Mintek, one of the world`s leading technology providers of specialised mineral processing and extractive metallurgy, has partnered with Compuware SA to ensure the successful roll-out of its industry-leading solution for metallurgical process stabilisation and optimisation.
With the help of Compuware`s development and testing tool, NuMega DevPartner Studio, the Randburg-based Mintek has already deployed its PlantStar 2000 software for use locally and in countries such as Brazil, Poland and Zimbabwe.
"Our PlantStar 2000 tools feature a layered approach to process control and optimisation," explains Stefan Smit, senior engineer: software development at Mintek.
"It is an open, Web-based, plant-wide system that uses the latest technology in software and advanced process control, integrating Mintek`s existing control and optimisation products into single systems, enabling new strategies to be easily and quickly implemented."
As with most successful deployments, there are gruelling hours of development and testing - and Mintek was no exception. Before PlantStar 2000 could go live, the Mintek team had to ensure that the tools were performing optimally.
"PlantStar 2000 was developed entirely by our team at Mintek, which was an enormous task and challenge," he says.
"During the testing phase, however, we started to encounter problems such as memory errors and bugs. We then realised we needed assistance from a sophisticated development testing IT vendor, and decided to implement Compuware`s NuMega DevPartner Studio."
Comments Tracey Rouessart, account manager at Compuware SA: "DevPartner Studio speeds up the development of applications and components by automatically detecting, diagnosing and highlighting errors and performance problems. This enabled Mintek to save valuable time ensuring a quality roll-out of PlantStar 2000."
"DevPartner`s BoundsChecker tool immediately identified our server`s memory leak, therefore eliminating the memory problems we were experiencing. And with the help of FailSafe we could pinpoint errors more accurately," says Smit.
As it was the first version ever of PlantStar, Mintek also decided to utilise Compuware`s TrackRecord tool. TrackRecord provides an automated tracking system that keeps vital information flowing between testing and development teams. It effectively tracks defects uncovered during testing, resolving problems more swiftly.
"If we had to develop a similar system to TrackRecord, it would have taken up a lot of time. The tool was a big help as it enabled us to get rid of the last errors still plaguing our software and saved us a lot of time," says Smit.
Mintek is currently developing the next version of PlantStar with the full lifecycle of DevPartner Studio including TrackRecord.
"The latest version of PlantStar will be based on the feedback from our respective clients. With the help of TrackRecord, for example, we can now record these added features, enabling us develop the latest software to our clients` specific requirements," concludes Smit.
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Compuware Corporation, a multibillion-dollar company, provides business value through software that optimises productivity and reduces costs across the application lifecycle. Meeting the rapidly changing needs of businesses of all sizes, Compuware`s market-leading solutions improve the quality, ease the integration and enhance the performance of distributed, e-business and enterprise software. Compuware employs more than 12 000 information technology professionals worldwide. For more information about Compuware, please contact the South African subsidiary on +27 (0)11 516-2900 or visit Compuware SA on the World Wide Web at http://www.compuware.co.za.
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