Abalto Alarm Management Services help you to ensure that your alarm systems work at their best when they are needed most – during abnormal situations !

Does your alarm system provide process control operators with the correct alarms in the correct sequence to be able to respond effectively to problems before they have a negative impact on the process or the plant?

Abalto believe that when it comes to your alarm system, Operational Excellence isn’t a goal – it’s a necessity. By identifying and removing ineffective alarms, operator performance will improve and their attention can be focused on delivering safe and productive plant operation.

Here are the Benefits in some detail…

Improved Safety

• By actively addressing ineffective alarms, operator performance will improve and their attention can be focused specifically on delivering safe and effective plant operation.

Improved Plant Operational Excellence

• By developing an alarm management philosophy, performing alarm rationalisation and implementing the changes, the effectiveness of your control system improves results in Operational Excellence of your plant.

Improved Plant Maintenance Excellence

• Alarm Rationalisation enables plant maintenance personnel to effectively track all bad Process Variable events. Personnel will be better informed of issues and problems and as a result are better able to take action before disruptive events occur ad hence results in Maintenance Excellence of you plant.

Improved Regulatory Compliance

• Alarm Rationalisation enables engineers, operators, and plant managers to know and better document the plant process control system alarm issues and prioritise maintenance and upgrade programmes that help comply with health, safety and environmental requirements.

Why Invest in Alarm Management

• Assure Health & Safety
• Mitigate Economic Loss – production & damage costs
• Consequence of inaction or wrong action are too high
• Rate of escalation of abnormal situations must be managable
• Increase Operator Confidence and Efficiency
• Benefit from Planed, Preventive & Predictive actions rather than Reactive Fire Fighting

Characteristics of Good Alarm Systems

• Alert, Inform & Guide
• Useful and Relevant
• Have pre-defined response
• Adequate time for operator corrective action
• Takes account of human limitation

The First Step…Alarms Management Assessment

An Abalto Alarm Rationalisation Facilitator will be assigned responsibility for auditing every aspect of all your existing control systems alarm. The Facilitator will do the following:

• Retrieve all alarm logs for evaluation and statistical analysis .
• Examine the alarm performance during normal operation and upsets, overall alarm frequency, frequency of nuisance alarms and susceptibility to alarm floods using performance targets based on EEMUA 191 best practices.
• Use the information to assess exposure to risk as a result of poor alarm management.
• Utilise historical information of Plant Down Time to present a cost benefit analysis to senior management.
• Construct a broad implementation strategy with senior management for executive approval.

The Second Step…Alarms Rationalisation Change Process Definition

The Abalto Alarm Rationalisation Facilitator and Senior Engineers assigned to the project will systematically develop an alarm philosophy, an alarm rationalization process, and implementation plan for the changes for your operations and maintenance senior management approval. They will deliver the following:

• Detailed iterative processes and procedures for all Areas, Units and Equipment.
• Alarm philosophy with specifications to define and configure alarms, alarm settings, priorities, alarm quality and recommended corrective action standards.
• Performance targets to be achieved based on EEMUA 191 KPIs and best practices.
• An implementation plan for the changes.
• Present the Change Management Process to your Senior Managers for approval to implement.

The Third Step…Alarms Rationalisation Implementation

Utilising your management approved Alarms Rationalisation Change Process, Abalto will either execute or just manage the implementation delivering the following:

• Implement Real Time Alarm Management software at the operations control room
• Implement Historical Alarm Management software on an OPC platform providing a comprehensive view of all alarms, events and user actions recorded in an events database. This enables you to quickly assess the performance of your alarm system and diagnose common alarm issues such as frequently recurring alarms, long-standing alarms, and other nuisance alarms.
• Set up best practices for plant operators to effectively manage alarms
• Provide Operator Training with alarm response scenarios.

The Fourth Step…Alarms Continuous Improvement Program

Your plant conditions and circumstances will change over time as units and equipment are modified and new ones introduced. The Abalto Alarm Management Maintenance Program is a service that provides periodic audit by the collection of alarm and event data from your plant for analysis and reporting.

An Abalto Alarm Management Specialists will compare the results with Baseline KPIs and consult with you on the findings and work out an action plan to address any issues in accordance with your established management of change processes.

We look for the plant Area and Equipment with highest alarm activity and re-examine the alarms management philosophy.

The Abalto Alarm Management Maintenance Program will keep your alarm system functioning optimally over the long run, ensuring continued benefits.

