Careers at Honeywell
EU RoHS Directive
Q: What is the relationship between Honeywell and Honeywell Process Solutions? A: Honeywell is a global leader in supplying advanced technology products, services and solutions through over 108,000 employees in over 90 countries. Honeywell Process Solutions is part of Honeywell’s Automation and Control Solutions (ACS) group, a global leader in providing product and service solutions that improve efficiency and profitability, support regulatory compliance, and maintain safe, comfortable environments in homes, buildings and industry. Honeywell Process Solutions and the complementary ACS business units comprise nearly $8B of Honeywell’s overall $26B business.
Q: The industrial process control business doesn't seem like a particularly apt fit within a corporation focused on aerospace and building controls. Where's the synergy? A: First and foremost, Honeywell is an engineering firm dedicated to solving the world’s toughest engineering challenges, and all of Honeywell’s businesses in its broad, but tightly interrelated portfolio, are engineering-based. In fact, Engineering News Record recently ranked Honeywell as the 20th largest design and engineering company in the world. Honeywell CEO Dave Cote calls the company’s Automation and Control Solutions unit one of Honeywell’s “sweet spots” for growth, and Honeywell Process Solutions is a critical part of that unit’s success.
Q: What industries does HPS serve? A: Honeywell Process Solutions serves a range of industries including oil and gas; refining; power generation; pulp, paper and printing; chemicals and petrochemicals; life sciences; and metals, mining and minerals.
Q: What are your project delivery capabilities? A: Honeywell Process Solutions has best-in-class project delivery capabilities with more than 3,000 skilled project engineers and consultants worldwide and a proven track record of successful projects worldwide. Not only does HPS have the industry’s leading safety record, 98 percent of our projects are completed on time and on or under budget.
Q: Do you have a lot of customers using your control system technology?A: More than 11,000 Honeywell automation systems have been installed since Honeywell first introduced Distributed Control System technology in 1974, representing a $15 billion installed base – the largest in the automation industry.
Q: How is the Experion™ Process Knowledge System (PKS) different from previous Honeywell control systems? A: Honeywell pioneered the development of the Distributed Control System (DCS) which primarily improved process related cost and productivity. Process efficiency, however, is only one dimension of total business effectiveness. The Experion Process Knowledge Solutions goes beyond the process efficiencies provided by a traditional DCS by integrating an advanced automation platform with innovative software applications that improves three additional dimensions of performance:
Improving all four dimensions of efficiency can double the benefits of a traditional DCS, including instrument- and control-system maintenance costs by up to 30 percent, and improving control system uptime to 99.999 percent, or Six-Sigma performance.
Q: What is Honeywell doing to protect and support its customer’s investments in older Honeywell systems? How difficult is it to upgrade to newer systems? A: Honeywell is the only automation vendor that supports products dating back 30 years – functionality of all previous Honeywell systems, as well as third party systems can be fully maximized. In fact, Honeywell’s ION technology allows currently Honeywell system users to migrate 20 years forward (to Experion functionality) in a mere 20 minutes.
Q: Network security is a big concern. What is Honeywell doing to help customers protect their systems? A: Secure connections between Process Control Networks (PCN) and external systems are a business necessity. Security configuration guides are available for all Honeywell process control systems, including Experion PKS. In addition, Honeywell provides a PCN Security Assessment Service that identifies and documents network security vulnerabilities and recommends actions to address these vulnerabilities. The services suite for PCN security includes design, implementation and management services.
Q: What is Honeywell’s position on the standardization of communication protocols? A: Honeywell is committed to the development of consistent standards that ensure the interoperability of key systems. Our participation in industry alliances and consortiums helps ensure products and solutions are built on these standards. Honeywell is a founding member of the Fieldbus Foundation and the HART Communication Foundation. In addition, we’ve created the unique PKS Advantage™ program, which enables us to deliver open, integrated process knowledge solutions using the field equipment, software and associated services customers deem most appropriate for their operations.
Q: I am interested in working at Honeywell. Where can I find information about available positions?A: The Honeywell Corporate site houses all of the career information available. Visit the Career section at www.honeywell.com/careers/
Q: What does the European RoHS Directive require?A: RoHS stands for "Restriction of the Use of certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment". The 2002/95/EC directive of the European Parliament and Council, dated January 27, 2003, restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in certain electrical and electronic equipment in most environments, installations and applications; the directive also describes certain other environments, installations and applications where the restrictions do not apply. Where applicable, the RoHS directive requires that electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market after July 1, 2006 not contain certain substances:
Detailed information on RoHS is available at EUR-Lex, the portal to European Union Law.
Q: What action has HPS taken in response to the RoHS Directive?A: Since 2003, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) has been working with the EU and member state governments to clarify the requirements while respecting the main objective to protect and preserve the environment. In parallel, assessments were made of the reliability risks introduced by the relatively unproven replacement materials, particularly Pb-free solder for circuit card assembly.
Subsequently, after due diligence, Honeywell concluded that HPS equipment is outside the scope of, or exempt from, the RoHS Directive. This conclusion is based on the definition of the RoHS scope described in the Directive, and further clarified in the European Commission FAQ and the UK National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) RoHS Decision Tree. These documents describe certain types of equipment and installations which are outside the RoHS scope and therefore do not need to follow the restrictions, such as::
All or virtually all of HPS equipment falls into one or more of the categories of exceptions above, and is therefore outside the scope of RoHS. Moreover, because HPS identified significant reliability risks with using alternate materials in our industry, HPS is taking an approach of cautiously adopting Pb-free components while maintaining the proven reliability of tin-lead solder assembly. All other restricted materials are being phased out.
HPS will continue to monitor the requirements to ensure continued conformance.
Q: Do HPS offerings comply with the RoHS Directive?A: HPS offerings comply with the Directive, because, as noted above, they are outside the scope of the Directive. As noted above, HPS is generally continuing to use the proven SnPb assembly technology.