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Intergraph(R) Introduces SmartPlant(R) 3D Materials Handling Edition to Automate Design of Bulk Facilities

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 June 2009, 08:00 CDT

SKM and UGL partner with Intergraph for new solution for the rapid design and modeling of bulk materials handling systems

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Intergraph(R) has introduced the newest solution of its SmartPlant(R) Enterprise engineering software suite, SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition, to automate the design and modeling of bulk materials handling systems for the mining, port, power, pulp and paper industries.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081211/DECLOGO )

The ARC Advisory Group in its PET Worldwide Outlook Market Analysis and Forecast through 2013 ranked Intergraph the No. 1 overall worldwide leader in engineering design 3D software and process engineering tools (PET) and for key industries, including metals and mining.

A next-generation, data-centric, rule-driven solution, SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition automates the design of conveyor systems and transfer chutes to enable bulk materials industries to rapidly and easily create or expand facilities.

The difficulty in quickly designing and modeling bulk materials handling systems in mining and other conveyor-intensive industries is a significant bottleneck to timely project completion and can greatly affect an owner's ability to serve a market in time. These systems require considerable modifications due to the design complexity required to satisfy an owner's requirements.

SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition automates much of the design process, allowing changes to be completed faster with detailed fabrication-level deliverables, reducing the need for third-party software. Faster completion of projects directly relates to a reduction of man-hours required to achieve system options and to lower project costs and increase overall revenue. Also enhancing the ability to reduce capital expenditure (CAPEX) cost is the opportunity to design and model sections of the system once, save them to a catalog and reuse the design in future projects.

Two companies, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) and United Group Ltd. (UGL) Resources, provided industry input to Intergraph in the development of SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition and are committed to using it on projects. SKM is a global engineering, project delivery and sciences firm, and UGL Resources is a construction, engineering, asset management and maintenance provider offering integrated solutions to the mining and mineral processing, oil and gas, chemical and heavy manufacturing sectors.

Both companies evaluated a number of potential software providers to create a design, fabrication and construction solution for materials handling systems and chose to partner with Intergraph. SmartPlant 3D was the only solution on the market with the necessary capabilities in rule-based design, global workshare, design reuse, steel detailing and automation required to achieve the step-change in productivity they desired.

David Medcroft, CADD business consultant at SKM, said, "The collaborative design effort between our companies has resulted in a very beneficial product that will make designing bulk materials handling systems much easier and more efficient. Because there is currently nothing similar to it on the market, the SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition should attract a lot of attention. In fact, we have already purchased the solution and will use it on upcoming projects."

"The solution created by Intergraph is truly cutting-edge for the bulk materials handling industry," said Jeff Lawrence, Proposals and Systems Development manager at UGL Resources. "We expect this technology to revolutionize the work processes and methods used to design, fabricate, construct and commission materials handling systems. This is the new industry standard approach for bulk materials handling systems."

Sid Snitkin, Ph.D., vice president and general manager, Enterprise Advisory Services with the ARC Advisory Group, said, "I don't see anyone addressing the mining industry like Intergraph - a product like this shows great promise for the future. Intergraph has capitalized on its process engineering tools strengths to create this application. And they have done it in a way that fits this industry very well."

Gerhard Sallinger, Intergraph Process, Power & Marine president, said, "Our SmartPlant 3D platform and industry leadership with process plant design applications makes us a logical choice for providing this solution for bulk materials handling. We appreciate the expertise provided by SKM and UGL Resources in developing this encompassing and integrated solution. We look forward to bringing increased productivity to this industry segment just as we have to the other markets who are already experiencing productivity gains through SmartPlant 3D."

As part of Intergraph's SmartPlant Enterprise suite of products, SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition provides the capabilities needed to design a bulk handling system and keep it as-built throughout its life cycle. It offers piping, HVAC, electrical raceway, structural, platework and mechanical equipment modeling tasks, as well as a specification and catalog manager and a project administration environment.

Users' productivity will be enhanced through improved automation in the initial design and automation to create the 3D model. Key features of the new solution include:

• Automation of object placement from a 3D catalog allowing for more rapid design completion
• Generation of fabrication-level drawings in a single environment for an entire system
• Data reuse for future projects.
• For more information about SmartPlant 3D Materials Handling Edition, visit www.intergraph.com/promo/mining.

About Sinclair Knight Merz

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) is a leading engineering, sciences and project delivery firm. Its purpose is to deliver a positive and enduring impact on the world. In support of this goal, we have offices across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia. We work in close partnership with key clients in the public and private sectors, providing independent technical, strategic and commercial advice to deliver a wide range of projects in the communities in which we live. www.skmconsulting.com

About United Group Resources

United Group Resources is a leading Australian construction, engineering, asset management and maintenance provider offering long term integrated solutions to the mining & mineral processing, oil & gas, chemical and heavy manufacturing sectors. United Group Resources provides safe work practices, expert people, appropriate technology and systems in partnership with our customers to deliver benefits over the long-term. www.unitedgroupltd.com

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph's industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph's software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities, and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

(C) 2009 Intergraph Corp. All rights reserved. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Intergraph

Source: PR Newswire

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