Key points
Our lives today are so digitally advanced that even our social media apps will now apply metaverse technology leaving very little differentiation between our real and virtual worlds. A world which is full of augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, video and other means of communication has and will continue to become commonplace.
And while industry is looking at these same technologies to gain a competitive advantage, the process industry needs to keep its focus on ensuring that it uses the right technologies to extract and process data to do exactly what it is supposed to do and yield best production results. (Note: technology with purpose rather than technology for the sake of it).
Many of these technologies are already being used in the process industry but the trends in the process industry for distributed control systems (DCS) for digitalisation are what are making a difference; and these trends are Global collaboration; Connectivity with open standards; Integration; Lifecycle costs; and Scalability.
Traditionally, the process industry is conservative, and it has one of the most challenging environments in which to establish digitalisation concepts. It is about getting the right balance of trends that enhance existing processes and those that provide opportunity for doing things differently.
The industry has stringent regulations and safety requirements. Delivery of any project requires highly efficient operations meeting global manufacturing standards. The industry also relies on simpler connectivity solutions to tackle cybersecurity threats.
While the demand for processes and how they communicate together continues to grow in complexity it puts even more focus on having synergy and collaboration between all aspects of any manufacturing business. Everything is linked in a manufacturing setting, and it eventually adds to the lifecycle and the sustainable supply chain of any production process.
While the industry had already begun its digitalisation journey prior to the pandemic, the events of the last few years including the formidable challenges of producing vaccines at scale, as well the agility to pivot to tackle new and emerging variants of the virus, accelerated it.
Plug and Produce with MTP
So, bringing a product faster to the marketplace is crucial and, for this, modular production with Module Type Package (MTP) is the answer.
Modular production allows ‘plug and produce’ where plants can adopt new production processes and fluctuation demands quickly and easily. MTP is based on NAMUR, the User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries, recommendation NE 148, which provides an industry-wide standard for automated valve technology. Every machine and/or plant builder or operator is now benefiting from this technology in their digitalisation journey.
MTP supports parts of a process or package plant that is running based on a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) solution. It provides standard ways to integrate and connect into a higher level DCS system acting as the orchestrator of processes and production.
This emerging and fast developing standard provides the framework for technologies to be integrated together to produce the best results in a process setting and the most desirable outcomes for the end user.
The flow of information is critical, so integration and global collaboration become key aspects of running a plant. It is equally important that systems are connected for driving standardised ways of things happening, connecting pieces of kit together, and talking to each other whether that be part of the primary or secondary process.
Integrated DCS systems
Our Process Control System (PCS) has integrated software, hardware, project engineering, lifecycle services and software maintenance, to ensure a central lever for maximum competitiveness in the highly complex environments of process industries. As the pulse beat of the plant, it not only controls but manages and visualises every aspect of the plant production processes ensuring it is run safely and efficiently.
For customers that are monitored and regulated by agencies such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and other government authorities, such solutions work to deliver positive results.
Industries like food and drink are extremely competitive, so efficiency is key to the success of plant operations whilst respecting the industry’s specific production.
The digitalisation of process industries has challenges too, such as changing demographics where plants lose experienced engineering and operations employees to retirement. The process industry not only needs to innovate but also to remain current to engage and attract young talent who aspire to work in digitalised settings.
Most large plants use automation systems which can have 100,000 signals and up to 4,000 screens operated through one central control room. In such cases the process control system is a strategic long-term investment with plant lifecycles ranging from 30 to 40 years, so keeping the systems up to date is a necessity.
Most of these plants also run 365 days 24/7 and are shut down periodically only for a few days every 5-to-8-year cycle. Therefore, they need the highest availability and to be able to introduce changes at any point of time during the plant’s operation.
DCS System Lifecyle Costs and Easy Upgrades
This is where lifecycle costs come into focus as an industry. It is important to make this as manageable as possible. There are two aspects to this. The first is about the technical solution and the second is about the business model that sits around the cost component and the maintenance support.
With the technical solution, the aim is to change thoughts around how the hardware is separated from the application, and that of the operational layer, so that they can be independently changed so that it’s not always a huge effort to move things forward.
That means doing it in the right way to start with. It is about creating a portfolio or platform in a way that that technical solution to upgrade it becomes much simpler. It is also vital that it is supported by a friendly business model, making future licence concepts that could be around pay-as-you-use DCS as a service, for example.
Maintenance contracts for software are designed with the knowledge that different industries have different requirements. The contract needs to cater for two different types of companies: those looking to constantly innovate and receive the latest upgrades and user benefits; and those looking for long term support whose primary concern is around keeping a system cyber secure.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are created with the industry in mind and what their operating needs are. In a very conservative industry like pharmaceutical the need and want may be different. It has to adapt and adopt new technologies, but regulation can slow this process.
In the chemical industry the number one driver is safety, while the food and drink industry is under the continuous microscope to produce greener, with very little impact on the environment.
In conclusion, looking towards trending solutions to ensure there’s a right balance to maintain the Capital Expenditure (CapEx) and Operating Expenditure (OpEx) of a plant, is a winning combination for clients that are looking for process solutions that do what they are supposed to do and achieve ‘to marketplace’ go to market results in the most efficient way.
