by Gary Mintchell | Jun 11, 2015 | Automation, Networking, Operations Management, Software
GE set up a conference call for a conversation with Matt Wells, general manager of automation software at GE Intelligent Platforms.
The impetus for the call was to flesh out the press release about the development of the Global Discovery Server (GDS) for OPC UA and the first implementation of it into GE’s Cimplicity HMI/SCADA software.
Wells said that GE is really embracing OPC UA as a core technology. Controllers have it embedded within, and in fact, GE actually evaluated it for inter-controller communication. That latter did not work out, but OPC UA remains core to GE’s connectivity program.
But, Wells continued, OPC UA is not always the easiest to implement. So GE worked with the OPC Foundation to define global discovery server to simplify management of systems.
The first advance concerns namespace. If GDS resides on the network, it will first register clients and servers then GDS provide list of namespace. And not only this, it can say who can talk to whom and it can also restrict who talks.
Secondly, GDS acts as certificate store. It is not a traffic manager, bu it checks for a certificate for all OPC devices and it then handles handshaking among them.
GDS is available as independent software that can be installed in an application. GE did Cimplicity first, partly to show it can be done and how useful it is.
GDS Agent, not part of spec, can act as proxy for existing UA that is not GDS enabled.
Using GDS in an OPC network enhancing usability and ease of implementation. This should increase the adoption of OPC UA.
When my contact set up this conversation, she also mentioned we could discuss something called, “automated operator decision support”. This intrigued me. Turns out this is an alternative phrase for automated or digitized workflow.
I’ve only talked with a few companies that have incorporated workflow. I talked with GE several years ago for the first time. This should be an important advance for manufacturing productivity.
Here are some notes about the workflow conversation.
Overall in HMI/SCADA
1-prevent mistakes so minimize abnormal situations
2-can’t always encode everything, so give advance notification, predictive analytics
3-cant predict everything, so enable operators to quickly ID issue and solve, give corrective action procedures
4-“phone a friend”, utilize mobile techs to call SMEs; We found highest adoption enabling support staff, contact experts, decrease downtime
Digitize SOP policy, workflow; work to encode workflows, as it executes SOP solicit feedback from operator, can coordinate acts of operators and people around them. Make every operator the best operator—baked in—originally sold as risk management mitigation tool. It is popular in pharma and water, especially areas where compliance is crucial.
First step, look at compliances and improving process – process
Take written manual–>encode–>provide checklist–>maybe write directly into system for records–>then after compliance, start looking at optimizing.
It is designed to layer over existing infrastructure (HMI/SCADA, WMS, etc.).
Have seen performance improvements of up to 30%.
by Gary Mintchell | Jun 1, 2015 | Automation, Internet of Things, Manufacturing IT, Networking, News, Operations Management, Technology
How many careers have you had?
Some may have chemical engineering or computer science degrees and are still doing process control or computer networking. But many of us have wound up with a circuitous path to where we are now. In a different industry. Or doing sales or management rather than pure engineering.
The key for career flexibility and advancement is continuous learning.
For a very long time, I’ve been concerned with the prevailing “wisdom” that education exists solely for vocational enhancement.
Here is a voice from the Silicon Valley venture capital community issuing a warning much as I would. In Hard-Core Career Advice for a 13-year-old, James Altucher notes, “[My experience] shows that school is too focused on ‘education leads to a job.’ This is not true anymore. “
He continues, “The reality is the average person has 14 different careers in their lives and the average multi-millionaire has seven different sources of income. So anything that is ‘one-job focused’ will create a generation of kids that will learn the hard way that life doesn’t work like that.”
I have always believed that education is necessary for personal growth.
There are more of my thoughts on this topic in my (mostly) weekly newsletter that went out today.
I am typing this article outside the press room on the pool deck of the Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Press room? Yes, I’m at Rockwell Automation TechED. I find myself needing to cut back on the amount of travel. In a couple of weeks, I’ll have to report on both Honeywell and Siemens from the reports of my friends. Yes, they are the same week in different parts of the country. I just couldn’t make them. But this week in San Diego worked.
Plus, this is my 9th one of these, I think. Formerly RSTechED (they like the capital d–that makes it a logo rather than text), it is now dubbed Rockwell Automation TechED. The reason is there is an expansion of training opportunities beyond the initial HMI/SCADA and programming software. It now includes information systems, new commercial technologies, and discussion of new hardware products.
Attending these events is one way professionals participate in continuous learning.
Connected Enterprise
Rockwell has maintained a consistent theme for many years–the Connected Enterprise. It is still building upon that vision. Cisco, Panduit and Microsoft remain as top-tier partners. EtherNet/IP, the Industrial IP Consortium, and mobility remain as foundations.
