AGM of Automation Technology Interest Group of the Process Industry.

Boundless Automation theme highlights next-generation automation architecture that enables improved data utilisation and operating performance

NAMUR is the international user association of automation technology and digitalisation in the process industries and its influential two-day congress will host over 650 industry executives, expert users and automation suppliers who gather to learn the latest advancements in automation technology and software. This year Emerson will sponsor the NAMUR 2024 Annual General Meeting on November 21-22 in Neuss- near Düsseldorf (D)*.

In alignment with Emerson’s vision for Boundless Automation™, a next-generation automation architecture that enables companies to achieve new levels of performance and better utilise data and software for greater organisational agility and performance, the theme of NAMUR’s event is ‘Boundless Automation for Ecosystems in Action.’ 
See also our piece Towards "Boundless Automation." (25/10/20220).

Peter Zornio, chief technology officer at Emerson, will deliver the keynote presentation, highlighting how Emerson’s Boundless Automation strategy aligns with NAMUR concepts and recommendations, helping process plants achieve their full potential. He will also share insights on how a next-generation automation architecture unlocks the true potential of data to enable modern operating models.

“The NAMUR Annual General Meeting provides industry leaders a platform to understand the latest automation developments and how they can apply these advancements to improve efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability,” said NAMUR president Felix Hanisch. “We welcome Emerson as our event sponsor and look forward to learning about technologies and strategies that enable Boundless Automation.”

The future automation architecture will connect the intelligent field, the edge, and cloud computing using open standards and protocols – such as Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer), PROFINET®, OPC-UA, WirelessHART®, 5G and others – across a unifying data fabric. This approach will empower companies to liberate silos of production, sustainability, reliability and safety data to extract maximum value through powerful analytics and optimisation software.

“Emerson looks forward to connecting with industry leaders to discuss how modern automation solutions empower companies to optimise their manufacturing facilities in multiple domains at the NAMUR conference,” said John Nita, president of Emerson in Europe. “Modernising operations has become restricted by the limitations of today’s automation architectures. By converging rich data and powerful software, Boundless Automation liberates data to unleash the power of software, helping manufacturers reach unprecedented levels of performance.”

Across a comprehensive conference program, including presentations from a broad range of process industry leaders, NAMUR will advise delegates of the challenges and best practices when applying modern automation architectures, technologies and software.

Workshops and exhibits hosted and delivered by Emerson subject matter experts will focus on:

• Implementing a modern automation architecture with NAMUR Open Architecture (NOA) and Module Type Package (MTP).
• Increasing asset reliability with innovative sensor technology and asset management systems (AMS) and machinery health software.
• Expanding access to field instrumentation and safety data with Ethernet-APL
• Maximising return on investment through `born digital’ and project certainty approaches.
• Using AI-enabled industrial software to achieve remote and autonomous operation.

In addition to the workshops, Emerson will exhibit intelligent field devices, the company’s modern DeltaV™ distributed control system, and new innovations enabling OT edge and cloud computing, plus optimisation software that delivers greater insight and drives measurable operational improvements.

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* Registration via the NAMUR website will be possible from the end of July 2024.

@EmersonExchange @EMR_Automation @Emerson_News  @HHC_Lewis #NAMUR #PAuto

Digitalization strategy.

As a sponsor of this year's NAMUR Annual General Meeting, HIMA presented an overall concept for the digitalization of functional safety with added value.

In the process industry, the safety concept and the regular proof of safety are prerequisites for the operating license of a plant. The obligations of operators in the planning and operation of safety devices are correspondingly extensive. To support the skilled workers, HIMA presented a comprehensive digitalization strategy at the User Meeting of Process Automation Specialists (NAMUR) in Neuss (D - November 10th and 11th, 2022).

The functional safety regulations are extensive, and the required processes for testing, verification and documentation are complex. This is partly due to the fact that trained specialists have to process different data sources. After all, the safety systems in the process industry still mostly consist of isolated solutions that only a few specialists take care of. And so it is hardly surprising that many plant operators see challenges to implement the requirements of the complex set of rules.

