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 CONTROL ENGINEERING international

Boosting connected intelligence

for China’s manufacturing industry
Intelligent manufacturing is part of a wider strategy to promote manufacturing in China that has 226
state-sponsored projects and investments of more than $2.9 billion to improve automation and the
interconnection and integration of equipment, according to Control Engineering China.

I
Intelligent manufacturing, as one of the five Buttermore said, adding that “Rockwell Automation
major programs in the “Made in China 2025” strat- applies the most advanced technologies and realiz-
egy, already has become a highlight from China’s es interconnection of equipment under different
manufacturing industry, which is facing sluggish protocols or from different manufacturers via soft-
economic growth in addition to pressures relat- ware.” In this way, customers’ prior investments can
ed to transformation and upgrades. It is reported be preserved and better utilized, he said.
that, since June 2015 when the Ministry of Indus-
try and Information Technology and the Ministry Legacy systems, plant upgrades
of Finance of the People’s Republic of China joint- In case of plants with a great number of old and
ly initiated the special project for intelligent manu- outdated equipment, considerations would be more
facturing, there have been 226 state-sponsored key extensive. Generally, such old and outdated plants
projects, with a total investment of more than $2.91 may face two circumstances simultaneously: a low
billion (RMB over 2 billion). level of automation and a large amount of equip-
As a center for global manufacturing, China is ment that cannot be connected to the network. The
incubating the largest intelligent manufacturing equipment different manufacturers have may be in
demand market in the world, bringing opportuni- use for more than 20 years.
ties for traditional automation manufacturers. With To upgrade to intelligent manufacturing from
a history of 113 years, Rockwell Automation inter- old and outdated plants, Buttermore suggested:
prets innovations in intelligent manufacturing from
a “Connected Enterprise” perspective. 1. Assist users with a comprehensive analysis,
One action cannot accomplish an internet enter- finding the greatest challenges and great-
prise, suggested Bob Buttermore, managing director est demands, and what issues are in greatest
of Rockwell Automation Greater China, who noted need of solving through integration.
that intelligent manufacturing goals should be real-
ized in a progressive and customized manner. 2. Form specific plans as part of a long-
MORE term, progressive course.
ADVICE Intelligent manufacturing
KEY CONCEPTS
Developing an internet enterprise requires To help, Rockwell Automation has established
Intelligent manufacturing is part of innovation and intelligent manufacturing. Differ- an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) “Connected
the Made in China 2025 strategy. ent enterprises may have different starting points Enterprise Maturity Model” to assist users in doing
Automation and equipment integra- along that path. Buttermore said, “Matters may not an assessment, securely upgrading networks, defin-
tion remain a challenge for many. necessarily be settled at one go, even if it’s a newly ing and organizing working data capital, deriving
Automation vendors can help match invested and constructed factory.” operational benefits through analytics, and with
solutions for particular industries. Efforts may be required to comprehensively con- developing optimization and collaboration.
GO ONLINE sider the demands, costs, and budgets of the cus-
More information is with this article tomers, establish staged-based goals, and achieve Industry-specific approaches
online; click on the headline in the
digital edition to get there directly.
such goals step by step. Concentrated industrial research can help cre-
See more international coverage at Plants with existing equipment have more fac- ate customized intelligent manufacturing solutions.
www.controleng.com/international tors to consider when upgrading intelligent manu- Due to differences in individual enterprises and
and more IIoT coverage under the IIoT facturing. For some manufacturing enterprises with industries, it is hard for enterprises to find a “uni-
pulldown menu at a relatively high level of automation, the intercon- versal” connected enterprise solution. With contin-
www.controleng.com.
nection and integration of equipment is among the uous integration of information technologies and
CONSIDER THIS main issues to be solved. operation technologies, automation suppliers are
Are you concerned that manufac-
turers in China may be investing in
“Equipment from different manufacturers prob- required to develop an in-depth understanding of
intelligent manufacturing faster than ably would be unable to be interconnected and inte- users’ industries to shape intelligent manufacturing
you are? grated due to different networking protocols used,” solutions appropriate to actual circumstances.

14 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Global tire market competition has become improving visualization levels and tracing abilities

‘
increasingly intensive in recent years. The Chinese on products and orders, enhancing competitiveness.
market especially is facing serious pressures of over- Rockwell Automation has a long history with Old and
capacity and anti-dumping sanctions. Compared the tire industry, including, Buttermore said, by
with advanced tire manufacturers elsewhere in the proximity. Rockwell Automation’s controller plant outdated plants
world, the information technologies and automa- is near the largest U.S. tire production base. Allen-
may have a
tion levels of enterprises in China are relatively low. Bradley controllers from Rockwell Automation
According to related data, there are more than 500 “have been widely applied by tire manufacturers low level of
tire manufacturing enterprises in China, about 35% from the very beginning,” Buttermore said.
of the global tire output. However, total China man-
automation and
ufacturing revenue is only 15% of the global market. More automation collaboration a large amount
More tire enterprises in China are hoping to With the progress of the “Connected Enterprise”
increase the tire productivity and produce better Strategy, Rockwell Automation is working on more of equipment
tires with less cost by means of intelligent manu- in-depth cooperation on intelligent manufacturing that cannot be
facturing so as to gain competitive advantages in with leading global customers in industries such as
global markets. Meanwhile, tire enterprises also are automobile, tire, food and beverage, and consumer connected to

’
hoping to evade massive policy and regulation risks packaged goods. Buttermore said, “Future efforts the network.
involved in global markets. will be made to intensify input and promotion of the
“As we can see, many tire customers are estab- Connected Enterprise in fields of consumer goods
lishing overseas plants, creating new opportuni- and bio-pharmaceuticals. We hope to provide bet-
ties for us,” Buttermore said. “Globalized service ter intelligent manufacturing solutions for users in
teams and advanced information software products emerging and fast-growing industries.” ce
can help users to organize production in line with
local safety and other regulatory requirements.” Aileen Jin is editor-in-chief, Control Engineering
Manufacturing execution system (MES) solutions China. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager,
can assist tire enterprises in enhancing controls, Control Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

input #8 at www.controleng.com/information
 CONTROL ENGINEERING international

European Machinery Directive

helps with safe machinery speeds
European Union Machinery Directive includes standards that can help with permissible
safe limits of operation, according to Control Engineering Europe.

W
While speed monitoring is often
essential for safe control of a machine and protect-
ing the operator, it is often overlooked when consid-
ering machine safety. To find permissible safe limits
of operation, standards in the European Union
Machinery Directive can help.
The Machinery Directive is long and complex.
Specifications to cover the design and manufac-
though not always. Below are some examples:
C-Standard: BS EN 693 covers the safety of
hydraulic presses. It states that the closing speed
shall not exceed 10 mm/s when using a hold-to-run
control device.
ISO 10218 covers the safety requirements for
industrial robots (Part 2: Robot systems and inte-
gration). The standard states that the maximum
ture of machines are helped by agreeing standards. speed of the Tool Centre Point (TCP) shall not
Harmonized standards across the European Union exceed 250 mm/s in manual mode and shall be pos-
(EU) give purchasers the confidence that a machine sible only with the added use of an enabling device.
meets the requisite safety levels and presumes con- B-Standard: ISO 13849 is a B-Standard and
formance to the Directive. The Official Journal of covers the general principles for design of Safety-
the EU provides a list; each of the Standards for the Related Parts of Control Systems (SRP/CS). This
Machinery Directive is one of three types. standard can be used, where no C-Standard exists.
A-Type Standard–Relates to basic safety con- No speeds are quoted but it does state that when
taining basic terminology, principles of design and safety-related parameters deviate from their limits
general aspects that can be applied to all machinery. then appropriate measures shall be initiated.
B-Type Standard–Addresses a safety aspect or IEC 61800-5-2 is a B-type standard and defines
protective device that can be used in a wide range the safety functions for drives. It specifies the
of machinery. This includes ISO 13849-1: Safety of requirements and makes recommendations for the
machinery–Safety-related parts of control systems– design, development, integration, and validation
Part 1: General principles for design. It also includes of adjustable-speed electrical power drive systems
IEC 61496-1: Safety of machinery–Electro-sensitive suitable for use in safety-related applications.
protective equipment–Part 1: General requirements The performance level (PL) of the speed moni-
and test. toring circuit may be defined in the C-Standard. If
C-Type Standard–Contains all safety require- no C standard exists, then ISO 13849 or IEC 62061
ments for a specific machine or type of machine. If can be used. If, for example, a safe speed is identi-
this standard exists, it has priority over the A-type fied as a condition for locking or unlocking a gate,
MORE or B-type standard, for example, IEC 415-7: Safety then this would form part of the safety function and
ADVICE of packaging machines–Part 7: Group and second- should undergo the same functional safety design
ary packaging machines. process as the interlocking function.
KEY CONCEPTS The relevant directives and standards usually are ISO 13849 and IEC 62061 both outline a
Machinery Directive standards can added to the machine builder’s declaration of con- method for determining the required safety per-
be used to determine safe machine
operating speed. formity, which has to accompany any machinery as formance level for a safety function. Each meth-
Speed monitoring is covered by B per the Machinery Directive. od can be used to determine the required PL, or
and/or C Type standards. the required safety integrity level (SIL) respective-
GO ONLINE
Speed monitoring ly. Careful consideration should be given to the
Read more with this posting online, Speed monitoring is covered by B and/or C determination of the required safety performance
including safety performance level Type standards, depending on the machine. Var- level of a speed monitoring circuit, and it should
determination and a link to the origi- ious machine speed parameters could influence be designed accordingly. ce
nal at www.controlengeurope.com. the risk of harm on a machine against identified
See other international coverage at
www.controleng.com/international. limits. If the machine exceeds those limits then Dr. Martin Kidman is a safety specialist at Sick UK;
suitable measures are initiated. The monitoring edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control
CONSIDER THIS
Are you using risk assessments to
of the speed becomes a safety function. Machine Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com, from a Feb. 6,
help determine safe machine operat- types differ; if a C-Standard exists for a particu- Control Engineering Europe article, “Sticking to the
ing speeds? lar machine, then speeds may have been provided, speed limit.”

16 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

Ignition Gets It Done for Electric,
Water, and Sewer
Clarksville Light & Water Sees Versatility of Software

Clarksville Light & Water Co. (CLW) is a very

progressive utility. New infrastructure, a fiber
optic network, groundbreaking cybersecurity
— these are just a few items CLW is using
to improve services for its customers in
Clarksville, Ark.

Clarksville is home to nearly 10,000 people,

but John Lester, general manager of CLW,
doesn’t think small. “Even though we’re a small
community, automation is just as important for
New screens go along with new SCADA, new
us as it is for a multi-billion-dollar private utility,”
fiber optic network, new controllers, and more.
said Lester.
The desire for top-level automation led CLW to
Ignition by Inductive Automation®. Ignition is Lester gave Brown 30 days to get the project
an industrial application platform with fully done. With the aid of Ignition, Brown Engineers
integrated tools for building solutions in was able to get the sites up and running within
human-machine interface (HMI), supervisory that timeframe. CLW won an Engineering
control and data acquisition (SCADA), and the Excellence Award for the speedy SCADA
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). upgrade. The award came from the American
Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).
Ignition is so versatile, CLW will use it across
three departments. It’s already working for water Lester inherited a less-than-mature system
and electric, and will be used for waste water when he arrived in 2013. “When I moved here,
too. CLW was introduced to Ignition by systems I realized the technology in the marketplace
integrator Brown Engineers. hadn’t been fully utilized,” he said. “We had
some SCADA technologies and control technolo-
Success with Water gies, but they were being used very sparingly.
I realized we needed to do a major upgrade.”
“The first project was SCADA remote sites for
the water utility,” said Dee Brown, principal and Another project, which involved Brown
co-founder of Brown Engineers. “That included Engineers, was a $10 million expansion of the
all the remote pump stations and tanks, and water treatment plant. The project was com-
remote-operated valves. They had new infra- pleted under budget and on time, in 14 months.
structure in place, but weren’t communicating CLW won an ACEC award for that project also.
with it yet.” The expansion gave the plant a capacity of 16

800.266.7798
www.inductiveautomation.com Clarksville Light & Water Co. Case Study
million gallons per day. “Ignition was a good The fiber optic network could help the region
fit for that project too,” said Brown. “We knew it attract more businesses. “We’re getting a visit
could handle the big increase in I/O points soon from the Arkansas Economic Development
while keeping costs down. Ignition’s unlimited Commission,” said Lester. “They’ve asked me to
licensing was a big benefit for Clarksville.” make a presentation on this project, and what
we’re doing with the SCADA system and the
“We now have the capacity to fiber.” Additionally, Brown and Lester were
invited to speak about the project at the Smart
do a lot of things to serve the Industry 2016 conference in Chicago.
community... We could create
Secure Foundation
a government network, an
CLW is also going the extra mile on cyber-
education network — and it security, installing new cyber-secure controllers
could be used by business, from Bedrock Automation. Brown Engineers
suggested Bedrock™, and Lester saw the value
and public safety. There are immediately. “In today’s utility environment,
many possibilities that can cybersecurity is becoming a big concern,” said
Lester. “Whether you’re a small utility or a large
add value to our community.” one, threats are hammering on your network
every day. So we decided to move ahead with
– John Lester
the Bedrock controllers.”
General Manager of CLW
CLW also has a new Network Operations Center
(NOC) with large-screen displays and a weather-
resistant vault for its servers. There is also a
Next Up: Electric
plan for continued improvements at the NOC.
“We have a 55-megawatt peak electric utility,”
The SCADA improvements have helped CLW
said Lester. “We’re a 100-percent purchaser
reduce costs, improve efficiency, and have
of our power supply, so the use of that power
greater flexibility for the future. “We’ve been
is critical. There had been no SCADA system
very pleased with Ignition,” said Lester. “We
before, which is highly unusual for a municipal
really like that we can use it for all three utilities.”
electric. But it gave us the chance to build from
the ground up.” Brown Engineers is based in Little Rock, Ark.
The award-winning firm designs mechanical,
A unique aspect of the project is the creation of
electrical, fire protection, HVAC and plumbing
a fiber optic network. That network is part of the
infrastructure; automation controls; and
SCADA system, but it could support a variety
monitoring systems. For more information,
of other uses as well. The fiber loop is nearly 17
visit brownengineers.net
miles long. And the cable has 288 strands, so
the capacity is huge. “We now have the capacity
to do a lot of things to serve the community,”
said Lester. “We could create a government Watch the case study online at:
network, an education network — and it could bit.ly/ia-clarksville
be used by business, and public safety. There
are many possibilities that can add value to
our community.”

800.266.7798
www.inductiveautomation.com Clarksville Light & Water Co. Case Study
INTEGRATOR UPDATE business value

Exploring the factors

that drive business value
Part 8 of this 9-part series looks beyond financial performance and explores
how a wide variety of key drivers impact business value.

M
Most experienced business leaders rec-
ognize the importance of staying on top of finan-
cial data, and how critical financial performance
is to the value of a business. However, knowing
exactly what numbers to look at and what stories
the trends tell is not always easy. A previous article
in this Control Engineering series focused on finan-
cial indicators and how to use these to increase
that is collected every month. Buyers like to see
a steady stream of income from reliable sources.

Monopoly control
Having the majority of market share with-
in your geographical location or industry niche
is an ideal situation, so it’s important to be able
to answer questions including why the company
‘Customer
satisfaction may
sound like an
obvious driver,
but not all
value. Other factors also play a key role in increas- exists or how you can deliver on customer needs
ing value in a business including: better than competitors. businesses have
procedures in
 The growth potential of a business Customer satisfaction
 Dependency issues the business may have Customer satisfaction may sound like an place to capture
with customers, employees, or vendors obvious driver, but not all businesses have pro-

’
 The health of a company’s cash flows cedures in place to capture feedback. This is feedback.
 The recurring nature of revenues important to either do more of what is work-
 The size of the business’s market share ing well or fix issues to avoid repeating the same
 How satisfied the customers are mistakes in the future.
 Dependency issues on the business owner.
Hub and spoke
Growth potential A business that is too reliant on the owner to
This value driver helps identify the likelihood run the company can be less valuable to a buyer.
that the business will grow in the future, and at While the owner often plays a critical leadership
what rate. role, to be transferable, a business must be able
to continue operations without the owner for an
Switzerland structure extended period. There are questions and fac- MORE
This value driver covers dependency issues tors to evaluate how dependent the business is ADVICE
relating to any one employee, customer, or sup- on the owner. KEY CONCEPTS
plier. If any relationships ended within these cat- These questions and factors should provide a Factors that drive value to a
egories of people, would the company encounter much deeper understanding of how to drive value business.
significant hardship? There are some consider- to the business. Savvy buyers will be looking at Understanding ways to improve
ations to evaluate to ensure business relationships these factors because they know they impact value. business value.
are all in balance. Whether you plan to sell in the near future or want Identifying how buyers evaluate
business value.
to build value for your continued ownership, these
Valuation teeter totter questions will be helpful tools to review yourself or GO ONLINE
For more about business valuations
This value driver considers whether the busi- with your leadership team quarterly and annually. and links to parts 1 through 7 of this
ness is more of a cash suck or a cash spigot. There Whichever approach you take, it is important series, read this article online. In the
may be different answers for different parts of the to set goals or key performance indicators, for digital edition, click on the headline
business, and it’s useful to identify the answer for each driver so you know what success will look or search the headline for
various segments, as well as the whole, to under- like. ce www.controleng.com.
stand how a product or service mix contributes Read more online about questions
to ask when evaluating certain value
to the whole picture. Catherine J. Durham is accredited senior ana- drivers.
lyst, principal, and president, Capital Valuation
CONSIDER THIS
Recurring revenue Group; edited by Emily Guenther, associate con- Should certain industries be more
This driver considers the proportion and tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media, concerned with particular value drivers
quality of automatic, annuity-based revenue eguenther@cfemedia.com. than others?

