Product category:
Process Control: SCADA, ERP, MES and networks
News Release from: Citect | Subject: CitectHMI/SCADA and Ampla
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 May 2006
Is your legacy DCS damaging your
business?
Many engineers and managers believe if their current legacy control system is operating without problems, there is no need to upgrade: but competitors have reduced costs and improved productivity
Many engineers and managers believe if their current legacy system is operating without problems, there is no need to upgrade This may seem to save money in the short term but will potentially result in rising costs and lost business over a period of time
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 10 Dec 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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In the meantime, their competitors have reduced costs and improved productivity, achieving an increased market share, by implementing the latest technologies.
Even more problematic, is many companies have no defined method of determining the status of their current control systems.
They are not aware when their existing systems are not operating at optimum efficiency.
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A typical 100-point HMI for just GBP 400, supported by 130 major drivers and complete with a free development system, is the promise for the new CitectHMI
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Citect is offering the opportunity to work with their complete new SCADA v5.5 suite for free: the software has a run time limited to 15 mins, but users can start developing SCADA projects now!
Citect offers mobile plant control for GBP995
Citect is offering new and existing users of its CitectSCADA system the benefits of mobile plant monitoring and control - "in the palm of the hand" - anywhere, anytime
The results of following questionnaire will provide an accurate assessment of whether it is critical that you update your current control system.
1) Is your control system more than 5 years old? 2) Does your control system software run on unsupported operating systems (Win 95/98, WinNT etc)? 3) Is the future for the control system software uncertain, i.e having little or no supplier investment in future releases, or does the vendor has multiple products to maintain? 4) Will an upgrade to the latest version incur significant reconfiguration (more than 10 per cent of the original configuration?).
5) Is it difficult to find system integrators to help enhance or maintain your current version? 6) Has the product support on your current version expired, or is it about to? 7) Is your system becoming more expensive to maintain? 8) Was the last Service Pack or update for your software available more than 12 months ago? 9) Is your control system at risk from attacks by viruses? 10) Is it difficult to integrate you control system with other business systems? If you answered yes to between 8 and 10 questions, then it is imperative that you replace your systems immediately, as their hidden costs may cause long-term competitive damage.
If you answered yes to between 5 and 7, the best course of action is to speak with your current vendor about upgrade options.
A score of 3-4 means your control system is performing adequately.
Finally, a score of 1-2 testifies that your control system is in good order.
For companies who are faced with obsolete legacy systems, there are a number of options.
One option is to do nothing.
This option is not really viable since it will impair the company's ability to compete as costs continue to mount and productivity is lost.
Another option is to upgrade with the existing vendor.
Maintaining an up-to-date control system prevents it from becoming a legacy system that no longer provides business benefits.
Naturally, it is much easier to upgrade when a control system vendor provides a seamless upgrade path to its latest product release.
Replacing the present legacy system entirely is also an option.
This may be expensive because software is only a fraction of the overall cost of a new HMI/SCADA system.
Developing a new configuration can take months and incur significant downtime.
However, if your current provider does not have a seamless upgrade path, you may want to consider this alternative to prevent future problems.
A further option is to automatically convert the existing legacy system to a completely new one.
Companies such as Citect, who specialise in the automation market, offer a conversion tool called Switch2Citect that dramatically reduces the time and expense involved with developing a new system.
Tools like Switch2Citect help companies to easily change their existing SCADA systems to ones that provide clear upgrade paths.
The conversion tool easily converts graphics and tag databases to a CitectSCADA system.
Configuration time of graphical displays is reduced from days to hours or even minutes.
More importantly, users will not be tied to a legacy system with prohibitive upgrades that will ultimately hurt their bottom line.
Citect is the leading, independent global provider of industrial automation, real-time intelligence, and next generation manufacturing execution systems (MES).
Leveraging open technologies, CitectHMI/SCADA and Ampla connect to multiple plant and business systems.
Our products are complemented by professional services, customer support and training, and sold in numerous industries: mining, metals, food and beverage, manufacturing, facilities, water, gas pipelines, power distribution and pharmaceuticals.
Headquartered in Sydney Australia, Citect has 19 offices and representation in Oceania, Southeast Asia, China and Japan, North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Its products are distributed in more than 50 countries worldwide. Request a free brochure from Citect ...
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