In the sponsor of the NAMUR Annual General Meeting 2022’s keynote speech , it became clear that on one hand the requirements continue to increase, but on the other solutions are also available. "Functional safety systems are moving from a marginal position further and further into the center of plant automation," explained Jörg de la Motte, CEO of HIMA: "In the past, safety systems were in place, occasionally shut down plants and provided sparse information about the 'why' due to meager data transmitted via simple interfaces. We see that this is changing due to the trend towards digitalization." Security systems are increasingly becoming data hubs that need to process and distribute additional data in addition to performing the actual safety functions.

Security needs more than just certification.
To ensure that the original safety function is not impaired, security measures are extremely important. Peter Sieber, Vice President Strategic Marketing at HIMA, showed that security is not only a task in the development of safety systems, but must also be lived in the operating phase: "A security certification of the products alone creates neither safety nor security! Products must be designed to be robust in order to withstand security attacks."  Around half of all certified products have security gaps and are vulnerable.

Manufacturers must therefore create an appropriate security environment in addition to security certification. At HIMA, this includes the development of software according to defensive design principles and the encapsulation of safety systems in a "security environment" whose boundaries are secured by firewalls. Within the security environment, physically separate interfaces are used for different tasks.

In order to simplify the life cycle management of safety equipment, HIMA, together with its strategic partner Mangan Software Solutions, has developed a solution (Safety Lifecycle Manager, SLM®) that replaces tasks relating to safety equipment that were previously manually performed with automatic data collection and automated evaluations. This facilitates standards-compliant operation and increases efficiency. Recurring tasks for functional safety are defined once and their temporal and content-related implementation is then automatically monitored. This allows specialist personnel to concentrate on important process steps, resulting in cost savings in the region of 70% in practice.

Digitalization awakens the appetite.
With the increasing degree of digitalization in the process industry, the demands on systems in safety technology are also growing. In order to keep pace here, HIMA is extending its range of plug-ins in its SILworX programming system, with which its own tools, and also those from other providers, are to be made easy to use. "The big developments are currently happening within the software. The software is the driver of digitalization," explained Sergej Arent, Director Applications at HIMA: "With plug-ins, we can react faster and more flexibly to customer requirements without compromising SILworX certification." The security experts are not lacking in ideas: For example, a digital inventory manager is conceivable, with which information about hardware and software versions in the security system can be exported to an ERP system.

"In 2030, functional safety will have to be largely digital in order to meet all operator requirements ," summarized HIMA CEO Jörg de la Motte.

@NicolePringal #HIMA #NAMUR #Safety #Digitisation #PAuto

Mag meter certified to European chemical standerds.

Emerson’s Rosemount™ 8700 Series of Magnetic Flow Meters has been certified to comply with NAMUR (Normenarbeitsgemeinschaft für Messund Regeltechnik in der Chemischen Industrie) recommendations, expanding the automation supplier’s portfolio of advanced process measurement solutions approved for use in the European chemical market.

“The new certification positions Emerson to better serve users in the European and global chemical market, helping to take their operations to the next level of performance,” said Scott Dudek, product manager for Rosemount magnetic flow meters at Emerson Automation Solutions. “This achievement is a testament to our commitment to meeting the toughest safety, reliability, and operational requirements while offering a comprehensive magnetic flow meter portfolio.”

NAMUR, the international association and standards body for automation technology users in the process industry, establishes recommendations for equipment deployed in the European chemical market based on operating norms and user requirements. Emerson’s certification is the culmination of rigorous testing by an accredited third party, which allow the Rosemount 8700 Magnetic Flow Meters to be deployed in chemical industry applications.

The 8700 series’ hardware and software features, such as all-welded construction and self-diagnostic capabilities for verifying calibration, accuracy and overall device health, are designed to ensure reliable flow readings, ease installation, reduce maintenance costs, and improve operational performance in demanding process applications.

@EMR_Automation #PAuto @HHC_Lewis 

Ethernet in process automation.

At a joint symposium, PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) and NAMUR e.V. discussed the use of Ethernet in the process industry. The goal of the event was to evaluate, coordinate and prioritize the requirements placed on an Ethernet communication system for process automation.

The results of the discussions by experienced specialists from system and device manufacturers and expert users in this field were compiled in a position paper of the NAMUR Working Group 2.6 “Fieldbus” (convened by Sven Seintsch of Bilfinger), which will serve as the basis for the development of a next-generation digital communication system for use at process plants. Previous experience with existing fieldbus systems and future required features are taken into account here.

