Siemens reports decisive success for factory management

It works! Siemens reports decisive success for factory management

2024-05-10 Source: Siemens | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Siemens has, as it is said, succeeded in the major challenge of managing hardware control points across an entire factory.

Concentrated work! In times of instability in supply and demand, according to Siemens, it is not efficient for manufacturers to program each PLC individually and manually. Siemens has now managed to have this done centrally.(Image: Siemens) — Concentrated work! In times of instability in supply and demand, according to Siemens, it is not efficient for manufacturers to program each PLC individually and manually. Siemens has now managed to have this done centrally.
(Image: Siemens)

The new Simatic Automation Workstation from Siemens now allows manufacturers to replace a hardware-based programmable logic controller (PLC), a conventional HMI and an Edge device with a single, software-based workstation, as Siemens emphasizes. This allows for secure communication between Information Technology (IT) workflows and Operational Technology (OT) environments. As is well known, a PLC is referred to as the "brain" of factories, energy networks, office buildings and trains. Hundreds, even thousands of these controls can be found in many manufacturing plants. However, each PLC must be extensively programmed to keep it up to date, to guarantee its safety and to be coordinated with other controls in the environment, Siemens explains. The Simatic Workstation, on the other hand, can be viewed and controlled from a central point.

The Ford Motor Company already has the system on board

Programming, updates and patches are carried out in parallel, ensuring the shop floor remains synchronized. For instance, if a system needs to be ramped up or down quickly due to fluctuating demand, you can centrally program the controls via the Simatic Workstation and adapt them to the current needs, eliminating the need for engineers to program individual programmable logic controllers. The Siemens Simatic Workstation is, by the way, an on-premise OT device, the supplier informs, that utilizes Siemens Industrial Edge technology to allow for a high data transfer rate with low latency. This enables manufacturers to run many modular applications. This works not only for proven automation tasks like motion control, sequence planning and safety, because the Simatic Workstation is also a platform for new automation applications. According to Siemens, it is possible to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into industrial control systems – for example, for visual inspection or robot-assisted gripping and placement. Simatic workstations will be used for the first time in Ford Motor Company's production facilities. The Simatic Workstation is the latest addition to the Siemens Xcelerator digital business platform and can be adapted to the individual requirements of industries and customers.

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