Starting Point for an Evolved Process Industry

Until now, we have been gradually gathering the pillars of our process industry, on a journey that has stopped at topics such as production optimization, quality, traceability and regulatory compliance, and maintenance. The previous articles have brought us closer to an improvement in operations that is becoming increasingly clear at the end of the tunnel.

To reach our goal, however, we should be able to raise each of the pillars, something impossible without a good base in the form of data. In this last post, we will talk about the importance of having a real-time monitoring and control platform, which will serve to collect all the plant information, digitize it and, then, be able to exploit it in all the resources learned to date. Join us on this final journey!

The Answer Lies in the Data

Can you imagine a house whose construction begins with the roof? Well, in the process industry, we must not break the mold either: before proceeding to apply solutions to cover the improvement needs in your plant, you must have all the information digitized, standardized and available for decision making.

In a factory, many events are generated from sensors, robots, machines, databases, people, etc. The starting point is to decide which ones we need for our application and digitize them.

We need to have a layer of data collection and sensing. Depending on its origin, the latter will be done in one way or another, but there are many solutions that facilitate communications between the different protocols and media.

From Events to Useful Information

Once the data is collected, it is time to contextualize it, that is, to convert it into information (otherwise, it has no utility). This contextualization must be transversal for the entire company: we must avoid information silos between departments and/or systems.

Let’s take a very simple example: imagine that you have 100 kg of raw material in the company but you do not know its location, origin, expiration date, whether the quantity is sufficient for production or the lot to which it will be assigned. Doesn’t it lack logic? Well, this is precisely what we have to avoid. We must give meaning to our data through information from different sources.

Real-time Data Management Solution

From data to information, and from information to understanding: with AVEVA System Platform, you can connect your processes, assets and people in the plant so that they all go together and work as a team for the continuous improvement of operations.

In addition to performing a standardization and harmonization of control systems, the real-time management platform allows you to contextualize all your information at the moment, in one place, and exploit it according to your needs.

As a system of systems, it is capable of integrating the tools that control the different areas of an organization to promote optimal coordination between all of them. Which would make it, in other words, the ideal base to grow and add the modules developed in the previous articles. And also, an essential solution for a digital transformation architecture.

If you are still hungry for knowledge, this November 23 we are waiting for you at the webinar “Solutions for the process industry” where you can expand even more, if possible, everything you have learned so far. See you soon!