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 17

 INTEGRATOR UPDATE business value

How to buy or sell an

engineering business
An alternative view of how to conduct an organized, successful business valuation.

C
Control Engineering has been running a
9-part series on business valuation. Many thought-
ful methods are employed in business valuation.
Here is another view.
Selling or buying a business
An engineering business can take many forms.
Most are like any professional practice, that is, doing
work for clients and charging for the time involved
or the service delivered. For some other types of

‘
The basics of a business valuation professional practices, like an accounting firm, law-
Developing a The value of a business depends in large on the yer’s office, or an insurance brokerage, a number of
purpose of the valuation. A value for an estate is clients make up the revenue base. Some professional
rationale for the substantially different from a value for a purchase or practices can have very few. This impacts the busi-
sale. What really counts in the sale scenario is what ness value.
sale or purchase the value would be to the subsequent owner. His- Typically, such businesses are sold or bought
of any business tory, while it may be a guide, isn’t the main deter- based on a multiple of revenues (like three times
mining factor. Instead, what is it going to be worth the average of three to five years’ sales). The more
requires the care, going forward is the key. diversified the business, the better the multiple
Additionally, solely denigrating multiples will be assuming average profitability. Perceived
knowledge, and [some multiplier of a number from the income risks of dependence on a single client or just a few
statement] is misleading. They can be useful for major clients may reduce the multiple and therefore
experience of a comparisons to other similar businesses. You can’t the price. The engineering firm may benefit from
professional who ignore them, just do not rely on multiples to the diversification.
exclusion of other practical measures. There are Consider if there is a large potential in which the
has performed many factors that have significant value for a busi- buyer is interested, like an exclusive but only par-
ness including exclusivity, sole ownership and tially-developed proprietary technique or process.
a business control, integrating a useful technology for cost Using a base price plus an “earn out” can provide

’
reduction or operation improvement, and the the desired safety for the buyer and the deserved
valuation. future income stream from a unique process tech- rewards for the seller. For example, a business that
nology or exclusive customer. was sold had a two-year additional payout depend-
The likelihood of a disruption or cessation of a ing on gross profits over a base level. The first year
unique quality is difficult to evaluate but still must was very profitable, but plummeted in the second.
be considered.
MORE Putting the business valuation together
ADVICE Organizing the business Developing a rationale for the sale or purchase
valuation process of any business requires the care, knowledge, and
KEY CONCEPTS Another thing to consider is that some con- experience of a professional who has performed
The process of conducting a suc-
cessful business valuation.
sultants will say it takes a long time to develop a business valuation. There are good investment
Understanding the factors that could
a value. However, this depends on how the val- bankers and high-quality consultants who can
impact a business’s value. uation process is organized. Use an outsider guide business owners effectively. Use your staff
Identifying the steps to properly to conduct the business valuation and internal to get the numbers together and rely on outside
conducting a business valuation. resources to gather the necessary information. help and your own expertise to develop the busi-
GO ONLINE Don’t pay for valuation work as a percentage of ness valuation. Remember, no one formula is right
For more about business valua- the “number.” While a good valuation job has ele- for every business. ce
tions, read this article online. In the ments of an appraisal, it’s not like an appraisal for
digital edition, click on the headline or tax purposes. Peter H. Burgher, CPA, AB, MBA has been an
search the headline for
www.controleng.com.
Much of your judgement in either selling or buy- expert witness for 36 years during which he has
ing involves speculation about what could happen if developed, operated, and sold several technology-
CONSIDER THIS buying or selling the business goes well. Also think based businesses. Prior to that he was a manag-
Is the business valuation process
the same for new and old businesses about the downside if it doesn’t go well. Not only ing partner in an international CPA firm. Edited by
that have a longer performance will that affect you immediately but it can affect you Emily Guenther, associate content manager, Control
history? the next time a business might be bought or sold. Engineering, CFE Media, eguenther@cfemedia.com.

18 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 CFE Media’s
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 FEEDBACK IIoT, automation costs

Wider capabilities via IIoT;

lowering project costs
Less customization, more standards, wider capabilities, and easier implementations are
needed to improve the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and automation.

I
was very interested in the “Think Again” article, amount of hardware, eliminates purpose built
“Finding IIoT benefits,” (Control Engineering, components, relies entirely on vendor standard
December 2016, p. 8). It is true that the Indus- components and places all customization within
trial Internet of Things (IIoT) can be used to the software. We can consistently hire resources
optimize processes, make processes safer, lower to develop and maintain valuable software.
energy use, enable regulatory compliance, increase To justify my first PC at work, I had to make
profits and improve operations sustainability. a list of all the things I could do with the PC. My
However, I think the industry is missing one list never envisioned all the things that we use
great opportunity and that is using new automa- PCs for today. The same will be true for IIoT.
tion technologies to greatly simplify the archi- However, reducing the size and complexity of

‘
tecture and greatly reduce the our automation hardware
customization of the automa- solutions is a more critical
tion systems we have been We will never be able need. In fact, if we can reduce
installing for past three or costs, and simplify delivery
four decades.
to consistently hire and maintenance by reduc-
Today, the typical solution younger resources to ing size and complexity, we
for a major facility includes will enable doing even more
a complex and complicated maintain very large with IIoT.
mixture of hundreds of mar-
shaling cabinets, hundreds of and complicated Too much cost

’
MORE controller and I/O cabinets, For two-thirds of my
ADVICE dozens of servers, dozens
hardware. 38-year career with Exxon-
KEY CONCEPTS of PCs and numerous other Mobil, I was involved in major
Automation technologies can help components. . capital projects with the last 15 years spent sup-
simplify the architecture and reduce Additionally, every user wants it their way porting mega-projects. I realized a few years ago
the customization of the automation (the Burger King approach) including many fea- that the primary reason why project costs have
systems.
tures that are not considered standard by their increased exponentially over the past decade is
Reducing costs, reducing size, and
complexity will enable companies to
automation provider. This common approach that everyone is biased and burdened by histor-
do more with the Industrial Internet of dramatically increases the total installed cost, ical practices that no longer apply or could be
Things (IIoT). greatly extends the time to deliver, requires a automated.
Reducing project costs requires large project team, complicates installation and One example is what all applicable industries
companies to challenge what worked commissioning, increases the cost to update have done to program safety systems. The his-
in the past and seeing where improve- and maintain. Most importantly, the complexity torical practice has been for process engineers
ments can be made.
demands that we remain dependent on the aging to develop cause and effects. A safety engineer
GO ONLINE workforce. We will never be able to consistently programs the logic solver loop by loop, and then
Read this story online at
www.controleng.com for more infor-
hire younger resources to maintain the current checks the programming loop by loop to verify
mation and links to related stories very large and complicated hardware solutions. the manual entries.
about the IIoT.
CONSIDER THIS Different approach Improvements
What else can be done to improve We must have a different approach—one We challenged all the major safety system sup-
the IIoT and automation? which uses new technologies to minimize the pliers to develop a translator to take the cause and

20 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 In another example, piping and instru- would need to do for P&IDs is construct
mentation diagrams (P&IDs) today are them from building blocks included in the
effectively started from scratch, and it takes drawing software. This would save a con-
months to develop, review, and approve a siderable amount of time. ce
set of P&IDs. Aveva and Intergraph should
develop graphics for vessels, separators, Sandy Vasser is the retired IC&E Manager
pumps, and compressors that are already for ExxonMobil. Edited by Mark T. Hoske,
fully instrumented. All an engineering, content manager, Control Engineering,
procurement, and construction (EPC) CFE Media, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

Sandy Vasser, retired IC&E manager

for ExxonMobil, spoke at the 2016 ARC
Forum about improving the efficiency of
automation implementation. Courtesy:
Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering,
CFE Media

effects and directly program the logic

solver. Because this is done automat-
ically, no validation is required. This
does not eliminate the functional testing,
but it significantly reduces the manual
activities. We learned that Siemens had
actually developed such a tool a decade
ago but few used it. This is now a tool
ExxonMobil Upstream will be using for
all future projects.
There is a long list of improvements
we convinced ABB, Emerson, Honeywell,
Schneider Electric, and Yokogawa to com-
mercialize under a program called “It
Just Happens” and later “Think Differ-
ently.” We believe these measures reduce
automation costs by 30% to 50%. To
reduce project costs, every discipline
must challenge ALL historical project
execution processes and procedures, and
eliminate or simplify the processes and
procedures.

Lowering costs
Everyone has tried low cost engineer-
ing centers but all they have done is take
historical practices and used engineering
resources with lower billing rates. There
are some savings but a much greater cost
reduction comes from eliminating or
automating procedures. Unfortunately,
the industry has realized lower engineer-
ing rates only and assumed success.

MARCH 2017 | 21 input #9 at www.controleng.com/information

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE functional safety

Safety requires cybersecurity

If it isn’t secure, it isn’t safe. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities represent additional failure modes
and safety incidents not factored into traditional safety assessments. Consider safety when
creating a business justification for cybersecurity risk assessments.

F
Functional safety assessments are a systems built on Ethernet TCP/IP networks and
well-established practice in machine and process legacy Microsoft operating systems. These sys-
automation. These assessments focus on random tems are vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches
hardware failures or systematic software failures resulting in potentially significant risks, includ-
(such as bugs). However, cybersecurity threats ing risks to health, safety and the environment.
and vulnerabilities represent additional failure To address the risk, there’s a need to understand
modes that may lead to incidents that are unac- it—but how? Functional safety assessments focus
counted for in traditional safety assessments. A on random hardware failures or systematic soft-
business justification can be developed for dis- ware failures (such as bugs) and generally do not
cussing cyber risk assessments. consider cyber threats or cyber vulnerabilities.
The majority of factories and process plants To understand cyber risk, it’s necessary to
today are controlled and operated by automation perform cyber vulnerability assessments and
cyber risk assessments. Not surprisingly, this is
exactly what cybersecurity standards and regu-
lations require.

Cybersecurity regulations, standards

Fortunately, there is help available now. Many
standards and regulations have been developed
over the last decade to address this known issue;
our industrial control systems (ICS) are suscep-
tible to cyber compromise.
Agencies such as the North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Internation-
al Society of Automation (ISA), the American
Petroleum Institute (API), the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Inter-
national Electrotechnical Commission (IEC),
and others have developed numerous documents
describing the need to protect ICS from cyber
attacks, as well as how to do it.
Functional safety standards also now are
beginning to require cyber vulnerability and risk
assessments. The second edition of IEC 61511
(Functional Safety: Safety Instrumented Systems
for the Process Industry Sector), was released in
2016. One new clause states that a security risk
assessment shall be carried out to identify the
security vulnerabilities of the SIS. Another clause
states the design of the SIS shall provide the nec-
essary resilience against the identified security
risks. That’s as far as the new standard goes, but it

Figure 1: An industrial control system (ICS) cyber-

security vulnerability assessment is an evaluation of
an ICS design. A brownfield design starts with the
ICS as-built or as-found drawings, such as the exam-
ple shown here. All figures courtesy: aeSolutions

22 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

does provide further guidance by pointing read-
ers to an ISA 84 technical report and the ISA/
IEC 62443-3-2 standard (Security Risk Assess-
ment and System Design) which covers how to
perform cyber vulnerability and risk assessments.

What is the cybersecurity risk?

There are different types or different com-
ponents of risk, and cybersecurity is one of
them. For example, there are different risks for
money. People can be robbed, the stock market
could crash, the financial institution that holds
an account could fail or be robbed, or a cyber-
criminal could wipe out the account. Similarly,
there are different risks to factory or plant oper-
ations. A mechanical device could fail, a human
could make an error, an electronic component
could fail or a cyber threat could compromise
the control systems. To manage risk, it’s neces-
sary to understand all the components of risk,
including cyber.
While it is more difficult to grasp than
mechanical risk, cyber risk can be assessed and
managed. If that weren’t true, bank accounts
would probably already be emptied by cyber
criminals.
Cyber risk is generally considered a function
of three variables: threat, vulnerability and con-
sequence. Threats are the initiating event, such
as a hacker or a computer virus. Threats vary
with the skill or motivation of the hacker or the
sophistication of the malware. Vulnerabilities are
the inherent weaknesses in the system that allow
the threat to be realized. Finally, consequenc-
es are the unwanted outcome should the threat communicate? Modern control systems are Figure 2: A cybersecurity
be successful. Cybersecurity risk is a combina- based on Ethernet networking and Microsoft vulnerability assessment also
tion of the likelihood that a threat will exploit operating systems. Understanding how these requires partitioning the system
a vulnerability and the severity of the resulting pieces go together can be very difficult in many into zones and conduits.
consequence. facilities. Drawings that show the entire system
architecture may not exist; these systems often
ICS cybersecurity have grown and evolved over decades.
vulnerability assessment Start with an analysis of network communica- MORE
Vulnerabilities are a key variable in cyber tions to understand how these networks are con- ADVICE
risk. In theory, if there are no cyber vulnerabili- structed and, and how data moves throughout the KEY CONCEPTS
ties there is no cyber risk. Of course, in reality all system. This is done by recording actual network Functional safety depends on
ICSs have vulnerabilities, some more than oth- traffic and plotting it out to see the data flows. cybersecurity.
ers. The number and severity of vulnerabilities Identify what devices are communicating with Determine cyber risk to the indus-
depends on the components used, how they are each other. What devices should be communicat- trial control system.
configured and how they are networked. ing with each other? What devices are communi- Prioritize risks; gain buy-in for
mitigations.
So what is an ICS cybersecurity vulnerability cating with each other that perhaps should not be,
assessment? It is an evaluation of a ICS design. In or were not expected to be? Are any devices com- GO ONLINE
See the Control Engineering cyberse-
a brownfield design begin with the ICS as-built municating using unexpected protocols? Are there curity page including more with this
or as-found drawings. An example is shown in control system devices that are trying to commu- article online.
Figure 1. nicate to the internet? Plot the communications
CONSIDER THIS
How is that control system constructed? and look for anomalous behaviors. Have your risk assessments
What devices make up the system? How are A vulnerability assessment would then analyze included safety and cybersecurity? If
they networked together? How do the networks the actual servers and workstations that make up not, why not?

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 23

 TECHNOLOGY UPDATE functional safety

dard. The method has been applied many times

within companies following the process safety
management of highly hazardous chemicals reg-
ulation (29 CFR 1910.119). The method works
quite well because it’s very similar in nature to a
HAZOP, a technique that has been used in the
industry for more than 40 years. An example of
a cyber risk assessment study excerpt is shown in
Figure 3.
Instead of the traditional causes, in this study,
look for threats. Also consider vulnerabilities and
consequences. Use the same risk matrix used
in ranking other risks within the organization.
Performing such a study helps with prioritizing
activities and resources, helps designers intelli-
gently design and apply countermeasures, and
helps document and justify decisions. A cyber
risk assessment will document why certain con-
trols were put in place, and sometimes why they
were not put in place.
This also can be a very effective training and
awareness exercise. Like HAZOPs, these stud-
Figure 3 shows an exam- the system. Most of the operating systems that are ies require a multi-disciplinary team. There needs
ple of a cyber risk assess- controlling the bulk of industrial facilities today to be people from IT (information technology),
ment study excerpt. are legacy Microsoft platforms such as XP and operations, engineering, and automation working
Windows Server 2003. Identify the vulnerabili- together to study the system. Following the pro-
ties. Look at the control devices themselves, the cess, the team ultimately will develop a risk register
programmable logic controllers, the safety instru- and risk profile, providing a ranked set of risks, and
mented systems, the operator interfaces, the vari- an understanding where those risks are in the sys-
able frequency drives, the analyzers, etc. Most of tem. Ultimately, it’s possible to derive a set of rec-
these devices now have Ethernet ports and are ommendations and a plan to mitigate those risks.
connected to common networks that make up
the control system network. Cyber risk assessments benefits
The next step in a vulnerability assessment Organizations can realize numerous benefits
would be to partition the system into zones and by performing cyber risk assessments. They are
conduits, as shown in Figure 2. Doing so helps fundamental to any risk management program
better analyze the system and better design pro- and provide a consistent method of communi-
tections to limit communications to only that cating risk to management. Since no organization
which needs to go into and out of a zone. has unlimited resources and unlimited budgets,
A vulnerability assessment also should include the results of the risk assessment can be very
a review of policies and procedures, and include helpful to management in prioritizing mitigation
a gap analysis. How does the system stack up efforts. The structured approach helps uncover
against industry standards and best practices? hidden risk or overturn long-standing assump-
Finally, the assessment should list the vulnera- tions of areas of high risk which may have been
bilities that have been discovered and the recom- overstated. Participation in the cyber risk assess-
mended mitigations to close the gaps. ment by subject matter experts is an effective way
of training personnel on cybersecurity while at
ICS cybersecurity risk assessment the same time improving their “buy in” to the pro-
Understanding vulnerability is only one part of posed mitigations. Finally, the cyber risk assess-
the equation. Cyber risk is combination of threats, ment process produces detailed documentation
vulnerabilities, and consequences. Most organi- and justification for the mitigations that are being
zations want to understand what the true cyber adopted as well as those that are not. ce
risks are. A method has been developed to do so—
it’s called a cyber risk assessment or cyber PHA John Cusimano, CISSP, GICSP, CFSE, is director
(process hazards analysis). It’s a very systematic of industrial cybersecurity at aeSolutions.
approach similar in many ways to a PHA or haz- www.aesolns.com. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, con-
ard and operability (HAZOP) study. The actual tent manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
process is documented in the IEC 62443-3-2 stan- mhoske@cfemedia.com.