Abalto training is both classroom based, practical and through competence assessment in line with international competence assessment and assurance standards.  Our training staff are selected for their experience in both operation and maintenance in addition to project construction and commissioning.  We manage and help deliver third party specialized training through contracting equipment and package vendors so that our clients can have verity of training programs that meet individual training needs.
Our professional trainers have experience in maintenance, operations, commissioning and start up.

Tailored Training on offer include:

•    HIMA PLC Maintenance and Engineering
•    Wellhead Hydraulic Control Burner Operation and Maintenance
•    Trouble Shooting & Root Cause Analysis
•    Yokogawa Maintenance and Engineering
•    Honeywell Maintenance and Engineering
•    DeltaV maintenance and Engineering
•    Centrifugal High Energy Pumps
•    Job Hazard Analysis
•    Emerson Delta V
•    Reciprocating Compressors
•    Electric Motors
•    QMI Equipment
•    Reciprocating Pumps
•    Risk Reliability Management
•    Logic Trouble Shooting
•    Electrical Safe Isolation
•    Anti-Surge Control
•    Distributed Control System
•    Transformers
•    Hazardous Areas and Intrinsic Safety
•    Vibration Monitoring
•    UPS system
•    Instrument & Control Schematics
•    Foundation Field-bus

Abalto provide new and innovative solutions utilising our core staff that have technical skills and wealth of experience.  We have the ability to understand project requirements and translate them into clear and workable project specifications.

Detail Design

We outline and agree the design basis together with the deliverables acceptance criteria with our clients.  This helps us manage the design and maintain control on cost and time and yet ensure an implementable realistic design. We further develop and validate equipment and instrument datasheets and clarify the customer specification to compile actionable Enquiry Requisitions that are floated to suppliers.
We develop detailed drawings such as General Arrangement, Layout Drawings, Loop Drawings.  In Design HSE we facilitate and deceiver work shops for hazard and operability studies (HAZOP), layer of protection analysis LOPA and SIL classification, quantitative risk assessment (QRA), Identification of safety critical elements and safety case development.
Other design deliverables that we have delivered include philosophies, narratives, quality plan, ITP, interface documents, operation and maintenance manuals, equipment and package specifications, method statements, project planning and change control procedures.
Abalto strength in engineering is drawn from it’s core team of engineers.  We follow tried and tested engineering methodology and implement best practices to the highest quality and HSE standards gained from our successfully delivered projects.  Our aim is to ensure that the best development solution is identified in order to provide maximum value to our customers.
Abalto capability extends to tender document preparations, technical and commercial bids evaluation services which are delivered independent of FEED.

Front End Engineering Design (FEED)

Abalto take the specifications further in details to produce data sheets utilizing process material balance.  When our involvement starts at FEED we maintain an integrated design team with the client engineers to guarantee our quality and timely scope delivery.
To deliver FEED packages, we work closely with our clients and in large projects integrate the client engineers into our engineering team.  With this approach the client constantly evaluates and select options, approve the engineering deliverable to maintain their compliance.
Project uncertainties result in inflated execution cost if not managed during FEED, therefore at Abalto with our close client engagement we provide clear specifications and workable FEED packages minimising uncertainty as far as practically possible.
Abalto also provides EPC Tender Document preparation during FEED where the EPC or EPIC scope and deliverable are outlined with minimal uncertainty.

Conceptual Design

Abalto engineers work with our clients providing our engineering services in methodical Concept Selection, Analysis and Recommendation.  We have the capability and experience to form multidisciplinary team to work on opportunity framing, identifying project risks and develop project objectives into actionable scope with outlined cost and schedule.
At this early project phase we develop preliminary Piping and Instrumentation Diagram, develop control and safeguarding philosophy, define equipment types and process packages that need specialist licensers.

We ensure project front end loading would provide all data required by FEED team with minimised uncertainty.

Our procurement service is initiated during detailed engineering where the enquires are floated internationally to reliable reputed suppliers to ensure a competitive bidding process that minimize exposure to project profitability from procurement uncertainty.  Procurement management is aligned to specific project requirements and include QC inspections inline with project quality plan and ITP, expediting, logistics management and import/export authorization.

We both assign international third party inspectors and have our test engineers witness staged inspections ensuring sub-contractor compliance minimizing re-work.  After factory acceptance testing the packing and preservation is witnessed to ensure materials leaving vendor works are compliant.  Logistics management and site preservation helps minimize transit damage and contamination which could have negative impact on project schedule.

