Our Industry's Start to an iPod?

Last time, I paralleled the iPod to a vision we might set for systems & software used for automation in the process industries. 

The iPod allows anyone to easily manage videos, photos and music on a wonderfully-designed device made for easy use.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could manage process operations at a manufacturing site so easily?  The analogy might be stretching it a bit too far, but the point I want to make is that the iPod was designed for intuitive use by anyone, even for multiple data types from disparate sources.

At most operating facilities today, there is a disparate set of automation assets – Distributed Control Systems, real-time databases, advanced controls, etc. – which are designed for purpose around a specific technology and not always even for ease of use by the end-user. 

As the industry has leaned more heavily on technology over the years, significant benefit has been realized.  Systems, devices & advanced controls have all increased throughput. Real-time databases have provided a basis for spreadsheets, performance applications & business applications to optimize decision-making. 

Each of these investments has helped capture ever more profit. But each new investment requires its own care and feeding. 

And then we ended up with a tangled web of connectivity between many different automation assets, each with its own expert to keep it all running. 

And now how does the controls expert know that the range change he just made now invalidated a spreadsheet calculation used by the engineer to adjust unit operations? 

Or how does the real-time database administrator know that changing the name of a certain yield calculation means that the default value used in the business application is now leaving $125,000 of profit on the table?

Enter the iPod precursor… the Integrity software from PAS.

Integrity interconnects all automation assets at the configuration level to automatically generate and maintain a data map of all real-time data flow across the unit, plant or enterprise. 

Now the controls expert and database administrator can see the impact of their change – BEFORE they make it.  Similarly, engineers and businesspeople can be aware of any changes that impact their decision-making tools and applications BEFORE they act.

At the plant with Integrity, decisions are made on the right information. 

At the plant without Integrity decisions are made on the available information, but NOBODY KNOWS if that is still the right information.  In fact, they will never know until something goes seriously wrong or somebody takes the time to come up with the latest real-time data map. 

Integrity compensates for the jumble of mismatched systems, devices, databases, applications and real-time interconnectivity between them all – simplifying the management of all these disparate assets, just like an iPod simplifies management of music, photos and videos.

There isn’t yet an iPod for our situation and there may never be, but there sure is a pretty close precursor to that, and it’s called Integrity.

Think your plant doesn’t need Integrity?

Ask a summer student to map out the real-time data flow for your plant and see what kind of data mismatch and bad assumptions you have your plant.

Just try it.  And then email me to tell me what you find.