24 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE efficiency

Make flexible automation work

Technology advances designed specifically for industrial automation have made
it easier to design and implement flexible automation. Companies are seeing
numerous benefits from using the new applications.

E
Employing flexible automation Once any product variability is introduced
technology now is vital for companies to sustain into the system, fixed automation becomes
growth, keep a diverse range of products flowing extremely ineffective from a cost standpoint.
through their lines, and minimize the downtime Conversely, flexible automation becomes more
associated with product changeovers. Advances cost-effective as product mix increases and
in industrial technology and the overall evolu- becomes the optimal solution once a moderate
tion of automation over the past century have mix is achieved. MORE
been unprecedented. In that time, automation ADVICE
has gone from a “fixed” state to being more flex- Outside influences KEY CONCEPTS
ible (see Figure 1). The rapid evolution of access to machine Flexible automation will allow
Fixed automation is designed to produce a information and data management has created manufacturers more versatility in
single product repetitively and efficiently. This endless possibilities for flexible automation. The creating products while minimizing
concept worked well on manufacturing floors in world has become much smaller and operates at a downtime.
the past, which often produced one or a limited much faster pace than it did a decade ago. A con- The Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT) and Industrie 4.0 will improve
assortment of products in very large lot sizes with stant supply of information is readily available, be flexible automation by giving manu-
limited variability. This type of automation is it for use by machines or the humans interacting facturers and machines more data to
beneficial because the upfront equipment cost is with them. The influence of robotics in industry work through.
lower than flexible solutions. Throughput also is cannot be overstated either. These factors have Existing technologies such as
optimized if the machine only runs a single part. provided a setting that is allowing flexible auto- collaborative robots can help improve
automation and make it more flexible
However, modularity is not usually a consider- mation to thrive. on the plant floor.
ation within the original design, which means The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) also
converting machinery to support multiple prod- is playing a major role in flexible automation. The GO ONLINE
Read this story online at
uct configuration is often impractical financially IIoT describes a network of electronic devices www.controleng.com for additional
and difficult to implement. embedded with software and sensors that provide information about flexible automation.
an endless stream of information that can be used CONSIDER THIS
More configurability to improve flexible automation. Sensors that gather What other developments will
The next level of automation, programma- this data can be remotely accessed by virtually any improve flexible automation?
ble automation, is designed to accommodate
some configurability after implementation. This
includes the ability to write new code to perform
operations with mechanical changeovers that
are performed manually. The downside is that
the changeover process is often very labor inten-
sive and requires significant downtime to replace
tooling and make programming changes.
The more modern approach is flexible or “soft”
automation where the machine operator employs a
mix of recipe control and mechanical automation
that seamlessly converts one process to another at
the touch of a button. This allows manufacturers
to produce a wider variety of products through a
single machine that is designed to adapt to address
the next generation of products. Flexible equip-
ment employs electromechanical automation that
achieves positional control for quick and repeat-
able process changeovers. This allows a diverse Figure 1. Automation has gone from being fixed and focused on one product
range of products to flow through the line with lit- to more flexible and able to seamlessly create multiple products. All figures
tle downtime (see Figure 2). courtesy: Parker Hannifin

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 25

 TECHNOLOGY UPDATE efficiency

‘Collaborative
robots, which
allow for rapid
repurposing
and
redeployment
of mechanical
automation,
are also
Figure 2: The chart highlights the relationship between the three automation philosophies and their
influencing cost-effectiveness. The horizontal axis displays the level of product variation from low mix to high mix
product lines. The vertical axis displays cost-effectiveness.
flexible
machine (or person) to make real-time adjustments instance, programmable automation control-
automation on the plant floor to maximize efficiency. lers (PACs) have combined motion and machine

’
Industrie 4.0, a European initiative designed control in one platform. These controllers are
designs. to encourage manufacturers to develop smart- designed to support both overall machine man-
er automated factories that essentially can think agement and specific coordinated motion through
and respond independently to changing dynam- servo-controlled actuation.
ics on the plant floor, also is pushing advance- Compared with traditional fluid power, elec-
ments in flexible automation. Industrie 4.0 focuses tromechanical actuation allows for more flexible
on developing smart factories, where automated positioning to accommodate new product sizes
equipment is programmed to be autonomous and and process changes. Specific motion profiles can
require minimal human intervention. be created to address the needs of specific prod-
Collaborative robots, which allow for rapid ucts going through the line. To realize the value
repurposing and redeployment of mechanical of flexible automation, the system must be able
automation, are also influencing flexible automa- to change setups between products quickly and
tion designs. As their name suggests, collabora- seamlessly. To accomplish this, the actuators must
tive robots work in conjunction with people to have the ability to address a variety of decisions
perform a variety of tasks, in a manner that pres- within the available workspace.
ents no safety risk. For instance, a collaborative As machine builders are pushed to address
robot can remove a part from a press and perform unique application challenges, component scale
a finishing operation that would typically be per- becomes more challenging. In the past, this may
formed by a person but not require the same level have been addressed by selecting different families
of machine guarding. of automation components from one machine to
There is also a lot of focus on maximizing the next to accommodate changes in speed, pay-
throughput and reducing downtime on produc- load, or thrust. It’s also important to select reliable
tion equipment contrasts with an industry increas- components to prevent premature failure.
ingly trending toward high mix, low-volume
manufacturing. Broader reach
All of these outside influences are combining Given the multitude of challenges that machine
to create an environment that is helping promote designers face in creating flexible automation,
flexible automation’s growth. what can manufacturers of electromechanical
components and mechanical stages do to allevi-
Leveraging existing technology ate some of these challenges? At least part of the
Beyond the external developments that have answer is in designing scalable and configurable
paved the way for the expansion of flexible auto- product platforms to address a broader range of
mation, the continued growth of existing auto- application demands.
mation technology has opened new doors. For Mechanical stages that are scalable were

26 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 designed with the specific intent of
addressing the significant amount of
variance in application demands, such
as capacity, speed, stroke length, chang-
es in payload or moment load, thrust,
and precision. A number of automation
platforms, such as articulated robotic
arms, can be employed to provide this
level of flexibility. Traditional robotic
arms were designed as fixed implants on Figure 3. Even in
a plant floor with the objective of pro- multi-axis configura-
ducing one output. tions, typically Carte-
However, with the emergence of col- sian or gantry solutions
laborative robots, it is easier to redeploy are extremely cost-
articulated arm systems in new applica- effective. Linear stages
tions. Linear mechanical stages can be typically can achieve
deployed in single-axis or multi-axis ori- higher payload and
entations that offer inherent flexibility. precision and address
As a single-axis stage, they are very a larger footprint than
cost-effective, but even in multi-axis con- robot arms.
figurations, typically Cartesian or gan-
try solutions are extremely cost-effective.
Linear stages typically can achieve higher
payload and precision and address a larger
footprint than robot arms. (See Figure 3.)
Touchscreens such as human-machine
interfaces (HMIs) allow for recipe control
and on-the-fly adjustment from one pro-
cess to another. These screens can be pre-
programmed with specific buttons and
alarms, allowing the operator to preview
system changes and select recipes that
will implement the machine changeovers
needed to accommodate different prod-
ucts or processes. Menu control through
an HMI simplifies changing stroke and
motion profiles to accommodate multiple
package sizes.

Less downtime
More technological breakthroughs are
undoubtedly around the corner to sup-
port the shift toward flexible automation.
Other technologies that haven’t been
deployed will be crucial in furthering the
shift away from fixed and programma-
ble automation. All these technologies,
coupled with an ever-increasing flow of
information and an ever-decreasing tol-
erance for downtime, will continue to set
the stage for the expansion of the flexible
automation age. ce

Jeremy Miller is product manager,

Parker Hannifin Corp. Edited by Chris
Vavra, production editor,
Control Engineering, CFE Media,
cvavra@cfemedia.com.
input #10 at www.controleng.com/information
CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 27
INDUSTRY NEWS and events

Study identifies six best practices

for supply chain transparency
A study from the University of Ten- “In fact,” he added, “many communications that brings
nessee, Knoxville’s Global Supply Chain see it as a work in process. about trust for suppliers and
Institute outlined the best practices for But it is important to estab- consumers.
leveraging transparency in supply chains lish and stick to a set of ide- The SC Johnson Compa-
for financial profit. als and goals on which they ny, one of the best-practice
The study describes six key practices: communicate progress.” companies interviewed and
While marketing incen- the sponsor of the report,
1. Embracing sustainability as a tives often provide the found that sweet spot allows
major business driver motivation for transpar- much greater communication
ency, UT’s study notes that Mike Burnette, than executives had expected.
2. Developing a culture of consumer demand for sus- director of Univer- “Last year we took an
transparency tainability creates risk in sity of Tennessee’s unprecedented step in the
the supply chain. Partnering Global Supply Chain industry by launching the
3. Partnering with sustainable with sustainable suppliers Institute. Courtesy: first product with 100% of
suppliers and ensuring that product University of Tennes- the fragrance ingredients
materials are traceable are see, Knoxville disclosed,” said Kelly M.
4. Ensuring traceability to enable prerequisites to increased Semrau, senior vice presi-
transparency communications with the public. dent for global corporate affairs, com-
“Consumers want to know where munication and sustainability at SC
5. Finding the transparency sweet a product came from, all the way to Johnson.
spot, and the cashmere goat herd on the slopes “We believe consumers should know
of the Himalayas,” Burnette said. “A a product’s ingredients so they can

‘
6. Employing outside auditing lack of ability to provide that kind of
partners. information in the face of safety or
environmental violations can create a
Partnering with sustainable
The company also must have com- negative perception of the brand that suppliers and ensuring
mitments to sustainability as a major may require immediate remediation
business driver and a culture of trans- and could take a brand years to recover that product materials are
parency driven by executive leadership. from, if at all.”
The report defined these two elements Poor traceability opens companies traceable are prerequisites
as supply chain integrity. to the possibility of slave or child labor,
“Companies don’t need to have their product contamination or the presence to increased public

’
sustainability practices completely fig- of conflict materials in their supply
ured out,” said Mike Burnette, director chains. Divulging supplier partner- communications.
of the Global Supply Chain Institute ships often involves proprietary busi-
and a co-author of the study, “Creating ness information, however, and the make educated choices about what they
a Transparent Supply Chain.” report advises finding a sweet spot in bring into their homes for their fami-
lies,” Semrau said.
SC Johnson worked with the Inter-
Motor and power generation national Fragrance Association to
companies acquired establish the ingredients’ safety and
sustainability, exemplifying the report’s
NIDEC CORP. has completed the acquisition of Leroy-Somer and Control Techniques, final recommendation: employ outside
Emerson Electric’s motors, drives, and electric power generation businesses. The acquisi- auditing partners.
tions are intended to broaden Nidec’s motor offering and product lineup, including variable “Companies must choose these
speed drives and a complete range of generators, and expand its global presence. These partners carefully, but they can never
businesses, which employ approximately 9,500 people in 42 countries, will be part of Nidec’s hope to replicate the databases of
Appliance, Commercial and Industrial Motor (ACIM) business unit. Through this acquisi- industry information that sustainability
tion, Nidec plans to strengthen its ability to serve power generation, pumping, air moving, coalitions compile,” Burnette said.
automation equipment, and other applications with an expanded line of IEC motors, variable Katie Williams, University of Ten-
speed drives (VSDs), and integrated motor and drive packages. nessee, Knoxville. Edited by Chris Vavra,
- Edited from a Nidec press release by CFE Media. production editor, Control Engineering,
CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

28 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

INDUSTRY NEWS and events

Four benefits of
manufacturing automation
In the United States, manufacturing for longer periods of time with compar- to be delegated to robots. That reduces
accounts for $2.17 trillion in annual eco- atively little impact on the maintenance accidents and helps workers maintain
nomic activity and more than 98% of U.S. outlook. This lets companies outperform their health over time.
manufacturers qualify as small businesses. even rivals with much simpler or low-
Facing global competition, manufacturers quality goods. 4. Automation means
must leverage every advantage to remain high-level focus
effective as they face global competition. 2. Automation means lower Tedious manual labor can simply be
Manufacturing automation, which includes overall costs left to the machines and allows manu-
robots, has been an essential part of this. Through automation, the complex facturing personnel can focus on the
Automation empowers small Ameri- process of fabricating a product can be best way to improve efficiency on the
can businesses to stand toe-to-toe with simplified to its most basic components. floor, expand their products’ capabilities,
entrenched rivals around the globe. Automation systems can be continuous- and many other engaging tasks.
With greater technical know-how and ly upgraded until they are as efficient as There’s a good reason why manufac-
stronger strategy, these companies can possible: Generating little waste heat, turing automation is being adopted from
continue to produce quality goods at using the minimum power, and focusing coast to coast: It benefits everyone. Thanks
affordable prices. on controlled and precise movements. to automation, even small companies can
But how does automation facilitate all All this makes manufacturing cheaper, bring about groundbreaking innovation
that? What’s the secret? Start by focus- which cuts cost and raises profit. that may be adopted around the world.
ing on these four benefits that automa- Today, we’re in the midst of a new automa-
tion offers. 3. Automation means tion boom that promises to fundamentally
workplace safety transform how manufacturing is done.
1. Automation means higher Even the most sophisticated robot- - Edited from the Robotics Industries’
productivity ic system is useless without human Association (RIA) Robotics Online Blog.
End-to-end factory automation can insight to guide it. When automation The RIA is a part of the Association for
double or even triple production com- is deployed in a factory, it means team Advancing Automation (A3), a CFE Media
pared to plants that use only a few auto- members no longer have to worry about content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra,
mation systems. Not only that, but the most dangerous and dirty tasks. Life- production editor, Control Engineering,
equipment can often be kept running threatening processes are often the first CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

Agricultural startup researching, developing beehive sensors

I
ndiana University alumni have launched an agriculture technology way for both the bees and the market that depends on them.”
startup called The Bee Corp. that is designed to monitor conditions The Bee Corp. owns and manages more than 100 hives in the
inside commercial beehives. The company is prepared to begin southern and central regions of Indiana. “We collect a comprehen-
research and development, building, and testing sensors to better sive data set to gain a stronger understanding about the factors that
understand bee needs and behaviors as well as reduce the substantial contribute to a strong, healthy hive as well as factors that cause hive
negative economic impact of the phenomenon known as colony col- mortality,” Wells said. “We will perform research to test the hypoth-
lapse disorder, and enhance beehive health in the United States and eses from the data we collect.”
around the world. According to a 2014 White House fact sheet, honey- Wells added the company has sourced sensor hardware from
bees contribute more than $15 billion annually to the U.S. economy. domestic and international suppliers. “During the next six months,
Former IU students CEO Ellie Symes, COO Simon Kuntz, CMO we will dedicate most of our resources to research, which will be
Wyatt Wells, and current student Lucas Moehle founded the Bee an ongoing process,” he said. “In the third quarter, we will split our
Corp.. Wells said commercial beekeepers travel around the coun- focus between research, data analysis and prototype development.”
try with beehives in their trucks to pollinate almonds, sunflowers, The Bee Corp. was established after the founders won a $100,000
apples, and other fruits. investment from the Indiana University Building Entrepreneurs in
“Since the onset of colony collapse disorder, or CCD, in 2007, Software and Technology (BEST) Competition in February 2016.
beekeepers have experienced annual hive loss rates of 30% on aver- Investors include the Indiana University Research and Technology
age,” he said. “Simultaneously, demand for honey and crops that Corp. The Bee Corp. also has received guidance and mentoring from
depend on honeybees for pollination has grown steadily, resulting in IU alumni as the founders have grown the business.
an increasingly volatile industry. Our aim is to gather information that Steve Martin, IIndiana University. Edited by Chris Vavra, produc-
we can use to help reduce this volatility and to do so in a sustainable tion editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

30 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Digital edition? Click on headlines for more details.
See news daily at www.controleng.com/news

Your Global Automation Partner

System integrator firm appoints new CEO
POLYTRON INC., an engineering consultancy and systems integration firm based in
Duluth, Ga., announced the appointment of Ronald Rich to CEO as of Jan. 1, following
the retirement of Polytron founder, Charles Jager. He joined Polytron in 1987 and has
been an officer in the company since 1994. He is a licensed professional engineer in the
State of Georgia and holds project management professional certification.
“I am humbled by this appointment. I believe in the people at Polytron and I am excited
about our future. We are uniquely positioned to be a dominant player as the industry
moves into the digital transformation era. Digital transformation technologies such as
the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), product lifecycle management (PLM), smart
manufacturing, and the like, represent tremendous opportunities for manufacturers to
gain competitive advantages.”
- Edited from a Polytron press release by CFE Media.

