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Plant Floor to Business System Integration using ArchestrA®
To date, more than 200 companies have implemented in excess of 425 projects using Wonderware’s FactorySuite A² software including the distributed Industrial Application Server. These applications range over multiple industries and span several types of systems (remote SCADA operations, plant-wide supervisory control, plant intelligence, regulatory compliance, production management) but some of the most exciting have revolved around the integration of plant floor systems to business systems.
The ArchestrA architecture was designed from the outset to extend the life of legacy systems by providing an open and flexible platform that can connect to other systems and become the conduit around which data is gathered, concentrated and shared. Offerings built on this architecture empower decision-makers to achieve business goals without abandoning prior investments in automation systems, production processes or intellectual property. ArchestrA technology allows software applications to be rapidly assembled rather than programmed, allowing the creation of new applications simply through the reassembly and deployment of existing applications. Additionally, because of its open architecture, ArchestrA technology is enabling companies to rapidly connect plant operations to enterprise business systems for increased automation in business and manufacturing processes, and greater agility to react to changing manufacturing climates.
Two recent examples of this capability are discussed below. In both cases, ArchestrA technology provided the platform around which plant floor and business systems were integrated seamlessly to allow the organizations in question to more flexibly manage their operations and production to meet ever changing business needs.
Business-to-Manufacturing System Collaboration using SAP NetWeaver Product:
In October of 2004, Wonderware (in conjunction with SAP) began a customer project for Arla Foods using the latest version of the SAP NetWeaver product in an ISA S95 XML standards-based, plant-to-business integration environment using the ArchestrA architecture. This collaboration was achieved by using the latest plant-to-business XML standards defined by ISA S95 in combination with open integration architectures, which encompasses Invensys’ ArchestrA on the plant side and the SAP NetWeaver product on the business side.
Wonderware worked closely with SAP to simplify the integration effort, lower the implementation and support costs, and enable faster manufacturing agility as their mutual customers business needs continued to evolve. The resulting integration allowed for the optimization of production performance, as well as fulfilling food safety regulatory requirements by allowing the transfer of detailed production schedules to the shop floor while seamlessly collecting and reporting on key production figures.
Enterprise Application Integration Using ArchestrA technology and ISA S95 XML Standards:
Nutramax Manufacturing, Inc., is using Wonderware enterprise integration application based on ArchestrA technology in combination with Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision (a business management solution) to achieve faster manufacturing agility and to expand manufacturing capacity to meet growing customer orders. The overall goal of the project was to create a fully paperless environment and to automate the customer's business and manufacturing processes, while continuing to adhere to FDA regulations for manufacturing operations. The operational benefits targeted in the automation of the manufacturing and business processes for this project were:
Within a few months of starting the project, Nutramax stated that they had successfully achieved several of these project objectives (quantify and reduce raw material waste, gain greater control of inventory of production materials and have improved efficiencies in the manufacturing and packaging stages of their product production lines).
Why ArchestrA?
Today's reality is that cus Wonderware’s S95 XML Enterprise Application Integration offerings and capabilities include:
To find out more about these powerful new features, simply call Q-mation.
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tomer's
need sustainable approaches to integration of real-time plant
and business information workflows. Traditionally, plant
floor to business side integration is done using custom
integration for each specific need. As a company's business changes or needs evolve,
these kinds of systems become increasingly difficult to manage.
Today's environment requires flexible, modular interfaces
between the plant floor and business side systems and the basis
for this new advanced applications capability is the new
S95.01/02 standard. S95.01/02 provides a standard terminology and a
consistent set of concepts and models for enterprise
integration. This standard, along with Wonderware FactorySuite A² software (which utilizes open ArchestrA software
technology), allows rapid integration and allows companies to
easily model disparate plant information in a flexible,
maintainable interface.