Abalto offers operation and maintenance support services to Oil & Gas, Power, Manufacturing and Water industries for projects concluded by us or by other vendors. The support contracts are tailored to suit client needs and ensure a call out response time. Our strength is in variety of disciplines such as Instrumentation, Rotating Equipment, Process and Fire and Safety. Our support engineers take the time and effort to familiarize themselves and learn all aspects of the clients installation such that when support is requested, they can identify the problem precisely and quickly resolve it.  When asked we will review maintenance procedures to suit your process, installation and changes within the facilities which standard maintenance procedures do not normally address.

Abalto is capable of include multi-discipline maintenance support services providing technical support to the operation and maintenance team.  Abalto engineers have mechanical, rotating equipment, instrumentation and control maintenance teams with responsibilities ranging from managing resources, planning and executing maintenance activities.

Our maintenance engineers provide valuable input to the formulation of your strategies and plans e.g. HSE plans, safety cases and audit plans, asset reference plan, asset data, activity and schedule plans which covers the full life cycle of the assets and help realise asset management.  We start with ensuring that all assets in the field are operating in a safe and efficient manner according to agreed maintenance philosophies, procedures and promote safe working practices through HSE meetings, Toolbox meetings, emergency exercises and stringent control of permit to work system. Our engineers have monitored the quality and cost effectiveness of the maintenance services provided to identify opportunities for improving the business by assessing efficiency and business results, management and planning.

Our rotating equipment maintenance and support engineers expertise include  gas turbines, pumps, compressors, mechanical seals, gearbox/couplings, tanks and vessels, heat exchangers and valves.  Abalto provided experienced rotating equipment engineers to complement our client engineering team at renowned high pressure compressor vendors. This has been done for several projects following up the production of prototype high pressure compressors and approving the testing and test procedures.

In addition to providing the services of our experienced engineers we do provide multi discipline maintenance technicians through manpower supply or maintenance call off contracts.  Abalto have the capability to provide Operation and Maintenance support, Performance Optimization and Availability Improvement, Instrument Calibration and Test Equipment Certification, Failure and Root Cause Analysis as well as Integrity Reviews.

Abalto is capable of providing support for the following Control & Automation systems:

Industrial Networks Expertise:

• Plant Control Information Management Systems in Industrial Domains
• Wide Area Fibre Optic Networks
• Open Transport Network OTN
• Fieldbus

DCS Expertise:

• Honeywell
• Yokogawa
• Invensys
• ABB

Safety PLC Expertise:

• Yokogawa Prosafe Safety PLC
• HIMA Safety PLC
• Triconex

SCADA Expertise:

• Siemens WinCC
• Wonderware
• Rockwell RSview
• GE CIMPLICITY
• ABB MicroSCADA
• Intellution
• Yokgawa FasTools

PLC Expertise:

• Allen Bradley Rockwell
• Siemens
• GE Fanuc
• Schneider
• ABB
• Mitsubishi
• Fuji
• Yokogawa Stardom

RTU Expertise:

• ABB RTU
• Siemens
• Babcock
• GE Fanuc
• Foxboro

Quality Measurement Instruments Expertise:

• O2 Analysers
• H20 Analysers
• Various Gas detectors

Detectors Expertise:

• IR Detectors
• Accoustics Detectors

Control Valves Expertise:

• Rotork
• Limitorque
• Biffi

Various Field Instruments Expertise:

• Vibration Monitoring
• Level Transmitters
• Pressure Transmitters
• Flow Meters

Abalto are very experienced in facility commissioning and startup for petrochemical, LNG, oil & gas and offshore, combined heat and power, water treatment, and other energy and industrial markets. Additionally we offer project and construction management, plant operations and maintenance support services.

Abalto engineers can commission systems such that they conform to the design specifications in a safe manner. We are experienced in automation and process control projects enabling us to assess if the controls will result in failure modes not specified or tested. Where necessary, interfaces to other systems are proved with other suppliers. All commissioning such as Loop Checks, Calibration, Cause & Effects, and Alarm & Trip set points are documented for As Built records and change control maintained for modifications. Our experience has taught us that functional checks are essential to validate adherence to the control philosophy and that system robustness implemented at design stage should be validated with improvements suggested by client operators incorporated. Site acceptance test certificates for each sub system are produced following full witness testing with the end user.

Late changes have adverse effect on project schedules and Abalto follows its change control system and Client approval for implementation and acceptance. Following successful completion of commissioning, we submit a Commissioning Completion Certificate. Where specialised equipments are commissioned, such as rotating equipment, the services of the equipment vendor are called upon under the management and supervision of Abalto.

We have vast site construction experience and have work in hardship and offshore locations. We attribute our success in construction to well planned and well managed constructions activities. However, our experience has show us that not everything can be planned for and when faced with the challenges of site work we respond with flexibility and resourcefulness.