In every phase of a plant's life cycle, digital bus systems meet important user requirements while significantly outmatching analog communication in terms of quality, cost and speed. A glance at modern, large-scale process industry plants, however, shows that this is not always the case from our present point of view. The reason for this is the high degree of complexity experienced by the user. The next generation is intended to simplify the handling of digital communication at a broad range of different process automation plants (i.e. facilitate ease of use), while at the same time defining the technological requirements for topics associated with Industry 4.0.

Michael Pelz (Clariant Plastics&Coatings), head of Namur Working Area 2, "Automation Systems for Processes and Plants," summarized the benefits of this activity: "Close cooperation between manufacturer and user organizations beginning at the early phase of a new technology unleashes great synergy potential. This provides the best opportunity for introducing a new technology, both cost-effectively in production by the supplier and efficiently at the plants of the user."

Dr. Peter Wenzel, Managing Director of PI, sees "special challenges for digital and networked communication structures" in the specific characteristics of the process industry, such as long plant service lives and accordingly long-term use of process control and field device technology, complex devices and high requirements on security and availability. He continued: "This is why the successful introduction of an Ethernet-based communication system requires early coordination of requirements with users. The experts at PI are happy to engage in this task and are looking forward to intensive and fruitful cooperation with NAMUR experts."

#Pauto #NamurWorking @AllThingsPROFI

Co-operation to aid automation users in process industry

In collaborating with NAMUR, a leading international user association for automation in the process industry, ISA continues to explore new partnership initiatives to help solve global industry challenges

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is tireless in exploring new collaborative initiatives designed to help industries throughout the world improve automation technology and workforce proficiency, safety, reliability and efficiency.

About ISA
ISA has developed more than 160 standards, recommended practices and technical reports.ISA standards support safer and more reliable operating environments, streamline and standardize industry processes, and improve operating performance and profitability. Many ISA standards are being adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for application overseas.

ISA training programs leverage the expertise of leading subject matter experts across a wide variety of technical fields, including: petro-chemical, energy, utility, pharmaceutical, pulp/paper, food/beverage, military/defense and manufacturing.

Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin is working with representatives of NAMUR, the leading international user association of automation technology companies in the chemical process industry, to assess how ISA can support NAMUR’s core objectives, namely:

Minimising its member companies’ costs associated with process control technology

Increasing access to appropriate process control technology

Improving plant safety

Encouraging greater collaboration among its company members with other corporations and associations

“At ISA, we’re honoured that NAMUR encourages our input and seeks to create a collaborative relationship,” says Gouhin, who earlier this week attended and spoke at NAMUR’s Annual General Meeting, held 8-9 November 2012 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (D). Pieter van der Klooster, who manages ISA’s European office, also attended the meeting. “We’re currently working to define the activities that offer the most potential for collaboration, to plan cooperative working groups, and to consider our mutual participation in events.”

In his opening remarks at the meeting, NAMUR President Wilhelm Otten highlighted the need to initiate international involvement and secure alliances with other organizations to solve many of the global challenges facing process industry.

In an increasingly linked and interdependent global economy, fostering greater communication and cooperation among industry producers, automation technology companies, industry associations, government officials, and academicians is vital in sharing best practices, promoting innovation, and weighing strategies to invigorate worldwide economic growth.

Already, Gouhin reports, ISA and NAMUR have identified five common working groups that offer immediate collaborative opportunities:

Functional Safety Wireless Automation

IT Security

Selection of Field Flow Devices Alarm Management

Pat Gouhin’s involvement at NAMUR is the latest example of ISA’s growing participation in international initiatives to leverage the value of automation technology and counteract the worldwide economic slowdown. In mid-October of this year, Gouhin attended and spoke at the World Manufacturing Forum 2012, in Stuttgart (D), where he underscored the need for automated manufacturing systems and more skilled workers capable of operating them.

“While the ability to innovate will be an essential factor in determining corporate success in the 21st century, having access to a capable, well-trained automation and control workforce may be even more critical,” Gouhin indicates.

According to a recently published report on the world economy, an estimated 10 million jobs in various industries cannot be filled today due to a growing skills gap.

By establishing automation standards, and developing and certifying the technical knowledge and expertise of automation and control professionals, ISA can play a significant role in closing this skills gap, and improving economic growth throughout the world, Gouhin says.