WARNING
Cybersecurity framework updated Not suitable for repairing
A draft update to the Framework for NIST’s program manager for the cyber- crummy sensors
Improving Critical Infrastructure Cyber- security framework. “This update is fully (or your reputation).
security—also known as the Cybersecurity compatible with the original framework,
Framework—provides details on managing and the framework remains voluntary and
cyber supply chain risks, clarifies key terms, flexible to adaptation.”
and introduces measurement methods for To assist users wanting to apply the
cybersecurity. The updated framework’s framework to cyber supply chain risk man- Rugged, reliable industrial
goal is to further develop the Nation- agement, the authors developed a vocabu-
al Institute of Standards and Technology’s lary so all organizations working together automation products from
(NIST) voluntary guidance to organiza- on a project can clearly understand cyber- Turck are built to perform in
tions on reducing cybersecurity risks. security needs. Examples of cyber supply
the toughest conditions, and

‘
The Cybersecurity chain risk management
Framework was pub- include a small business our engineered solutions
lished in February 2014
NIST: the Cybersecurity selecting a cloud ser-
are customized to meet
following a collabora- framework update is vice provider or a fed-
tive process involving eral agency contracting your application challenges.
compatible with the
industry, academia and with a system integrator
Cheap knock-offs can’t
government agencies, original and remains to build an IT system.
as directed by a presi- In the renamed and compare. Turck works!
voluntary and flexible

’
dential executive order. revised “Identity Man-
The original goal to adaptation. agement and Access
was to develop a vol- Control” category, the
untary framework to help organizations draft clarifies and expands the definitions
manage cybersecurity risk in the criti- of the terms “authentication” and “autho-
cal infrastructure, such as bridges and the rization.” Authors also added and defined uprox®3 Inductive
electric power grid, but the framework the related concept of “identity proofing.” Proximity Sensors
has been widely adopted by many types of The update introduces the notion of cyber- Developed to combine compact
organizations around the world. security measurement to get the conversa- sensor design with the longest
The 2017 draft “Framework for tion started, Barrett said. “Measurements switching distance to all metals

Improving Critical Infrastructure Cyberse- will be critical to ensure that cybersecuri- of all inductive proximity
sensors on
curity Version 1.1” incorporates feedback ty receives proper consideration in a larg-
the market.
since the release of framework version 1.0, er enterprise risk management discussion.”
and integrates comments from the Decem- April 10 is the comment deadline on
ber 2015 Request for Information as well as the draft Framework for Improving Criti-
comments from attendees at the Cyberse- cal Infrastructure Cybersecurity v1.1.
curity Framework Workshop 2016. Gregory Hale is editor and founder of
“We wrote this update to refine and ISSSource.com, a CFE Media content part-
enhance the original document and to ner. Edited by Chris Vavra, production editor,
make it easier to use,” said Matt Barrett, Control Engineering, cvavra@cfemedia.com. Call 1-800-544-7769
or visit info.turck.us/sensors
input #11 at www.controleng.com/information
www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 31
INDUSTRY NEWS and events
Digital edition? Click on headlines for more details.
See news daily at www.controleng.com/news

Process market opportunities for pump Headlines

suppliers expected to decline in 2017 online
Industry events
Destocking trends and consolidated tors and machine builders to reduce over-
At www.controleng.com, on the right side,
end-user markets will continue to place head and on-hand discrete stock. click on the events box and scroll by month
pressure on positive displacement pump In addition, larger pump suppliers are to see related industry events including:
suppliers, especially those with prod- providing more EPC and machine build-  CFE Media’s Marketing to Engineers Event,
ucts specialized for applications in under- er services. These two trends are driving Chicago, April 3,
performing process markets, until 2018, the positive displacement pumps mar- www.cfemedia.com/m2e/events/
according to research from the IHS Markit ket to maintain supply with less lead time  Automate 2017, ProMat 2017, Chicago, April 3-6
Postitive Displacement Pumps Database. between orders and fulfillment, deflating www.automateshow.com, www.promatshow.com
Upstream production cuts predictably led sales to the intermediary market.  Wind Dallas 2017, Dallas, April 10-12
to suppliers revising their 2017 pump sales www.windenergyupdate.com/
expectations downwards. Operational improvements operations-maintenance-usa/
Since early 2016, growth of commodity Industry analysts have noted that  Hannover Messe, Hannover,
prices and upstream business confidence upstream efficiency improvements have Germany, April 24-28
has prompted a slight recovery in produc- resulted in an increase in volume output of www.hannovermesse.de/home
tion; improvements to production effi- approximately 20%, while also achieving a  Offshore Technology Conference,
ciency amid mergers and acquisitions have decrease in time of 20%. These trends are May 1-4, Houston www.otcnet2017.org
resulted in fewer opportunities for compet- helping reduce the positive displacement  CSIA 2017 Executive Conference,
ing pump suppliers. pumps install base needed to maintain the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., May 2-5,
Both active and reactive destocking are current level of production. www.controlsys.org/events
forecast to hurt process markets through Top 5 Control Engineering articles
2017. Recent volatility in capital spending Kevin Schiller is senior analyst, IHS Feb. 20-26: Most visited articles included
and uncertainty regarding future demand Markit, a CFE Media content partner. See safety instrumented systems, Engineers’
have led to efforts among systems integra- more online. Choice, multi-platform fluency, SCADA/HMI
cybersecurity, permanent magnet motors.
PMI continues strong growth
Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing
manufacturers’ index (PMI) rose to 57.7% in
Keep Hazardous Operations Separate February, the sixth month of growth.
from People, Equipment, and Materials Company develops robotic arm for retail,
food and beverage industry
Ocado, a British-only supermarket com-
pany, is running a trial program with robotic
GORTITE VF AUTOMATED MACHINE SAFETY DOOR
®
arms in its automated warehouses for the
High-Speed Vertical Fabric Roll-Up picking and packing of shopping orders,
and is hoping to have them replace humans
• Fast Delivery for picking.
Fog computing reference architecture
• Field Adjustable The OpenFog Consortium released the
OpenFog Reference Architecture, which is
• Up to 2 Cycles/Min. a universal technical framework designed to
enable data-intensive requirements of the
• Configurable Design Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, and artificial
• Easy Installation (1 hour typical) intelligence (AI) applications.
Company expands consulting practice
• Safety Options (up to PLe/Cat-4*) with focus on IoT, Industrie 4.0
*when combined with appropriate machine CIMdata announced the expansion of its
logic and conformance to risk assessment manufacturing systems engineering (MSE)
consulting practice and will concentrate
on emerging technologies, including the
Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrie 4.0
SEE IT AT (BOOTH 1069) | APRIL 03-06, 2017 | MCCORMICK PLACE, CHICAGO, IL practices.

THREE WAYS FOR MORE INFO: DYNATECT.COM/AMSD | SALES@DYNATECT.COM | 800 -298-2066

Step-by-step approach to Industrie 4.0
Companies that a take a pragmatic step-by-
step approach to Industrie 4.0 are most likely
to realize potential benefits for operations.

input #12 at www.controleng.com/information 32 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING

 CFE Media’s
Global System Integrator Database

CFE Media’s Global System Integrator Database is an interactive community

of global end-users and system integrators hosted by Control Engineering, Plant
Engineering, and our global partners in Asia and Europe.

The newest version of the online database is even easier to use.

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 COVER STORY Big Data, IIoT

Strategy and
standards help determine
Big Data, IIoT value
There are many tools for capturing the potential value Big Data and the Industrial Internet
of Things (IIoT) provide, but companies need to know what kind of information they want
and how to gather it securely.

C
ompanies that want to capitalize on dynamic production allocation and object-orient-
Big Data and the Industrial Internet ed manufacturing where the IoT-enabled plant can
of Things (IIoT) are trying to unlock autonomously move production steps based on
and harness the value from the data machine line/module availability or other factors.
they are gathering. However, as the Machine builders have a different focus
old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s and priority with Big Data. They use data to
treasure,” and that is true in terms of machine enhance machine performance or predictive
and production data. A machine builder’s Big maintenance services.
Data priorities may be very different from the They dive deep into the details of an indi-
information an end user manufacturer desires. vidual machine’s operation through analyt-
The first steps required for determining the ics software. Analytics tools assist in creating
data types necessary for each application are data models that help machine builders deter-
identifying the key business and production mine ideal machine operation variables and
challenges IIoT technology should address. After identify possible areas of improvement in
that, a plan must be created to store and analyze terms of mechanical, electronic, and software
data to generate insights that will help support components.
continuous improvement efforts within a com-
pany’s operations. Data analytics benefits
On the end user side, this may include a wide New analytics solutions provide a wealth of
range of information types—including catego- features that are designed to provide the per-
MORE ries such as direct, indirect, or derived data— fect mix of high-performance and cost-effec-
ADVICE depending on the established goals. Direct or tive operation. For example, high-level analytics
KEY CONCEPTS
“raw” data such as field sensor information is software running on a PC-based control plat-
Companies need to have a specific unfiltered and often hasn’t been converted into form logs data cyclically. It leverages the speed
strategy before they try to harness engineering units. Indirect data, such as motor of modern industrial Ethernet protocols to gath-
value from Big Data and the Industrial temperature or vibration data, might be filtered. er machine data in real time during every pro-
Internet of Things (IIoT). Derived data, which comes from data acquisition grammable logic controller (PLC) cycle. The
Machine builders and end users and subsequent calculations, include metrics data may include motion system performance,
have very different goals with Big
Data and the IIoT, and companies such as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). maximum torque, motor temperature, and
need to account for that. machine state timing.
Standardized data formats are Data details: users, machine builders The collected data can be used to help drive
bringing IT and automation closer Most often, the end user seeks optimiza- decisions on machine component specifica-
together. tion of throughput and overall plant effective- tions to remedy any perceived areas of weak-
GO ONLINE ness by comparing production lines across the ness. Machine builders often require aggregated
Read this story online at enterprise or streamlining operations via sup- metadata to accompany the “regular” data as a
www.controleng.com for additional ply chain management (SCM) initiatives. These means to correlate the many variables involved
images and related stories about
Big Data and the IIoT. efforts are designed to enable the company to in machine optimization. For example, machine
make positive changes such as shifting produc- operating temperatures may be tracked over a
CONSIDER THIS
What else should companies
tion runs to maximize throughput and prod- long period of time and the accompanying meta-
consider when looking to derive infor- uct variety. Another strategy could involve data may be used to reveal the overall state of the
mation from Big Data or the IIoT? implementing future-oriented concepts such as machine when temperature spikes or dips occur.

34 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 ‘ Data may
include
motion system
performance,
maximum
torque, motor
temperature,
and machine

’
state timing.

Big Data, IoT standards, protocols the recorded date is not defined by the protocol, Cover image: Power-
Data structures and standards are impor- which allows it to be packaged in a neutral for- ful system integrated
tant for assuring industry conformance and mat, such as java string object notation (JSON), analytics tools help con-
represent that important first step towards reg- or in a compact format such as binary. This data- trols engineers optimize
ulated data acquisition and transmission meth- interchange format is easy for industrial controls machines, equipment,
ods. As IoT and cloud technologies continue to to understand and it enables interoperability for and processes. Courtesy:
make inroads into industrial markets, data and many cloud platforms, middle layer software, Beckhoff Automation
protocol standardization efforts will become and analytics packages on the market.
important forces behind conformance and Standardized data formats represent another
interoperability. important step toward the convergence of infor-
Working groups such as the OPC Founda- mation technology (IT) and automation. It also
tion have highlighted the need for improved data assures that industrial devices present all data
acquisition and transmission in higher-level sys- in a widely usable format that can be parsed to
tems while maintaining defined data structures find the data’s real value. Regardless of a compa-
and data access rights. ny’s priorities and focus, there are hardware and
More companies also are using established software tools available to help generate more
IoT protocols to transmit data to the dashboards actionable data to improve production. ce
of plant engineering staff and decision mak-
ers. These protocols are designed to define the Daymon Thompson, automation product spe-
data transports mechanism, which is a channel cialist, Beckhoff Automation. Edited by Chris
where the data can be moved to a local database Vavra, production editor, Control Engineering,
or in a public or private cloud. The format of cvavra@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 35

 COVER STORY Big Data, network monitoring

Gathering Big Data analytics

through network monitoring
Big Data analytics allow manufacturers to make smarter and better decisions,
and improve their operations and network monitoring.

B
ig Data is thriving with multiple levels that comes off its production line. That means
of information cascading across net- running each chip through 19,000 tests.
works on a global basis with the direct Using Big Data for predictive analytics, Intel
intent to hike business efficiency and was able to cut the amount of tests required for
productivity while profits remain on quality assurance. Starting at the wafer level,
an upward trend. Intel analyzed data from the manufacturing pro-
When a manufacturer employs Big Data ana- cess to focus on specific tests.
lytics, that means the business is much more The result was a savings of $3 million in man-
dependent on the healthy and correct operation ufacturing costs for a single line of Intel Core
of the network than it ever has been before. The processors. By expanding Big Data use in chip
business is making decisions based on those ana- manufacturing, the company expects to save $30
lytics and if that data is not available, it can cost million.
the business big time.
When shifting the business over to a stronger Keeping an eye on the network
dependency on technology, a network monitor- But if the network is not able to pull key
ing tool is very important to ensure everything information from a myriad of sensors and get
remains functional and available. That’s because it into the proper analytics engine, then forget
networks are getting much bigger and more about the millions of dollars in cost savings.
complex, and as a result, there is a greater poten- On top of that, Big Data also now involves
tial for multiple points of failure. A monitoring the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which
tool that keeps a watchful eye out for any mis- means an additional flood of data is coming
steps can help mitigate any issues. from more sensors, which also can drive up the
One case in point is manufacturing chips at sophistication and the size of the network.
Intel. The industry giant has to test every chip Further, in certain processing environments
MORE
ADVICE
KEY CONCEPTS
Manufacturers that employ Big Data
analytics are more dependent on the
healthy and correct operation of the
‘ Intel analyzed data from the manufacturing process to focus on
specific tests. The result was a savings of $3 million in manufacturing
network than before. costs for a single line of Intel Core processors. By expanding Big Data
Operations can use Big Data analyt-

’
ics to dive deep, identify patterns and use in chip manufacturing, the company expects to save $30 million.
relationships among process steps

‘
and inputs, and optimize the factors
that have the greatest effect on yield. Manufacturing operations can use advanced analytics to
Big Data comes down to networks
and functional business units. dive deep into historical process data, identify patterns and
GO ONLINE
Read this story online at relationships among process steps and inputs, and then optimize
www.controleng.com for additional
information about Big Data and the IIoT. the factors that prove to have the greatest effect on yield; benefits
CONSIDER THIS can include supply planning, manufacturing process defect
What other benefits can Big Data

’
provide for manufacturers? tracking, and supplier, components, and parts defect tracking.

36 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and mining,
extreme swings in variability are common.

‘
Given the added complexity of production,
manufacturers need a deeper and more intense Manufacturers have greatly expanded the size
way to diagnose and correct issues. That is and complexity of their network to add sensors
where analytics from a network monitoring
tool come into play. By adding statistics and in an effort to boost process knowledge and then
other mathematical tools to business data, it is

’
possible to assess and improve practices.
drive the data back into their servers.
In manufacturing, operations can use

‘
advanced analytics to dive deep into histori- .
cal process data, identify patterns and rela- Big Data comes down to networks and functional
tionships among process steps and inputs, and business units and the more the industry starts
then optimize the factors that prove to have the
greatest effect on yield. using networks and information technology
In one survey, Tata Consultancy Services
asked manufacturers to rate the following Big
(IT) resources, the more data that will end up
Data benefits and the biggest were product qual- generated which could give a big boost to any
ity and defects tracking. Other benefits men-

’
tioned were supply planning, manufacturing manufacturing enterprise.
process defect tracking, and supplier, compo-
nents, and parts defect tracking. .
to be able to do a forensic investigation just in
Analytics opportunities case there is some type of accidental or mali-
With more users taking advantage of the cious incident on the network.
opportunities analytics bring to the table,
their networks are growing quickly. With that Archiving data
growth and reliance, being able to monitor Along those lines, it is possible to archive
what is going on is worth its weight in gold. network data over days, weeks, months, and
From a Big Data point of view, manufactur- years, to provide a different insight as to how
ers want to see the massive amounts of infor- the network has changed over time. Typically,
mation they can process from other tools. It is the user would view capacity levels and then
possible to pull data from the network mon- determine if an upgrade is in order. Now, with
itoring tool and export or extract that infor- all the data available, the user can ask, “Do we
mation out into other Big Data pulls that have need to upgrade or do we need to change what
analytics engines already developed. we allow on the network or should we split the
It is then possible to view network data and network and take the traffic with this type of
cull any vital facts showing possible anoma- communication and move it over here instead
lies or issues that support growing productivity so we are not spending too much money in one
within the manufacturing enterprise. area when we don’t have to?”
In the operations technology (OT) envi- Big Data comes down to networks and func-
ronment, manufacturers are using Big Data tional business units and the more the industry
to drive improvements to their product and starts using networks and information technol-
their process. In that world, they have greatly ogy resources, the more data that will end up
expanded the size and complexity of their net- generated which could give a big boost to any
work to add these sensors in an effort to boost manufacturing enterprise.
process knowledge and then drive the data That changeover to a stronger dependency
back into their servers. on technology doesn’t have to be difficult. A
They must ensure they can communicate network monitoring tool can ensure everything
with their sensors through their network, so remains functional and available—and the pro-
that ends up being a real-time monitoring task. cess keeps rolling along profitably. ce
While the positive side is a vast wealth of
knowledge that can help move the manufactur- Gregory Hale is editor and founder of Industrial Safe-
er forward, the flip side is that the move greatly ty and Security Source (ISSSource.com) a CFE Media
expands its attack surface, so they need to have content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, production
the capability to capture—and store—vital data editor, Control Engineering, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 37

 EDGE COMPUTING IIOT

4IIoT connectivity
challenges for businesses
Business must develop
a strategy and implement
a solution that bridges
the gap between opera-
tions technology (OT) and
information technology
(IT). Courtesy: Kepware

Companies looking to implement an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) strategy need

to address several potential issues as they seek to bridge the gap between operations
technology (OT) and information technology (IT).

