Vendors, end-users can bridge the divide

The sometimes difficult state of relationships between equipment suppliers and their customers in the process industries is reflected across much of the editorial coverage in this issue of Process Engineering.

On the business front, Alistair Mackenzie of Achilles Information notes how buyers and sellers in the oil & gas sector take turns to beat each other up on pricing, depending on which phase of the market cycle they are in. His article ’Swings and roundabouts’, on page 12, includes
a warning about the use of “potentially damaging and draconian practices based on short-termism.”

Companies, argues Mackenzie, should instead look to “work in true partnership for the delivery of value for all concerned.”

The challenge of complexity cannot be overcome by throwing more technology at it

Improving the state of partnerships with suppliers is now also critical for many process operators. Their efforts to benefit from the latest control & automation technologies are being stymied by a shortage of employees with the skills to successfully implement, operate and maintain the latest systems.

In our News Analysis section (pp8-10), experts from companies including Impact Solutions and RS Components report that some vendors tend to over-complicate software and systems - and lack the effective training to fully support implementation of these technologies. End-users, however, are also urged to do more to develop their own inhouse expertise, while making more use of established industry specialists.

Meanwhile, Michael Freytag of Bayer MaterialScience, cautions that control & automation companies must remember that less is sometimes more: not everything is necessary, just because it is available. “The challenge of complexity,” he warns, “cannot be overcome by throwing more technology and systems at it.”