Rockwell Automation Focuses on Closing the Gap Between Process and Discrete Applications
Share:
Increased process system capabilities, Endress + Hauser partnership, and Pavilion Technologies and ICS Triplex acquisitions highlighted at Automation Fair event
CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2007 - At this year's Automation Fair event, Rockwell Automation extends its suite of process application capabilities with new hardware and software solutions, including sophisticated data analysis and reporting capabilities. The company also will feature its expanded critical control expertise with the Pavilion Technologies and ICS Triplex acquisitions, as well as its partnership activities with Endress + Hauser.
"Rockwell Automation is focused on closing the gap between discrete and process control applications to provide truly integrated plant-wide control," said Kevin Zaba, director of Process Automation, Rockwell Automation. "Through new products, key partnerships and acquisitions, we are helping manufacturers leverage the efficiencies, cost-savings and reliability of a single unified control platform - from process control to high-speed packaging to coordinated drive systems."
At the event, Rockwell Automation will offer visitors a chance to view the latest process solution technologies, which are featured at the Integrated Architecture(TM) booth, number 339. The new process automation system technologies showcased include:
Historical Data Management: FactoryTalk Historian SE collects high-speed, detailed data from any control system or human-machine interface (HMI) software, and provides manufacturers with sophisticated data analysis and reporting capabilities across both process and discrete applications.
This new application builds off industry-leading historian technology licensed from OSIsoft and leverages the FactoryTalk Services Platform for premier integration with Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture. FactoryTalk Historian SE provides the capability to collect, store, analyze and visualize data using a powerful engine and a set of reporting tools, such as time-series trends, bar charts, pie charts, tabular trends and an easy method of generating reports using Microsoft Excel.
More Robust Process PAC: The latest extension to the Allen Bradley ControlLogix family of controllers, ControlLogix L64, from Rockwell Automation features 16MB of memory - twice the capacity of the most powerful existing model - for data-intensive applications requiring higher memory capacity. The Allen-Bradley ControlLogix L64 Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) allows for more efficient use of system capacity with the centralization of applications, such as alarming, that in the past was shared by external devices like HMI.
For information-intensive applications, such as batch processing, the ControlLogix PAC provides larger storage capacity to locally store more data, enabling the user to switch recipes to meet production line demands.
ControlLogix is multi-disciplined, providing fully integrated solutions for the entire range of control disciplines including discrete, motion, process control, drive control, safety and information using a single control platform. As part of the Logix Control Platform, it has the power to handle large process control applications with thousands of I/O points, while having the capability to share routines of code with smaller controllers in the Logix family.
Endress + Hauser Partnership: The alliance provides manufacturers with a wide range of pre-integrated, pretested, standards-based measurement, automation and information solutions, leveraging control and information solutions from Rockwell Automation and process instruments from Endress+Hauser. This relationship helps customers reduce integration costs, improve operational and maintenance efficiency, and optimize plant assets. In the past year, dozens of joining customer solutions were implemented around the globe in many different process industries.
ICS Triplex Acquisition: Acquired by Rockwell Automation in July 2007, ICS Triplex is a leading global supplier of critical control and safety solutions to process industries. This acquisition expands the Rockwell Automation portfolio of process control and safety solutions, while helping to meet the needs of Rockwell Automation customers. ICS Triplex advanced products and solutions for high availability, fault-tolerant applications assist Rockwell Automation in offering a full-featured package for process manufacturers and delivering an end-to-end solution that helps customers derive maximum productivity and profitability from their plants.
Pavilion Technologies Acquisition: Acquired by Rockwell Automation in November 2007, Pavilion Technologies is a recognized leader in advanced process control, production optimization and environmental compliance solutions for process and hybrid industries. The company serves major customers in consumer products, oil & gas, chemicals and other process industries. Pavilion Technologies software products will be integrated into the Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk integrated production and performance suite, as well as the Logix Control Platform.
Asset Management: The FactoryTalk AssetCentre change management solution from Rockwell Automation provides users with a set of asset-centric tools to help users securely and centrally manage their factory and process automation production environments. This new application includes four key areas of functionality:
o Disaster Recovery - Provides automatic "backup" or "backup & compare" of an asset's configuration
o Archive - Tracks versions of binary files and provides check-out and check-in capabilities
o Audit Trail - Records users' actions within Rockwell Automation software applications
o Security - Helps prevent unauthorized system access and controls authorized user actions
Manufacturing Execution Systems: FactoryTalk ProductionCentre delivers real-time information across discrete and process industries to assist with operational improvement, business risk management and quality assurance. As part of Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture, FactoryTalk ProductionCentre offers maximum scalability through multi-plant enterprises, including food, beverage and life sciences applications.
Alarms and Events: Combined with RSLogix 5000 alarm instructions, FactoryTalk Alarms and Events can help eliminate the issues traditionally associated with alarming. The system allows multiple FactoryTalk products to participate together in a common, consistent view of alarms and events occurring throughout an entire FactoryTalk system. As a subscriber to FactoryTalk Alarms and Events, FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE) is an HMI targeted at supervisory-level monitoring and control applications that need a distributed and scalable architecture.
Other highlights in the booth will include:
o A complete demo of the Integrated Architecture process automation system
o HART modules with full analog capability and the benefit of HART protocol
o Demonstrations of fuzzy logic APC algorithms in Integrated Architecture
o Migration solutions to convert aging DCS systems to Integrated Architecture
o Add-on instructions for creating custom, reusable instructions
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is a leading global provider of industrial automation power, control and information solutions that help manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. The company brings together leading global brands in industrial automation which include Allen-Bradley controls and services and Rockwell Software factory management software. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., the company employs about 19,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.
For more information on process automation solutions from Rockwell Automation, please contact the Rockwell Automation Response Center, 10701 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, Minn., 55438, 800.223.5354, ext. 2042.
http://www.rockwellautomation.com/solutions/process
All reader inquiries should be directed to the Rockwell Automation Response Center, 10701 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, Minn., 55438, 800.223.5354, ext. 2042.
Media contacts:
Scott Anthony
Rockwell Automation
440.646.5260
seanthony@ra.rockwell.com
Jessica Eull
Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc.
612.455.1792
jeull@psbpr.com