We take a Can Do attitude and adhere to our ethos of Consider it Solved… Consider it Done! and our Home Office provides 24/7 support for our site construction teams.

• Construction Management

  Abalto construction management service is offered to construction contractors to provide construction management and multi discipline coordination through assisting construction contractor in areas of weakness such as area completion focus. Set-up tasks and targets for construction supervisors and engineering team which are HSE tasks such as promoting safe working practices and adhering to the project HSE plan, Business tasks such as QC and interface management, millstone targets from the project plan and behavioural targets such as leadership accountability and team work.
  Abalto engineers supervise multi discipline construction activity and confirm compliance to project specifications. Through construction planning we manage timely delivery of project sub milestones utilising the available resources efficiently.

• Installation

  Equipment for overseas installation, which is to be manufactured local to the job-site, is designed to incorporate locally obtainable materials and standards whenever possible. As far as practicable Abalto will always endeavour to make use of locally supplied goods and labour, when involved with overseas contracts.

  We manage and provide site installation crews and Instrument Technicians for installations from Control Rooms down to Instrumentation and Equipment, and from Control Rooms up to the site wide Plant Management Systems via Industrial Networks. We achieve and assure success to working closely with Owners, EPCs and Vendors. We adhere to our in Alliance working principle.

  We are highly skilled and experienced in Loop Checking and Calibration, especially for Closed Vessels and Flow Meters.

  Our final check are aligned with EPC Mechanical Completion Milestones. We are accustomed to the challenges of achieving this Milestone.

• Commissioning

  Abalto engineers can commission systems such that they conform to the design specifications in a safe manner. We produce and work to an approved Commissioning Procedure which assures a high level quality of quality for the Start-Up phase.

  We are experienced in automation and process control projects enabling us to assess if the controls will result in failure modes not specified or tested. Where necessary, interfaces to other systems are proved with other suppliers. All commissioning such as Loop Checks, Calibration, Cause & Effects, and Alarm & Trip set points are documented for As Built records and change control maintained for modifications.

  Our experience has taught us that functional checks are essential to validate adherence to the control philosophy and that system robustness implemented at design stage should be validated with improvements suggested by client operators incorporated in a considered and controller manner. Site acceptance test certificates for each sub system are produced following full witness testing with the Owner and EPC.

  Late changes have adverse effect on project schedules and Abalto follows its change control system and client approval for implementation and acceptance. Following successful completion of commissioning, we submit a Commissioning Completion Certificate. Where specialised equipments are commissioned, such as rotating equipment, the services of the equipment vendor are called upon under the management and supervision of Abalto.

• Start-Up

  We are vastly experienced in Shut Downs and Start-Ups. We produce and work to an approved Start-Up procedure to ensure that plant and its sub-systems are started in the correct sequences. We work closely with the Owner and EPC Process Engineers to assure that the plant reaches optimum performance in a progressive manner. At this stage we train and encourage hand-on involvement by Owner Operations and Maintenance personnel.

  We often return back to site to conduct audits on systems performance and to optimise the Alarm Management Systems.

For each project the customer is notified of his immediate contact at Abalto. For the duration of the project a PMP Cerdentialed Project Manager will manage and will be responsible for all aspects of the delivery, from instruction to proceed to final close-out. We monitor projects progress against the agreed project plan and report regularly to all stakeholders.

Regular project reviews are held with you the customer. The Project Manager has full delegated authority and is responsible for all aspects of the project. We monitor and control progress of all deliverables.  For large-scale projects some responsibilities are delegated to the Project Engineer.

Abalto monitors and reports on project progress by measuring Key Performance Indicators. We prepare a detailed Project Execution Plan for each project covering every aspect of from initiation to closeout indicating the time, resources and methods required to conclude the project on time, on budget and to the specified quality.

Our progress is presented and discussed with the client at regular intervals to ensure we are on track and addressing the key concerns and issues of all stakeholders. We maintain a view on completion and to be proactive we construct contingency plans in advance. In addition project documentation such as QA & H&S, Technical Queries and engineering management records are established and maintained.

We PLAN what we DO

We DO what we PLAN

We MONITOR what we DO

We share issues and openly discuss risks with the client to follow our principle of working in an alliance with you.

We follow the Project Management Framework for project life cycles and apply the five major Project Management Process Groups to all projects encompassing a total of 42 processes:

1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing

Mapped to these five process groups we apply the nine Project Management Knowledge Areas:

1. Integration Management
2. Scope Management
3. Time Management
4. Cost Management
5. Quality Management
6. Human Resource Management
7. Communications Management
8. Risk Management
9. Procurement Management