This book addresses the topic of integrated digitization of plants on an objective basis and in a holistic manner by sharing data, applying analytics tools and integrating workflows via pertinent examples from industry. It begins with an evaluation of current performance management practices and an overview of the need for a "Connected Plant" via digitalization followed by sections on "Connected Assets: Improve Reliability and Utilization," "Connected Processes: Optimize Performance and Economic Margin " and "Connected People: Digitalizing the Workforce and Workflows and Developing Ownership and Digital Culture," then culminating in a final section entitled "Putting All Together Into an Intelligent Digital Twin Platform for Smart Operations and Demonstrated by Application cases."

Frank (Xin X.) Zhu, PhD, is Senior Engineering Fellow and Leader of Engineering Innovations at Honeywell UOP. He has made significant contributions to the theoretical framework, the computational tools, and applications in the fields of data analytics, production planning, operation scheduling, process modeling, design and optimization. He has published seminal journal articles and widely used books especially in the areas of process operations, process design and energy systems. He holds 68 US patents, is the co-founder and chair of ECI International Conference: CO₂ Summit, and the recipient of prestigious AICHE Energy Sustainability Award.