Flow Control Reports Bullhorn^® Success for Vendor Managed Inventory Systems

AUSTIN, TX – May 15, 2002: The April 2002 issue of "Flow Control" features an article on Premier Chemicals' success with their deployment of American Innovations' Bullhorn Remote Monitoring System.

Premier Chemicals leads the industry in production and sales of magnesia specialty products like Thioguard. Added directly to sewers, Thioguard stops odors by preventing the formation of hydrogen sulfide gas. A typical Thioguard feed unit consists of a 2,500-gallon storage tank feeding from just a few gallons per day to several hundred gallons per day. Feed units like those in Mission are often placed in remote locations that may not be visited by City personnel but once a week. Premier did not know how these units were operating at any given time. If their chemical feed pumps failed or maintenance personnel turned off the power, they were not notified until a delivery driver visited the site.

To get the information they needed, Premier coupled the Bullhorn device with a Milltronics device and a Devar digital controller. The Milltronics unit senses the level of the Thioguard in the storage tank; the Devar unit controls the signal from the Milltronics to Bullhorn and has a local digital display showing the gallons in the tank at any given time. From now on, Bullhorn will be a standard component on all tanks of Thioguard. The Bullhorn device will ensure that their customers are properly supplied with Thioguard at all times, eliminating the need for a visit to check supply levels.

Bullhorn checks inputs from equipment remotely and provides automatic notification of alarm events by fax, page and/or e-mail. The Bullhorn system uses the MicroBurst™ wireless network from Aeris.net to transfer information from remote equipment to a central database. Because it uses the control channels of the existing cellular telephone networks, MicroBurst™ data transfer is low-cost, robust and available nationwide. In seconds, data packets are transferred from the Bullhorn unit over the cellular network to the Aeris.net operating center and on to AI's secure web site. Once received at the Bullhorn site, packets are decoded and the data is posted for customers to view or to download.

About American Innovations
Based in Austin, Texas, American Innovations (AI) is a fast growing provider of products and services for web-based remote monitoring, including automatic meter reading, alarm point monitoring and remote equipment control. AI’s skills include the design and development of scalable network operating systems, secure web servers and reliable microelectronic communications devices for use in rugged environments. In addition, by combining the best low-cost and reliable technologies from Bass-Trigon, the leader in corrosion data and integrity management, and the Bullhorn® wireless remote monitoring system, AI provides a total pipeline corrosion monitoring solution. Both the Bass-Trigon and Bullhorn product lines help pipeline companies comply with current regulations and make their equipment safer overall. Visit AI at http://www.amerinnovations.com or call 1-800-229-3404 for more information.

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