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BackgroundIn batch processes, tracking key metrics like batch start and end times, cycle durations, and critical values such as maximum temperature can provide valuable insights. For instance, maintaining temperature within a certain threshold during a batch step can prevent quality issues and ensure process safety. This use case will guide you through how to document, track, and analyze batch cycle times, utilizing TrendMiner’s TrendHub and ContextHub features to streamline and automate this process.ChallengeTraditionally, batch cycle times have been recorded manually in Excel spreadsheets by board operators. This manual entry system often results in inconsistencies, especially when operators miss recording the start or end times of batches. TrendMiner provides a more reliable solution by automatically identifying and documenting batch steps and storing this information alongside tag data. By automating these records, TrendMiner

In process manufacturing, especially in chemical engineering, collaboration between Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) teams is essential when implementing software like TrendMiner. For the software to work well, data from physical processes needs to be integrated with analytical tools. This requires good coordination between the OT and IT teams. Here are three key concepts that can help make your work with the IT team more effective.Data Integration and AccessibilityTo make software like TrendMiner work effectively, the data from physical processes needs to be easily accessible. The OT team collects real-time data from sensors and control systems, while the IT team ensures this data is available for analysis by providing the right infrastructure and secure connections.CybersecurityWhen OT systems (which often use older technology) are connected to IT systems, cybersecurity

When creating a ticket for the TrendMiner support team it is useful to include detailed information about the issue. This will ensure that the issue can be investigated and fixed in shortest amount of time possible.Creating a detailed ticket will prevent a lot of back and forth communication and will increase the chance of a quick resolution.Steps on the creation of a detailed support ticket:Write a clear and concise title that describes the issue with a few words.Useful information to include in the ticket description:A detailed and clear explanation of the issue. Screenshots or videos provide additional clarity. Upload the appliance logs. This can be requested from your administrator if you do not have the required permissions: 

TrendMiner offers three main methods for calculating and tracking consumption or production over time, depending on your goals. You can use the Statistics Table, Calculations on Search Results, or set up a Consumption/Production Tag for continuous reporting. 1. Using the Statistics TableCalculating consumption or production for a given period is a simple one-step process, assuming there is already a tag representing the flow, rate, ... that is to be quantified. If this is not the case, such a tag can be created as a rate or through a formula. Once such a tag is in place you can navigate to the relevant period and open the statistics table. Here all the corresponding values can be read immediately. Often the total amount for the selected period is of interest, which can be read from the integral value, although the aver

Hi everyone,We're excited to share a recording from the recent TrendLab Europe event (TrendMiner Community event), where Yusuf Hamurcu from ICIG provided an insightful presentation on how they leverage TrendMiner for troubleshooting, monitoring, reporting, and daily dashboard operations.Using TrendMiner brings ICIG the following value:Enhanced Process Insights: ICIG uses TrendMiner to gain real-time visual warnings, quickly identifying any out-of-spec products or batches. Improved Quality Control: Since adopting TrendMiner's soft sensor, ICIG has eliminated out-of-spec batches in their lengthy distillation process (5-15 days). Reduced Raw Material Consumption: In 2023, a valve leak was detected that resulted in a raw material loss of approximately $350,000, but it was detected and troubleshooted it so that it can be avoided now and in the future. Optimized Operations

BackgroundThis use case shows how to create a custom visualization / chart that can be displayed on your DashHub dashboard as a tile. We can do this via MLHub. In this use case example, we will create a bar chart to track a key process metric at a facility, monthly average energy usage. Once we have added this visualization as a tile to the target dashboard, we can add other visualizations, as needed, following a similar procedure. These dashboards can then be shared with your peers. SolutionThe solution includes the following steps:Create a TrendHub view: Create a TrendHub view with all of the relevant tags. Adjust the time period on your focus chart. You will want to include all of the data that will be used to create your visualization. Save this TrendHub view.                                                                         

To ensure security, TrendMiner allows the installation and running of virus scanners next to the TrendMiner application, only on single node deployments and with certain conditions. While antivirus software is an important security measure, it is crucial to note that TrendMiner's performance is closely tied to I/O performance as the application builds a time series index using many small local files, grouped into time-based structures. Virus scanners, particularly those that scan all disk I/O, may still cause performance degradation or failures in some cases.  Important Considerations:Performance Impact: Antivirus processes that scan disk I/O can introduce delays, potentially affecting TrendMiner’s responsiveness. In extreme cases, it may cause system failures, such as:User experience degradation due to slower I/O performance and CPU/Memory spikes caused by the antivirus software. Delays in monit

Time to value is a key metric directly impacting the bottom line—profitability. The longer it takes, the more value is lost. TrendMiner can reduce the time to value down to a fraction when proper steps are implemented. Engineers struggle daily gathering data from various sources, stitching event information with process data, and using dated technologies built for megabyte-scale data. All this is done in addition to meeting the baseline operation and production at a minimum.Here are three simple steps your organization can implement for faster time to value.Clearly communicate the objectives and goals The organization's vision must be communicated from top to bottom. There is a reason the organization has selected TrendMiner! Objectives of the project must be aligned with the vision. Engineers involved in the day-to-day must be fully aware of the desired goals. The Sponsor, Project Manager, and the end-user mu