A
Genpact Research Institute sur- communication mediums are not likely to be
MORE vey shows 81% of executives IP derivatives. Consequently, a hodgepodge
ADVICE agree that Internet of Things of industrial networks has been created with-
KEY CONCEPTS
(IoT) adoption will be critical to out attention to the future possibility of being
Companies need to find a way to the future success of their compa- connected to the Internet. As a result, organiza-
seamlessly enable devices or “things” nies, yet only 25% have a clear Industrial Inter- tions must develop a plan to enable such dispa-
that live at the edge of the network. net of Things (IIoT) strategy. As organizations rate communication mediums to work together
Challenges include connecting look to develop such plans, one of the biggest to achieve a successful IIoT strategy.
disparate communication mediums challenges is seamlessly enabling devices or
and utilizing non-standard forms of
communication. “things” that live at the edge of the network. To 2. Using non-standard methods
Companies that address these bridge the gap between operations technology of identification
challenges will be able to mine the (OT) and information technology (IT), busi- Unlike IP addresses in the IT world, many
rich amounts of information the Indus- nesses must develop a strategy and implement industrial things don’t use standard address-
trial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers. a solution that addresses the following four able schemes for uniquely identifying them-
GO ONLINE critical issues. selves on the network. Instead, their schemes
See additional information about vary by vendor and type, and they may or may
edge computing and data storage at
www.controleng.com.
1. Connecting disparate not have built-in discovery mechanisms. Innate
communication mediums knowledge by an integration expert is required
CONSIDER THIS Very often, industrial networking technol- to connect the things in a way that makes them
What other methods can be used
to ensure a cohesive strategy for the
ogies do not leverage Ethernet as their physi- function as a whole.
IIoT? cal communications layer. Instead, they may
ONLINE EXTRA
use anything from RS232/485 to modems to 3. Determining a request/
See related articles about the IIoT proprietary wiring depending on the environ- response model
and Industrie 4.0 linked below and on ment and what comprises the system. Likewise, Industrial networks have historically fol-
the IIoT, Industrie 4.0 page. the data protocols that are exposed over these lowed a request/response model. If a particular

38 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

thing is interested in a piece of data contained
in another thing, it will make an appropriate
connection, request the piece of data, and wait
for a response containing the result. Although
this pull model is fine for things living with-
‘ A plan is required to ensure
disparate communication mediums
in the same digital boundary of operations, it
won’t work for the outside IT world because of can work together to achieve a
security and scalability requirements. Instead,

’
IIoT likely needs a push model, where indus- successful IIoT strategy.
trial data flows outbound to a cloud platform.

4. Enabling short-term data storage All these challenges are key for businesses to
Within the context of a single industri- keep in mind when developing processes and
al network, thousands of things together may identifying products to help bridge the gap
generate several thousand data points. Though between OT and IT. The IIoT presents great
this sounds like a small set of data, real-time opportunities for organizations. But they first
operations requirements will necessitate these need a clear, cohesive needs strategy in place
points to be sampled at sub-millisecond rates for that to happen. Organizations that have
for data change detection. In the past, this access to the most amounts of information will
high-frequency data would be simply ana- be able to make more informed decisions across
lyzed, acted on accordingly, and thrown away. the enterprise. ce
As companies move to making this data avail-
able to IIoT, they will need short-term stor- Tony Paine is Kepware platform president. Edited
age to ensure it can be pushed to other parties by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engi-
when needed. neering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

Control Engineering Webcasts help

you obtain educational information
on specific topics and learn about the
latest industry trends.
Webcasts Check out some of our Webcasts on
topics like:

• Choosing sensors for the application

• lloT series: OT/IT convergence,
collaboration
• lloT series: Edge, cloud, fog computing
• lloT series: Maintenance optimization
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• lloT series: Network integration, cyber
security
• Motors and drives
www.controleng.com/webcast
• Human-machine interface hardware,
software
 SMART GRID energy company uses IoT

Industrial Internet of Things

makes Smart Grid smarter
Duke Energy, an electric and gas company, is working to reduce downtime and improve
customer service to its roughly 7.2 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest with
Smart Grid technologies.

D
uke Energy, an electric and gas reality (AR) glasses that let technicians view
company, aims to improve metrics 3-D wiring schematics as they work.
related to maintenance and down-
time, and optimize energy supply Self-healing networks
to help improve customer relation- Sacha Fontaine has been a consultant for
ships and revenue. And it’s using the Industrial Duke’s smart grid division since 2010. He
Internet of Things (IIoT) to help its Smart Grid explained how Duke Energy has worked on
initiative. advanced meter infrastructure (AMI), which
Lynn Good, Duke Energy’s chairman, presi- connects smart meters, communications net-
dent, and CEO, talked about how IoT is playing a works and data management systems together to
role. “We’re exploring how the Internet of Things enable customers to better manage their energy
and other advancements could make these types supply. He also talked deployment of self-healing
of applications possible and enabling consumers networks.
to customize their energy experience in unprec- These networks, Fontaine said, offer value
edented ways.” She continued that customers now to the business and to the customer because
are craving the same control and convenience they do what personnel used to do manually.
from every service provider. “The bar has been In the past, an individual would monitor the
raised, and the electric industry is no exception.” system but wouldn’t automatically be alerted to
For example, the company has been using a fault on the power line. Manually, they would
self-healing grid technologies to isolate and have to see where to isolate the fault, so that
correct faults with millisecond decision cycles, the fewest number of customers are inconve-
as well as drones for monitoring hard-to-reach nienced and left in the dark. Then, they would
places, such as a 40-ft high transmission line or see what alternative sources of power could be
a 500-acre solar farm. used (not on the fault line).
Duke Energy is not alone in this technology “It could take an hour. You have to send a
innovation. Companies in the electric indus- crew to locate and isolate the fault, then get the
MORE try are considering such ideas as apps that turn power rerouted, and finally you could send the
ADVICE smartphones into infrared cameras to find crew to fix the fault,” explained Fontaine.
KEY CONCEPTS
trouble spots on a power line, or augmented “With IoT, we have remotely controllable
IIoT technologies are helping the
Smart Grid.
Duke Energy is using smart meters,
 BY THE NUMBERS
self-healing networks, and smarter
data management. Duke Energy, based in Charlotte, N. C., is a U.S.-based sustainable electric and
gas company that serves roughly 7.2 million customers in the Southeast and
More sensors and predictive analyt-
ics also help.
GO ONLINE Midwest. The 112-year-old firm owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak
For more, see the Jan. 19 post,
“Energy company using smart grids to generation, and distributes it to its customers. The 58,200 megawatts cover some
reduce downtime.” See the IIoT page
at www.controleng.com. 104,000-sq miles with 250,200 miles of distribution lines. Almost all of
CONSIDER THIS
Duke Energy’s power generation comes from coal, natural gas, or oil.
How could you be using Smart Grid
technologies?

40 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

devices through the grid that immediately alert
us to outages. This takes it out of the hands of
the dispatchers and puts it into a centralized
system that would make the same decisions
‘ IoT will play a big part here from
evaluating customer connections to
the system operator would make, but just a lot
faster.” analyzing grid and weather conditions;
Through algorithms and machine-learn-
ing technologies, these networks can evaluate sensors give intelligence and can lead
capacity, choose alternative sources, and isolate
the smallest section of the network to isolate energy providers to an age of smart
and repair.

’
“What used to take about an hour now takes energy and predictive modeling.
less than 30 seconds, so it’s a great improve-
ment in terms of customer minutes of inter-
ruption,” Fontaine said. but it’s at an exploratory stage. Fontaine urges
Another IoT project, AMI, was initially rolled companies to “Try and see beyond immediate
out across five states in 2014. Duke, the biggest benefits of technology,” saying that technology
utility company in the U.S., worked with Itron, should be the “Building block for future bene-
Cisco, and other tech firms to deploy smart fits to customers and the company and not tech
meters—building blocks which enable distri- for tech’s sake.”
bution automation, distributed generation,
and a host of other distributed intelligence and Future of renewable energy
embedded sensing applications. Pilot projects The future is “definitely going to be renew-
allowed customers to track time-of-use rates, able energy, or what a utility company might
get peak time rebates, and see critical peak call distributed energy resources,” Fontaine
pricing. said. “Integrating that into the existing grid is
Customers in these pilot programs used not as simple as it might seem because of exist-
smart thermostats, web portals, and direct load ing infrastructure—we built the grid to send
control devices to reduce their electricity con- power one way from plant to end customer.
sumption and peak demand. What’s happened with distributed energy—for
“AMI was a great example; smart meters example solar—is that now power can flow back
allowed us to do remote readings of energy into the grid, and this happens without the util-
usage every 15 minutes instead of every month,” ity explicitly controlling that power flow. This is
Fontaine said, adding, “the firm could remotely a huge change for utilities.”
connect and disconnect service over the mesh Fontaine added, “IoT will play a big part
network as necessary.” here from evaluating customer connections to
Other technologies are being looked at, analyzing grid and weather conditions. Sen-
sors give intelligence and can lead energy pro-

‘
viders to an age of smart energy and predictive
Why Smart Grid? Integrating modeling.”
Good summarized the future of the com-
pany and its approach to innovation: “I often
renewables into the existing get asked the question, ‘Are you innovating fast
enough?’ The answer is more complicated than
grid is not as simple as it yes or no. A company can’t chase every new,
shiny object. I have to provide reliable energy
might seem because it to 23 million people every day. You have to be
disciplined and thoughtful about setting priori-
ties and allocating resources. Once you do, run
happens without the utility toward your goal—fast.” ce

controlling that power flow;

Doug Drinkwater is editor at Internet of Busi-

’
ness, which is a CFE Media content partner. Edit-
it’s a huge change. ed by Chris Vavra, CFE Media,
cvavra@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 41

 AUTOMATION standards update

Standards revisions:
robots and robotic systems
The current version of the Industrial Robot Safety Standard, ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012, is a U.S. national
adoption of the ISO 10218-2011, Part 1, Robots, and Part 2, Robotic Systems. Look for new versions
of these documents in the 2020 or 2021 timeframe. Also see information on collaborative robots,
loading and unloading stations, end-effectors, and lockout and tagout.

V
arious standards and guidance  For the purpose of ISO 10218 and ANSI/
documents govern and help those RIA R15.06, it’s important to distinguish
working with robotics and motion between the terms “robot” and “robot
control. The current version of system.”
the Industrial Robot Safety Stan-
dard, ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012, is a U.S. nation-  “Robot” includes the robot arm and
al adoption of the ISO 10218-2011, Part 1, controller; “robot system” includes the
Robots, and Part 2, Robotic Systems. Those in robot, the end-effector (end-of-arm tool-
compliance with the R15.06, 2012 version also ing or EOAT), and any other machinery,
are in compliance with the 10218, 2011 ver- equipment, devices, etc., supporting the
sion. These standards will continue to be the robot in performing its task.
current versions at least through 2020. Look
for new versions of these documents in the  The ISO 10218:1,2-2011 and ANSI/RIA
2020 or 2021 timeframe. R15.06:2012 require that a risk assessment
MORE The ISO (international standards) group will be conducted for each integrated robot
ADVICE begin updating the ISO 10218 standard later application. It is the integrator’s respon-
KEY CONCEPTS this year; the revision process is expected to take sibility to ensure that this required risk
ISO 10218-2011, Part 1, Robots, and about three years, which gives us the 2020 target assessment is completed.
Part 2, Robotic Systems, and the U.S. publication date.
adoption of it, R15.06, will likely be Following that revision of the 10218, our  RIA TR R15.306:2016 describes one task-
revised in the 2020-2021 timeframe.
standards committees in the U.S. will revise the based risk assessment method that meets
ISO TS 15066:2016 on collabora-
tive robot safety was published in R15.06 as well. the requirements of the standard.
February 2016. The U.S. adoption of In both the ISO and ANSI (U.S.) robotics
this, RIA TR R15.606-2016, will be communities, we currently are working on sup- Collaborative robotics, safety
published soon. plemental documents to help people apply these In the U.S., these supplemental documents
Standards covering lockout/tagout standards. are registered with ANSI and are known as Tech-
and safety of integrated manufactur-
Some key things to know about robots and nical Reports. We are just about to publish a U.S.
ing systems also are important.
robotic systems: version of the ISO TS 15066:2016, the RIA TR
GO ONLINE
At www.controleng.com, also see,

‘
“Robots and automation save jobs;
standards help,” posted Jan. 11, and
link to other advice and where the With collaborative robot safety, it’s really important to
standards are available.
Automate 2017, April 3-6, in Chicago, assess and mitigate any risks of the system—precisely
includes training on robotics and
standards.
because we anticipate people and robots working in
CONSIDER THIS

’
Should one person in an organiza-
tion know all the standards, or should close proximity.
everyone know something about
each?

42 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

R15.606-2016, on safety of collaborative robot

‘
systems. We also are starting work on two new
TRs in the U.S., one of which is on guidance for
users, which we hope to complete by the end of
The workstation, the end-
2017; the other is on testing methods for power effector, the workpiece
and force limiting for collaborative robot sys-
tems, which likely will be published in 2018. itself, the potential
In the ISO world, supplemental documents
can be either Technical Reports (TRs), similar presence of multiple
to the ANSI-registered TRs, or Technical Spec-
ifications (TSs). The difference is that the ISO robots and other
TS describes requirements that are expected to
mature to an International Standard (IS) level in equipment in a cell are
the future. In the standards world, this means a just some of the many
TS is a “normative” document and can contain
normative requirements. factors that also must
On the other hand, the TR is an “informative”
document—that is, it cannot contain require- be taken into account
ments but can only inform. The recently-pub-
lished ISO TS 15066:2016 on collaborative robot when planning for a safe

’
safety is an example of a normative document.
Because it is so recently published, it will not be robotic installation.
revised for several years.
Some key things to know about collaborative
robot safety include:
of TS 15066 assumes that the robot system
 The application is key. There are some under consideration is in compliance with
tasks which are simply not well suited to Part 1 and Part 2 of ISO 10218:2011.
collaborative operation, even if the robot
that is performing the task is power- and Loading, unloading; end-effectors
force-limited and called a “collaborative” The ISO group also is working on two TRs,
robot. both of which are expected to be completed in
2017. One is on the safety of manual load/unload
 The concept of a robot system is also stations, and the other is on end-effector safety.
important. The robot is not working in iso- Those with interest in robotics in food and
lation. The workstation, the end-effector, beverage applications may be interested in a
the workpiece itself, the potential presence non-RIA standard.
of multiple robots and other equipment The “3-A Sanitary Standard 3-A 103-00, Robot-
in a cell are just some of the many fac- based Automation Systems,” for use in the food
tors that also must be taken into account industry, was published in September 2016, by 3-A
when planning for a safe robotic installa- Sanitary Standards Inc.
tion. This is still the case even when using Outside the robot-specific world, there are some
robots designed for collaboration. other standards on industrial safety that RIA mem-
bers may want to know. These are the recently
 A risk assessment of the collaborative updated ANSI/ASSE Z244.1 on Lockout, Tagout
robot system is also important. Even when and Alternative Methods, published in late 2016.
using a robot designed for collaborative B11.20 on Safety Requirements for Integrated
use, it’s really important to assess and mit- Manufacturing Systems is being updated right now,
igate any risks of the system—precisely with an anticipated publication date in 2017. ce
because we anticipate people and robots
working in close proximity. Carole Franklin is director of standards develop-
ment, Robotic Industries Association (RIA), part
 It’s important to understand the founda- of Association for Advancing Automation (A3),
tional standard in addition to the collabor- a CFE Media content partner. Edited by Mark
ative supplement. TS 15066 builds upon the T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control
ISO 10218 standard. That is, effective use Engineering, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 43

 PROCESS industry standards

Standardizing control system

programming with IEC 61131-3
For the first time in the history of industrial controls, industrial control system (ICS) programming—
regardless of the controller type—can be implemented with the same standard, and the programs
created with that standard easily can be transported from one compliant control system to another.

W
ith the PLCopen IEC 61131- proprietary hardware vendor and associated pro-
3 standard, ICS users are free prietary software. ICS application programs
to choose the optimum hard- developed with the IEC 61131-3 and PLCopen
ware to use with their applica- standards can be transported from one compli-
tions and are no longer locked ant integrated development environment (IDE) to
into single-vendor proprietary hardware because another. At last count, the IEC 61131-3/PLCopen-
of their investment in software written to closed compliant platform is being used by more than
proprietary standards. 350 OEMs. Parallels can be drawn to the 1980s
The latest version of the IEC 61131-3 interna- when early PC vendors provided their own oper-
tional industrial control programming standard ating systems until consolidating on Microsoft and
provides low-level languages for detailed program- Apple, or the 1990s when early smartphone ven-
mable logic controller (PLC) and programmable dors provided their own operating systems until
automation controller (PAC) programming as well consolidating around Android and iOS. A similar
as object-oriented language features for creating consolidation in the ICS application programming
and configuring high-level distributed control sys- world is underway now that unifying standards
tem (DCS) and industrial PC (IPC) objects. From and methodologies are available.
MORE low-level discrete PLC programming to high-lev-
ADVICE el continuous process DCS/S88 programming— IEC 61131-3 tools
built in the same environment with the same IEC 61131-3 provides traditional relay lad-
KEY CONCEPTS
The latest version of the IEC 61131-
programming language standard—IEC 61131- der logic (LD) and flat memory space to ease the
3 control programming standard 3 and modern development environments allow transition for programmers moving from older
provides languages for programmable ICS programmers to fully simulate their program tools. But IEC 61131-3 also includes structured
logic controllers (PLCs), program- and human-machine interface (HMI) screens to and object-oriented programming tools for cre-
mable automation controllers (PACs), ensure systems will be valid on deployment. ating higher-level applications, much to the relief
distributed control systems (DCSs),
and industrial PCs (IPCs) objects. Control engineers face a daunting variety of of the new generation of engineers entering the
IEC 61131-3 languages include choices in tools and techniques for programming industry who often bristle at the thought of pro-
traditional relay ladder logic (LD), industrial controllers. Tools have evolved along gramming in their great-grandparents’ language.
structured text (ST), and sequential different trajectories partially due to the task they These tools include three new programming lan-
function chart (SFC). were called to accomplish, but mostly due to the guages, language-neutral hierarchical function
IEC 61131-3 hierarchical design limitations of early hardware, evolution of tools blocks, symbolic hierarchical addressing, point-
techniques make plant controls easy
to design, and result in designs that
within application silos, proprietary features of ers, methods, inheritance, and interfaces.
are very useful for plant maintenance. each automation supplier, and a lack of interna- In addition to the traditional LD, the new IEC
tional standards. Fortunately, modern hardware 61131-3 languages include structured text (ST),
GO ONLINE
Link to additional online resources, and modern standards including IEC 61131-3, sequential function chart (SFC), and continuous
DCS/PLC migration, and related PLCopen, and OPC-UA have made it possible to function chart (CFC). Ladder remains a good
content at develop ICS applications from PLC, through PAC, tool for what it was originally invented for nearly
www.controleng.com/archives, under safety, remote terminal unit (RTU), motion, IPC, a century ago: simple discrete logic that could be
March 2017.
DCS, and all the way to S88/S95 in the same envi- implemented in relays and timers. SFC is a great
CONSIDER THIS ronment under the same standard. It’s no longer language for sequential or state-based operations
Think about what it would be like to necessary to learn and use different tools for vary- (anywhere the next action depends on history
implement industrial control system
(ICS) programming—regardless of the ing industrial control needs. and inputs). CFC is a new graphical language
controller type—that can be trans- Likewise, with these modern standards, it and is an excellent high-level tool for placing and
ported among control systems. is no longer necessary to be locked into a single interconnecting pre-built or custom-built blocks.

