CIM show's promises
15 Jan 2000
The CIM 97 show, adjoining Manufacturing Week at the NEC, last month, hosted a number of launches of software all promising to improve process management.
Mitsubishi Electric's European Development Centre and Boward Computer Services presented a sneak preview of DataFlow, an object oriented 'middleware' package which allows users to access data in real time for a process or control environment.
The proliferation of software and hardware systems, claims Mitsubishi, has given rise to incompatabilities that have locked up manufacturing data,
DataFlow, which runs on Windows NT, will support not only Mitsubishi's PLCs but most other popular makes. Data from sources as diverse as Scada, SQL, ODBC and OPC compliant applications can be assimilated into an object oriented database (OOD).
PS Industry (PSI) launched KAPES Knowledge Aided Planning and Estimating System which it boldly claims to be 'the most significant change in manufacturing computing for years.'
KAPES permits a direct statistical link between the shopfloor and the balance sheet. PSI claims this makes manufacturing 'an integral part of corporate strategy'.
KAPES integrates bid cost estimating, supplier cost control and process planning software with a library of knowledge and decision rules collected from 'world class manufacturers'.
PSI claims to have boosted the functionality of SAP's R3 system by adding comprehensive manufacturing knowledge bases.
Not to be outdone, Jumo launched mTRON 'the world's first peer-to-peer industrial process control system.'
mTRON will offer the same functionality as a conventional PLC but will cost 30 per cent less to control and maintain, Jumo claims.
