Siemens has released a range of PLC software and technology.
Its new enhanced range of controllers are designed to handle more advanced tasks in the process industry. Siemens’ flexibly configurable controller family offers a high level of security and availability, providing users with the assurance of long-term investment protection.
An integral part of the Siemens Simatic PCS 7 process control system, the Simatic S7-410 controller features several performance-improving enhancements including the standard coating given for operating in toxic atmospheres and to further increase the fault tolerance of the redundant system; and ambient temperature range extended up to 70°C, allowing deployment of the powerful Simatic PCS 7 controller in harsh environments.
The Simatic S7-410 controller will be further developed by expanding the Profinet functionality to increase fault tolerance and availability.
Considered the most powerful controller in the process industry, the Simatic S7-410 is scalable, allowing users to apply a uniform hardware and software environment for very small systems of 100 I/Os up to large-scale plants of more than 100,000 I/Os.
Siemens’ Simatic S7-410 controllers are recommended for applications in chemical, metal, and oil and gas industries as well as water and wastewater plants. The controller is available in a standard version as well as in fault tolerant and fail-safe models to meet the diverse requirements of various process industry sectors.
In addition to the controllers, Siemens is also expanding its range of Industry software solutions for industrial management in the process industry with the XHQ Operations Intelligence platform.
By offering near-real-time visibility of operations within a process manufacturing facility, the solution helps enterprises derive greater returns from existing investments in plant automation and IT.
A platform that enables process industry facilities to get more value out of their data, XHQ Operations Intelligence consists of a set of tools that helps aggregate, integrate, analyse, and present operational and business data from multiple backend data sources to improve enterprise performance.
By providing a single coherent dashboard view of all critical business and transactional information enterprise-wide, the solution enables plant floor and operations personnel as well as senior management to monitor real-time performance against business goals, helping them make more informed decisions about plant performance that positively impacts the bottom line.
XHQ Operations Intelligence sifts through comprehensive technical and business management data acquired from a company’s plant or production chain to provide managers and plant floor personnel with information related to key performance indicators (KPIs) such as plant utilisation, availability of raw materials and additives, production throughput and product quality among others. The software can also consider relevant market changes or influencing factors at different production locations.
This data enables managers to compare their entire production process with other production lines, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding process optimisation towards achieving stated business objectives and targets.
XHQ Operations Intelligence is well positioned within the Siemens product portfolio from management to field level. With its strong link between the plant lifecycle management solution COMOS and the DCS system PCS 7, the platform shares real-time information and can be related with the asset metadata of COMOS Walkinside, the Immersive Simulation & Remote Operations solution for improving enterprise performance.
Peter Baldermann, XHQ Business Head, Siemens explains that the XHQ Operations Intelligence platform enables the establishment of a continuous-improvement practice and provides near-real-time visibility of operations within process manufacturing facilities. The software’s tool set empowers informed decision-making and helps enterprises improve their performance with a possible reduction of up to 8 per cent in operational costs and an increase of up to 10.5 per cent in high-value production.