Invensys links plant and business control
11 Apr 2006
Labelled InFusion, the system combines advanced enterprise information and integration technologies from both Microsoft and SAP to dramatically reduce integration costs. The system is based on ArchestrAR -- Invensys' software architecture built on .NET and other Microsoft technologies.
With InFusion technology, most existing plant floor and enterprise systems can now be cost-effectively integrated into a common system, according to an Invensys statement.
"Invensys' InFusion system will help industrial enterprises more effectively align plant operations and maintenance departments with the business to optimise overall asset performance management," the company added.
InFusion represents a step change in the utilization of open technologies and standards in a fully industrial system, according to Mike Caliel, president of Invensys Process Systems, in a press statement.
"By dramatically reducing both plant and enterprise integration costs,
InFusion will help our customers finally break down stubborn technical and organizational barriers, while preserving and extending their equity in existing automation assets," Caliel claimed.
Manufacturers require real-time information from every area operational area backed by a dynamic feedback to facilitate swift response to changes throughout the enterprise, said Greg Gorbach, a senior analyst at ARC Advisory Group. The ultimate goal, he added, is closed loop control for business processes.
"Invensys' Enterprise Control System is designed to work with existing
enterprise and plant systems (Invensys or otherwise) to enable this
strategy," continued Gorbach, commenting in the Invensys press statement.