Rockwell Automation - DCS

Distributed Control Systems Worldwide Outlook • Supplier Profiles

Rockwell Automation

http://www.rockwellautomation.com/solutions/process/

Key Products

PlantPAx Process Automation System

Regions

North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Asia; China; India;

Latin America; Brazil

Description

Rockwell Automation is a global provider of industrial automation

control and information solutions. The company focuses on ad-

dressing customers’ business needs to form automation and infor-

mation solutions through partnerships with a large network of lo-

cal companies in distribution, services, and software around the

world. To this end, Rockwell Automation‘s message to its served

markets includes reducing time-to-market and total cost of owner-

ship, asset optimization, and providing business risk management.

With headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation

has two major product lines, Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software,

which offer a comprehensive suite of automation solutions that in-

clude control and information platforms, industrial components,

intelligent motor control and global manufacturing support ser-

vices. Additionally, it offers a wide range of services including de-

sign, implementation and post-sale support services.

DCS Business

For process applications, Rockwell Automation recommends build-

ing the solutions with PlantPAx, the company’s process automa-

tion system. PlantPAx combines the plant-wide control technolo-

gies and unmatched scalability of Integrated Architecture with the

core capabilities expected in a world-class DCS.

PlantPAx is based on a combination of core Rockwell Automation

Integrated Architecture technologies (Logix, View and Facto-

ryTalk) and extensions, such as batch management, process infor-

mation management functionality, APC, or SIL 3 process safety, as

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http://www.rockwellautomation.com/solutions/process/


customer needs dictate. PlantPAx can also utilize functionality de-

veloped through co-investments with partners, such as

Endress+Hauser, OSIsoft, On-Line Development Corp., Quest

Technical Solutions, Spectrum Controls, ProSoft Technologies, and

others.

The Logix platform provides a unified, common control infrastruc-

ture that addresses continuous applications as well as traditional

batch and sequencing, motion, and discrete applications. Facto-

ryTalk encapsulates the supervisory and production management

environment and includes applications such as operator

interface/visualization, batch control, batch management, asset

management, and integration with enterprise resource planning

(ERP) systems. PlantPAx incorporates standards such as IEC

61131-3 programming, EDDL, FDT/DTM, Foundation Fieldbus,

HART, EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, and ControlNet. ISA-88 hierarchies

are implemented in the system, as are structural and transac-

tional elements of the ISA-95 standard. Security is in confor-

mance with the ISA-99 standard.

Rockwell Automation is building on its core strengths that have

long been demonstrated in process, hybrid, and discrete indus-

tries. The goal is to supply users with a process automation sys-

tem that suits their needs in terms of scalability, ease of use, and

a plantwide view of control. Current customers tend to use small

5-2 • Copyright " © ARC Advisory Group• ARCweb.com • For Internal Use Only


to medium size systems, according to ARC’s definition. PlantPAx

is capable of meeting those requirements as well as the require-

ments for large systems.

PlantPAx Provides Unified Engineering & Configuration

Design and configuration for PlantPAx are done through an inte-

grated environment for creating, modeling, and programming pro-

duction processes. With PlantPAx’s integrated engineering tools,

users manage the full control application lifecycle: conceptualiza-

tion, design, development, simulation, testing, deployment and

maintenance.

The PlantPAx configuration environment covers process control,

motion, safety, discrete control, and drives applications, enabling

information to be provided in context to the users or other appli-

cations in the environment. Rockwell Automation’s configuration

supports the IEC 61131-3 languages, which can work with each

other in a control application, enabling function blocks to call lad-

der routines, sequential function charts (SFCs), structured text,

and so on; this is a unique ability for Rockwell Automation.

PlantPAx Provides Single HMI Environment

PlantPAx has a common HMI environment, which is integrated

with the Logix control layer. The Rockwell Automation Integrated

Architecture offers additional visualization options which can be

applied within the overall solution. Operators, supervisors, main-

tenance personnel, and others connected to a PlantPAx solution

have access to data and information from other Rockwell Automa-

tion or third-party supervisory control and production manage-

ment, or maintenance management applications. Users can be

delivered supporting information, in a useful context, so that they

can make effective routine and critical production decisions.

PlantPAx Open Hardware Environment for Controllers & I/O

PlantPAx can scale from a single controller, associated I/O, and

workstation focused on a local unit operation, up to a system with

tens of thousands of I/O points, multiple servers, and many con-

trollers.

