IT in Manufacturing


Schneider Electric launches new version of StruxureWare

September 2015 IT in Manufacturing

Schneider Electric has released a new version of StruxureWare Plant Operation Ampla, its innovative operations management and optimisation system (OMS) software. New features include materials and inventory management, conformance to plan, user experience enhancements, and improved systems performance, extensibility and scalability. The latest release reinforces StruxureWare Plant Operation Ampla’s position as the leading technology for integrated production and inventory management, and accounting systems.

Designed primarily for the real-time, demanding continuous process environments of mining, minerals and metals industries (MMM), StruxureWare Plant Operation Ampla version 6.1 helps improve operational performance and reduces cost per ton. Ampla’s innovative oper­ation management functionality delivers real-time visibility of accurate and relevant operations information, so that MMM organisations can improve their competitiveness in global markets and maximise shareholder returns. By driving the optimisation of production: processes, costs and performance, it increases operational efficiencies and can also reduce direct input costs, such as energy consumption.

Inventory management

Ampla 6.1 introduces the concept of material classes and test specifications to its material model. Materials can now be categorised based on the amount of processing they have undergone – for example, from un-prepped ore to blended ore. Material classes can be used together with structured material naming to allow material origins to be readily identified when data from multiple sites are combined. The result is fewer configuration points while delivering greater visibility that is traceable throughout the entire value chain.

Conformance to plan

Ampla 6.1 delivers enhancements to its planning module with easy comparison of planned and actual figures. This powerful tool delivers superior visibility of your processes and performance. Deviations from plan can be highlighted in real-time and provides intuitive presentation to the most effective decision maker, thereby providing an initiation point for root-cause analysis and alteration to 'get back on target' in the shortest time possible.

Improved user experience

Ampla 6.1 improves support for enterprises and larger sites, distributed systems and higher numbers of users accessing data. Aimed at making the creation and management of such systems easier, the introduction of dynamic movement items allows further simplification of configuration, while bulk WebService submission reduces “chattiness” of integrations with other systems and enables improvements in data integrity.

Performance and scalability

Ampla 6.1 enables load distribution through SQL Server Always On, which combined with many other internal optimisations improves performance and scalability. In addition, the expanded use of Web Services and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) reflects an ongoing commitment to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers.

The key benefits of Plant Operation Ampla 6.1 include:

• Reduced modelling effort and complexity.

• Centralised method for storing information or properties common across materials.

• Simple aggregation of like materials, while still being able to identify unique materials and their origins.

• Superior visibility of planned versus actual results acts as an initiation point for root-case analysis.

• Improved availability for both server and client.

• Greater tolerance for slow networks, and more tuning options for complex or unreliable networks.

• Reduced configuration time and cost.

Plant Operation Ampla software is part of the Integrated Planning and Optimisation Solutions (IPOS) in the unified StruxureWare software applications and suites for supporting company-wide performance optimisation. StruxureWare software applications and suites make up a comprehensive platform that gives industrial customers the ability to see, measure, and manage an efficient enterprise from in situ resource-to-market delivery, and across three levels of your business systems landscape: enterprise, operations and control. By addressing the primary challenges of each area, it delivers the right information to the right person, anywhere, anytime. Interoperable applications work with virtually any software, hardware or system.

For more information contact Ntombi Mhangwani, Schneider Electric SA, +27 (0)11 254 6400, [email protected], www.schneider-electric.com



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Overcoming the bottling industry’s fragmented visibility
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing Electrical Power & Protection
Beverage bottling facilities are among manufacturing’s most energy-intensive environments, yet many still operate without granular insight into where that energy goes. Rezolia Muller-Potluri of Schneider Electric explains how tiered metering architecture and advanced

Read more...
Advancing intelligent apparel manufacturing with industrial AI and humanoid robotics
IT in Manufacturing
Jack Technology, a global maker of industrial sewing equipment, has chosen Siemens software and engineering tools to bring artificial intelligence and humanoid robots into apparel production, aiming to shorten development cycles and lift manufacturing efficiency.

Read more...
What you need is a nerve centre for your building
Schneider Electric South Africa SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Anoop Hariparsad explains how a building management system acts as a single nerve centre, cutting energy use and improving safety and guest experience.

Read more...
New chiller line for high-density AI data centres
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric has launched the Uniflair XCA, a new series of air-cooled and free-cooling chillers designed for artificial intelligence-driven, high-density liquid-cooled data centres.

Read more...
Turning system integrators into trusted technology partners
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing System Integration & Control Systems Design
Schneider Electric’s Alliance Partner Programme is repositioning system integrators from hardware suppliers into lifecycle-value partners. Oriel Soupen explains the competency framework, certification model and real-world results that are already helping African system integrators win higher-value, longer-term engagements.

Read more...
Schneider Electric introduces next-generation BlokSeT switchboard
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has launched its next-generation BlokSeT low-voltage switchboard in West Africa, offering high reliability, predictive maintenance capability and digital integration for critical infrastructure and industrial applications.

Read more...
Why renewable projects need integrated protection and control
IT in Manufacturing
Fragmented secondary plant integration in renewable energy projects causes costly delays during commissioning. ACTOM Protection and Control’s Secondary Plant Integration solution consolidates all secondary systems under a single engineering framework, reducing risk and accelerating grid

Read more...
When digital twins move from concept to critical tool
IT in Manufacturing System Integration & Control Systems Design Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Digital twins are moving out of the lab and onto the mine, the factory floor and the transport network where they predict failures before they happen. Amritesh Anand looks at where they earn their keep, the data and integration work behind them, and the security questions every organisation should ask before switching one on.

Read more...
How a digital foundation can overcome the LNG trilemma
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing SCADA/HMI
The LNG sector is racing to add capacity, but without a digital backbone, growth creates complexity rather than capability. Christophe Begat of Schneider Electric explains how connecting data, systems and analytics across the LNG value chain can resolve the trilemma of secure supply, lower emissions and tighter costs.

Read more...
You can’t digitise a blackout
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Across East Africa, smart meters and AI promise cleaner, more reliable power, but digital tools cannot optimise a grid too weak to carry the load. Schneider Electric’s Symphrose Ochieng sets out why operators should strengthen physical infrastructure first, then add digital capability in phases.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved