PECM Issue 23 2016 | Page 49

Products4Automation (P4A) is a specialist supplier of new and innovative software and hardware solutions to the UK market. www.products4automation.co.uk There are also two PCs and a number of touchscreen HMI's on the system, providing main and secondary control stations. "The system now runs Movicon SCADA software," says Daniel, "which has been used successfully in many food and beverage applications, as well as for materials handling and in many other industries." Movicon provides constant real-time production process information, collecting data from multiple sensors on the plant and processing it into high level information. This allows Highland Grains to efficiently manage its plant and processes to meet customers changing needs. Movicon is based on an XML technology that offers an all-in-one development environment for managing all HMI, SCADA and statistical production data analysis applications. This allowed Highland and Coldcurve to minimise project development times and also to achieve a powerful, open, solution that is easy to maintain and flexible so that it can accommodate future developments. Movicon also supports web services, scalable vector graphics, OPC, SQL, ODBC, and many other functions that allow highly integrated information and control systems to be developed, whether they be large or small. Paul Hurst of Products4Automation offers an expert view on today's SCADA: "Flexibility is one of the major needs in modern automation. Plant operators increasingly insist that their control systems have the ability to easily adapt to new demands." Now, with the Scotch whisky industry once again resurgent (it is worth about £5bn to the UK economy and growing at 5% a year according to the 'Scotch Whisky Association'), it is expecting to further develop its site and facilities over the coming years. Movicon protects plant owners' investments because it is able to satisfy all automation application needs from field control level (PLCs, HMIs, sensors etc) right through to SCADA/MES and enterprise management levels. Thus it can provide a systems architecture that is as simple as possible, containing initial set up costs and allowing easy subsequent developments. The simplicity of its control architecture and flexibility of the Movicon software should make this as straightforward and efficient as possible. "Movicon is a real-time flexible platform with high levels of connectivity, capable of adapting to all modern automation application typologies, so is the only software needed in the system," says Hurst. Product ranges available from P4A include the latest touch-screen HMI's and flat panel PCs, SCADA software and plug-ins, a wide range of SCADA enabled hardware, Alarm plug-in software for large automation systems, and a full range of Production Intelligence software solutions. Movicon includes a large number of tools for easily creating powerful visualisation and control projects and its comprehensive connectivity capabilities means simple integration with other, related systems such as MES, ERP and the web. This ability reduces initial project costs and goes on to control total lifetime operating costs. Highland Grains has been successful over nearly forty years because of its willingness to adapt to new and changing demands. Issue 23 PECM 49