ABB has introduced its Automation Extended programme, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems (DCS), designed to help industries modernise without disruption. Building on ABB’s long-standing leadership with the world’s largest DCS installed base and vision in process automation, Automation Extended outlines how future automation capabilities can be introduced progressively, preserving system integrity while enabling the flexibility, scalability and efficiency needed for the next era of industrial operations.
Industrial operations today face volatile markets, cyber security challenges, regulatory pressures and a rapidly changing workforce. ABB’s Automation Extended addresses these realities by enabling innovation with agility and pace without disruption to production, supporting advanced analytics and IoT integration, and simplifying operations for diverse skill levels.
Operators can continue to rely on trusted ABB systems such as ABB Ability System 800xA, ABB Ability Symphony Plus, and ABB Freelance, while introducing new technologies progressively and without operational interruption. This approach provides a structured, low risk path to modernisation, preserving continuity while enabling innovation.
“In industries we serve, many operating large and complex infrastructures that deliver essential resources, our customers rely on modernisation without disruption,” said Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB’s automation business area. “Automation Extended delivers exactly that, bringing future-ready capabilities into the systems they know and trust, with security and interoperability at the core.”
The Automation Extended program is implemented through a modern, open and modular environment designed for interoperability, scalability and seamless integration across industrial domains. Based on separation of concerns principles, the automation ecosystem includes two distinct, yet securely interconnected, environments:
• The control environment, a software defined domain that ensures robust, reliable and deterministic control for critical processes.
• The digital environment, securely connected to the control layer, enabling advanced applications, edge intelligence and real time analytics. This space leverages AI and machine learning for decision support without disturbing proven control structures.
A single, unified and comprehensive automation service approach for ecosystem lifecycle management and optimisation is applied for the management and maintenance of these diverse technological environments. The ecosystem enables a broad spectrum of enhancements by integrating new technologies such as an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) backbone and a cloud-native architecture for managing both environments. By leveraging containerisation, orchestration and modular services it enables a broad spectrum of enhancements. These range from proactively detecting and correcting process anomalies to optimising maintenance strategies through continuous condition monitoring of critical assets, and elevating engineering with efficient modular approaches ready for deployment across diverse hardware platforms. This architecture delivers scalability and agility while ensuring robust performance.
For more information contact Anna Bayard, ABB South Africa,
| Tel: | +27 10 202 5000 |
| Email: | contact.center@za.abb.com |
| www: | www.abb.com/za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about ABB South Africa |
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