Rockwell Automation has been making control hardware for use in

harsh industrial environments for years. Logix I/O and controllers



are highly durable and can be mounted in harsh environments

outside the control room. I/O is offered in multiple form factors

with options for connectivity, giving users great flexibility for

meeting their plant requirements.

Many Rockwell Automation systems are in use today, which

makes it easy to find people trained to program and maintain

Rockwell Automation systems.

EtherNet/IP Provides Common Control Network

EtherNet/IP is the industrial Ethernet solution from ODVA Inc., an

industrial consortium also known for its CIP networks DeviceNet,

ControlNet and CompoNet. The common thread of these networks

is the “Common Industrial Protocol” (CIP). The advantage of the

CIP model is that the same command set is common to all CIP net-

works, enabling applications to cross networks without the need to

translate protocols.

As opportunities arise in the automation space, ODVA considers

them and, if merited, adds capabilities and extensions to the net-

work through the development efforts of its Joint Special Interest

Groups – working groups that focus on a particular technology or

application need.

Integrated Process Control and Safety

Rockwell Automation provides the broadest portfolio of process

safety products and solutions, using capabilities from its Inte-

grated Architecture, as well as technology from the acquisition of

ICS Triplex.

Rockwell Automation’s technology is scalable and provides the ap-

plication developer with options to meet end user standards or

preferences and application requirements:

Appropriate SIL level for requirements of the application:

SIL1 through SIL3 requirements

Technology selection of common or diverse technology for

BPCS and safety system

Architectures for solution 1oo1, 1oo2, 2oo2, and 2oo3

(TMR) – providing highest levels of fault tolerance available



Level of integration between BPCS (Basic Process Control Sys-

tem) and safety system

Rockwell Automation has the technology, expertise and project

and support services to support the full system lifecycle for an ini-

tial safety system implementation as well as for legacy safety mi-

gration or conversion.

Rockwell Automation Continues its Process Plan

The company continues to invest in overall process automation

development.

Rockwell Automation identified six primary areas it wants to focus

on as the company integrates this functionality seamlessly with

PlantPAx. These include operations productivity, engineering pro-

ductivity, field device integration, plant asset management, high

availability and safety, and core process control functions.

Rockwell Automation continues to build its solutions capability

with acquisitions and new alliances. Following the 2009 acquisi-

tion of Hinz, of Canada, the company has acquired South African

integrator (and product developer) Hiprom Technologies, a lead-

ing process control and automation systems integrator headquar-

tered in Johannesburg, South Africa. Hiprom serves multiple in-

dustries, delivering customer solutions in the rapidly growing Sub-

Saharan market, as well as globally in the mining, metals & miner-

als industries. This acquisition closed in early 2011.

A Truly Integrated System

The PlantPAx roadmap is made up of a unified control and visual-

ization solution. PlantPAx includes a reusable object library, built

in trouble shooting features, such as “breadcrumbs” that allow

users to trace sequence of events and perform root cause analy-

sis.

Rockwell Automation integrated its enterprise manufacturing in-

telligence (EMI) software product technology (acquired with Incu-

ity in 2008) into the FactoryTalk software suite. The functionality

provides real-time intelligence and business decision support for

improving operations and reducing production waste by providing

manufacturers with management insight into their operations.



Now known as FactoryTalk VantagePoint, this functionality serves

as the supervisory layer in the PlantPAx system.

Rockwell Automation continues to expand advanced process con-

trol capabilities within the Integrated Architecture and PlantPAx.

Pavilion8 has been integrated with PlantPAx through FactoryTalk.

Pavilion8 is the modular software platform with a hybrid modeling

engine at its core, and includes modules to control, analyze, moni-

tor, visualize, persist, and integrate that are combined into high-

value applications. Previously, these applications were run on a

supervisory computer, connected with the PlantPAx environment.

Recently, Rockwell Automation released PlantPAx ModelBuilder

which allows use of the model-building technology and encapsula-

tion and deployment of the resulting real-time model into a Logix-

based control application.

Other advancements to the PlantPAx core system include en-

hanced redundancy and improved network resiliency. PlantPAx

uses Ethernet in the automation system architecture, and imple-

ments a Device Level Ring (DLR) network topology network with

embedded switch technology when more fault tolerance is desired

from the network.

Rockwell Automation integrates centralized engineering manage-

ment, automatic backup-and-compare operations on supported

devices, disaster recovery, and change management in its Facto-

ryTalk AssetCentre Plant Asset Management offering.

