Balancing act for greater productivity
The process industry, where there is both continuous change as well as plants with lifecycles lasting for 30 years or more, must always contend with the conflicting priorities of innovation and continuity. And growing competitive pressure doesn’t make the situation any easier.
Networks that make big data smarter
To ensure their lasting success in the process industry, companies need to maximize efficiency throughout the entire plant lifecycle. Digitalization is opening up entirely new horizons in this context, and the digital plant is the key. This demands comprehensive networking of the entire plant with a communication network that meets all industrial requirements and ensures company-wide access to all relevant information.
Data transparency is a key lever in maximizing plant availability. After all, the intelligent use of all data from the process allows any irregularities during operation to be identified and quickly eliminated at an early stage before becoming problematic or, in a worst-case scenario, before causing an unscheduled plant shutdown. Extensive and timely knowledge about the condition of all components connected to the plant network also increases maintenance and repair efficiency. This results in a high degree of availability and productivity while minimizing time and cost.
Meeting all requirements
With enormous volumes of data being generated during the steady advance of digitalization, and with the need to process this data securely, conventional network topologies quickly reach their limits. This is especially true when the ambient conditions impose particularly strict requirements on the communication network, such as in the oil and gas industry. Security and reliability play a key role here, including from a financial point of view. That’s because a suitable communication infrastructure is crucial if significant savings are to be achieved in a plant.
From PROFIBUS to PROFINET – More performance in harsh environments
PROFINET, the leading Industrial Ethernet standard in automation, meets the high requirements in terms of flexibility, availability and reliability and thus provides secure and fast data communication – and at the same time enables powerful and cost-effective solutions for process automation.
PROFINET is based on the Ethernet standard according to IEEE 802.3 and is therefore the reliable, future-proof standard that paves the way for digitalization in process-oriented environments for reliable communication down to the field level. PROFINET enables flexible network architectures and also allows the integration of existing PROFIBUS networks.
The SCALANCE X Industrial Ethernet switches are designed for use in PROFINET networks and also meet the special requirements of the process industry: NAMUR NE21-compliant, extended temperature range (-40°C to +70°C), conformal coating, installation elevation up to 4000 m and use in hazardous areas (ATEX Zone 2).
Rugged and reliable
In the oil & gas industry, the challenges are big, the stakes are high and the conditions harsh. Extreme environments and remote locations – oil & gas operations face these realities every day. With a communications portfolio that enables implementation of reliable, high-performing communication infrastructures, Siemens can provide dependable and robust connectivity for even the most demanding applications.
Opening up new technology fields
Volatile market conditions continue to impose big challenges to the Oil & Gas industry, where business uncertainty and reduced investment is becoming the norm. At the same time, this gives opportunity for Oil & Gas operators, to identify and implement new technologies that enable them to overcome their biggest challenges and reach long term goals. For a properly implemented industrial communication system can offer great benefits.
Our offering for industrial networks
The planning, design, and implementation of reliable and powerful communication networks demand both ability and technical knowledge. We are your skilled partner in helping ensure that your company-wide communications are designed to be future-proof.
Digitalization ensures growth in one of Europe’s most modern cheese dairies
Companies from a wide range of industries around the world rely on our expertise in all aspects of future-proof communication networks. That includes Molkerei Ammerland, which produces approximately 122,000 tons of cheese annually.
Digitally networked systems for flexible production growth
A powerful network infrastructure is the backbone of reliable production. If properly designed, the system creates transparency and flexibility for future expansions. Molkerei Ammerland opted for a new network concept to ensure a high level of network availability and the resulting plant reliability today, and also to ensure that it is prepared for growth in the future. In the course of modernizing the network infrastructure, the dairy upgraded the passive network technology by laying high-performance fiber-optic data cables. It additionally created new virtual networks (VLANs) through segmentation, and ideally linked production and conventional IT thanks to an optimal interface. In the new infrastructure, the SINEMA Server network management software handles all the monitoring and management tasks and ensures maximum transparency in the network.