There will be more to contemplate this week as I have four defined interviews and many other opportunities. The connected enterprise really is a vision beyond just the Industrial Internet of Things. And Manufacturing 4.0 remains a German initiative mostly targeting Germany’s strength in machine building. I’ve been removed from the US “Smart Manufacturing” circle, but I don’t see it really have a huge impact in the market.
But smart, connected devices, machines, lines, plants, and enterprises still point to the future of manufacturing.
by Gary Mintchell | Apr 28, 2015 | Automation, News, Process Control
First afternoon and evening done at the Schneider Electric Global Automation Conference.
When the Schneider Electric acquisition of Invensys was announce about 18 months ago, I predicted that the companies of Invensys would thrive under stable organization and financing—something that Invensys never had.
Well, it was either that, or Schneider would tear things apart and sell off pieces. And there havebeen rumors of just that scenario. The result seems to be the former. I’m sure the planning analysts that Schneider surely has looked at all the scenarios. But everything seems intact.
Schneider has actually bumped Foxboro/Triconex research and development spending by 25% over an already increased amount under the last gasp of Invensys.
And here is one result. The first announcement of the conference. A thoroughly updated Tricon safety system. Of note is the item that this is the first TUV certified safety and security system.
Updated Compact Industrial Safety System
Tricon CX, released today, is a compact system for safety and critical control applications in the oil and gas, power, refining, chemicals, pharmaceutical and biotech industries, where safe operations are critical and reliable operation is paramount. A certified ISA Secure system, the high-integrity and highly available Tricon CX ensures operational integrity, protecting against inherent risk and hazards, as well as external threats such as cyber-attack.
“Safety and security have always been a top concern for our industrial clients, but now new threats, such as cyber-attack, have challenged the traditional approaches they have taken to protect and secure their people, property, communities and the environment,” said Mike Chmilewski, vice president, process systems offer management, Schneider Electric process automation business.
“Therefore, our clients demand the highest levels of safety and security to keep them safe and ensure the systems they rely on are immune to external threats. Our high-performance, future-proof Tricon CX safety system does just that. With more performance and capability, it can help clients maximize productivity, reliability and security while minimizing risks and the likelihood of business interruption. It’s another example of why Schneider Electric is uniquely positioned to power the big ideas our clients need to solve their most critical issues.”
The latest addition to Schneider Electric’s Triconex line of safety-instrumented systems, the Tricon CX is smaller, faster, lighter and more powerful than previous safety solutions. Its advanced functionality enables online upgrades without operational interruption. Additionally, the compact design allows for a number of new features including:
• Reduced form factor by 50 percent
• 67 percent reduction in weight
• Lower power consumption
• Advanced monitoring and control capabilities, including:
• Supervised DI/DO with advanced line-performance diagnostics
• Fast analogue inputs with integrated HART
• 1ms SOE digital input
• Choice of direct termination or external termination panel
• 300 percent increase in controller tag capacity
• 5 times increase in peer-to-peer performance
• ISA Secure EDSA level 1
• New automated test and verification of safety logic
“The Tricon CX safety system will enhance Schneider Electric’s current safety portfolio, and ARC believes its increased capabilities will enable new and existing customers to expand existing systems, replace obsolete systems or implement new systems,” said Larry O’Brien, vice president, process automation, ARC Advisory Group. “Its ability to handle upgrades without interrupting the operation should give users confidence in their ability to continue to draw additional value from their investments down the road.”
In addition to leading technology and solution sets, Schneider Electric’s process safety offer includes more than 650 safety engineers who provide a suite of services that help clients better manage their operations. These services include:
• Safety Instrumented Functions Management services
• Process safety consulting services
• Functional safety learning services
Process safety consultants also provide technology paths to help future-proof Triconex technology investments and ensure systems adhere to the latest safety standards.
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 1, 2014 | Automation, News, Safety
I’ve worked with the safety system team at Rockwell Automation for many years. We’ve done a couple of podcast interviews that were among my most downloaded. This one on Safety Maturity Index and this one on Safety Automation Builder. Below are details of a new machine safety program.
To help manufacturers identify best-in-class safety system integrators – with current safety standards expertise, a proven track record in building safety systems, and knowledge of productivity-enhancing safety technologies – Rockwell Automation has created the Machinery Safety System Integrator program.
“A recent Aberdeen report found best-in-class organizations are 81 percent more likely than low performing organizations to leverage outside services to design and install compliant machinery safety solutions,” said Mark Eitzman, manager of safety market development, Rockwell Automation. “The challenge comes in finding and vetting the most capable provider for the job. Rockwell Automation created the Machinery Safety System Integrator program to ease that process and connect manufacturers to machinery safety system integrators they can trust.”
