By bringing Internet technologies onto the factory floor, Schneider Electric believes that it has set off a mini-revolution in the PLC industry - and won manufacturers over to a new generation of high-performance user-friendly solutions.
The idea of bringing the Internet to the factory floor first started making the rounds in industrial automation in the mid-1990s. "In the automation business, our leadership team figured that since the Internet was probably going to play an important role in everyday life, there was no reason it could not do the same thing in production facilities," says Alain Marbach, head of Schneider Electric's Automation business. Automation experts were somewhat sceptical, however. "In the 1980s, automation engineers did not think much of Ethernet or of anything that had to do with electronic office systems in general," explains Marbach. "With their manufacturing mindset, they put top priority on reliability and ruggedness."
A new generation of products
Now, however, new communication standards have changed the rules and led to the creation of a new generation of PLCs. At last, data transfer is guaranteed with TCP/IP, and response time - so critical in manufacturing - is ensured through switched network technologies. Schneider Electric brought its first web automation product to the market in 1998, ushering in a new era of communication. The architecture of a traditional PLC is organised in layers of at least three levels. For the PLC to communicate, engineers have to create gateways while taking into account the different standards used by the company over the years. With Internet-based technologies, field data from devices located throughout the plant can be consulted directly thanks to web servers embedded in the PLCs.
Two waves of users
Contrary to expectations, large users with complex architectures were not the first to show an interest in the new PLCs. The initial customers were extended infrastructure systems that already used Ethernet, like the Lyon subway and the Mery-sur-Oise water treatment plant in France. At the end of 1999, the infrastructure market accounted for 70% of demand for Schneider Electric's Transparent Factory solution. These customers immediately recognised a major benefit of web automation, ie that it offered easy remote maintenance of several sites at one time. The second wave of demand came from original equipment manufacturers. "OEMs are very important customers for Schneider Electric," emphasises Eric Pilaud, head of the e-business unit at Schneider Electric. "Our strategy is designed to make them more competitive by helping them serve their final customers more effectively." Thanks to web-enabled automation devices, OEMs will be able to access data from their machines anywhere in the world and offer customers personalised applications. For example, to eliminate printing costs and facilitate remote maintenance, product manual information can be loaded into a server. "By linking industry to the power of Microsoft and Internet software, Transparent Factory has in a way unleashed our customers' creativity," says Marbach.
Advantages of web automation
Manufacturers are now convinced by the almost limitless possibilities offered by embedded web servers. With web automation, machines can be maintained remotely and 'intelligently', preventing breakdowns before they occur and reducing downtime. By gathering data - practically in realtime - on energy consumption at one or more plants, manufacturers can also manage energy costs more effectively. Lastly, maintenance teams are able to work in greater security and with fewer constraints. High-risk areas in the plant can be monitored remotely and remote maintenance means technicians do not have to come in on nights or on weekends. These advantages helped persuade Australia's Austal, a leading manufacturer of high-speed ferries, and UK-based Jaguar to switch to Transparent Factory. Another convert is South Korea's Sun Metals Corporation, which has equipped its new zinc refinery in Townsville, Australia, with a Schneider Electric communication and control system. Equipment reliability is crucial at the site, with its 6000 I/Os. Fifteen Modicon TSX Quantum PLCs monitor every stage of the process. For added security, backup systems have been added to the Ethernet and fibre optics networks so that the system can handle up to four breakdowns without affecting production.
A new way of looking at things
With Transparent Factory, Schneider Electric's catalogue now includes some 70 products with embedded web servers. 10% of its PLCs sold worldwide are web-enabled. In November 2000, the industrial control business introduced the first speed drive with an embedded web server and the medium voltage business launched the first web-enabled power monitoring solutions. Schneider Electric says that more than 50 companies around the world have adopted its standards. The company points out that although manufacturers are traditionally very loyal to their PLC suppliers, some who were formerly 100% competitor sites have contacted Schneider Electric, who is seen as the leader in web automation. "We were the only company in the field to develop a vision that included web-enabling solutions for all factory automation devices," says Marbach. "Our competitors in industrial control have chosen to maintain and optimise the equipment they have already installed in customer facilities, perhaps adding web-enabled parts but less systematically."
'Transparent' is the motto
The strategy embraced by Schneider Electric involved a formidable technological challenge and considerable R&D expenditure - now the company says that its web automation solutions are the fastest in the world. The company says that it is the only specialist to offer real-time synchronisation of its PLCs with Ethernet. It intends to build on this lead by developing other applications such as transparent building and transparent utility.
Schneider Electric is an International power and control specialist, providing innovative solutions for electrical distribution, industrial control and automation.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version