 In industrial data analysis, preprocessing sensor data is crucial for accurate results, especially when dealing with sudden, abnormal spikes. These spikes can distort your analysis and lead to incorrect conclusions if not addressed properly. In this article, I will show you how to eliminate spikes from your sensor data using four different methods in TrendMiner, ensuring that your analysis is reliable and accurate.Examples of spikes in sensor dataSpikes in sensor data can occur due to various reasons such as sensor malfunctions, temporary communication errors, or unexpected events in the process. For instance, a sudden spike in temperature readings from a reactor might be caused by a faulty sensor rather than an actual temperature increase. Similarly, pressure spikes in a pipeline could be due to momentary errors in measurement. Removing these spikes from the da

Hey all! 👋Here is the recording of our October advanced level webinar.📽️ Watch this recording to learn:How to add upper and lower limits to any trend 🚧 How to cap process variables displaying unrealistic values 📊 How to calculate the percent difference between two process variables 📈 How to create a formula tag that takes a value of 0 or 1 based on if a set of conditions is true 🧮Watch the Recording:German - Bringen Sie Ihre Formeln auf die nächste Ebene English - Take Your Formulas To The Next LevelSlides:GermanEnglishIf you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to drop a comment below. We’re always here to help! 😊Happy

Are you looking to discover where TrendMiner can bring additional value to your organization? By following these steps, you can follow a method that is used by TrendMiner customers to identify a scalable solution to implement across multiple assets, lines & factories. Step 1: Identify a strategic processThe identified process should be equipped with the required sensors to capture the data needed for analysis and monitoring. Choosing a high-value process ensures importance within the organization. A process that is similar across multiple lines or factories is preferred as that increases the scale at which the solution can be deployed. Step 2: Gather expert insightsThe process experts of the identified process have extensive knowledge on how the assets should operate to achieve optimal results. Gathering and organizing a conversation between the process experts yields the information we need for the next s

Watch this webinar to become a master in creating fingerprints and golden profiles. You'll learn how to define your ideal profile based on multiple calculations, analyze deviating process values, and detect & track deviations from the ideal profile.Links:Spanish German English

👉🏻 BackgroundIn a water purification system, efficient sludge transport is crucial tomaintaining optimal operations. The system employs five conveyor belts,which are dynamically activated based on the sludge load. At any giventime, a minimum of one and a maximum of four belts may be inoperation. However, the dynamic nature of this system introduceschallenges. If one of the belts malfunctions or operates inefficiently, it canlead to increased sludge accumulation, potentially disrupting the entirepurification process. To prevent this issue, a robust monitoring solution isessential to ensure that all belts function properly, regardless of the load.🕵 ChallengeMonitoring the operation of the conveyor belts is complicated by thevariability in the number of active belts. This dynamic operation makes itdifficult to determine when a belt is malfunctioning versus when it issim

Are you a project manager or sponsor and want to lead the way and make TrendMiner successful at your site? A successful project must have some clear goals to help you determine the right people and strategy to ensure its success. Rolling out TrendMiner at a new site or introducing it to a new group isn’t the exception.Here are 3 goals that can help drive a successful roll out.Reduce Process Variability and Cycle TimesConsistency is crucial for achieving high-quality production. One of the primary goals for any site is to reduce batch-to-batch variability and optimize cycle times. With TrendMiner, you can better identify key parameters that impact variability and make adjustments to your process (batch or continuous), leading to increased efficiency.Leverage Data from Multiple SourcesIntegrating data from various sources like LIMS, electronic batch record systems o

Background So, you've found yourself wanting to historicize something you've observed in TrendHub. As the process engineer for the past two years, you've noticed a clear pattern between unit swings and recurring filter change on a feed pump. Now, you need to compile these findings into a list and annotate them on the trends. That is the only way you can convince everyone else that this is indeed the root cause of the swings and not just some random incident. Although you've briefly heard of ContextHub, once you reach this screen, you find yourself wondering, "What is a component, and what do you mean by Type???"  Component and Type are two parameters that must be assigned to create a context item, or a block of information linked to a data point or a period of data associated with an event ident

Curious about selecting the right key users for your TrendMiner project? Empower the ideal candidates to drive impactful change and ensure seamless adoption. 🚀 Identify the right key users  Each new tool requires specific key user profiles outlining which people are most likely to quickly adopt the new way of working. Select the right people who fit the pre-defined profile, so they can enable and support other users to more quickly adopt - and get value from - the new way of working. The key users play a central role We will work with the key users intensively during the hands-on sessions to get them to know the basics of the software and create first value. Furthermore, we will stay in close contact with these users to expand their TrendMiner knowledge and skills, and to measure the progress of the project. To maximize the chances of successful onboarding, key users should adhere to and be selected based on the fo