44 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Figure 2: The language-agnostic nature of IEC 61131-3 allows a motor con-
troller to be implemented in the best language for the purpose: sequential
function chart (SFC) steps with ladder logic (LD) transitions and structured text
(ST) actions.

built from input sensor, control, PD pump, and

pump objects, which themselves are built from
lower-level objects. The control object also is
built from lower-level objects, which includes
an SFC to manage flushing and filling, as well

‘
Figure 1: IEC 61131-3 provides traditional relay as control blocks to manage the PD pump and
ladder logic (LD) and flat memory space to ease the pump control loops.
transition for programmers moving from older tools. Those control blocks are made of a custom Not only do
All images courtesy: Bedrock Automation block implemented in ST, which subtracts the
difference between integration of the input flow
IEC 61131-3
CFC serves the same purpose, but is a vastly value and the accumulation of the PD pump hierarchical
superior alternative to placing library blocks or pulses. The output of that block drives a low-pass
add-on instructions in ladder logic. And ST is filter from the free Open Source Community for design
good for all other programming (loops, condi- Automation Technology (OSCAT) open-source
tionals, complex math, bit manipulation, etc.). controls library, which then drives an OSCAT pro- techniques
portional-integral-derivative (PID) block.
Feature flexibility Not only do IEC 61131-3 hierarchical design
make plant
The powerful features of IEC 61131-3 allow techniques make plant controls easy to design, controls easy to
the same language to create programs as small as they also result in designs that are very useful
a PLC motor controller, or as large as a DCS pro- for plant maintenance. Consider a plant tech- design, they also
cess plant. For example, a motor controller can nician being called to deal with an issue with a
be implemented in ladder as shown in Figure 1. silica PD pump motor in mix tank 2 in process result in designs
Or, because its behavior depends on its history, it area 3. The technician can begin at the top and that are very
may make more sense to implement in SFC. The double-click on each block as shown in Figure
SFC implementation can use an optimum mix of 3 until reaching the silica PD pump on the con- useful for plant

’
languages with the states being implemented in trol and equipment view, or go directly there via
SFC, the transitions in LD, and the actions in ST the device view. maintenance.
(see Figure 2). When there, the technician examines the
Lower-level models, such as the motor con- inputs to the PD pump to verify the motor is
troller, can be assembled to make higher-level being commanded to run. If so, the technician
models. These building blocks can be custom- would drill down into the PD pump and into its
made models or objects from a process library. motor model to see why the motor is not run-
Figure 3 shows how an entire DCS process plant ning. If the motor is not commanded to run,
can be built from mix tank models that are then the technician would drill down into the

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 45

PROCESS industry standards

‘ Of course, no ICS

design is complete

until it can be

tested and proved

’
correct.

.
upstream control block to determine
why the sequence is stuck in the state
prior to running the motor. Because
the control code mirrors the plant
hierarchy, navigating to the applicable
area of the control code is intuitive.
And, because all the physical input/out-
put (I/O) is located in the equipment
models, finding and fixing issues also
is intuitive. There would be no need to
train plant technicians on com-
plex procedures for troubleshoot-
ing complex control code.
Going a step further, inheri-
tance and pointers can be used
to implement S88 and S95 modeling techniques
directly in IEC 61131-3, which will become
increasingly important as different control plat-
forms are deployed in batch and enterprise wide
integration schemes involving connected assets
(see Figure 4). The left side shows how an equip-
ment base class containing I/O and functionality
common to all equipment can be inherited by mul-
tiple unit classes—which define the I/O and phases
for the class—and themselves can be inherited by
multiple equipment types—which also define the
unique operation for that type.
Phases, which are built with a similar class
structure, define the operations, which are possi-
ble on an equipment unit class.
These phases are then instan-
tiated into the equipment unit
classes for which they are valid.
Operations, procedures, mod-
ules, and process cells similar-
ly are structured to make up a
complete S88 system.
The right side of Figure 4 shows how objects
of this class hierarchy are instantiated in the
project. The base class gathers information
Figure 3: The plant view, and control and equipment views provide easy to about the equipment, along with its associated
understand structures that intuitively match the hierarchy of the plant, and hier- phases, and records this information in a regis-
archical design from pretested library blocks simplifies design and maintenance try. This registry is then made available to a batch
of complex distributed control systems (DCSs). server via OPC-UA, which uses this information

46 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Figure 4: IEC 61131-3 object-oriented pro-
gramming (OOP) features including inheritance,
interfaces, and pointers provide a simple imple-
mentation of S88 batch processes.

to determine where and how to implement batch

processes. Based on the selected recipe and idle
equipment, the batch server then sends selec-
tions back to the main program via OPC-UA,
which then uses the pointers stored in the regis-
try to execute the desired phases on the desired
equipment.
Thanks to inheritance, the complexity of the
base class operations is hidden from the program-
mer. All the programmer needs to do is assemble
library blocks that differentiates the equipment
types. Or, using dynamic objects, the structure
could be configured from the batch server as well.

Proof is in the testing

Of course, no ICS design is complete until it can
be tested and proved correct. Fortunately, the fea-
tures in IEC 61131-3 and its implementations pro-
vide the tools to make this step very easy. Figure 5
shows how plant simulation blocks can be assem-
bled to create a complete plant simulation model,
which can be connected into the control code inter-
changeably with the physical I/O.
The control and simulation code then can be
executed on a PC-based runtime simulator so
the control applications of a complete system can
be proven to be error-free before any hardware
is purchased. Using the PC-runtime’s OPC-UA
server also allows the HMI screens to be designed
and tested. This results in the confidence that the
ICS design is complete and correct before installa-
tion or commissioning begins. ce
Figure 5: IEC 61131-3 object-oriented features
Gary Pratt is the applications engineering man- and built-in full-function simulators promote con-
ager for Bedrock Automation. Edited by Jack trol, and human-machine interface (HMI) validation
Smith, content manager, CFE Media, Control and verification before the project is deployed.
Engineering, jsmith@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 47

 INSIDE PROCESS PID tuning

The PID learning process

While there are many excellent loop tuning methods available, many practitioners prefer tweaking
proportional-integral-derivative (PID) tuning constants or using rules-of-thumb rather than doing the
required step test and data analysis. But having knowledge about how the individual PID components
interact can go a long way to learning proper tuning theory and methods.

P
ID control consists of proportional, using an appropriate rule, this is often not prac-
integral, and derivative actions. The tical. An operator may not be comfortable with
interrelationship between these three putting certain loops in manual (even if the tun-
components often is misunderstood. ing is not ideal) and even more so with step tests.
This is further aggravated by differ- Inevitably, many loops are still tuned closed-loop
ent implementations of the basic PID algorithm, by trial and error. It may take a very long time to
namely PI-D or I-PD (see Table “Helpful abbre- find good tuning by making small adjustments
viations” on page P3). To address these issues, a to the tuning constants. But making larger adjust-
PID simulator was developed in Excel that shows ments can be riskier and easily lead to oscillating
how the different PID components interact. loops and subsequent plant upsets.
This idea was then converted to an online tool While experienced practitioners are able to
that will run parallel to the PID equations in the get good results with this method, it is usually a
plant, showing the contributions of proportional, very time consuming process. For novices who
integral, and derivative actions separately. This is do not fully understand how the proportional,
an excellent training tool for teaching new con- integral, and derivative components of a PID
trol engineers the interactions between the pro- loop interact with each other, it can be much
MORE
portional, integral, and derivative components. It more difficult to find optimal tuning constants.
ADVICE also is useful to assist practitioners with closed- To address this issue, an offline PID simulator
KEY CONCEPTS loop PID troubleshooting and tuning. was developed in Microsoft Excel. This used the
A proportional-integral-derivative different PID algorithms (PID, P-ID, and I-PD)
(PID) training simulator was devel- Background and showed changes in setpoint (SP), process
oped in Excel that shows how the
different PID components interact While it is ideal to tune loops by first apply- variable (PV), and controller output (OP) on a
then converted to an online tool that ing a manual step test, determining the process chart. At the same time, a second chart showed
runs parallel to the PID equations in dynamics, and then calculating tuning constants the proportional, integral, and derivative compo-
the plant, showing the contributions nents separately (see Figure 1).
of proportional, integral, and deriva-
tive actions separately.
This simulator was used as a training tool to
The calculation of the proportional,
enable novice engineers to better understand the
integral, and derivative parts is done complexities regarding PID control, including tun-
using vendor-specific equations to ing different PID algorithms.
ensure complete accuracy. Tuning It was then decided to deploy a real-time ver-
changes are then made while sion on a distributed control system (DCS) control-
monitoring the control loop with the
software. ling a live plant. The idea was to create a tool that
The use of vendor-specific equations could, in real time, split the output of an actual PID
further aids the control engineer to controller into the proportional part, the integral
understand how their specific PID part, and the derivative part in real time and pro-
algorithms work. vide trends of these. This was done by replicating
GO ONLINE the PID algorithms used on the DCS in Excel.
Link to additional online resources, The trends shown in Figure 2 clearly show
PID loop tuning, and related content the different contributions of the components of
at www.controleng.com/archives,
under March 2017. PID and aid the control engineer in determin-
ing which tuning parameters need adjustment
CONSIDER THIS
How adept at tuning proportional-
as well has how much to adjust them. They also
integral-derivative (PID) loops are the Figure 1: Offline proportional-integral-derivative aid novice engineers in understanding the exact
control engineers in your plant? (PID) simulator. All images courtesy: Sasol impact of changing tuning parameters.

P1 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 Figure 2: Real-time
proportional-integral-deriv-
ative (PID) spreadsheet
graphs.

Implementation of software squared error (ISE) and integral over time of

From the beginning of the software devel- absolute error (ITAE) are trended together. The
opment, it was decided that the solution should values for the last two trends are calculated over
not require purchasing any additional software, a configurable moving time window, and pro-
be easy to use, and be as general as possible. For vide quantitative indications of the performance
these reasons, it was decided to implement the of the loop.
software in Excel using a Microsoft Visual Basic On a separate worksheet shown in Figure
for Applications (VBA) script and a free OPC 4, several basic loop tuning rules are provided.
library. For initial setup, the OPC library should The engineer simply enters values for the pro-
be installed and the Excel spreadsheet contain- cess dynamics (if they are known) and tuning
ing the code must be copied onto the machine. constants are calculated automatically. The engi-
The user then should insert the name of the neer also can include additional tuning rules if
server where the tags are stored, the OPC server desired.
name, and the tag name of the loop being tuned After tuning is completed, the engineer can
into the spreadsheet and begin the data collec- save the Excel document with a new filename
tion. All the other necessary information (pro- and then have a record of the tuning changes
cess variable range, tuning constants, controller done along with the improvement of the loop’s
mode, etc.) is automatically acquired by the performance.
software (see Figure 3).
The calculation of the proportional, inte- Results of the offline tool
gral, and derivative parts is done using vendor- The offline tool was used mostly to teach new Figure 3: proportional-
specific equations to ensure complete accuracy. control engineers the complexities of PID con- integral-derivative (PID)
Tuning changes are then made while monitoring trol. In Figure 5, a typical view that is normally parameters acquired from
the control loop with the software. used to teach PID control can be seen. the distributed control sys-
Note that six trends are provided to assist The PI-D algorithm was used and the loop tem (DCS) via OPC.
with the loop tuning. Setpoint and process vari- subjected to a SP change and a disturbance of
able are trended together, with controller out- equal magnitude. What can be seen here is that:
put below. Proportional, integral, and derivative
parts of the controller output are trended together  The loop shows a reasonable response to
with tuning constant values below. This means SP changes and disturbances
the engineer does not need to keep track of tun-  PV noise influences the OP response.
ing changes as it is done automatically.
Finally, controller output variance is shown When the second chart in Figure 6 is consid-
below the controller output and integral of ered, it also can be shown that:

Figure 4: Various tuning rules.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | P2

INSIDE PROCESS PID tuning

 Even though the PID algorithm used filters

with the derivative action, most of the PV
noise reflected in the response of the loop
is because of the derivative action. Some of
the noisy OP signal is because of the pro-
portional action, and noise has very little
impact on the integral component.
 In Figure 6, the sharp OP response on the
Figure 5: Typical proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loop with a setpoint (SP) SP change would lead engineers to believe
change and disturbance. that the proportional action is dominant.
When figure 6 is considered, it shows that
integral action does most of the work.
 Because of the noise, the interaction of the
derivative component is hidden.

If the first example is repeated without any

noise on the PV signal, the effect of derivative
interaction can be examined more clearly.
Figure 6: P, I, and D components associated with Figure 5. Not much more can be learned when com-
paring Figure 7 to Figure 5. But when Figure 8
is compared with Figure 6, the following can be
highlighted to students:

 Note how the proportional component

returns to 0 as PV error returns to 0. This
can be used to explain why proportional
action alone never can return a loop to
setpoint.
 Also note the interaction between pro-
Figure 7: Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) response without process vari- portional and integral. Proportion-
able (PV) noise. al quickly increases the OP and then
decreases it again as error starts decreas-
ing. During this time, integral action
must smoothly take over and keep the
OP higher than before.
 Note how the derivative action counter-
acts the proportional and integral action
during the SP change, but assists during
the disturbance rejection. Keep in mind
Figure 8: P, I, and D components without noise. that the PI-D algorithm was used.

Table: Helpful abbreviations The simulation also can be used to:

Acronym or  Allow trainees to experiment with
Meaning
abbreviation
and see the impact of different tuning
PID Proportional, integral, and derivative control constants.
PID algorithm Proportional, integral, and derivative on error  Show the interactions between P, I, and
D with different PID algorithms such as
PV Process variable, or measurement that should be controlled
PID and I-PD.
PI-D Proportional and integral on error; derivative on PV  Demonstrate tuning changes required to
I-PD Integral on error, proportional and derivative on PV
stop a cycle on a control loop.
 Demonstrate the impact of valve stiction
SP Setpoint or target value for the PV on loop tuning.
OP Controller output, also called manipulated variable (MV)  Show how algorithms such as I only or P
only work.
DCS Distributed control system
 Show the undesired derivative kick
OPC OLE (object linking and embedding) for process control when making a SP change using the PID
Source: Sasol algorithm.

P3 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

  How P only can eliminate offset when
controlling an integrating variable.

Results of the online tool

Two examples where the software was used
are shown. In Example 1, a cycling loop is
shown. Expert control engineers will be able to
discern that the cycle is caused by too aggres-
sive integral action but a novice can use the
trends shown in Figure 9. Here, it clearly shows
that the major contributor to the control action
is the integral action. After the integral time is
increased, the cycle stops.
Notice that even though only one tuning
parameter was changed, all three components Figure 9: Trends showing how changing the integral time affects the P, I, and D
have changed. This is due to the interactive parts of controller output (OP) as well as controller performance.
nature of P, I, and D. By increasing integral time,
we have decreased the OP movement, which in
turn has decreased the PV movement (in this
case). This then decreases the movement of all
three components of the PID algorithm and the
cycle stops. The effect on OP variance, ITAE,
and ISE also is shown in Figure 10.
In Example 2, the output of the controller is
excessively noisy. Figure 11 shows the cause of
this is excessive derivative action. After decreas-
ing the derivative time, the output is much less
noisy.

Tuning in action
The interactions of P, I, and D can be com-
plex to understand and the matter is made even
more complicated by the various implementa-
tions of the PID algorithm by different vendors.
Implementing software as described can be done
by any control engineer with some programming Figure 10: Effect of tuning change on controller output (OP) variance and error.
experience, without any extra costs.
The simulation provides a valuable train-
ing tool for new engineers learning about PID
control that intuitively illustrates the effects and
interactions of P, I, and D. The live tool can be
used to aid an engineer in the tuning process as
well as provide quantitative indications of con-
trol improvements. The use of vendor-specific
equations further aids the control engineer to
understand how their specific PID algorithms
work. ce

Nic van der Mey is a control engineer working

on ethylene separation and LAN units at Secunda
Chemical Operations plant of Sasol, Secunda,
South Africa.
Gustaf Gous is a lead specialist in control engineer-
ing working at the Secunda Chemical Operations
plant of Sasol, Secunda, South Africa.
Edited by Jack Smith, content manager, CFE Media,
Control Engineering, jsmith@cfemedia.com. Figure 11: Effect of derivative on controller output (OP) noise.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | P4

 INSIDE PROCESS radar level measurement

Getting focused:
Using 80 GHz radar sensors
for liquid level measurement
The introduction of 80-GHz radar sensors represents a paradigm shift in liquid-level measurement.
High-frequency devices have ushered in an era of new possibilities for the process control industry,
due to signal focusing. An 80 GHz radar sensor can do things that its predecessors cannot.

