CIM SHOW '99 REVIEW
15 Jan 2000
Surrounded by some of the IT industry's biggest hitters - from the likes of Microsoft, Baan and Sun - the leading process control companies more than held their own at last month's CIM '99 Computers in Manufacture exhibition at Brmingham's NEC.
With the weight of new giant Invensys behind it, Foxboro launched a new approach to process manufacturing with DPM `dynamic performance measures'. Based on the company's well established I/A Series control and automation systems, DPM uses a patented `econometric modelling methodology' to give everyone involved in plant operation and management a real-time indication of actual economic performances. The physical presentation of the performance measures takes the form of `dashboard' indicators that can be called up on the screens of the various plant disciplines from operation through to corporate management.
As part of what Foxboro GB's md Martin Ward described as the company's change to a `value-added service provider', DPM is being introduced with a novel financing scheme behind it. Any company that adopts DPM will not have to pay for the cost of implementation if agreed savings are not achieved. Foxboro first makes a free, detailed analysis of the plant's business and operation systems. From this `econometric model' a plan is developed to continuously improve plant performance in line with the customer's key performance indicators. Performance guarantees are then defined and agreed.
Foxboro's sister company Wonderware was represented at CIM by UK distributor Pantek who showed the latest developments in the FactorySuite 2000 management information system. Wonderware's enterprise resource planning (ERP) capabilities received a boost in May with Invensys' acquisition of Marcam Solutions, who were also at CIM with the Protean ERP system for the food and drink, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
The theme of Rockwell Automation's CIM stand was its `shop floor to top floor solutions', demonstrated by an actual process, linked to the key areas of office and admin, control room, factory floor, engineering and the boardroom. Rockwell Software products, such as RSBatch, RSView, RSWire and RSLogix, together with Allen-Bradley PLCs and other hardware, highlighted Rockwell's enterprise integration capability.
With the launch of Cimplicity OpenProcess, GE Fanuc was concentrating its efforts more on the plant level. A Windows NT system, OpenProcess provides full DCS functionality with a single database architecture. A hardware/software hybrid, it uses the strategies and utilities typical of a DCS, but is a standards-based system capable of more than just control.
