Instrumentation and Control Journal

SCADA Market beckons
the Automation Industry

As the Indian SCADA market grows out of its cocoon, automation industry awaits patiently for the inevitable flight of this market explains V. Niju.

As industrial India marches ahead to join the league of industrialised economies, automation is trickling down to sectors where it was unseen or unheard of. The ascent of automation technology is unfettering the users’ flight of application desires. These applications call for supporting technologies to manage processes in the plant as well as geographically scattered operations. Manufacturing companies and public utilities with wider geographic footprints entail centralised control of operations. Systems with capability to link scattered opera- tions become the preferred automation solution for the users.
SCADA system is the answer to the industry’s need for centralized visualization and control of operations. The SCADA based utility projects, which were hitherto restricted to certain progressive states have also caught the fancy of those lagging behind in development index. The need to conserve limited resources, increase productivity and economic viability act as the compelling factors in bringing about this change.
SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. This is not a full control system but performs control at a supervisory level. It comprises of a software program positioned on top of the hardware to which it is interfaced. The hardware may be Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Input/Output modules modules (I/O) or Remote Terminal Units (RTUs). The SCADA system provides control status, besides logging facilities.
The Indian SCADA market was worth Rs.1265 million in 2003. Buoyed by favorable growth indicators of segments like oil and gas, water and power, the SCADA market is expected to be the cynosure of the automation market. Figure 1 presents the composition of the Indian SCADA market.
The National Electricity Grid formation along with pipeline projects of the major oil and gas companies has acted as the biggest contributors to the Indian SCADA market.

Drivers of the SCADA
Market The drivers for the Indian SCADA market are:
Oil & Gas
The oil and gas industry has been one of the largest recipients of investment among all the industrial sectors in the country. The enhanced usage of SCADA has been an upshot of enhanced exploration/production activities and also laying of product pipelines. The installation of nation-wide pipeline network for transportation of petro-products has presented vast opportunities for the automation industry.

Power
The National Electricity Grid formation to streamline electricity transmission and management presented a goldmine for the automation industry. Though the transmission projects have almost come to an end, distribution automation projects have risen in the horizon. The Electricity Bill, 2003 and APDRP encourages power utility bodies to adopt automation for efficient operations. The carrot and stick policy ensures that operational costs are reduced through better management. Privatization of distribution circles has meant that the pace of distribu- domestic demand. The healthy international steel prices have acted as the icing on the cake. The greater financial resources available with the steel manufacturers have encouraged them to increase their automation levels. Beneficiation units, which are located away from the manufacturing units, are increasingly being integrated to the plant operations through SCADA automation. The upswing in the domestic market has meant that cash reserves of metal units will continue to swell and automation has become one of the most visible beneficiaries. Water/ Waste Water The increasing urban agglomerations and static water resources have created an unhealthy balance. Numerous projects of Central, state governments and urban governing bodies involving water transmission and treatment require automation. The water managers of urban areas have realized the value of this precious commodity. There is growing reliance on distant sources of water and its transmission to meet urban needs. SCADA system for water transmission and distribution is exactly what the doctors had prescribed for achieving efficiency in operations. Long distance water transmission has only accentuated the usage of SCADA. Distribution automation in this segment is also expected to become a reality in the near future. The proposed investment of Rs.30000 crores in water related tion automation has gained a new urgency.

Metals
The China Olympics of 2008 and the Three Gorges project have been a windfall for the Indian steel industry. Indian steel industry was quick to grab the opportunity as Chinese steel industry struggled to meet the domestic demand. The healthy international steel prices have acted as the icing on the cake. The greater financial resources available with the steel manufacturers have encouraged them to increase their automation levels. Beneficiation units, which are located away from the manufacturing units, are increasingly being integrated to the plant operations through SCADA automation. The upswing in the domestic market has meant that cash reserves of metal units will continue to swell and automation has become one of the most visible beneficiaries.

Water/ Waste Water
The increasing urban agglomerations and static water resources have created an unhealthy balance. Numerous projects of Central, state governments and urban governing bodies involving water transmission and treatment require automation. The water managers of urban areas have realized the value of this precious commodity. There is growing reliance on distant sources of water and its transmission to meet urban needs. SCADA system for water transmission and distribution is exactly what the doctors had prescribed for achieving efficiency in operations. Long distance water transmission has only accentuated the usage of SCADA. Distribution automation in this segment is also expected to become a reality in the near future. The proposed investment of Rs.30000 crores in water related...