Enterprise control

Enterprise control is the ability to combine control, intelligence and process management to enable business optimization that is inclusive of business and production operations. It combines the strength of both business processes and production operations processes. It is the deliberate act of synchronizing business strategy with operational execution in real-time to enable closed loop business control across an enterprise.

Key elements of enterprise control

Interoperating enterprise and industrial service-oriented architectures (SOA) provide industrial companies with the potential for problem solutions that cover entire plants and entire industrial enterprises. This enterprise-wide system can be developed using systems and technologies previously installed. The resulting system, consisting of multiple vendor products acquired over many years working as a single system, is what is referred to as an enterprise control system.[1] The enterprise control strategy is built around the premise that manufacturing needs an enterprise control system to integrate business systems and manufacturing in real-time. The concept of the enterprise control system encompasses everything from sensors and people in manufacturing to the ERP system.

This logic does make sense since ERP systems have been refined over a number of years and they create tremendous efficiencies in business operations. Certainly I and others see the need for this integrated systems approach in manufacturing. This seems to be an elusive concept except at manufacturing companies that have brilliant and industrious staff who assemble custom systems.

— [2]

An enterprise control system is the open architecture framework to integrate control systems with the enterprise while adding functions to improve business performance including MES, optimization, workflow, quality management, and asset management.[2]

History

A distributed control system gave way to process automation systems which lead the way for the concept of collaborative automation process systems developed by ARC Advisory Group[3]

Later, enterprise control systems became key terminology in the marketplace.

...[I]ndustrial automation interoperates with other functions within the enterprise. Trying to keep up with changing technologies, ... is never easy and the industrial automation environment is no exception. Whether you are a student just starting out or are a top-level executive or manager well-versed in one domain, but have limited knowledge of the industrial automation industry, it’s easy to find yourself adrift in this evolving industry.

— [1]

ANSI/ISA-95, or ISA-95 as it is more commonly referred, is an international standard for developing an automated interface between enterprise and control systems. This standard has been developed for global manufacturers. It was developed to be applied in all industries, and in all sorts of processes, like batch processes, continuous and repetitive processes.

ISA95 “levels” for enterprise integration

Purdue Reference Model, “95” provides a model that end users, integrators and vendors can share in integrating applications at key layers in the enterprise.[4]

  • Level 0 — The physical process — Defines the actual physical processes.
  • Level 1 — Intelligent devices — Sensing and manipulating the physical processes. Process *sensors, analyzers, actuators and related instrumentation.
  • Level 2 — Control systems — Supervising, monitoring and controlling the physical processes. Real-time controls and software; DCS, human-machine interface (HMI); supervisory and data acquisition (SCADA) software.
  • Level 3 — Manufacturing operations systems — Managing production work flow to produce the desired products. Batch management; manufacturing execution/operations management systems (MES/MOMS); laboratory, maintenance and plant performance management systems; data historians and related middleware. Time frame: shifts, hours, minutes, seconds.
  • Level 4 — Business logistics systems — Managing the business-related activities of the manufacturing operation. ERP is the primary system; establishes the basic plant production schedule, material use, shipping and inventory levels. Time frame: months, weeks, days, shifts.

See also

References
  1. Automation Made Easy: Everything You Wanted to Know about Automation-and Need to Ask Peter G. Martin, Gregory Hale. ISBN 978-1936007066
  2. Bill Lydon, Automation.com
  3. ARC Advisory Group
  4. Control Global Magazine
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