IMTS 2004: GE Fanuc launches Proficy real-time information portal

Chicago, IL—GE Fanuc Automation Americas Inc. introduced its Proficy real-time information portal, Version 2.1, on the first day of IMTS 2004, Sept. 8-15, at McCormick Place.

By Control Engineering Staff September 8, 2004

Chicago, IL— GE Fanuc Automation Americas Inc. introduced its Proficy real-time information portal, Version 2.1, on the first day of IMTS 2004 , Sept. 8-15, at McCormick Place. Proficy 2.1 is a new version of the company’s plant-wide analysis, visualization and reporting software, which allows users to gain business insight from their plant data in real time. Located in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc is a unit of GE Infrastructure.

GE Fanuc reports that Proficy 2.1 supports better, faster decision-making with a common client that scans applicable data sources. This can help production, IT and business users analyze trends and statistical deviations, and drive quality and continuous improvement. This portal is part of GE Fanuc’s flagship software, Proficy Intelligent Production Solutions, and communicates with GE Fanuc’s systems as well as third-party applications to quickly leverage a company’s installed base of equipment and achieve faster ROI. Proficy 2.1 is offered in Enterprise edition and Historian edition.

“With a personalized‘digital cockpit’ available through a standard web browser, employees, customers and suppliers can act on consistent, real-time information, resulting in better and faster decision-making,” says Kevin Roach, GE Fanuc Automation’s VP. “Based on GE’s world-renownedmanufacturing and business practices, Proficy real-time information portal is uniquely capable of providing the tools that can help companies make significant, measurable gains throughout their operations to improve performance, reduce costs, and expand the bottom line. This solution also delivers data to key decision-making platforms, such as ERP, supply chain and CRM, extending investment in these systems.”

Using sophisticated trending and reporting capabilities that take advantage of historian archive technology, Proficy 2.1 calculates, analyzes, and presents an overall view of key performance in-dicators (KPIs) and other metrics necessary to run processes more efficiently. Real-time information from Proficy 2.1 can help businesses:

  • Calculate, analyze and improve KPIs;

  • Increase quality by comparing current to ideal production;

  • Reduce fines by improving regulatory compliance;

  • Increase production by improving machine uptime and efficiency;

  • Limit scope and cost of recalls by improving traceability;

  • Improve decision-making with accurate, timely reporting;

  • Speed product release with electronic signatures and 21 CFR Part 11 support;

  • Reduce capital expenditures by improving asset utilization; and

  • Provide manufacturing visibility to their supply chain for improved speed and efficiency.

With its expanded functions, Proficy 2.1 offers a new “historian client” that connects to GE Fanuc’s Proficy Historian and third-party technologies. A new web portal provides a single, pow-erful user interface for all plant-floor visualization and analyses. As a web-based solution, Proficy helps decrease total cost of ownership, which eases system deployment, maintenance, and upgrades. Proficy’s open nature also makes it easy to access other applications to give users the precise data they need to make more informed decisions.

Also, Proficy 2.1 offers “dynamic graphics” that facilitate an HMI-like view of plant floor operations with real-time and historical animations of data, and features a comprehensive shape library for easy screen development. A web-based “integrated quality” capability brings together disparate data sets into a common environment for consistent statistical process control (SPC) analysis to boost quality and continuous improvement. New “natural printing” expands formatting, saving, and report printing capabilities.

Proficy 2.1’s other new features include:

  • More comprehensive plant-wide connectivity (relational databases, OPC, Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX, Proficy Historian and OSI PI);

  • Easy-to-use analysis tools, such as a “graphic statement builder,” a hierarchical “data control” for viewing organized or structured data, and “data-bound form controls” for executing queries; and

  • Numerous additional client components, including grids, charts, and graphics.

For fastest implementation, users of Proficy HMI/SCADA iFIX can take advantage of a new optional iFIX Jump Start module.

Finally, Proficy’s 2.1’s security features have been enhanced to further protect system integrity. It uses standard, powerful Windows 2000 security, and allows each company to control user rights and roles, including who can access the system and who can create or modify displays.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
jmontague@reedbusiness.com