Medium
and Long-Term Prospects for Process Automation and Field Devices
Whether
you are looking at pumps or analytical instruments, process automation
or dosing devices, process engineering without electronic components
is virtually inconceivable. These components increase efficiency and
effectiveness, ensure a high level of quality, and make a significant
contribution to safety and environmental protection. This makes it all
the more important for process engineers to know what is technically
feasible.
Measurement,
control and process control technologies are used at all process-relevant
levels, but information and communication technology provides a large
part of the input. Although not every new idea needs to be incorporated,
it would be most unwise to miss the important trends.
Technology has to be borrowed from other industries to address the challenges
faced by the process industry. At the end of the day, most large corporations
have imposed strict cost controls at their production facilities. There
could be no great success stories without automation or the appropriate
measurement and control equipment.
The
linkages between company management and field devices, between e-business
and engineering, between maintenance and process optimization are becoming
increasingly more complex. Many of these areas of endeavor have their
own software solutions, which have a large number of interfaces that
need to be connected together. It comes as no surprise that although
hardware is still sold in the automation industry, it only makes up
one third of turnover. Services and software are the main element in
the contract awards.
Long-Term
Growth
The
German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI) estimates
that the global market for electrical automation technology is 180 billion
euros. The German share of global production was 14 per cent in 2001,
and the European Union share was one third. This clearly places Europe
ahead of Japan, which has a 26 per cent share. The US continues to have
the largest share of global production at 36 per cent.
The industry started the year 2001 with significant growth. Over the
course of the year, growth continually slowed, and the year ended with
a drastic slowdown, particularly in the fourth quarter. At 25.1 billion
Euros, the automation industry finally grew by 1.5 per cent following
growth of nearly 12 per cent in the preceding year. However, medium
and long-term forecasts indicate that the industry will continue to
grow.
Differences
Between Expectations and Reality
Open
designs already offer the customer supplier independence and networked
systems increase flexibility, productivity and efficiency in the process
industry. Low-cost, flexible operating and monitoring systems are examples
of this technology, which make it easier for users to operate their
equipment, thus increasing production reliability.
The
reality, however, often looks quite different. There are still a lot
of insular solutions, which are used for most diverse tasks within a
company. This begins with the planning process.
More
and more frequently, interfaces need to be taken into account between
process optimisation solutions, CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) systems,
and material management systems. Yet a large portion of the documentation
is still paper-based, to say nothing of the numerous special solutions
that undoubtedly have existed for years in every company. There is a
good reason for having them, but they tend to be unsuitable for maintaining
a continuous workflow.
There
is a general recognition that information and data about a system and
its environment are more valuable than the system itself. Much has been
done by equipment manufacturers and system suppliers in the field of
asset management since the last year. Asset management means enhancing
the value of a system by operating the system in the best way possible.
Maintenance in the future will no longer be aimed exclusively at maximum
or optimum availability of components and systems, but rather at the
required level of reliability.
Digital
measurement instruments provide a valuable source of data and hence
information about the actual state of individual components. The question
remains, however, of how to process the data in a way that benefits
the system operator without simply creating even more work.
At
the moment, the user is often confronted with a large amount of superfluous,
redundant data, to say nothing of the immense scope of the interfaces
required. There is a good reason why data consistency and data
management are among the ongoing hot topics in discussions on requirements
in the measurement and automation engineering industry.
Field
devices, which have been underestimated for a long time, play a special
role in these discussions and create the basis of successful asset management.
The prospects are good for fieldbus and control systems, and the long-term
future for the various field devices is not looking too bad either.
Regardless of the...
