Control technologies have changed greatly over the years. Many of today’s modern industrial controllers would be almost unrecognizable when set side-by-side with controllers from decades ago. A key contributor to this shift has been digitalization. Digital technologies changed the game in how we control and manage automation systems.
As digitalization has increased in automation technology, so too has the prevalence of software. As Sean Saul shared in a recent Q&A in Automation World, modern industrial controllers are leveraging software-defined control for increased flexibility, reduced complexity, and seamless interconnectivity. That’s the future of industrial automation, and it’s right at our doorstep.
Increasing flexibility
Today’s process manufacturers face a complex global marketplace. Meeting customer demands and competitive advantage often means changing operations to adjust to global events, supply chain issues, and continual innovation. Control systems play a key role in this capability,
“Modern industrial controllers have software-scalable capacity that allows end users to quickly adapt to changing engineering and operational requirements.”
Modern industrial control software, like the solutions available in the DeltaV™ Automation Platform are designed around modularity, using traditional and Ethernet-based I/O and leveraging standards like OPC UA to provide connectivity and eliminate data silos. This helps get critical information to the right people at the right time to make key operational decisions.
Flexibility also means scalability, Sean explains,
“The ability to scale up or scale down, agnostic to the type of I/O, is a defining element of a modern controller.”
Software-defined control systems like those available in the DeltaV Automation Platform enable teams to build a control system at the size they need and then use the software to easily scale up or down to meet the changing realities of their day-to-day operations. Sean elaborates,
“New controllers’ software-scalable capacity dramatically increases flexibility by allowing end users to only consume the functionality currently required for the application, reducing the administrative burden required when scaling up and down to accommodate operational changes.”
With the capability to scale up or down on demand, organizations can more easily protect their investments, getting the value of a fully functional control system that always meets their current needs.
Conquering complexity
The benefits of modern, software-defined industrial control are not only evident in day-to-day operation, but also in the streamlining of automation projects. One of the biggest challenges of starting a new project is trying to navigate the complexity of interconnecting a wide array of disparate automation elements via complex custom engineering.
Modern control software helps teams navigate this complexity by using standard protocols for more seamless integration. On its most basic level,
“Interoperability utilizing standard protocols is essential to reduce installation and maintenance costs over the control system’s lifetime. Standard industrial protocols can reduce or eliminate much of the complex engineering that adds time, cost and complexity.”
And Emerson is taking that flexibility even further as it unleashes the enterprise operations platform as part of it new Project Beyond initiative. Emerson’s Project Beyond will deliver the industry’s first software-defined, OT-ready digital platform that seamlessly integrates and optimizes industrial operations. Ultimately delivering a fully connected automation ecosystem, Project Beyond will leverage software-defined control to redefine the future of automation.
Today’s forward-thinking process manufacturing organizations are already laying the groundwork for this future, investing in technologies like the DeltaV Automation Platform that are seamlessly integrated by design and constantly evolving to deliver easier, more powerful, and more flexible control to help capture and maintain competitive advantage in the years ahead.
