FOCUS-ON (Flow Optimized Control Using Sensors) originated as a joint venture leveraging the expertise of both KROHNE, a company with expertise in measuring equipment, and SAMSON, a control valve manufacturer. The result is smart valve devices for chemical and petrochemical, food and beverage, water and wastewater, general process, and other industries.

The main product of the Dordrecht, Netherlands company is FOCUS-1, which is comprised of a globe control valve, two pressure and two temperature sensors, a flowmeter, and an on-board computer all in a single device. FOCUS-1 is the first fully integrated, multi-parameter flow control and measurement device in the process industry. Innovative integration of ultrasonic transducers within the control valve body accurately measures liquid volumetric flow.

The R&D team is continually working on perfecting FOCUS-1’s features and functionalities. Devices are tested extensively before they prove their value at customer sites. The 4-in-1 solution is changing the flow control landscape by leveraging the industrial internet of things (IIOT) by analyzing process and device data, thereby providing end-users with deeper insight into their processes.

Using 3DEXPERIENCE® SOLIDWORKS®, FOCUS-ON is able to create a modular 3D model of their smart and connected valves. This allows the team to further expand the solution capabilities. 
“One of the challenges is that we are at the brink of Industry 4.0. We start with a 3D model, and we work from that model,” says Managing Director André Boer. “That ties nicely into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.”

“Looking at the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, I see two clear advantages,” says Boer. “One is the visual aspect; the other is that we can build things modularly. And, one more: access to the latest information at all times.”

The company plans to expand by using production facilities around the globe to locally build the new product. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS will help enable this expansion on many fronts. “We generate data and share it with our customers,” says Boer. “We are embarking on the path towards the smart industry.”
 

FOCUS-ON is revolutionizing the process industry by innovating flow optimized control using sensors, which is a disruptive approach to the integration of flow control valves and sensors for measurement of flow, temperature, and pressure. These innovations provide an opportunity to create powerful insights on process and device performance.

With fast-paced development and innovation, access to the latest information, and collaborative applications that enable to team to work from anywhere in the world with multiple manufacturing locations, FOCUS-ON connects all stakeholders in the same environment. As the company further expands its operations across the globe, it counts on the flexibility of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to help make it happen.