Trends in Technology and Engineering - Consequences of Modularisation for Process Automation

The process industry is reacting to new challenges and global competition by increased the modularisation of its plants. For process automation this has far-reaching consequences for planning and engineering (shorter, more flexible, standardised), for the basic structure of the control technology (modular, scalable, standardised), for the integration of the field equipment (seamless, FDI) and for the sensors in the field (more, smaller, communicable, autarchic). Laboratory analysis becomes process analysis (in time, specific, robust). "Industry 4.0" promotes and improves process simulations, new business models, service strategies and data analysis tools and will change operations and the demands on personnel. However, these effects will be felt later in process automation than in other fields. The increased use of standardised wireless communications and the Ethernet, the secure transmission and storage of data and information, and provable benefits for the operators and the environment will determine the acceptability and the speed of transformation.