U
sing 80 GHz transmission frequency diameter antenna was limited to a beam angle of
liquid-level measurement can improve approximately 10 deg. These instruments picked
signal focusing to allow accurate, reli- up reflections from vessel installations that dis-
able measurement in tanks with torted the returning signal, forcing users to make
agitators, heating coils, and other adjustments to monitor the true liquid level.
internal obstructions. That’s because a narrower With an antenna of the same size, 80 GHz
emitted beam makes radar a realistic option for gauges emit a beam angle of only 3 deg. This
use on ball valves, and increased transmission allows them to be used in vessels with internal
frequency correlates to a smaller antenna mak- installations or heavy buildup on the walls. The
ing it ideal for retrofitting and use on smaller focused microwave beam simply avoids these
tanks. obstacles as if they aren’t even there. This is wel-
come news in chemical and food production,
Focused beam avoids where obtrusive internals are the norm and space
obstructions is at a premium (see Figure 1).
Increased focus of the beam An exciting benefit of increased
angle is the principal benefit of signal focusing is the perfor-
80 GHz radar instruments— mance of 80 GHz radar sen-
the one improvement that sors when mounted on ball
MORE makes the rest possible. In valves.Historically, attaching
every process, focus is cru- a 26 GHz radar gauge to a
ADVICE cial to accurate level mea- ball valve and receiving
KEY CONCEPTS surement, and these new an accurate level measure-
Increased focus of the beam angle instruments emit the most ment has been a significant
is the principal benefit of 80 GHz radar
instruments.
focused signals on the challenge. Ball valves con-
Radar sensor antenna size
market. tain many interior surfaces
decreases as transmission frequency Plant operators have that reflect radar signals.
increases. struggled with unfocused To make matters worse,
In liquid applications where foam radar for decades—particu- they often are used in
is rampant, a guided wave radar larly in liquid-level applica- combination with a bleed
(GWR) sensor is usually a more appro- tions. The wide beam angle ring that can create even
priate solution than an 80 GHz sensor
of 26 GHz sensors (and 6 more signal noise. These
GO ONLINE GHz sensors before them)
Link to additional online resources,
radar level sensors, and related
made it difficult for radar Figure 1: The focused beam
content under March 2017 at signals to miss agitators, (yellow) of 80 GHz radar sen-
www.controleng.com/archives. heating coils, and other vessel sors avoids internal agitators
CONSIDER THIS internals. For example, a radar that contact the 26 GHz radar
Do you trust the accuracy of the level sensor with a transmission fre- beam (gray). All images cour-
sensors in your plant? quency of 26 GHz and an 80 mm- tesy: VEGA Americas

P5 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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input #13 at www.controleng.com/information

INSIDE PROCESS radar level measurement

‘
The increased
focus of high-
reflections make it difficult to discern which
signals are generated by the valve and which are
from the product. This confusion forces opera-
tors to turn to instrumentation manufacturers
on a ball valve, but the increased focus of 80 GHz
radar sensors creates other benefits for users.

Small antennas take radar where

frequency for help, but the best solutions often are difficult radar has never gone before
to implement and may require periods of trial Amping up a radar sensor’s focus has an
gauges means and error despite the best efforts of plant tech- opposite effect on its antenna—its size decreases
nicians. Before long, the manufacturer’s tech is as transmission frequency increases. An 80 GHz
fewer signals onsite servicing the 26 GHz radar. sensor, therefore, does not require a large horn
The increased focus of high-frequency to focus its beam at the measured material. The
are reflected gauges means fewer signals are reflected by the signals take a narrow beam all on their own. The
valve’s interior. This minimized noise creates saved space makes a huge impact, particularly as
by the valve’s a clear picture of the level inside a tank. Users it applies to retrofitting.
across the world have experienced consistent Plants now can integrate the most advanced

’
interior. level measurement mounting an 80 GHz radar radar devices into an existing process without
gauge on garden-variety 3-inch and 4-inch ball shelling out thousands of dollars for vessel modi-
valves. The bigger the valve, the clearer the sig- fications. For users who have longed for radar but
nal, but 80 GHz sensors also are performing could not afford a retrofit, this news is tantamount
well on 2-inch ball valves. to a budget increase. Smaller instruments, however,
This is a big break for users who need ball aren’t just good for old vessels; they also can help
valves to separate their equipment from their manufacturers stay nimble and market-responsive.
product but have avoided installing a radar-level There’s a trend in the pharmaceutical and chem-
device because the degree of measurement dif- ical industries toward batch production. Batch-
ficulty was too great. Radar’s accuracy and low- ing allows operators to produce seasonal and
maintenance reliability is now a viable option. low-volume products with less financial invest-
Superior focus makes for accurate measure- ment. Small batches are produced in small ves-
ment without adjustment even when mounted sels, where conventional wisdom says using

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input #14 at www.controleng.com/information

 My operators have poor visibility
to potential issues.
They need to view, process, and make
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Improve operations performance. Operator performance can impact plant safety and
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The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co. © 2017 Emerson Electric Co.

input #15 at www.controleng.com/information

INSIDE PROCESS radar level measurement

‘
Limitations of high
High-frequency instruments are not transmission frequency
There are certain scenarios where 80 GHz
sensors are limited. In liquid applications where
recommended for use on stilling foam is rampant, a guided wave radar (GWR)
sensor is usually a more appropriate solution
than an 80 GHz sensor because a GWR transmit-

’
ter emits a concentrated radar pulse conducted via
wells or on standpipes. a probe that will not be absorbed into the foam.
That’s not to say 80 GHz radar won’t work in appli-
cations with foam, just that guided wave sensors
typically work better.
radar is impossible due to small process connec- Additionally, high-frequency instruments are
tions. Thanks to the compact antenna of 80 GHz not recommended for use on stilling wells or on
radar sensors, that is no longer true, and oper- standpipes. This is an instance where high fre-
ators no longer have to sacrifice accurate mea- quency works against the application. Note that
surement in the name of space (see Figure 2). 80 GHz beams have more modes (think, path-
ways) to the product, and in the confined space
Enhanced resolution measures of a stilling well, signals from those modes create
to the last drop a confusing level reading. Again, 80 GHz radar
Any fan of cliché action films is familiar sensors will work, but 6 GHz sensors are going
with this scene: An investigator stands behind to output a measurement that is easier to read.
a computer whiz in a laboratory full of expen-
sive-looking surveillance equipment. They are Looking ahead
watching a grainy piece of closed-circuit video, This cannot be overstated: 80 GHz transmis-
knowing that one of the pixelated figures on the sion frequency changes everything as it concerns
Figure 2: Small screen is a criminal mastermind. The liquid-level measurement. Superior signal focus-
process fittings make computer whiz punches a few keys ing allows for accurate, reliable measurement
80 GHz radar sensors and the word “enhance” appears in tanks with agitators, heating coils, and other
ideal for retrofitting in green letters on the computer internals. Plus, the narrower emitted beam makes
onto existing screen. The blurry face gets a radar a realistic option for use on ball valves. The
tanks. little clearer. increased transmission frequency correlates to a
The computer whiz clacks smaller antenna that is ideal for retrofitting and
away at the keyboard and use on smaller tanks, and enhanced resolution
enhances the footage once lets users make the most of every vessel. The
more, revealing a crystal- future of radar level sensors is here. That future
clear image of the villain’s is 80 GHz. ce
face. This might be an exam-
ple of lazy screenwriting, but it’s Gregory Tischler is a product manager at VEGA
a good analogy of the difference in Americas and is responsible for radar and
resolution one would experience when guided wave radar sensors. He has almost 20
switching from low-frequency to high-fre- years of experience in the industrial automation
quency radar sensors. industry, all with VEGA Americas. He is a vot-
When the level of liquid in a vessel gets low ing member of the American Society of Mechani-
enough, 26 GHz radar is unable to distinguish cal Engineers Bioprocessing Equipment Process
the signal returned by the remaining prod- Instrumentation subcommittee, which is responsi-
uct from that of the tank bottom, and the user ble for writing instrumentation standards for bio-
rightly thinks the vessel is empty when it isn’t. processing equipment, and he was also an active
This is the same as the action-movie computer member of the Measurement, Control & Auto-
whiz being unable to enhance surveillance foot- mation Association committee responsible for
age. Limited resolution presents a natural handi- shaping new Federal Communications Commis-
cap to process efficiency. Ultra-focused 80 GHz sion rules for tank level probing radars (Section
devices measure liquid down to the last millime- 15.256), which were released in 2014.
ter in the tank, giving users accurate data that
can help optimize their processes. It won’t thwart Tom Brewer is marketing content specialist at
a terrorist attack or prevent an elaborate heist, VEGA Americas. Edited by Jack Smith, content
but the enhanced resolution of 80 GHz radar manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering,
sensors helps users avoid waste. jsmith@cfemedia.com.

P9 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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input #16 at www.controleng.com/information

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2017_CE_eNews_HalfHorizontal.indd 1 1/3/2017 4:45:47 PM

NEW PRODUCTS and software
See more products daily at www.controleng.com/products.

Wireless process sensing and monitoring

solutions industrial applications
Wireless Industrial Networks’ (WIN) wireless process sensing and condition-based
monitoring solutions are designed for the industrial, factory, and commercial appli-
cations. The wireless products include a gateway, universal transmitter, and a selec-
tion of measurement sensors. Applications include motor temperature and current
draw, pump vibration, bearing vibration or temperature monitoring, conveyor vibra-
tion monitoring, exhaust and cooling tower fan monitoring, filter monitoring, and
more. The WIN wireless solution also consists of a data manager and web dashboard.
Wireless Industrial Networks (WIN), www.wirelessindustrialnetworks.com
Input #202 at www.controleng.com/information

WirelessHART gas detector has five-year battery life

United Electric Controls’ WirelessHART gas detector is designed to monitor the presence of harmful gases for
more than five years without a battery replacement. The Vanguard WirelessHART gas detector reduces monitor-
ing costs and increases safety by eliminating fixed wiring. Field-interchangeable gas sensor modules detect
and record hydrogen sulfide or methane gas in parts per million or percent of lower explosive limits respec-
tively, along with network and battery status. WirelessHART 7.2 technology carries signals to local 128 x
64 pixel digital displays or other IEC 62591 compatible connections—all of which integrate seamlessly with
existing supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) or asset management (AMS) systems.
United Electric Controls, www.ueonline.com
Input #203 at www.controleng.com/information

Predictive monitoring Power

and analytics system meter with
for pump applications WirelessHART
The PumpSense sensor-based technology
system from Prophecy Sensor- The Emerson
lytics is a predictive diagnostics WirelessHART
technology to alert pump/blow- power meter is
er users to developing problems designed to make electrical demand and consumption mea-
and prescribe fixes without any need for outside support, exper- surement available via a secure and reliable network across
tise, or data analysis. Designed for integration by original equip- numerous markets. The power meter’s small physical foot-
ment manufacturer (OEM) pump manufacturers, PumpSense print and WirelessHART technology makes it simple and
generates easy-to-understand graphics and text-based action- quick to install, enabling businesses to monitor voltage, cur-
able maintenance advice before issues can escalate. It suits pump/ rent, power, energy, and other electrical parameters on sin-
blower applications such as agriculture, electronics, environmen- gle- and three-phase electrical systems in real-time with
tal, food and beverage, medical, mining, pharmaceuticals, plastics, revenue-grade accuracy. Real-time monitoring of electricity
and the textile industry. The online real-time system monitors consumption and instantaneous demand enables more gran-
and measure filter status, oil status, pump utilization, and vacu- ular energy management and effective equipment monitor-
um or pressure level. ing, security and reliability.
Prophecy Sensorlytics, www.prophecysensorlytics.com Emerson, www.emerson.com
Input #204 at www.controleng.com/information Input #205 at www.controleng.com/information

PLC data logger for collecting historical, production, troubleshooting data

InterConnecting Automation’s FC-LOG is a programmable logic controller (PLC) data logger that is
designed to collect historical and production data as well as troubleshoot machines when needed. The
4GB PLC logger can be plugged into a computer via USB and operates as a mass storage device and can
collect up to 60 samples per second, holding up to 148 million records in CSV format. The FC-LOG can
diagnose problems at a remote site and keeps track of uptime, downtime, and reasons why a machine or
connected device failed to operate to help the user accurately fix issues. It can also save information in
a Microsoft Excel .csv format for ease of use. The FC-LOG collects digital and analog values as well as any
other parameter available from a Modbus-enabled device. The PLC data logger takes less than 10 minutes
to configure and video instructions are included.
InterConnecting Automation Inc., www.plclogger.com, Input #206 at www.controleng.com/information

58 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 More resources posted daily at:

www.controleng.com

digital edition
Exclusives, Online Extras: Benefits of the Control Engineering Digital Edition include
tablet-friendly viewing (HTML5), exclusive content in every issue; headlines link to the
longer version posted online; links are live where a URL is provided; and an email link
arrives when ready. In addition, link to additional “Online Extra” articles.

DIGITAL EDITION EXCLUSIVES

DE1 Derive value from IIoT data
Collecting data from the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) isn’t enough; companies need to know
what to do with it. They also need safeguards to ensure the data they’re processing isn’t breached.

DE3 IoT impact on process manufacturing environments

Internet of Things (IoT) in the manufacturing world is about data and how to get more. Process manufactur-
ing companies seeking advantages can make more money with strategic data capture of overall equipment
effectiveness (OEE) metrics, uptime, reliability, manual input, energy output, and equipment-based production
costs.

ONLINE EXTRAS (Click on the headlines or search www.controleng.com.)

The consumerization of robots and its impact

The next industrial revolution will be powered by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and especially
robotics, and consumerization will be the primary driver for innovation.

Researchers adding human intuition to planning algorithms

Researchers at MIT are encoding the strategies of high-performing human planners in a machine-readable
algorithm form and improving overall performance by 10 to 15%.

ICS attacks rise in 2016, according to report

A report by IBM Managed Security Services said that industrial control systems (ICS) attacks with the largest
rise coming from brute force attacks on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.

Top 4 job-hunting tips

Finding a job in engineering takes skill, focus, and persistence.

Process optimization can reduce costs

Get a better sense of the big picture and make adjustments to your operation and cut costs through process
optimization.

Four preventive maintenance mistakes to avoid

When building a preventive maintenance (PM) program, it’s important to ensure the new program represents
an improvement over the reactive maintenance it’s replacing and that it includes the necessary supportive
back-end systems and processes to ensure the program is efficient.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 59

 DIGITAL EDITION exclusive

Derive value from IIoT data

Collecting data from the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) isn’t enough; companies need to know
what to do with it. They also need safeguards to ensure the data they’re processing isn’t breached.

