Honeywell releases Universal Cabinets for its Universal I/O modules

Honeywell Process Solutions today announced the release of cabinets for its universal input/output (I/O) modules to reduce project costs and improve on-time completions.

Honeywell’s Universal I/O modules, introduced in 2012, allow operators to quickly and remotely configure channels as analog or digital I/O using Honeywell’s proprietary Universal Channel Technology software. Honeywell’s Universal Cabinets incorporate Universal I/O modules and make the entire cabinet a standard part, helping operators to more efficiently install and maintain these critical components.

“On-time project execution, whether greenfield or brownfield, is important to the overall success of a project,” said Frank Whitsura, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Process Solutions. “These standard cabinets can play a key role in on-time start-ups by removing I/O from the critical path. Project managers essentially can order universal cabinets ‘by the pound’, rather than the traditional method of customised cabinets, helping to reduce the impact of changes on automation project schedules, especially late in a project cycle. This is critical for our customers.”

Another significant advantage of the cabinets is the reduction in the number of spares that are needed. Because each channel can be configured to serve as an analog or digital input or output, there is no need to maintain a stockpile of spares for each different module. Large projects could have more than 10,000 I/O points, so fewer spares can equal significant savings on inventory and storage costs. Maintenance is also easier with only one type of module.

Universal Channel Technology is available for Experion PKS and Safety Manager, covering all process control, safety and fire and gas needs with Universal Process I/O or Universal Safety I/O. Both remote I/O needs and rack room cabinets can benefit because changes in I/O type configuration can be easily accommodated from the control room.

Universal I/O is also a key component of LEAP, Honeywell’s lean project execution services, that was announced earlier this year. LEAP combines universal I/O, virtualisation and cloud engineering to give users greater scheduling flexibility while reducing risk and total automation costs by up to 30%. It can also help reduce avoidable schedule delays by up to 90%. LEAP can be beneficial for greenfield as well as brownfield projects and each of the LEAP technologies can be used individually or in combination to improve implementation costs and schedule.