Modern manufacturing requires modern MES. Manufacturers today have operations spanning time zones and continents; employees that need to collaborate as they travel between plants or work remotely; and complex and varied enterprise-, plant- and cloud-based information systems that must interface continuously. To address all these needs, Rockwell Automation updated its popular FactoryTalk ProductionCentre manufacturing execution system (MES) software to improve application performance and scalability, speed deployment, and support mobile and cloud infrastructures.

“Manufacturers continue to investigate how to better leverage new technologies, like the cloud, to cut costs,” said Kevin Chao, senior director for Rockwell Software product marketing and engineering, Rockwell Automation. “With our latest iteration of the FactoryTalk ProductionCentre system, we’ve aligned to Java EE 7 and HTML5 standards. The application is now even easier to use and lets customers explore mobile and cloud-based solutions at reduced risk and infrastructure costs. Additional upgrades to the notification service and work flow structure improve process enforcement and reduce re-work.”

Technology Update: The latest iteration of the MES software has been refreshed to the latest Java Enterprise Edition 7 (EE7) standards. FactoryTalk ProductionCentre R10 software improves application performance and flexibility on the Web, and speeds time to value by reducing development and deployment effort, all while maintaining adherence to open standards.

Mobile and Cloud Support: New HTML5 zero-footprint, true, thin-client user interfaces (UIs) eliminate the need for virtual terminals, like Citrix, or terminal servers. Users can run the application in a Web browser, easily integrate it into an HMI terminal, and implement it across multiple networks without the need for local installation. This reduces IT capital costs and maintenance burdens. Additionally, the thin client UIs can be easily extended to mobile devices. Mobile applications leverage the existing FactoryTalk Security mechanisms built into FactoryTalk software freeing IT from supporting multiple configuration platforms.

I/O server: The new I/O server supports clustering and load balancing. Several FactoryTalk ProductionCentre I/O servers can be assigned a single IP address, so more servers can be added as the data load grows without impacting the application. Should an I/O server fail, a built-in failover capability will automatically switch data collection to another server in the cluster, helping to ensure high availability. The I/O server also provides store and forward services for controlled, real-time data exchange with remote or cloud-based databases.

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The latest release of FactoryTalk Batch software from Rockwell Automation eases the process of modifying and creating new recipes by managing the approval process for changes and automatically tracking the genealogy of recipes. New security-authority binding features also help manufacturers protect their intellectual property.

“FactoryTalk Batch software removes risks associated with manually managing recipe changes,” said John Parraga, FactoryTalk Batch product manager, Rockwell Automation. “The upgraded software, which tightly integrates with the PlantPAx process automation system from Rockwell Automation, provides solutions ranging from small, basic sequencing to large, complex batch and sequencing applications. It simplifies the management of recipes throughout their life cycle and provides standard reports containing vital actionable information.”

Administrators can use the software to assign specific people or roles to approve recipes before they advance to the production line. This structured approach provides approval traceability and allows quality control managers to easily manage recipes.

With new version-control capabilities, FactoryTalk Batch v12.0 software preserves and locks recipes from changes. Later, the recipe can be checked out as a work in progress and is automatically assigned a new version. The updated software system automatically stores each version, allowing users to review their genealogy. Recipe authors can manage more recipes and save time previously spent manually backing up files for each recipe change.

FactoryTalk Batch software also provides additional protection from intellectual property theft. With security-authority binding, FactoryTalk Batch software helps protect recipes and area models. This extra layer of security helps ensure that important information is inaccessible for viewing, editing or executing by unauthorized users.

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Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, has made it significantly easier for customers and machine builders to realize the benefits of the OMAC PackML standard without having to replace existing control and automation infrastructure.

"OMAC PackML simplifies interconnection across packaging systems and enterprise applications, but it requires processing power beyond the capacity of many PLCs that are already installed on production lines,” Norm Thorlakson, vice president of Schneider Electric's HMI and supervisory software business. “But that doesn’t mean customers need to replace their controllers. Since no two machines or applications are exactly the same, our Wonderware® OMAC PackML demo template can be integrated with any controller and run on any computer. Offering this new capability removes the need to build in supervisory PackML features, change existing PLC code or replace PLCs and other controllers. It’s a game-changing approach that represents our ongoing investment and commitment to a core industry offering.”

Based on its Wonderware InTouch Machine Edition human machine interface and Wonderware Historian software offerings, the Wonderware OMAC PackML demo template includes the PackML State Model, Control Modes and PackTags, providing a well-defined pattern for describing machine conditions and sharing the information with users and other systems. It simplifies machine-to-machine communication, more tightly integrating packaging systems with production line systems while reducing the communication burden on real-time control systems. Additionally, a configurable user interface shows machine operators exactly how much time they have spent in each machine state and provides an overview of the most common reasons a system might stop. This enables the operator to correct problems in real time, before stops can negatively impact the business.

Because InTouch Machine Edition integrates natively with Wonderware System Platform, Wonderware MES Operations and Wonderware MES Performance software, as well as Wonderware Intelligence software, it enables better access to a greater amount of production data. Such integration contributes to business and line optimization, including new ability to spot bottlenecks and manage work orders, as well as improves overall equipment effectiveness, production execution and traceability.

For more information about Wonderware InTouch Machine Edition and about monitoring OMAC PackML data, please visit http://software.invensys.com/products/wonderware/hmi-and-supervisory-control/intouch-machine-edition/.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, introduces new Minerals Library Release 5.1/5, coming with enhanced control, routing, yard and port functionalities.

“The resulting improvements will lift the automation solution to a next level. Maintenance teams and operators will benefit from optimized processes and easy fault-finding, including on-line access to plant documentation. Leading global mining and cement companies trust System 800xA, the Minerals Library and the knowledge we packed into it”, said Martin Knabenhans, Product Manager for Minerals Libraries at ABB.

New Minerals Library 5.1/5 features:

• Yard and port objects for dynamic position visualization and collision protection of stackers, reclaimers, ship loaders and unloaders;
• Recipe control module to handle proportion and ratio control requirements with as many components as needed;
• Enhanced group and subgroup functions enabling easy, seamless engineering, operation and maintenance of functional group’s even when distributed in different process controller, e.g. long belt conveyors, high level automation with department or process area start / stop concepts;
• Standardized modules for challenging situations where a drive, motor, valve or actuator is controlled by more than one functional group, e.g. complex routing application;
• Improved maintenance and error control options for analog and digital signals.