Were there any projects that were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?

A:

The most interesting project that I participated in was rebuilding the RainCII plant in Chalmette, LA after Katrina devastated the entire area. The amount of damage that salt water can do to electrical equipment is incredible. The plant had about 4 to 5 feet of water everywhere, so everything electrical that went under water had to be replaced and the saltwater spray that got almost everywhere, damaged a lot of equipment, high in the air, if it wasn’t perfectly sealed. One of the local residents showed me his home. He had two feet of water in his second story and someone’s house floated down his street and damaged his front porch as it went by, finally stopping three houses down from where he lived.

The challenging part was getting to the plant every-day, dodging debris on the roadways, getting special credentials to perform work in that parish, getting through the military checkpoints and then trying to find water and food, if you worked late and had to spend the night and sleep in your vehicle. There was a dusk to dawn curfew, so if you didn’t get out before dark, you were stuck there. They did have MRE’s to eat, so you weren’t going to starve.

Q: In your opinion, what is the #1 improvement you’ve seen take place since you’ve started ?

A: In the early years, the staff was small, so each individual had to wear many hats, doing things unfamiliar, but doing everything the best that they could. The biggest improvement that I’ve seen has been the hiring of specific task people, such as technical writers, dedicated sales people, dedicated CAD people, office managers, estimators, assistants and so on. This turned Champion into a truly first class company.

 

David Swenson

Q: Why did you decide to join Champion?

A:

I joined Champion when John Hargroder approached me about work. I have known John for quite some time. I have seen him around the refineries and have helped out in his shop as a contractor in the past.

Q: What projects were particularly interesting, exciting, or challenging that you would like to reflect on?

A: The projects I like are the large control panels. They keep me interested and challenged.

Q: Who has been your favorite customer (company / individual) and why?

A:

My favorite customer is Williams Pipeline. Those guys are fun to be around, very intelligent, and quick to address any issues we come upon.

Q: What is your favorite lunch routine?

A: My favorite lunch routine is going for Thai food with the guys here in Salt Lake City.

Q: What company / office sponsored event did you enjoy most and why? 

A:My favorite company event is happy hour with Ken.

 

CURRENT EVENTS (December 2017)

Dec 15

BENEFIT ENROLLMENT DEADLINE TO RECEIVE NEW ID CARDS BY 1/1/2018*
The official cut-off for Benefit Enrollment changes is December 31st, but if you wait until then you may not get an ID card until late January 2018. Because of that all Enrollment forms are due to HR on 12/11/17. 

Dec 25

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD: THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, and sharing meals with family and friends. Learn more…

Santa Hat Crispy-Treat Cheesecake Squares

            TOTAL TIME:  3 Hours, 25 Minutes              SERVINGS:  25 pieces

Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle this Christmas and make something everyone can be joyful about. Crunchy and gooey rice cereal marshmallow treats are an unexpected yet delightful crust for a creamy cheesecake topping. Fresh strawberries on top form cute Santa hats and also provide a burst of bright acidity to cut through all of the richness.

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Squares:

  • Cooking spray
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces mini marshmallows (about 1 cup tightly packed)
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 cups crispy rice cereal
  • one 1/4-ounce package unflavored powdered gelatin
  • Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 25 medium strawberries, hulled

Frosting:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

How to Make:

**Special equipment: a piping bag or a re-sealable plastic bag

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly coat the foil and a wooden spoon with cooking spray.

For Cheesecake squares:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows, honey, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt, and stir with the wooden spoon until the marshmallows have completely melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice cereal, and stir until the mixture is fully combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press into an even layer while warm. Let sit at room temperature until firm, about 20 minutes.Combine the gelatin with 2 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl, and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the the sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

Microwave the gelatin in 10-second increments, stirring as needed, until it dissolves, 30 to 50 seconds. Pour the gelatin into the cream cheese mixture, and beat on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crispy treat layer, and spread out evenly with an offset spatula or butter knife. Wrap the pan loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the cheesecake layer is set, about 2 hours or up to overnight.

 

For the Frosting:

Whisk together the butter and cream cheese by hand in a medium bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.

Cut the cheesecake bites into twenty-five 1 3/4-inch squares. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or re-sealable plastic bag. Cut a 1/4-inch hole in the corner of the piping bag. Pipe a circle of frosting on the top of each square, about the diameter of the base of a strawberry. Place a strawberry cut side-down on top of each frosting circle, pushing down gently so that the frosting comes up around the bottom of the strawberry and resembles the base of a Santa hat. Pipe a ball of frosting on the tip of each strawberry for a pom-pom.

 

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.”

-Peg Bracken