There is nothing simple about managing industrial automation software systems. Why do we need to update our SCADA or Industrial Automation software? How often do we need to upgrade our Industrial Automation software? Why are staging environments important? How many staging environments do I need? What is configuration management and why is it important? High…
DetailsWhat is the best reporting system for my process historian or my SCADA system How important is “dimensioning” data? How expensive are Business Reports?
How will we survive without Industrial Automation Process Historians? How long have we had Big Data Solutions? What are the core concepts when selecting a Process Historian? What is the life cycle of a Process Historian? Can Relational Databases be used as a process historian? What are the important factors when implementing a process historian?…
DetailsSCADA Systems are perfect… right? Alarm Bells Incorrect selection and application of SCADA network protocol stack SCADA Application Redundancy Direct connection to SCADA from external enterprise systems Poor engineering Practice Tech Bias Ok, I admit I have a problem. Is there any hope?
DetailsThere are two primary concepts of redundancy when considering process and automation systems. What are the two primary concepts of system redundancy? When is a RAM STUDY (Reliability, Availability and Maintainability) required? Even the Basics of Redundancy can become complex very easily What are some common traps when implementing redundant systems? What is SIL Rating?…
DetailsThere’s an old saying about data… “put rubbish in, get rubbish out” Issues with unreliable SCADA Data? How can you have reliable SCADA data without throwing everything away? Are Time Series Protocols for SCADA Systems essential? So why aren’t some SCADA systems event logged? How can I improve the Operator SCADA Experience? Big issues for…
DetailsWhy are unmanned process plants often un-monitored?
Is a single source of truth possible for an enterprise information management system?
A systems integrator is a unique animal that finds pleasure in connecting unlike systems to produce a system or solution of superior functionality.
Historian systems have seen a rapid increase in use throughout various industries in the past decade or so. Data Historians improve how manufacturers, continuous process plant and utilities operate and manage their assets efficiently. Data Historian systems were built with the specific purpose of acquiring instrumentation data used in operational control, aiding in supervisory capacities,…
DetailsIf the lights go out, or the water is contaminated, who do we blame? Can we blame…
DetailsTen years ago, “Operational Technology” (OT) vendors had only just really started to embrace Ethernet and TCP/IP as enterprise wide and global networking technology. The devices were generally designed “assuming” they would be on isolated “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition” (SCADA) network segments and “something else” was going to take care of any security issues.…
DetailsOverall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a standard method for measuring the improvement opportunity of a production process. It provides a single number that benchmarks a work cell’s performance. A work cell could be a single machine, a group of machines, a line or an entire production facility.
Since the year 2000 we have been implementing Enterprise Data Historian to Australian Industry (primarily Infrastructure/Utilities) for the past 16 years and we noticed a few things about most organisations; They do not trust their data or use it effectively Managing data accurately and the impact of data on the organisation is not part of…
DetailsIndustrial Automation is set to become commoditised, but why aren’t we there yet?
Industrial Automation, officially explained and defined here, is generally accepted to be of a quality one level higher than the quality expected for consumer grade or domestic applications. Well-designed industrial automation systems increase business productivity and efficiency because they have been built for a purpose for a specific outcome and performance. When the system design…
DetailsWe all rely upon many machines and equipment to deliver community infrastructure, transportation and the production of the essentials of life. If any of this essential equipment fails, then not only does that imply maintenance costs, but operators face operational downtime, which hurts the bottom line for their organisations. To ensure risk mitigation of any…
DetailsSCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are essential to most industrial, critical infrastructure and manufacturing organisation across a variety of industries. However, SCADA, PLC and RTU solutions are complex in nature and often for large-scale projects include a variety of equipment and even locations. In almost all scenarios, the discipline of IT (Information Technology)…
DetailsWhen you have many assets to manage, including equipment and machines, you want to be able to monitor your assets to ensure that they function well and undergo routine and necessary maintenance on time. But what if you could predict with confidence before a failure occurs. Would that change how often you pulled down a…
DetailsEffectively monitoring water infrastructure can lead to identifying and ultimately minimising operational losses. The investment in management and control of water infrastructure is of less value if the cost to operate complex technology does not drive better overall business performance. Water SCADA solutions may include SCADA Software, SCADA Historians (process data historian), PLCs, and RTUs…
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