Gain critical advice on automation, SCADA from system integrators

Control system integration, SCADA insights

• System integrators shared general automation project advice along with advice specific to an automation platform that began as supervisory control and data acquisition software at the Inductive Automation Ignition Community Conference.
• System integrators shared automation customer pain points, edge-to-cloud advice, trends and how to select the right technology, even if not a legacy brand.
• System integrators shared their approaches with new customers and new automation business, data analytics, cybersecurity and server approaches.

Technologies and trends reshape the future of automation for industrial organizations, and control system integrators answered questions from Christopher Fischer, sales program manager – integrators, Inductive Automation, and from the audience during Induction Community Conference 2024 (ICC) session, “Integrator Panel: What Tech and Trends Are Breaking Through?” ICC panel participants were:

• Brian McLaughlin, systems architect, SL Controls Ltd.
• Remus Pop, partner, Concept Reply
• Anh-Tuan Tran, CPG group manager, RoviSys
• Mo Moore, manager software services, INS
• Leah Warren, Idaho branch manager, Tamaki Control.

The IIC 2024 description for the session said, “Discover which pivotal new technologies and trends that are reshaping the future of automation for industrial organizations. In this engaging panel discussion, some of the Ignition community’s most successful integration professionals will share their strategies in response to these evolving technologies.”

Questions and a summary of panelists’ answers follow.

As system integrators, what advice can you share?

Warren: Don’t ignore cybersecurity. A NIST audit can help with automation design. Cohesive user interface (UI) documentation is of that. Documentation can be the boring part of the design, but it can unify the team.

Moore: Focus on customers’ problems. It can be gratifying beyond the financial rewards.

Tran: Establish company culture and values so when the team goes into a project, they understand goals and grow as company, using those values.

Pop: Scaling larger projects to the cloud can take advantage of professionals to bolster available skill sets.

McLaughlin: Having on system integrator can deliver and execute a project as a turnkey project manager to help simplify.

What automation project customer pain points can you help with?

McLaughlin: Processes are operating more in real time. To get the right information into decision makers hands, data integrity is required, ensuring it’s not manipulated or transformed.

Pop: I’ve deployed Ignition automation software for 12 years, but not as SCADA, we have other experts to help with that, more with process efficiency and profits. We help customers understand how technology can help solve problems, and why digital transformation helps.

Tran: Working with the IT group can be pain point. Those doing automation system integration projects need to speak IT/OT (information technology/operational technology). OT projects need to get resources when needed on virtual machines (VM). IT needs to know that certain cybersecurity settings can break stuff. Planning is required to ensure IT is not too angry with us.

Moore: Remote communications is important for many projects. Use of message queing and telemetry transport (MQTT) with Inductive Automation, cloud solutions, data modeling and Industry 4.0 connectivity all help with modeling and connections from the floor to the enterprise.

Warren: Automation projects used to be limited on tags. Now we look at how to use data to make informed business decisions.

At the Ignition Community Conference 2024 (ICC) by Inductive Automation, during the session “Integrator Panel: What Tech and Trends Are Breaking Through?” system integrators (left to right) discuss new technologies and trends that are reshaping the future of automation for industrial organizations: Brian McLaughlin, systems architect, SL Controls Ltd.; Remus Pop, partner, Concept Reply; Anh-Tuan Tran, CPG group manager, RoviSys; Mo Moore, manager software services, INS; and Leah Warren, Idaho branch manager, Tamaki Control. Courtesy: Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, WTWH Media

How have you helped avoid edge-to-cloud missteps?

Moore: Working with the IT group in the SCADA space helps with IT/OT convergence. Working with IT teams on cloud-hosted services can bring challenges compared to using VMs. Care must be taken for traditional on-premises applications, containerization and cloud-based services, with attention given to where technologies are going.

Tran: The plant floor needs robust edge devices. Putting computing resources on the plant floor in panels without cooling can be a challenge. Care must be taken with who’s managing these resources, are there spares, and are products being used that have built trust in the industry?

Pop: Don’t be afraid of failure. Fail quickly. Be agile. Plan for adaptability. Recognize differences in application needs.

What are most relevant automation industry industry trends today?