O
ne of the biggest challenges of adopt- responsiveness can be integrated into other busi-
ing the Industrial Internet of Things ness systems in ways unforeseen by the original
(IIoT) is knowing how to derive project team. The ability to easily integrate IIoT
value from the onslaught of data information into multiple systems is critical to for
gained from it. realizing the full potential of IIoT.
While data overload isn’t the goal, it easily can But a common concern people have about it
become the byproduct of IIoT, and that quickly can is that IIoT’s interconnected nature may expose a
stifle the process’s worth. Too much data is of little company’s assets to new and sophisticated exter-
use, and even can become a distraction. Success- nal attacks. This is absolutely true—the uncon-
fully interpreting data and translating it into useful trolled sharing of IIoT information brings risks.
information is a process that takes skill and ana- What if poor cybersecurity lets criminals access
lytics, but—most importantly—a clearly defined, the door operations data? Could they use such
goal-oriented strategy. The goal with IIoT is not access to plan crimes (such as knowing when a
only about collecting data, but knowing exactly door is removed for service) or for covering up
what will be done with it. their crimes (by tampering with the logs)?
Bill Brown of Stanley Black & Decker shared Poor security also can inhibit the trustworthi-
at the 2016 IoT Tech Expo about how a focused ness of the data, resulting in a garbage-in/garbage-
IIoT effort improved one of his company’s service out scenario. Simple tampering with unsecured logs
programs. from the plant floor can give a misleading view of
Stanley Black & Decker makes automated slid- what is happening. And poor data management can
ing glass doors that often are used at the entrance have far more serious repercussions, including the
of some major supermarkets and other retailers. leak of critical corporate secrets or assets.
Prior to the IIoT deployment, predictive main- Robust security liberates your network and
tenance of the doors proved to be a challenge greatly enhances the opportunities derived there-
for the vendor, Brown said. So Stanley Black & of. Technology is about the tools you choose and
MORE Decker launched an IIoT project to collect infor- implement; security is what enables the process:
ADVICE mation from the doors. Think of it as the “how” of a puzzle. As such, it
“We don’t have to wait for [the doors] to break must never be implemented as an afterthought. By
KEY CONCEPTS and for somebody to call us,” Brown said. Now we bringing security experts to the table, you have the
Too much data derived from the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can just look and see when something is a little opportunity to expose your thoughts and architec-
is of little use, and can becoming a out of alignment or one of the motors is getting a tural plans to an exclusive group of experts—but
distraction. little hotter than the others.” The result is Stanley also ensure they have been screened and vetted,
IIoT security needs to be designed Black & Decker has been able to reduce its costs with signed and legal guarantees of confidentiality.
from the start and companies should and improve their customers’ satisfaction with the Through the analysis, critique, and guidance of
enlist expert help if it isn’t available
in-house to help ensure maximum
reliability of their product. these experts, you attain the confidence that you’ve
value.
Real benefits, real risks

‘
The IIoT provides long-term benefits
by establishing a platform for continu- The Stanley Black & Decker case also high-
ous development, offering a greater
return on investment (ROI).
lights how IIoT can have complex security impli- We can look and see
cations. Doors are the firewalls of the physical
GO ONLINE security world—they can control who or what when something is a
Read this story online for part 1 of enters or leaves a building. And like firewalls,
this 2-part series, “Companies need
monitoring their activity and correlating it with
little out of alignment
to change focus, mindset on IIoT secu-
rity” at www.controleng.com. other systems (like CCTV video surveillance or or a motors is getting
inventory tracking) significantly can improve

’
CONSIDER THIS
What other challenges could come security and reduce losses. a little hotter.
up with IIoT security and collecting An IIoT project, like the Stanley doors project
data? that was initially designed to improve maintenance

DE1 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

covered your bases and solved your issues before  Monitor your IIoT system continuously

‘
launching the respective projects. to understand vulnerabilities and manage
emerging threats. It essential to detect issues Adoption of
Build robust security as early as possible.
The best IIoT systems are those designed IIoT provides
with security and robustness in mind. They IIoT shouldn’t be a raw or experimental prac-
include elements such as automated failback fea- tice. It must be designed reliably and with evolving
immediate
tures, an increased tolerance for short-term fail- security systems that are punctually followed and benefits, such
ures, and security monitoring within the system updated. Otherwise it’s no different than installing a
operations plan. burglar alarm system in your house and never both- as improved
Brown explained his company’s IIoT deploy- ering to activate it.
ments couldn’t be cloud-centric—they needed to be As Vimal Kapur, president of Honeywell Process reliability
able to work on premise. “If the Internet connec- Solutions, said, “IIoT is an evolution... it is moving
tion goes down, your system still needs to function.” legacy systems into the new age of technology to
and reduced
Experts such as Steven C. Venema, chief secu- take advantage of everything [that] new technology downtime. It
rity architect of Polyverse Corp., recommend and connectivity have to bring.”
reviewing the ISA/IEC 62443 standards (formerly establishes a
known as ISA99) as a preliminary roadmap toward Gaining access to information
partitioned architectures for the ICS/SCADA At its core, IIoT is a strategy based on quicker platform for
domain. “Partition your equipment and systems solutions, grounded on perspective; it is a new way continuous
designs,” Venema said, “to allow security compo- of examining an old problem. We’ve always had
nents to be updated on a faster cycle than other the data—test results, analytics, asset management development,
operational components.” information, and maintenance information—but it’s
The ISA/IEC 62443 document, also sometimes often been inaccessible, overlooked, or obscured in and greater
referred to as the complete security life cycle pro- the operating procedures.
gram for industrial automation and control systems, If we can get our security strategy right,
ROI, with more

’
consists of 11 standards and technical reports, and we have an opportunity to rethink the way the formation.
introduces the concepts of zones, which are group- industry integrates the data buried in the manu-
ings of logical or physical assets that share common facturing process.
security requirements based on criticality, con- The leading businesses of the digital future will
sequence, and other such factors. Equipment in a be the ones embracing the challenges and oppor-
zone should share a strong security level capability tunities of IIoT, harnessing this competitive advan-
and conduits, which are paths for information flow tage to enjoy faster growth and sustainable success.
between zones. ISA/IEC 62443 standards also pro- The adoption of IIoT provides immediate
vide requirements based on a company’s assessment benefits, such as improved reliability and reduced
of cyberattack risks and vulnerabilities. downtime. Simultaneously, it also enables long-
In an IIoT security checklist, strategize accord- term benefits by establishing a platform for con-
ingly to ensure and implement the following proac- tinuous development, offering a greater return on
tive and protective measures: investment (ROI) due to an influx of information
quantity and quality.
 Embed security from the start. Never leave it By creating a forward-thinking company cul-
as an afterthought. ture, maintaining corporate focus, and design-
ing IIoT systems with appropriate security
 Enlist expert help. Fuse a team of senior man- measures, your business can overcome obstacles
agement and security specialists who can and strategically implement IIoT best practices
communicate and work together to design to gain an immense competitive advantage in
protective strategic measures that work seam- the digital future. ce
lessly with the plant’s (and whatever products
or services therein) functionality and features.
Eric J. Byres is a leading expert in the field of
 Compartmentalize IIoT solutions into industrial control system (ICS) and Industri-
security zones to prevent the spread of mal- al Internet of Things (IIoT) security. This con-
ware throughout the plant. In tandem, inte- tent originally appeared on ISSSource.com, a CFE
grate security best practices during each Media content partner. Edited by Chris Vavra, pro-
phase of the developmental process on the duction editor, Control Engineering, CFE Media,
plant floor. cvavra@cfemedia.com.

www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | DE2

 DIGITAL EDITION exclusive

IoT impact on process

manufacturing environments
Internet of Things (IoT) in the manufacturing world is about data and how to get more. Process manu-
facturing companies seeking advantages can make more money with strategic data capture of OEE
metrics, uptime, reliability, manual input, energy output, and equipment-based production costs.

T
he Internet of Things (IoT) conver- collection include OEE metrics, uptime, reliabil-
sation has grown very quickly. A ity, manual input, energy output, and the ability
recent press release stated that the to calculate the cost of production per equip-
IoT in the manufacturing market will ment. The benefits are quite endless because of
grow to over $13 billion by the year the many production processes and technologi-
2020. With this extreme growth, everyone is cal advances that occur on a daily basis. Over-
jumping on board for a piece of the profit, and all, companies need to ask what they could do
many have jumped too quickly without care- in their facility with improved process visibility,
fully examining the risks. In the manufacturing extended equipment life span, and reduced total
industry, that can lead to major consequences cost of ownership (TCO).
for companies.
IoT in the manufacturing world is about data Discrete vs. process implementation
and how to get more of it. We can achieve this Discrete manufacturing is like building a
by connecting smart devices to our networks and ‘Star Wars’ Death Star from Lego blocks; the
analyzing the inputs. Unfortunately, a lot of what company assembles pieces and parts to make a
we have seen through mass media relating to IoT product. These discrete facilities have led the
in has been marketing to push companies toward way into the Big Data mentality because of the
spending more money. This drive is solely relat- ease of execution via limited controlled param-
ed to the substantial growth estimates. eters. While it works for discrete manufacturing,
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is don’t be fooled into thinking that implementing
not a new concept; we have lived with the IoT these virtualized solutions is a one-size-fits-all
for more than 15 years. People use their smart- approach across all manufacturing disciplines.
MORE phones to remind them of an appointment or for Process manufacturing would be more like
ADVICE information on the most expedient traffic route. making a batch of whiskey. For example, one
Applying smart devices to our lives allows people element of the process is the addition of yeast,
KEY CONCEPTS
Process manufacturers wanting to to be more efficient without much added risk. a critical ingredient. Yeast starts to decay when
use the Internet of Things (IoT) should That strategy doesn’t work inside process manu- exposed to air or moisture, so timing is crucial
be focused on using strategic data facturing environments. when handling. It also can be affected by ever-
capture to make more money for a changing conditions, which need to be moni-
business.
IoT manufacturing benefits tored. Overall, the final product depends on
Discrete and process manufac-
turing have different uses for the
Although there are benefits, the IoT is not hundreds of variables that have to be taken into
IoT. Process manufacturing is more some unseen sci-fi super power that drifts in and account for that repeatable perfect batch.
focused on the step-by-step process out of your factory and provides 100% overall By identifying and analyzing stable com-
that goes into making a product. equipment effectiveness (OEE). Any implemen- mon cause and special cause variations, pro-
GO ONLINE tation of connected devices should be carefully cess engineers create control practices that help
Read this story online and other considered beforehand. Involvement in the “IoT in increasing the ever challenging repeatability.
Cross Company articles at revolution” should be based around using stra- With the introduction of more data, those varia-
www.controleng.com. Cross Company
has a blog “System Integration and
tegic data capture to make more money for a tions can be tuned even further.
Process Control.” business instead of just trying to be a part of the
movement. Get more from the data gathered
CONSIDER THIS
What other considerations should Of course, anyone in the industry can asso- It seems that most of the focus on the IoT’s
process manufacturers have when it ciate more information with additional benefits. primary objective is on real-time visibility. While
comes to the IoT? Increased revenue areas based on increasing data visibility is important, we should not stop there.

DE3 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

Companies should continue using that visible calling it a movement that will be the fourth

‘
data to create predictive models and algorithms industrial revolution. However, instead of
that mitigate future production discrepancies to just jumping on the bandwagon, some more What could
an acceptable level. Preventive action is the name research on the benefits of IoT should be com-
of the game in modern manufacturing. pleted first. Yes, more real-time data can be used you do with
Is your company reactive or proactive in its to generate increased productivity in your plant
process? If the company always is responding effectively; however, as data increases, security
improved
to the last issue, the only way to improve pro- threats do as well. process visibility,
duction is to respond faster and work harder. It’s It is important to discuss manufacturing
easier to implement high-performance graph- “wants/needs” with qualified engineers and sys- extended
ics with predictive modeling than only have the tem integrators that have experience improving
ability to react and generate a report of why we processes and implementing solutions surround- equipment
still achieved low outputs. ing larger data capture. We always have believed
In that high-performance environment, the that the more data we can obtain, the more effi-
life span,
operator can see the red flags as they happen cient we can become in production. That is likely and reduced
and, as the severity is displayed, the predictive true, but the relationship between the return on
control is programmed to take action on pre- investment (ROI) and data capture is not linearly total cost of

’
approved faults and request operator interven- dependent, and can change drastically with the
tion on the others. Bring this model to the plant’s influence of IoT threats. ce ownership?
operators and discuss it with them. If they can
create a list of “When that happens, I do this...”
then the company should be able to increase its Eli Jenkins is an account manager with Cross
production. Company, a CFE Media content partner. Edited
The IoT is growing, and there is no way by Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engi-
to know to what extent. But many people are neering, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

DIGITAL REPORTS
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NEW PRODUCTS and software
See more products daily at www.controleng.com/products.

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ensures stable connection and communication. The EKI-9500 panel; the C4 is the medium non-haz-
series of Ethernet switches support a wide range of power (24 ardous panel; and the C5 is the medium hazardous panel. The
to 100 V dc), which allows integration flexibility. The EKI-9500 C2 and C4 panels are UL Listed, investigated to the require-
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nectors to ensure tight, robust connections to guarantee reliable ments of the Canadian Electrical Code CAN/CSA2 C22.2.
operation against environmental extremes such as vibration and Both of these safety standards provide requirements for the
shock. The EKI-9500 series is fully certified with the EN50155 design, construction, installation, and maintenance of electri-
and EN50121-3-2 standards covering operating temperature, cal equipment, primarily to address fire and electrical shock
power input voltage, surge, ESD, and vibration, making them hazards. The C3 and C5 panels are UL Listed, investigated to
suitable for a variety of industrial applications. NFPA 496: 2008 and UL698A, and cUL Listed, investigated to
Advantech, www.advantech.com NFPA 496: 208 and CAN/CSA 22.2.
Input #207 at www.controleng.com/information Watlow, www.watlow.com
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Compact module processors for harsh outdoor environments

Kontron’s COMe-cAL6 COM Express comprises modules with cost-efficient, dual-core configura-
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Kontron, www.kontron.com Input #209 at www.controleng.com/information

Functional safety transmitter for Potting junction box for power outputs
safety instrumented systems TE Connectivity’s (TE) Solarlok PV Bar is a pot-
Moore Industries’ SFY functional safety fre- ting junction box designed for solar crystalline pan-
quency-to-dc transmitter with els. It is TUV- and UL-approved for voltages of up to
display is designed to provide 1500 V and the four precisely shaped contact rails are
reliable and accurate moni- arranged in an extended 3-D layout to optimize ther-
toring of frequency or pulse mal balance. The
signals in safety instrument- contact rails are
ed systems (SIS) and help pro- manufactured with
vide over speed protection by almost pure copper
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monitored device for plant, process and personnel safety. The SFY is and higher power
designed and approved for use in a wide variety of processes and fac- output. Maximum
tory automation SIS, including turbine flow meters, magnetic pickups, lifetime is further
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the user to monitor frequency, period, high or low pulse width, and designed to ensure power continuity with tuned and
contact closure signals. The SFY converts the input signal to a pro- strengthened diodes and the contacts are made of
portional input-to-output isolated 4 to 20mA output ready for direct nearly 100% pure copper.
interface. TE Connectivity, www.te.com
Moore Industries, www.miinet.com Input #211 at www.controleng.com/information
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60 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

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www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 61
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www.controleng.com CONTROL ENGINEERING MARCH 2017 | 63
 BACK TO BASICS ladder logic

Ladder logic 305: ASCII and strings

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) and strings are designed to
turn printable characters into numbers that programmable logic controllers (PLCs) can deal
with and are commonly used in the U.S.

A American Standard Code for Informa-

MORE also may have a length (LEN) field that contains the
ADVICE tion Interchange (ASCII) is a byte-based encoding number of characters that exist in the string.
KEY CONCEPTS of text into numerical values. It isn’t the only way Other terms to know about strings include:
ASCII (American Standard Code for to turn printable characters into numbers that pro-
Information Interchange) is a byte- grammable logic controllers (PLCs) can deal with, it  Concatenate (CONCAT) – Connect two
based encoding of text into numerical is the one most commonly used in the U.S. strings together, one after another.
values often used in the U.S. with pro-
grammable logic controllers (PLCs).
The picture featured is from an Allen-Bradley  Middle (MID) – Copies a specified string
Strings are arrays of single integers
RSLogix5000 ControlLogix program, from Rock- into the middle of another string at a speci-
(SINTs) and values contained in well Automation, written in 2006. The program fied location.
strings can be displayed as decimal communicated with a PC-based Cognex machine  Find (FND) – Locate the starting position of
or hexadecimal numbers or as text vision system that sent and received strings of data a specified string within another string. Usu-
characters. including its camera triggering to the reporting of ally returns the position of the found string.
GO ONLINE positional data for the object it was inspecting.  Delete (SDEL) – Removes characters from a
Read this story online for more The standard ASCII table has 128 (0 to 127) string at a specified position.
about ASCII and strings including a
passage from the author’s book, “PLC
characters, while there are also 8-bit (or more) vari-  Insert (INS) – Adds characters to a string at a
Hardware and Programming, Multi- ants that include characters such as pi, foreign cur- specified position.
Platform,” at www.controleng.com. rency symbols, and others. However, not all ASCII  Length (LEN) – Finds the number of char-
CONSIDER THIS characters are printable. There are 95 printable acters in a string if length is not part of the
What challenges have you had us- characters in standard ASCII while the other char- string definition.
ing ASCII or strings in ladder logic? acters are made up of other keyboard-related com-
mands such as backspace, tab and carriage return/ A couple more tips on dealing with strings:
line feed. The null,
SOH, STX, and ETX  It is important to clear data from a string reg-
characters often are ister before overwriting it with a new string.
used in interfacing If new data is shorter than the old, there will
with devices such as be characters left over; this can really mess
printers. with your calculations.
In some PLC
classes, students may  It is a good idea to create tags or regis-
receive a double inte- ters for characters or strings that are used
ger (DINT) that is multiple times in data processing, such
supposed to repre- as “ampersand” for @ and “comma” as a
sent a bar code. The delimiter, as shown in the image. A “Null
lesson usually uses String” full of empty values also is useful
masks, rotates, and for clearing data.
bit shifts to extract
sectionsof the DINT Dealing with strings is pretty code intensive.
representing a prod- Those who deal with other IEC 61131 PLC lan-
uct color, type, or guages will find the process easier using struc-
other value. While tured text (ST). It is complex when ASCII or
A 2006 program using Allen- this is a good exercise in explaining how data may string data types are used in a PLC. ce
Bradley RSLogix5000 ControlLogix be encoded, bar codes read ASCII strings that
communicated with a vision sys- have to be decoded differently. Frank Lamb is the founder of Automation Consult-
tem that sent and received strings Strings are arrays of single integers (SINTs) and ing Services Inc. This article originally appeared on
of data including camera triggering values contained in strings can be displayed as deci- the Automation Primer blog. Automation
and positional data for the inspect- mal or hexadecimal numbers or as text characters. Primer is a CFE Media content partner. Edited by
ed object. Courtesy: Frank Lamb, If they are in text, they often are displayed with a “$” Chris Vavra, production editor, Control Engineer-
Automation Primer sign before the character such as $T, $e, etc. Strings ing, CFE Media, cvavra@cfemedia.com.

64 | MARCH 2017 CONTROL ENGINEERING www.controleng.com

 ONE FOR
ALL

Robots, Servos & Drives,

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Yaskawa introduces Singular ControlTM: robotics,
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Control uses the same ladder logic you’ve used for
years, allowing you to develop new automation
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Pick, pack and palletize with new programming

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For more info:

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 Less is more.
Too much inventory? We can help! The

MOVIGEAR® Mechatronic Drive System from

SEW-EURODRIVE substantially reduces your

inventory with its ability to cover a broad range

of gear ratios with a single unit. Independent

research has also proven that the MOVIGEAR®

reduces start-up and operating costs in material

handling by 20-30%. So, relax...we got this!

movigear.com / 864-439-7537
input #18 at www.controleng.com/information