At present, software-defined automation (SDA) and open automation (Universal Automation) are rapidly evolving, driving the transformation of traditional industrial automation models with unstoppable momentum. As software-defined open automation technology matures and the new generation of industrial automation tools and solutions becomes more and more popular in the industrial market, the era of automation that relied on and tied to manufacturers in the past will become a thing of the past

      Based on the decoupling of automation software and hardware, users can deploy the automation functions they need on any of the standards-compliant platforms of their choice. This allows companies to be driven by their own business needs, maximize the technological value of next-generation automation, and make the best decisions to meet changing consumer demands, thereby better transitioning to Industry 4.0 and moving towards a digital future.

Relying on virtualization technology, leading the new height of industrial automation

      On the basis of software and hardware decoupling, new virtualization technology can be widely used in the industrial field, promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional automation paradigms, and further improving the overall efficiency of enterprises.

       In traditional IT concepts, "virtualization" is often used to describe setting up multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single server. When applied to industrial automation, the premise of the technology is the same – the virtualization of physical entities, although the technology has many meanings.

    In this regard, Ali Haj Fraj, global senior vice president of Schneider Electric and head of digital factory in the industrial automation business, said: "People rely on the combination of hardware and software to realize the digital upgrade of industrial process execution. In this process, the value of virtualization technology will be maximized by further invoking the power of the software. ”

        Software digital twin to help enterprises govern "real" with "virtual"

     By introducing digital twin modeling technology into the software, users can build digital twins of real assets in the virtual world to achieve "virtual and real consistent" operation management. In the manufacturing industry, for example, Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Machine Expert Twin (EMET) can help machine builders transform their "waterfall" physical hardware development process into an "agile" development process: by "drag and drop" in a predefined object directory, manufacturers can design, optimize, test, and validate digital models of machine solutions in a virtualized environment. Then carry out the actual development and commissioning. As a result, users will no longer need to experiment with physical hardware to achieve optimization results. This will save up to 50% of time-to-market and 60% of commissioning time compared to traditional development methods, significantly improving overall efficiency.

      Software PLC industrial PC for increased flexibility and agility in the enterprise

       Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), one of the core applications in industrial automation, can be transformed into "software PLCs" by combining virtualization technology. Schneider Electric's virtual controller for the EcoStruxure Open Automation Platform is a hardware-agnostic, software-based PLC that can run on any Windows or Linux server, industrial PC (iPC) or microcomputer without vendor bundling. The virtual controller supports multiple instances to be installed, configured, deployed, and maintained independently of each other at the same time and on the same hardware, and can also adjust and optimize the production process without downtime, thereby minimizing downtime and reducing costs, helping enterprises better cope with dynamic consumer demand and market environment, and improving their flexibility and agility.

       In addition, Schneider Electric's Harmony iPC (formerly known as Magelis iPC) adopts a rugged design with extended temperature range, compatibility with industrial protocols, and other functions, and can adapt to the harsh environments common in manufacturing. As a terminal integrating visualization and control, Harmony iPC is highly functional and specialized, and is also a professional tool for industrial users to run software PLCs, machines and factory control systems.

      Use software to create reusable projects and strengthen core competitiveness

       The EcoStruxure open automation platform, based on software-defined automation, has built-in intelligent design and engineering capabilities to quickly replicate and scale any process or technology application to other fields. For example, carbon capture projects often struggle to scale up a single region project at scale because the carbon capture process requires a highly flexible and efficient control system that can be scaled on demand. Brilliant Planet, one of the pioneers in algal carbon capture technology, has now achieved a number of remarkable results thanks to the power of Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure open automation platform – reducing the integration and testing time of point-of-project control software, as well as building a customizable and scalable system based on standardized applications, combining the AVEVA system platform and AVEVA Insight provides comprehensive visual management and control of the system's operation.

       "To achieve rapid and large-scale scaling of carbon capture projects, the ability to apply modularity and standardization is essential." "Solutions based on Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure open automation platform enable us to replicate, port, and scale control systems across projects, helping us improve resource management and utilization," said Adam Taylor, CEO of Brilliant Planet. In the future, we hope to build on this system to further expand carbon capture projects. ”

        In a virtualized environment, it's easier to deploy new processes, replicate or optimize existing ones. With the powerful feature of reusable engineering, companies can greatly improve engineering efficiency, reduce project time-to-market, and stand out in the industry with significant advantages.

       Embrace software-defined automation and move towards the industry of the future

       As industrial automation technology continues to evolve, engineers and machine builders are responding to an increasingly competitive market landscape by continuously innovating to improve efficiency, productivity, flexibility, and agility. It's easy to see that leveraging the power of virtualization and creating software-defined automation has become a necessary capability for enterprises to move into the industrial future.

      Industrial innovation is leading the way in the era of "software-defined automation". As the digital and virtualized intelligent manufacturing environment matures, it will undoubtedly continue to bring new standards of interoperability, convenience, and efficiency, and continue to drive the development of industrial automation.