 In industrial data analysis, it is often necessary to formulate complex conditions to achieve precise search results. However, it is not possible by default to combine AND and OR conditions within a value-based search in TrendMiner. TrendMiner allows you to combine multiple conditions in a value-based search, but you can only combine all conditions with either AND or all with OR—not both simultaneously. Here, I will show you how to effectively combine AND and OR conditions in a value-based search.Examples of combining AND and OR conditionsA typical example would be searching for production data where multiple products (e.g., ALPHA and BETA) are analyzed under specific temperature conditions. Other examples include identifying production phases where certain machines are either in "Standby" or "Maintenance" mode, but only if energy consumption is below a defined threshold. Another example could be analyzing phases where specific chemicals are ei

  Background Monitoring thresholds is a common use case in the chemical industry, essential for maintaining consistent production quality and ensuring operational safety. Thresholds act as predefined limits, signaling potential issues in the process when exceeded. Failure to effectively monitor these thresholds can lead to production inefficiencies, equipment damage, and reduced product quality. Such deviations can be caused by factors like temperature fluctuations, pressure variations, or torque instability, as well as unexpected changes in raw material quality. TrendMiner provides an effective solution by enabling reliable and continuous monitoring of these thresholds. ChallengeThe challenge in monitoring thresholds lies in precisely defining

If you ever downloaded TrendMiner from our file server you might have noticed there are a lot of files on there. The .tar.gz files are the actual TrendMiner installation/upgrade packages. The .zip file is the connector installation/upgrade package. But do you know what these .md5 and .sha1 files are? md5 and sha1 are 2 different cryptographic hash functions. A cryptographic hash function is a mathematical algorithm that takes an input of any size and produces a fixed-size, unique output (hash) that appears random. It is designed to be secure, meaning even a small change in the input drastically changes the output, and it is computationally infeasible to reverse or find two different inputs with the same hash.TrendMiner provides the hashes of the installation packages for you as a customer to verify that the file you downloaded is identical to the one which is hosted on our server and the file was not corrupted during download.How do you do t

Sometimes, for better visualization and monitoring, it is helpful to represent the durations of certain important events in the plant within a variable. This is possible in TrendMiner by following a couple of steps.First, it is necessary to create a slope tag, from 0 to 1, that connects the start and end points of the event.This can be done with a conditional formula and time changes. For example, an event from the moment a batch starts until the “Phase 3” starts: It is important that the obtained variable consists of constant slopes from 0 to 1 and from 1 to 0. We do not want it to remain constant at values of 0 or 1 for long periods, as this could affect the second step of the

Communication and collaboration in the form of a user community has anchored itself as a powerful technique that enhances the overall experience for everyone, from users to admins to developers. User communities foster collaboration, serve as inspiration, propel innovation, harvest a support system, and enablement of users. How well the users engage in the community can amplify the success of an organization. Here are at least four reasons to bring users to the TrendMiner community.Share knowledge and expertise. Every user brings a unique insight that can help the organization achieve its OKRs (objectives and key results). In a shared community space, everyone can tap into this resource and reap the benefits. It is not uncommon that users in different plants or business units and even in other organizations are facing similar challenges. By sharing these challenges, a solution can be reached faster and inspire new ideas.  Sense of belonging and support. Plant li

BackgroundIn one of the distillation units, one of the product temperatures is being lower than expected for around 1 year, leading to lower product recovery, as the separation is not as efficient as it should. This means a 10% recovery loss in the company, which is an important economical loss. ChallengeTroubleshoot the causes for this deterioration in performance, by detecting the influencing variables and the respective influence of each. Solution-Load all the related tags, as well as the key temperature-Run the correlations engine to find correlations against the potentially correlated vari

BackgroundAs a process engineer, understanding the relationship between two variables is crucial and often necessary. For example, how does tower pressure impact overhead rates? How does temperature affect conversion? Operations are constantly making adjustments, and process engineers need to grasp the impact of various levers or handles on final product specifications, operating envelopes, and process safety. TrendMiner enables users to quickly analyze relationships between tags or variables, both visually and quantitatively.Scatterplot of natural gas usage vs carbon emissions.Steps to Analyze Relationships in TrendMiner:Step 1: Add the tags you are interested in analyzing to the active tag list for bivariate relationships.Step 2: Switch to the Scatterpl

A broad implementation of TrendMiner exponentially increases the value your organization can get from our product. If more people are using TrendMiner, more people can collaborate, learn from each other and in the end, it will be easier to maintain knowledge inside the organization. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that new employees know about all the relevant tools used.  There are several ways to make TrendMiner a part of your onboarding curriculum. Here are some tips:  Make a checklist of all the onboarding steps, including the different important tools which are being used.  Explain clearly why TrendMiner is

Here's how TrendMiner can be utilized at each stage:Define: Use TrendMiner to define the problem or opportunity by analyzing historical process data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement => Getting started with TrendMiner Collaborate with stakeholders to establish clear project goals and objectives. Measure: Utilize TrendMiner to collect and visualize real-time and historical process data from various sources (Time series,