Plantwide optimisation (PWO), one of a host of different goals in industry, is becoming increasingly important for many organisations. Through initiatives such as energy saving, operational excellence, cost reduction and regulatory compliance, companies are beginning to see the convergence of these becoming a reality. Backed by its experience of working with manufacturers around the world, Rockwell Automation is seeing organisations achieving this goal.
Plantwide optimisation has many facets and means different things to different parts of an organisation. Put simply, its primary objective is to get all parts of a manufacturing environment working to maximise asset utilisation, productivity and uptime and seamlessly integrate this with all other aspects of the organisation. It is not just a one-step process either; it requires constant management and monitoring to help move towards continuous improvement across the enterprise, throughout the plant lifecycle.
Plantwide optimisation covers more than just managing technological assets. At the enterprise level, many other internal and external elements have to be factored in. If they are not, the plant cannot claim to be truly optimised.
Track and trace and serialisation are all gaining significant footholds in industries outside their more traditional pharmaceutical markets, as customers demand more transparency and industry bodies enforce tighter regulation. Many suppliers also face demands from the companies they supply with regards to the use of standards, such as S88, and commonality of communication protocols for the machines they supply.
Another hot topic is sustainability, as organisations worldwide strive to not only reduce their energy consumption, but also to manage the energy they use effectively in order to minimise their environmental footprint. Energy costs can be addressed in simple applications by using variable-speed drive technology or intelligent motor control systems. In more complex applications, it can be evolved through advanced power management programmes that predict, assess and audit usage, and then create plans and procedures to help optimise energy use.
These enterprise level issues can only be successfully addressed if the right information is available to the right people at the right time. Thanks to data visibility, scalability and interoperability – across a common Ethernet network – Rockwell Automation can help companies achieve a richer, information enabled enterprise. By connecting and combining discrete automation devices and system data with that from process control systems and ERP systems, seamless information flow becomes achievable. Once this data is available, it can be used in the most effective manner.
Marc Baret, director of marketing, Rockwell Automation – Europe, Middle-East and Africa, explains: “Arguably the most important element of any plant wide optimisation programme is the ‘backbone’ that acts not only as the conduit for the data, but also for all the automation and safety functions of the machines and processes. With multiple networks, protocols and suppliers, bottlenecks are inevitable as data is transposed from one format to another, adding unwanted complexity and delays to any process. Through the use of a single network, in this case a standard, unmodified Ethernet Industrial Protocol network (Ethernet/IP), Rockwell Automation is revolutionising the seamless transfer of data from point to point; from the simplest component-level I/O block, all the way up to the overarching company MES system.”
With Ethernet/IP providing the link between discrete control, process, safety, automation and motion, investment in training, software licenses, machine design, programming, parts management and data handling can be significantly reduced. Why reinvent the wheel? With the single network approach utilising Rockwell Automation’s proven automation platform, Integrated Architecture, the sharing of data, from high-level programmes all the way down to simple on/off signals, is made simple. Another important area to consider is safety. Baret explains: “Safety should be considered as an intrinsic, value-adding part of an installation, both in terms of cost and performance, and not as a costly addition, as is often the case.” Rockwell Automation’s leadership position in industrial safety allows automation control and safety to co-exist on a single platform, further reducing integration costs, unwarranted production stops and installation overheads. This way, not only is the need for safety compliance achieved, but the productivity of the plant is maximised.
“With our portfolio of Ethernet/IP-enabled devices growing almost daily and our burgeoning relationships with strategic alliance partners such as Cisco System, this open standard is spreading into just about every element of the enterprise,” Baret elaborates. “Our value as a supplier is not just restricted to the technology and services we can deliver. It is now also measured on how we can help manufacturers optimise their operations, helping them get the best possible performance from their investment.”
Baret concludes. “The world of industrial manufacturing is changing. As plants, their technology and industry legislation evolve, so does the need for plantwide optimisation. Rockwell Automation can help get companies onto the right path to take full advantage of today’s modern automation technology to maximise their competitiveness on the global stage.”
For more information contact Jeff Sandison, Rockwell Automation, +27 (0)11 654 9700, jksandison@ra.rockwell.com, www.rockwellautomation.co.za
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