Program candidates must meet stringent requirements and complete a rigorous, months-long assessment and education process. Only existing Rockwell Automation Solution Partners or Recognized System Integrators can qualify for the program. Candidates must have three to five years of demonstrated machinery safety experience. Rockwell Automation recognizes third-party certification from industry-accepted organizations, such as TÜV or exida.
Upon meeting these initial requirements, Rockwell Automation machinery safety experts conduct a candidate assessment to determine if additional training or experience is required. The candidate’s safety engineers must then complete training modules on topics, such as global safety standards, safety risk assessment practices, and different types of safeguarding applications. Lastly, the candidate must submit a machinery safety project to ensure it demonstrates methods consistent with global standards.
The collaborative nature between Rockwell Automation and its Machinery Safety System Integrators allows for seamless assessment, design, mitigation and validation of machinery safety systems. And as members of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork program, these companies also commit to an active and extensive relationship with Rockwell Automation to provide the most productive and cost-effective automation solutions to their customers.
Twenty companies have joined the Machinery Safety System Integrator program in the following countries:
- Belgium: DC Engineering (Langemark-Poelkapelle), Egemin Automation (Zwijndrecht)
- Columbia: TREETEK SAS (Cali)
- Denmark: 3Tech Automation (Fredericia)
- England: AND Automation (Ilkeston), Bilfinger Industrial Automation Services (Chesterfield, Derbyshire), Newfield Automation (Congleton), Westbury Control Systems (Leicester)
- Germany: Gundlack Automation GmbH (Verden)
- Mexico: Advanced Machine Control SAPI de CV (AMCO) (Cuautitlán, Izcalli), IDTec Automatización (Guadalupe, Nuevo León), Target Robotics (San Luis Potosi)
- Netherlands: Egemin Automation (Gorinchem)
- Scotland: H&G Systems (Broxburn)
- Spain: Sistrol (Madrid)
- United States: Automation Solutions of America (Beloit, Wisconsin), Barry-Wehmiller Design Group (St. Louis, Missouri), E-Technologies Group (West Chester, Ohio), Polytron (Duluth, Georgia), TBD Solutions (Ogden, Utah)
by Gary Mintchell | Dec 1, 2014 | Automation, News, Operations Management, Software
Rockwell Automation product managers took me through a number of new software initiatives at Automation Fair November 19. Here is a description of the enhancements to its Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software.
“Modern manufacturing requires modern MES. Manufacturers today have operations spanning time zones and continents; employees that need to collaborate as they travel between plants or work remotely; and complex and varied enterprise-, plant- and cloud-based information systems that must interface continuously.” To address all these needs, Rockwell Automation updated its FactoryTalk ProductionCentre manufacturing execution system (MES) software to improve application performance and scalability, speed deployment, and support mobile and cloud infrastructures.
“Manufacturers continue to investigate how to better leverage new technologies, like the cloud, to cut costs,” said Kevin Chao, senior director for Rockwell Software product marketing and engineering, Rockwell Automation. “With our latest iteration of the FactoryTalk ProductionCentre system, we’ve aligned to Java EE 7 and HTML5 standards. The application is now even easier to use and lets customers explore mobile and cloud-based solutions at reduced risk and infrastructure costs. Additional upgrades to the notification service and work flow structure improve process enforcement and reduce re-work.”
Technology Update: The latest iteration of the MES software has been refreshed to the latest Java Enterprise Edition 7 (EE7) standards. FactoryTalk ProductionCentre R10 software improves application performance and flexibility on the Web, and speeds time to value by reducing development and deployment effort, all while maintaining adherence to open standards.
Mobile and Cloud Support: New HTML5 zero-footprint, true, thin-client user interfaces (UIs) eliminate the need for virtual terminals, like Citrix, or terminal servers. Users can run the application in a Web browser, easily integrate it into an HMI terminal, and implement it across multiple networks without the need for local installation. This reduces IT capital costs and maintenance burdens. Additionally, the thin client UIs can be easily extended to mobile devices. Mobile applications leverage the existing FactoryTalk Security mechanisms built into FactoryTalk software freeing IT from supporting multiple configuration platforms.
I/O server: The new I/O server supports clustering and load balancing. Several FactoryTalk ProductionCentre I/O servers can be assigned a single IP address, so more servers can be added as the data load grows without impacting the application. Should an I/O server fail, a built-in failover capability will automatically switch data collection to another server in the cluster, helping to ensure high availability. The I/O server also provides store and forward services for controlled, real-time data exchange with remote or cloud-based databases.
Notification and Work Flow Flexibility: The FactoryTalk ProductionCentre R10 notification service now drives alerts based on work flow. Notifications are triggered by system-based events, such as an order start or out-of-spec quality event, letting operations know it is time to perform critical tasks, before, during or after production. Notifications can be tied to a specific work area, machine, equipment type or plant, and are sent to key stakeholders on a workstation or HMI via email or text, among other options.