Pop: Artificial intelligence (AI) is the biggest buzz. We use a ChatGPT Pro license to help with repetitive tasks, including helping with email, but you have to check AI’s work. Real-world AI applications include helping with machine vision technology challenges, especially with natural lighting changes in some applications. AI is helping machine vision applications to adapt.

Warren: Predictive maintenance machine learning (ML) can help avoid buying and applying more very expensive monitoring equipment. Some trends can be inferred by using existing sensors and AI.

Moore: Data monitoring is important, to customers help process and use data more rapidly.

Tran: AI is popular but, for accuracy, don’t use it for data collection. We can centerline projects to capture golden batch information. The we can apply predictive analytics to improve product quality, and stop or change processes before a process is creating scrap. AI is huge for that.

 McLaughlin: AI is being applied to help companies reach sustainability targets and how solutions can be applied to achieve sustainability targets.

Are any automation technologies or trends less important than originally thought?

Warren: Virtual really was cool yesterday. But in dairy industries, applications are  not realistic.

Pop: People are more willing to accept non-recognized brands. Many technology startups have ramped up, with some interested in automation applications.

Tran: With some project, automation experts may seem less important as more operations become autonomous. This can make it harder for us to have a point of contact. Outsourcing IT can create challenges and opportunities with automation projections.

McLaughlin: Industries with high levels of regulation can be slower to adopt new technologies, but more are asking about new technologies.

How are you managing customers that are stuck on legacy brands?

Pop: We’ve set up and offered customers to participate in a hackathon to try new technologies for free offering. They can build new applications in a couple of days using our software and equipment to prove it works.

Warren: With proven technologies, we do less selling after the demo. We show them the potential and opportunity and see less push back. In the past, we might have had more push back. Now they tell us what they want, and we tell them what we can do with it.

Moore: Now, it’s more of how we can help customers. It’s easier when available software keeps up with OT cybersecurity and IT security issues.

Tran: We keep scorecards with measurable criteria and ratings. We make recommendations based on customer needs and available technologies.

McLaughlin: We help prove project benefits.

How is your approach with new customers and new automation business?

Tran: We don’t turn down work and can pass projects over to another office with more time or expertise. It helps to collaborate with an automation lead in the customer facility.

Moore: We always want to promote technology and can work others if we don’t have available experts on a project. We partner with good integrators to make it happen.

Warren: For process control on the plant floor, Ignition is preferred platform, with tools built in. Commissioning is easier with tools we’ve built. For legacy platforms where we don’t have experience, we’d probably get help.

Pop: I’d recommend another integrator if needed on an automation project. We can share resources and partner as needed.

McLaughlin: We don’t turn down much work and try to keep the project pipeline realistic.

What types of data analytics are being used for automation?

Tran: If outside temperatures or humidity changes, it can affect machine settings for cooking applications. We can take information and other process parameters and model to what the outputs should be so applications don’t create scrap. We can operationalize data to get to product quality quicker. This is especially important as experienced operators are retiring, and newbies are trying to learn complex applications.

Pop: Cloud-based applications can be helpful, including AI-ML tools.

COVID caused a proliferation of virtual private networks (VPNs) for access; we’re on VPN overload

Pop: It would be useful if there were a unifying API connector that could help with thousands of VPNs.

Moore: I don’t want another VPN client. Some cloud services allow a group file to make access easier.

With industrial internet of things (IIoT) and digitalization connections, what cybersecurity best practices can you offer?

Pop: We try to leverage what others are doing.

Tran: Stop buying unmanaged switches. Locking down automation applications is easier with managed switches.

Moore: We do lot of networking, and starting with a zero-trust architecture is recommended. Operators each have logins, and that adds complexity. Use network and security monitoring tools. Document PLC code changes. Ask why is a particular device here? Look for changes in packet styles. Use multi factor identification. Identify bots traffic and network vulnerability. It helps build IT trust when they know we’re watching.

Can multiple automation applications be created with vendors in one Ignition server?

Moore: Containerization can help with laying in resources as needed. On the server level, the security levels of containers can be be set.

McLaughlin: Yes, containerization helps.

Warren:  It’s also helpful to have a documentation site standard so all system integrators and others on that project can use it.

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