Siemens forum focuses on automation, IT integration

"Any information from anywhere to anywhere at anytime" was Siemens' theme at its March 8-9 press forum here. Product and application demonstrations showed successful implementation of integrating automation and information technology (IT). Siemens' automation direction consists of four trends: developing a standard interface across product lines; integrating com...

By Staff April 1, 1999

"Any information from anywhere to anywhere at anytime" was Siemens’ theme at its March 8-9 press forum here. Product and application demonstrations showed successful implementation of integrating automation and information technology (IT). Siemens’ automation direction consists of four trends: developing a standard interface across product lines; integrating communications; using Internet and Intranet technologies; and developing and using intelligent field devices. Products, such as WinCC human-machine interface (HMI) software, WinAC PC-based control software, and its new PCS7 process control system, are all results of Siemens’ recent automation effort. Dr. Thomas Grandke, president and ceo, Siemens Corporate Research Inc. (Princeton, N.J.), says four forces are shaping the future: increasing computational capacity; growing data distribution via low-cost telecommunications, merging media, and increased bandwidth; smart devices distributing intelligence throughout plants; and imaging technologies, such as bar codes, smart cameras, and virtual reality, that will alter data collection and observation of processes.