Reviewer details
Name: Alan Cross
Position/Designation: Control & Instrumentation Consultant
Company: Richards Bay Coal Terminal
Tel: (035) 904 4375
e-mail: [email protected]
Product details
Vendor: Futuristix
Product name and version: InTouch FactorySuite 2000
Tel: (011) 723 9900
e-mail: [email protected]
URL: www.futuristix.co.za
General
Q: What industry (eg mining, food and beverage, automotive etc) is the scada being applied in?
A: Materials handling
Q: Describe the application briefly giving a description of any existing control systems, any previous scada system that was in place etc. If relevant, describe the switchover from the previous system.
A: The system comprises InTouch Factory- Suite, Industrial Sequel Server and a third party (Lighthammer) alarm, event and historical trending reporting. The scada systems are distributed plantwide (+12 nodes) serviced by a central tagserver and are used for monitoring and diagnostics. Standalone MMI stations (16 nodes) are used for operator control on specific parts of the plant.
Q: Who did the system integration?
A: BeST were the system integrators.
Q: Approximately how many man-hours did the integration take?
A: Approx two man-years have been spent due to continual plant expansion.
Q: How is the after-sales support handled (eg remote-dial-up, e-mail, Internet access etc)?
A: Remote RAS dial in.
Q: What sort of licensing agreement is used on this particular system? Does one licence cover all modules, or can the user only buy those modules that he wishes to use?
A: We have various licences for different components although the scada systems all fall under one site licence.
Architecture
Q: How many tag points/I/O does the installation have? Analog? Digital? Maximum possible?
A: Standalone mmi's have ±1800 tags each. Distributed scada system ±10 000. Total site ±30 000 tags. Split is 1000 analog with remainder digital.
Q: What operating system is the scada running on (eg Windows NT, Unix etc)?
A: Windows NT4, NT Server and 2000 Server.
Q: What impressed you most about the architecture? Open standards, wide range of drivers, the ability to upgrade, etc? Please elaborate.
A: The architecture supports easy add in integration with third part applications. Also, seamless inclusion into Microsoft back office and office environments.
Q: Is the system integrated onto an intranet or the Internet? If so, does the configuration allow simple remote monitoring, or is it configured to allow full remote control? If not, what level of intranet/Internet control does the scada allow for future use?
A: The system is integrated into a corporate intranet for specific monitoring and reporting tasks. The native scada apps are available via Windows Terminal Services both at corporate level and at remote dial in level. Our corporate policy at present does not make use of remote control although we have prototyped and tested the functionality.
Future functionality available now is the use of PDAs and 3G-cell equipment to remotely display (and control) the scada apps.
Q: What sort of redundancy is built into the system?
A: No redundancy has been applied to the monitoring and diagnostic system. The operator mmi's have 100% redundancy.
Graphics
Q: Describe the graphics development process - eg did you use standard library images, or did you have to draw images from scratch?
A: A mix of standard symbols and custom graphics were utilised. RBCT relies more on textual templates with go/no go philosophy rather than glitzy graphic designs. By reducing the graphic content we were able to include more meaningful messages and descriptors to operational and maintenance personnel.
Q: How would you describe the library of graphic images?
A: RBCT found the Wonderware's graphics libraries adequate for its requirements. Third party symbol libraries are available which have over 2000 symbols defined.
Q: Did you use any 'special' images (eg embedded video clips, photographs, 3D images etc)?
A: Some photographs and 3D images have been used to simplify screens and familiarise operating personnel who can relate easier to actual equipment.
Management reporting
Q: Is a trending and historical data reporting system included? Please elaborate.
A: RBCT has historical and trend reports available via its intranet from an industrial SQL database and third party tools (Lighthammer). These have been custom designed with a mix of pre-defined and user configurable formats.
Q: Is a management reporting system included in the package?
A: Various reporting tools are included and others available as add-ons.
Q: Is the system integrated into a manufacturing execution system?
A: RBCT has not implemented Wonderware's MES modules (In Track/In Batch), as the system is not used as the primary means of controlling the plant. RBCT has a legacy Unix process control system at present.
Q: Is the system integrated into a manufacturing execution system?
A: No, not at present but design is underway to replace the existing control system and enhance our existing reporting app. (Oracle)
Q: Is the scada system integrated into a management reporting or control system (eg SAP, Baan)?
A: Not applicable.
Conclusion
Q: What impressed you the most about the system?
A: Ease of use and integration with third party applications. Scalability and good support from our system integrator come a close second.
Q: What was the predominant feature (or features) that made you decide to employ this scada, rather than another (ie ease of use, support from the vendor, upgrade path, redundancy features etc)?
A: Arguably the most popular and widely used scada with a comprehensive installed base, ease of use and easy integration.
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