Integration of process control and IT: closer than you think.

True, seamless integration of Information Technology (IT) and process control has long been the Holy Grail of automation in the paper industry. How close are we to achieving that goal today? Technically, we can do it. Realistically, there are still some barriers.

All the pieces are in place that can bring everything together using your existing network infrastructure--from the field sensors producing measurements on the plant floor through the order entry and management system in the front office, wherever that office may be.

The gap between wanting process control/IT integration and achieving it has more to do with the cost and feasibility of migrating legacy systems, the efficiency of multiple vendors working together, the proliferation of communication protocols, and issues related to data security and information overload. Industry consolidation makes integration increasingly complex.

WHAT YOU ARE SEEKING

What does true integration look like? How will you know when you achieve it? You will know, because process data will be automatically turned into recommended actions that can lead to greater profits, 24-7-365 (and the system will not ask for a raise or time off). This means that the right information is getting to the right people in real time, wherever they are--via monitor, Web, or wireless.

Integration of process control and IT at a single site is relatively simple. One reason is that face-to-face communication serves as a backup to the technology. If the No. 1 paper machine goes down during a critical job, everyone pretty much knows it. The true benchmark of process control and IT integration is whether you can get it to work across multiple sites in multiple regions.

KEEP GOING

Grade structure, purchasing, transportation, capital spending, and order sourcing all involve decisions that can be made more effectively when process control and IT are integrated. This is true because information coming from process control on the plant floor is critical to these decisions, chiefly up-to-the-minute information about quality, capacity, and consumption.

Integration allows enterprises to reap the benefits of having multiple locations--such as choosing the best mill to fill a specific order or manufacture a specific grade. It enables you to plan, schedule, and make the decisions most profitable for your company. With integration, for example, you can truly monitor and assess raw material consumption in real time, allowing you to accurately cost each ton, manage raw material inventories at individual facilities, and develop a tight supply chain.

Integration can also improve profit margins by reducing waste and supporting reliability-centered maintenance. Asset management solutions, for example, help you determine what assets need attention, in what priority. The right solutions can put the sticky process valve at the top of maintenance's to-do list, and the leaky water fountain pump at the bottom. Again, it will convert data into actionable recommendations that can drive profits.

What can your company do to take those final, necessary steps to achieving process control and IT integration?

Continue supporting the development of information exchange standards. This is needed to close the gap between legacy data historian systems and production management systems. This includes Foundation Fieldbus at the plant or field level, OPC and ODBC at the control level, and XML at the transactional or IT level. The industry's papiNet initiative is a good example.

Partner with an established, full-scope vendor. At the enterprise level, cost and feasibility are the biggest barrier to achieving integration. The most realistic approach is to work with a supplier-partner to replace older systems as they wear out--one with a clear technological path forward. Otherwise, you are likely to end up with a system that is held together with the digital equivalent of duct tape.

Define what information matters most, and to whom within your enterprise. What information is needed to make profitable decisions, and who needs it? Only then can you truly find the Holy Grail--the ability to turn data into information, information into actions, and actions into dollars.

About the author: Steve Sena has 11 years experience in the pulp, paper and printing industries end is strategic marketing manager for Honeywell Industry Solutions. Contact him at [e-mail]