SCADA – why to invest in the future of industrial process

Author: Atin Chhabra Schneider Electric Blog

The world is moving towards automation driven approach. Therefore this brings forth a need to understand the machine-driven operations. In today’s time, machinery has taken over the production, manufacturing and packaging operation of any industry.

The fact cannot be denied that machinery has to be manually operated and the internal processing needs to be monitored. Here is what SCADA does:

• Gather, monitor, and real-time process data from the connected physical interface
• Control industrial processes remotely or locally
• record events and data into a machinery log file
• Directly interact with devices such as sensors, valves, pumps, motors, and more through human-machine interface (HMI) software

The SCADA Software is integrated with the hardware or machinery components with an eye to simplifying a given infrastructure. However, their components are quite complex. There are five most important subsystems of a SCADA system that has helped it become the future of industrial process:

• Human Machine Interface (HMI)
• Supervisory system
• Remote Terminal Units (RTUs)
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
• Communication infrastructures

SCADA is a phenomenon of the contemporary world. The system works in close coordination with the hardware and software component. The hardware gathers and feeds data into the processing unit of the computer. The computer then processes the recorded data at different time intervals. SCADA also records and logs all events into a file stored on a hard disk or sends them to a printer. The software raises the alarm when the conditions become hazardous or tend to cause harm to the entire system.

Giving the leverage of transparency in processing and scope of data monitoring, the reasons why one must invest in this are:

• Improved Engineering Efforts: Advanced process control has lowered the re-engineering required in any industrial process. It has reasonably reduced the cost of machinery control, electricity consumption and operational complexity.
• Promotes Skill-Based Employment: The deployment of SCADA systems has reduced the manual labour and therefore reduced the risks involved in the process. It has generated the need for skilful and multi-al employees who are proficient in managing the machine operations.
• Reduced Maintenance Cost: Automation has given industries operational empowerment. It has lowered the downtime, increased the cycle of action and ultimately reduced the investment; therefore, adding to the industry’s revenue.
• Granting Access to Analytics: For any business to sustain, it is necessary to optimise the throughput of the entire system. With hands on such system, one can easily look through the inputs into the system, analyse and compare the output in different situations and mend the ways to bring maximum efficiency.

Schneider Electric India serves to be the top-notch player in the Supervisory Control and Data Analytics domain. It has lent forces to industries to develop and grow, the automated, controlled and monitored way with its scalable SCADA Software.

Installation of SCADA system is a one-time investment in the industry, for the business to develop and prosper in the long run. Successful enterprises are technologically sound and driven by modern-day automation and supervisory processes. The changing trends in monitoring and analysing data in any industry has made it a fairly open field for research, development and growth.