By Lauren Robeson, ProSoft Technology
Whether you have one plant or hundreds, chances are you have a lot of Rockwell Automation products. Given the scope, stature and longevity of these solutions, your operation likely is teeming with this technology. However, you also have a variety of automation devices from other manufacturers, regardless of your industry. They control everything from motors to the lights workers need to operate and fix equipment. Your Rockwell Automation control system may already be connected to a few of these products, but incorporating in-chassis or gateway communications can offer benefits on two levels:
- Allowing Rockwell Automation programmable automatic controllers (PACs) to control the devices.
- Getting access to additional data from the devices to analyze and optimize your operations.
The Connected Enterprise®
If you haven't heard of The Connected Enterprise®, here's a summary: It's all about making sure the right people have the right data when they need it so information can be analyzed and acted upon to make informed business decisions. Rockwell Automation coined the phrase to represent the combination of IT and operations technology (OT) as a way to improve performance throughout an organization.
In practice, this technique allows Rockwell Automation users to reduce maintenance costs, improve productivity, reduce inventory and optimize resources more effectively from the plant floor to the enterprise to the C suite. Availability of this type of real-time communication and data cannot be overstated: This type of information could save a company millions of dollars per year.
To create a fully inclusive Connected Enterprise, though, you'd need data from the aforementioned non-Rockwell Automation systems. A gateway or in-chassis module that fits right into a PAC or programmable logic controller (PLC) will allow access to data that can increase energy efficiency; help identify inefficiencies in production processes; determine if machines are operating at optimum levels; and more.
Wireless solutions can further extend The Connected Enterprise® to get the data where you need it without having to install a hardwired network infrastructure. A secure cloud-native platform and cellular gateways also help monitor equipment from anywhere.
Getting Data From Your PAC
Let's say you have a device that contains information about power usage on a piece of equipment, but it doesn't speak a Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). The information could help root out inefficiencies. For instance, it could reveal that the energy being consumed by a machine is higher than another. Depending on your operation, solving this sort of discrepancy could net a significant return annually.
Concerned about how much effort it's going to take to integrate this type of interface? If the modules take advantage of Rockwell Automation's Add-On Profiles (AOPs) and Add-On Instructions (AOIs), you can get the information flowing quickly.
How Gateways Help
Increasing energy efficiency has become an objective for many companies, and its importance likely will rise even more in the next few years. Monitoring and coordinating building automation systems with your operation's production needs might seem daunting, but gateways communicating the BACnet, LonWorks, or Metasys protocols can help get the information directly into your Rockwell Automation PAC.
You may be wondering how those protocols communicate with a PLC. An EtherNet/IP™ gateway can connect those devices to your Rockwell Automation controller. This allows the collected data regarding energy usage to be sent from the device to the PLC, which can centralize the data before sending it to the enterprise level. There, the information can be analyzed and acted upon.
You could then program the PLC to coordinate the systems to increase energy efficiency. This type of automatic analysis helps a company reduce its carbon footprint and increase its profit margin.
The Need to Modernize
What if you have legacy Allen-Bradley® Remote I/O™ or Data Highway Plus™-based systems and need to modernize your facility, but the scheduled downtime could be a deterrent?
The good news is that a phased modernization approach allows updates on your timetable, minimizing scheduled downtime. By upgrading parts of your system to EtherNet/IP devices, you can take advantage of the additional data these devices provide. This data could be used to help develop a predictive maintenance schedule. The use of a modernization gateway can help accomplish this.
In addition to getting a less stressful modernization process through these solutions, you'll benefit from streamlined integration. The faster the update goes, the sooner you'll be switched over completely to a newer system with more features that help get the data when you need it. Performing a necessary upgrade can automatically extend your Connected Enterprise.
Go Wireless
As part of your Connected Enterprise, you need data from devices all over your operations. Getting that data to where it's needed using traditional hardwired networks can be cost prohibitive. Industrial wireless Ethernet radios can help get the data needed when you need it cost-effectively. If devices are moving between access points, 802.11n radios with ultra-fast roaming will help deliver that critical I/O data with no measurable interruption.
Extending your Connected Enterprise with radios that support an EtherNet/IP-embedded object allows OT and IT personnel to work together to solve wireless network issues, such as an unauthorized vehicle blocking your wireless signal. OT personnel can identify the specific radio having the problem, and direct the IT person to it. When they're able to troubleshoot problems with a quick turnaround, you can avoid extended downtime and increase productivity and profit margin.
Access Data Anywhere
Getting the right data to the right person could be a challenge if that person is in a coffee shop in Seattle, and the data is in a PLC halfway across the world. While that person could hop on a plane each time there's an issue, a better option is to use a cellular solution that supports cloud services. However, that option requires the person to remember the remote control system's IP address.
What if you could use your EtherNet/IP driver in RSLinx® and do an RSWho browse of your remote network? You wouldn't need to try to recall IP addresses, because they'd show up in your browser automatically. Essentially, your remote PC would be working as if it were plugged into the remote Ethernet switch.
This type of technology is at your fingertips using a secure, cloud-native platform. By incorporating a platform meant to help reap the benefits of the Connected Enterprise for now and years to come, you can take a proactive approach toward managing your company's assets, increasing efficiency and optimizing productivity.
ProSoft Technology, Inc., Bakersfield, California, is a participating Encompass™ Product Partner in the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™. ProSoft offers communication modules and network solutions that include in-chassis, protocol interface products, in-rack flow computers and PCs, stand-alone gateways and wireless communication networks.
The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork™ is published by Putman Media, Inc.
