Many suppliers or systems integrators of control and automation systems claim that their solutions are 'open', but in truth, this is not the case, says M A C Solutions (UK).

How many suppliers or systems integrators of control and automation systems can provide truly 'open connectivity' for end user manufacturers? Many claim that their solutions are 'open', but in truth, this is not the case. 'Open-Manufacturing' is the panacea for which manufacturers have been waiting - plant control and visualisation systems, which are user-friendly, inexpensive, flexible and future-proof.

Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to measure and reduce production costs, energy usage and machine downtime and the key step to achieving this is the bridging of the 'information gap' between the production environment and the business management environment.

Why?

Because senior managers can only make well-informed decisions, and respond quickly to changing conditions if they are provided with appropriate, real-time visibility of production data.

However, the challenge facing many manufacturing firms is that they have invested, over many years, in multiple production systems, which were never designed to communicate using the type of open and flexible technologies, which we are all accustomed to using, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP and web-technologies.

Many manufacturers also own such a vast array of different control systems and automation networks, that they believe that it is impossible to unify these systems - or at least costly, complicated and time consuming.

In truth, it is now low risk, inexpensive, and non-invasive, but this is often a surprise to both production managers and engineers alike.

Consequently, manufacturers continue to use and install closed networks, closed protocols, closed HMI systems and proprietary SCADA databases, when they could be breaking free of these shackles, into an 'open' future.

Truly 'open' connectivity solutions and devices now exist that can be used to bring together the disparate parts of a company's existing production system into a unified whole.

This allows devices to share their data, with this data readily visible to those people who need to see it.

There are many control and automation suppliers who will happily sell companies proprietary 'upgrades' to their existing plant control systems, often with significant time and cost implications.

Manufacturers who rely heavily on the technology of one key automation vendor will often be unaware that there are alternative, truly-open, connectivity solutions available, since it is often hard to find a truly 'unbiased' supplier of open connectivity solutions.

M A C Solutions (UK), based in Henley-in-Arden near Redditch, is vendor-independent and prides itself on offering clients a truly 'unbiased' service.

All of the industrial connectivity products sold and supported by the company are 'open' in nature.

M A C Solutions focuses on providing customers with a sound, technically-based service to enable customers to select and source solutions which are appropriate for each company's plant control and automation needs.

M A C Solutions is UK agent for a number of leading edge open connectivity products, including: Industrial-grade Ethernet bridging devices (INAT, Lantronix, eWON); Industrial-grade Ethernet switches (N-TRON); Ethernet-enabled OPC servers (Kepware); Industrial PCs (Lauer); Industrial Web-visualisation tools (Progea, Plexus, DreamReport); PLC Version Control software (MDT Software, GEPA); and alarm management software (iMAC).

Therefore, whatever control system companies use (e g, Siemens, Rockwell, Schneider Electric, Mitsubishi Electric), M A C Solutions can connect to these devices and systems onto an Open-System, and make the data visible to those who need it within the business.

M A C Solutions has been supplying open solutions to industrial connectivity problems for 10 years and works with companies of all sizes, from large, multi-nationals to SMEs, across all sectors of manufacturing, including food and beverage, electronics, automotive, utility companies, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, power generation, paper and printing.

M A C Solutions offers a unique, three-stage solution for customers, which starts with 'device connectivity', then 'OPC data connectivity', and onto 'visualisation of information'.

Any customer problem, whatever the scale, can be catered for using this model.

The first step is all about physical conversion and involves migrating existing, closed physical connections to an open physical connection.

The second stage involves moving from an existing, closed communications protocol to an open communications protocol.

And the final step, the presentation conversion, involves moving from an existing, closed method of information presentation to a truly open method of presenting this information.

Dave Hammond, product manager for Ethernet and Communications Products at M A C Solutions commented: 'The future is here now.

We are helping manufacturers achieve their goal of seamless, inexpensive integration of production data with business systems [SQL databases, ERP and MES systems].

Company-wide, we're helping them capture and unify data from both new production machines and legacy production alike.' Hammond said: 'We can then help companies visualise this production data right across the business, using presentation methods which are appropriate to each user, such as web browsers, PDF-based reports, CSV files, SMS text messaging and e-mail.

So any appropriate information is available network-wide, such as machine efficiencies, machine faults, downtime and energy usage.

We are also now able to help companies who wish to monitor equipment at remote locations, using the latest in industrial connectivity - secure, broadband, always-on VPN-links.' Bankruptcy