These include a number of new products and platform enhancements that extend the scope of ECS. These enhancements reinforce the view of InFusion as a "system of systems."
"The new and updated products and solutions we are demonstrating at OpsManage'10 exemplify how the InFusion Enterprise Control System can holistically unify old and new system applications to create a unified 'system of systems,' " said Rashesh Mody, senior vice president, portfolio and marketing, Invensys Operations Management. "Each of these products and solutions delivers unique standalone functionality in its own right, but because they are also built on open, industry-standards-based ArchestrA software technology, they easily and affordably integrate with manufacturing and business systems from multiple vendors, enabling the creation of an Enterprise Control System that can accelerate Operational Excellence across our customers' enterprises. This unique ability to more simply and easily integrate open technology from Invensys, legacy applications and third-party offerings is what sets the InFusion ECS apart from anything on the market today."
The products and solutions Invensys will introduce this week strengthen the entirety of the company's portfolio of offerings, most of which are components of the InFusion ECS. "Going forward, virtually all of our new products and solutions will participate as InFusion ECS components, as will a growing number of the products and solutions we will develop and deliver in collaboration with our global Ecosystem of partners," Mody said.
The new Foxboro Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) System 1.0 integrates Wonderware System Platform software with a next-generation Foxboro automation controller and input/output (I/O) package. The new Triconex General Purpose System provides Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) for basic safety systems, but at a lower price point and in a TUV-certified SIL 2 safety instrumented system (SIS) platform, based on the company's industry-leading Triconex technology. The new Eurotherm nanodac controller/recorder combines powerful graphical recording capabilities with versatile control, communications and reporting in a 3.6-by-3.5-inch enclosure. The new SmartGlance Software as a Service (SaaS) mobile reporting solution, delivered through Sarla Analytics, an Invensys partner, brings industrial and manufacturing intelligence and process data, archived in plant automation systems and data stores, directly to smartphone users.
The company will also display and demonstrate additional upgraded components of the InFusion ECS, including:
- An upgraded Wonderware System Platform version 4.0, which supports Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 and facilitates deployment of technology advances such as 64-bit operating systems and Hyper-V virtualization technology
- A v8.6 release of the Foxboro I/A Series distributed control system (DCS), which enables easy upgrade of older Series 100 I/O modules to the latest high-performance, more-compact Series 200 I/O, reducing implementation and upgrade costs
- Updated Avantis.PRO 5.0.1 enterprise asset management software, which facilitates real-time coordination of plant-floor data and predictive-maintenance technology to support supply-chain decision making.
"Today's process manufacturers face a whole new set of challenges. They are losing highly experienced people, who are taking all of their knowledge with them. The process automation infrastructure continues to age and require replacement. And things that were fairly constant, like the cost of energy, are now real-time variables that change drastically over the course of the day," said Larry O'Brien, research director, ARC Advisory Group.
"The principles of a real-time process automation system increasingly need to be applied across the manufacturing enterprise, which is the real promise of the InFusion ECS," O'Brien continued. "It operates as a system of systems to which Invensys Operations Management's offerings, clients' existing systems and third-party solutions can all belong. Invensys made the right move in forming Invensys Operations Management. Now we are seeing some of the fruits of bringing together all of the company's automation-related businesses under one roof."
