Westlock Controls Selects Fieldbus Center For Sales Professional Training
First agreement of its kind provides certified FOUNDATION fieldbus training
BAYTOWN, Texas, Feb. 8, 2006 < The Fieldbus Center at Lee College, a
National Science Foundation (NSF) recognized and funded institution, today
announced an agreement with Westlock Controls to train their sales
professionals on the basics of FOUNDATION fieldbus. This is the first such
agreement between a Fieldbus Foundation-certified training center and major
automation equipment supplier.
The Fieldbus Center¹s new ³Fieldbus for Sales Professionals² course is the
first phase of a three-step training program instructing Westlock sales
representatives on sales strategies and implementation of fieldbus-based
process valve networking, monitoring and control solutions.
³Fieldbus for Sales Professionals² is designed for inside and outside sales
representatives, as well as service personnel employed by plant automation
equipment suppliers. The course does not require any previous experience
with digital control systems, and is part of the Fieldbus Center¹s
comprehensive training curriculum covering digital control technology. The
Fieldbus Foundation, a not-for-profit industry consortium consisting of over
350 leading process and manufacturing automation companies worldwide,
certifies the Center¹s FOUNDATION fieldbus courses.
According to Westlock vice president engineering, Leo Minervini, the
Fieldbus Center¹s extensive experience with FOUNDATION fieldbus, as well as
its close proximity to the oil & gas industry on the U.S. Gulf Coast, were
the keys to its selection as a training partner.
³The Fieldbus Center was the ideal choice for training our sales force on
the fundamentals of FOUNDATION fieldbus,² said Minervini. ³We worked
closely with the Center¹s instructors to develop a customized curriculum
enabling a basic understanding of fieldbus control systems. They offered a
hands-on training environment allowing our personnel to interact with a wide
variety of suppliers¹ devices and host systems. The Center¹s location near
Houston, Texas, in the heart of the process industry, was also well suited
to our business needs.²
Minervini added, "With an increased knowledge of FOUNDATION fieldbus, our
salespeople are best prepared to explain the technology and answer customer
questions. Our company is now better equipped to take advantage of the
expanding global market for digital process instrumentation."
During the ³Fieldbus for Sales Professionals² course, attendees study basic
fieldbus-related facts and terminology, and learn how to resolve common
technology issues. Instructors describe the differences between digital
control systems and traditional instrumentation, and explain how fieldbus
can be cost-effectively integrated into project bid packages.
The course offers a vendor-neutral perspective on key aspects of fieldbus
technology, but can be customized to highlight specific supplier solutions
or product features.
For more information, call 832.556.4446, fax 832.556.4448, e-mail
fbcenter@lee.edu, or visit www.knowthebus.org.
About the Fieldbus Center
Located approximately 30 miles east of Houston in Baytown, Texas, the
Fieldbus Center at Lee College is recognized and funded by the National
Science Foundation (NSF). The Fieldbus Center¹s mission is to provide
technical education solutions for networking, instrumentation, and
electrical technologies impacted by the advent of fieldbus. The Center
develops hands-on programs for teaching fieldbus and process control
systems, creates and maintains an applied research center, and develops
multi-craft curriculum for fieldbus and industrial networking technologies.
Visit the Center's web site at www.knowthebus.org.
About Westlock Controls
Westlock Controls is the leader in providing innovative solutions for the
networking, monitoring and control of process valves. With millions of
conventional control monitors in service around the world, and an installed
base of over 100,000 valves networked using its Intellis products and
network engineering services, Westlock has application and field experience
second to none. Westlock is committed to the identification of appropriate
technologies that create the products customers require to improve process,
maintenance and operational efficiencies. Learn more at
www.westlockcontrols.com.
Dave Campbell
Industrysource
1660 S. Alma School Road, Suite 212
Mesa, AZ 85210
480-966-7276
480-377-6373
