Product category:
Process Control and Monitoring Systems
News Release from: Rockwell Automation | Subject: Industrial Network Services
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 16 June 2003
Professional network consultancy
services launched
Rockwell Automation's new Industrial Network Services are a suite of professional consultancy services designed to help manufacturers improve the performance of their business and industrial networks
Rockwell Automation is introducing Industrial Network Services, a suite of professional consultancy services designed to help manufacturers improve the performance of their business and industrial networks The range of services spans the life cycle of networks from strategic planning to proof of concept, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting and so will be of benefit to end users, OEMs, systems integrators and installation contractors
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 13 Aug 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The type of networks covered includes DeviceNet, ControlNet, EtherNet/IP and generic Ethernet.
Optimised control and information networks that provide a seamless, reliable and secure flow of data around the plant improve productivity and enable manufacturers to make effective business decisions based on accurate, real time information.
The Industrial Network Services suite provides a set of individual tailored services to address specific network-related issues: * Network Consulting covers the conceptual design of a new network and includes factors such as performance and bandwidth utilisation.
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* Network Design provides complete engineering support to define network components, security, throughput, redundancy and configuration.
* Network Installation Management supervises the physical installation of network components and ensures proper documentation is provided.
* Network Media Certification checks and certifies the performance of networks using coax, fibre, flat, thick or thin media before and after activation.
* Maintenance provides continuous monitoring of network performance.
* Troubleshooting ensures problems are rapidly solved to minimise downtime.
* Baseline Documentation records all network tests for future use.
* Training ensures operators and maintenance staff have adequate levels of skill to use and maintain the network With the operation of manufacturing plants increasingly dependent on control and information networks, Industrial Network Services can make measurable improvements to Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) scores by increasing their reliability, security and efficiency.
"Manufacturing trends have put greater reliance on communication through industrial networks, but many companies experience marginal performance and reliability problems," says Ian Leach, network services manager at Rockwell Automation.
"Studies show that around 50% of all networks have errors causing reliability issues or limiting performance, and 90% of these problems are related to the physical media." As well as linking plant level automation devices to form highly integrated control systems, industrial networks have an increasingly important role in connecting the factory floor with management level enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
"Accurate, real time data from the factory floor is vital to making informed business decisions and so increasing returns of net assets," says Leach.
"To make that data available, device level and business networks must work together seamlessly, but few manufacturers today have the necessary expertise in-house to design, install and maintain a fully integrated architecture." Industrial Network Services fills this skills gap, ensuring that manufacturers take advantage of the latest high speed network technologies to maximise uptime, improve efficiency and ensure network security. Request a free brochure from Rockwell Automation ...
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