Safety System Integration

In early 2010, Rockwell Automation announced integration of

PlantPAx with the Trusted TMR and AADvance safety system plat-

forms (acquired with ICS Triplex). The integration of safety sys-

tem platforms goes beyond just process safety; including fire and

gas detection, ballast control, and compressor and turbine con-

trols. Rockwell Automation also participates in Foundation Field-

bus Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) development. AADvance

I/O from ICS Triplex has also been integrated into PlantPAx for

high availability control systems. Logix controllers are already SIL

2 certified out of the box by TÜV Rhineland.



Field Device Integration

While Rockwell Automation supports EtherNet/IP as its control net-

work backbone, the company is neutral when it comes to support

of device level networks, such as Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus

PA, HART, and Wireless HART.

Through its support of FDT technology, Rockwell Automation is

working toward a solution for unified device configuration for

HART, PA, and Foundation Fieldbus devices in a common environ-

ment. The company’s alliance with Endress+Hauser has been a

key part of the company’s PAM strategy. Rockwell Automation

continues to release integration information and application code

for EtherNet/IP devices from Endress+ Hauser.

In addition to its longstanding alliance partnership with

Endress+Hauser, Rockwell Automation has relationships with Pep-

perl+Fuchs for their corrosion measurement devices and other

products, and Mettler Toledo for analytical products, through its

Encompass Partners program. For control valves, the company

has formed alliances with Metso Automation and Dresser Ma-

soneilan.

Support of Virtualization on VMware

Rockwell Automation also announced support of virtualization of

automation software based on VMware. The company will vali-

date many of its software offerings under the VMware Ready pro-

gram.

Competitive Conversions and Migration Portfolio

Competitive control system migration/conversion continues to be

a strategic focus for Rockwell Automation.

Rockwell Automation provides conversion or migration to PlantPAx

or to the Integrated Architecture-based solutions from:

Field-proven Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Automation con-

trollers, I/O and systems.

Legacy systems from ABB, Honeywell, Invensys, and Emer-

son.

Legacy PLC users from platforms, such as Modicon, Texas In-

struments, IPC, and others.



The company develops enabling tools and services and works with

partners to provide products to convert or migrate legacy sys-

tems, including:

Preservation of existing wiring or marshalling – cable solu-

tions and swingarm swapout

Preservation of complete I/O subsystems – scanner cards

for some I/O families, including redundant communications

Migration/conversion of control and visualization applica-

tions

Preservation of historical process and production informa-

tion

System-to-system integration

Partnerships and Acquisitions

Partnerships: None to report.

Acquisitions: None to report.

Strengths and Challenges

Strengths: Rockwell Automation has taken advantage of the

growth opportunities provided by the global process automation

market. PlantPAx is a fully functional process automation system

that conforms to ARC’s CPAS model in key areas, from engineer-

ing and configuration to a common hardware platform to present-

ing information in context to the right people at the right time

from any point within the system. The major process automation

system players should consider Rockwell Automation as a formi-

dable competitor in the years ahead, in North America and glob-

ally.

Rockwell Automation’s background in the discrete industries and

its large presence in the markets for drives, PLCs, discrete sen-

sors, and motion control provide the company with some unique

advantages when it comes to addressing the process automation

space, particularly for its core target industries, such as life sci-

ences, food & beverage, consumer products, fine chemicals, and

oil & gas. These industries typically involve a significant amount

of discrete and motion control processes that are not typically in-

tegrated into a single automation system framework. It is this uni-



fied framework across multiple domains of automation that is en-

abled by PlantPAx .

Challenges: As a relative newcomer to the DCS world, Rockwell

Automation still has its work cut out for it. In the process automa-

tion system marketplace, the top tier of suppliers control well over

two thirds of the market. The company, however has continued to

strengthen its offering to the process industries beyond a fully

functioning DCS, with its substantial abilities in safety instru-

mented systems (SIS), it abilities in plant asset management

(PAM), and advanced process control (APC). It must provide a su-

perior business value proposition and continue to live up to its re-

lease schedule and invest heavily in research and development.

Key Industries

Rockwell’s strongest installed base in the process industries con-

tinues to be in the life sciences, food and beverage, and consumer

products industries. The company has been expanding into more

traditional heavy process industries such as power generation,

chemicals, and upstream oil and gas.


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Rockwell Automation - DCS