Combining automation with communication
May 2005
System Integration & Control Systems Design
CBI has launched MX4, a powerful, scaleable solution that addresses today's trend towards seamless integration by successfully combining industrial automation with communications technology.
Mitsubishi Electric, represented throughout sub-Saharan Africa by CBI, has enhanced its Melsoft software suite portfolio by partnering with Citect to create MX4, a solution that can be upgraded from standalone MX4 HMI to networkable MX4 scada and upwardly to MX4 Business. This flexibility makes the product suitable for large or small applications in industries as diverse as the manufacture of machinery and patient monitoring in hospitals.
MX4 HMI and MX4 scada are powerful products with a wide range of features designed to be easy to use while delivering in-depth information analysis and archiving. They can integrate with business systems allowing users to maximise productivity, improve product quality and reduce maintenance and operating costs.
The HMI offers a comprehensive range of Mitsubishi connectivity options that can be expanded to include over 100 other automation vendors and products. MX4 scada, based on Citect architecture and technology, offers two outstanding features: dual redundant capability and the inclusion of Fastlinx, an integrated communications tool that provides connection to all Mitsubishi's PLC products. The zero downtime capability uses Duplex I/O server technology and redundant LAN connectivity to ensure that data is never lost due to PC LAN failures. With Fastlinx, setting up Mitsubishi PLC communication is simple as the communication product is integrated with MX4 to reduce set-up errors and thus the time taken to establish complex communications settings.
Using MX4 Business as an operating platform Industrial Information Management (IIM) consists of a realtime information server and one or more modules that perform all the necessary calculations to create detailed reports on plant performance. Operations managers are provided with sufficient, timeous data that is easily interpreted to allow for proactive operational management that pre-empts operational problems and implements corrective action before serious losses occur.
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