| Plain HTML Version of this Page | ||
Text Zoom:  |  |  |
||
| Control Systems | ||
 |
What We Do... | |
Please let us know your control system support issues. We can assist you with system optimisation, technical analysis and also with new build systems. Rockwell Automation, ABB, Citect, Siemens SIMATIC, Siemens TI and other leading platforms are supported.
You may, for example, be a Systems Integrator with a large project requiring support bandwidth for a few weeks or a few months. You may have been asked to develop a Quality Programme by a customer and need one deployed as soon as possible. Or, you may be a small manufacturer "punching above your weight" who needs to impress a potential client with a functional, effective manufacturing system that is fully documented and maintainable. You could also be an end user who needs a procurement standard to make sure that your new equipment uses a consistent type of controller and SCADA system or even pushbutton type for your spare parts considerations. Similar programmes are suitable for suppliers so that their customers have a detailed knowledge of their proposed system. Differences between suppliers' expectations and customers' expectations can be resolved early in the project at a much cheaper cost. Code Audits for pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications are also available. Do you have as-built drawings for your control systems? Do you have back-ups of all your PLC, HMI and SCADA systems? Are you trying to get to the bottom of an OPC implementation? Is your DCS due for replacement? Do you have a customer with a large project and need help? PCS-7? RSViewSE? Do you just need a Functional Description written? We can assist you with conversion of legacy PLC (including PLC-2, S5) and DCS (including ABB, DEC PDP/VAX, Yokogawa and Honeywell) control equipment to modern PAC and SCADA equipment (including Siemens and Rockwell Automation). We also will assist you with your specialised or bespoke SCADA/HMI (and low-level) automation system deployment. |
||
Customers simply expect more now on a control system project. Their budgets are tight and profit margins for you and them are razor thin. Hardware mark-ups are shrinking, staff labour costs are rising and there is a shortage of skilled, experienced labour. Managing your life cycle is the key - either as an end user or as an integrator or machine builder. Please click here more details on Project Management.
We can help you put the project management tools in place - including a quality assurance programme, functional description and software management programme to reduce your risk. Mission creep where unpaid or non-funded adders creep into a project causing delays and cost overruns are dramatically reduced.
We can apply the top-rated pharmaceutical automated manufacturing system management techniques - GAMP® - to non-pharmaceutical systems (scaled to suit the size of the project and the budget available). What GAMP®, when correctly applied, provides an end user (and the integration team) with documented evidence that the control system is capable of repeatedly and reliably producing a finished product at the required level of quality. GAMP® breaks the project cycle down into defined and manageable steps. Mission creep, cost overruns, out-of-scope work and other undesirable extra-budget issues are reduced. Finally, the management cycle means that every aspect of system performance outlined in the project team's original specifications are traceable to the end detailed design documents. Please click here more details on GAMP®.
Assistance can be provided in setting up comprehensive mixed or single-bus environments including:
- ASi Bus;
- PROFIBUS-DP;
- HART;
- ControlNet;
- DeviceNet;
- Modbus;
- Industrial Ethernet - EtherNet/IP, PROFInet;
- and others.
Please read here what happens when a system is set up with incorrect attention to network and field bus architecture. The report shows how a system was designed with what appears to be one critical Ethernet network. VFD/VSD units resided on the network and were corrupted when a PLC broadcasted incoherent chatter. We would suggest that networks be segmented and other field buses such as PROFIBUS or ControlNet be considered for essential devices rather than Ethernet.
Examples of "newer" technologies being applied to control systems are :
- ISA standards - S88, S95, S99 and OMAC;
- OPC UA - click here for OPC UA;
- XML - click here for an outline on XML.
Please enquire using our fill-in form by pressing here.
© 2007-2008, hls innovations limited, All Rights Reserved.