HMI SCADA Integration Brings New Opportunities in Industrial Automation
As you demand more from your process automation, HMI SCADA systems have had to evolve with you to support the introduction of the latest technologies. While this evolution provides new opportunities in industrial automation, it also comes with its challenges, most specifically accessing real-time operational data, quickly problem-solving business challenges and integrating additional complex systems.
NeoMatrix has over 20 years of experience helping industrial automation companies resolve these challenges and meet their business goals with HMI/SCADA integration that allows them to drive the greatest value from their control systems and IT investments.
Extending HMI Capabilities with a SCADA System
At the most basic level, HMI systems allow an operator to interact with a physical process by starting and stopping systems and changing process set points, functions not supported by PLCs alone. With real-time feedback, operators can see a graphical view of the process, from simple to the most complex, and receive visual and audible alarm notifications of abnormal and/or unsafe conditions. These features allow them to focus on the most timely and critical issues that are essential to keeping operations running as needed.
Together with HMI’s trending function that provides the ability to graphically visualize historical data to troubleshoot issues, HMI process control can improve performance, facilitate better communication, expose opportunities for cost-savings and ultimately, simplify overall plant management.
SCADA systems distribute access to operational data throughout a manufacturing organization and can visualize data from disparate unmanned equipment and utilities across multiple locations. Teams outside of operations such as engineering, maintenance, and quality can also access the data, improving communications between all the key players responsible for a successful operational environment.
Although a SCADA system can function without an HMI, SCADA systems extend the basic functionality of an HMI by adding advanced applications such as process historians, recipe management and reporting.
Modernizing Your HMI SCADA
NeoMatrix has extensive experience in the design and implementation of HMI process control and SCADA systems in a variety of industries and across many leading platforms. If you are bringing in new equipment or looking to modernize or enhance an existing SCADA system, our team of design engineers can assist with the following:
- User Interface Design – The main goal is to provide contextual information to the user in a the most useful manner so that the operator not only sees the process values quickly, but also the values relative to what is “good” and highlights of abnormal conditions. NeoMatrix is familiar with the concepts from ISA 101 or ‘High Performance Graphics’ in building the SCADA screens.
- Alarm Rationalization – With alarm rationalization implemented, you can reduce nuisance alarms and ensure critical points within the automated process are alarmed, ensuring the facility is within compliance. This function will improve an operator’s situational awareness and prevent unnecessary quality holds on product releases. NeoMatrix can develop an alarm rationalization strategy in accordance with ISA 18.2.
- Process Historians – Process historians provide access to process, alarm, and event data access for faster troubleshooting. We can help configure a process historian and distribute the data to the relevant stakeholders.
- Recipe Management – Recipe systems store machine settings used by a piece of equipment to make a specific part. Considering the number of part numbers/equipment in a single manufacturing plant, the numbers of recipes required can exceed thousands. Whether implementing a recipe system on a single line or entire plant, we can help simplify that process.
- Reporting – There are infinite uses for reporting in SCADA projects - product certificates, environmental or regulatory compliance, production reports, etc. NeoMatrix has extensive experience at building reports with data from SCADA systems and integrating information from other enterprise applications.
- Regulatory Compliance – ALCOA, 21 CFR Part 11
- Vendor Selection – While NeoMatrix has partnered with several leading industry platforms, we are vendor agnostic and have the best interests of our customers in mind.
HMI SCADA Integration Platform Support
NeoMatrix works with you to assess your opportunities then design, install and monitor a robust HMI SCADA system. With expertise in a variety of SCADA / HMI software programs, we support integration with the following platforms:
- Ignition by Inductive Automation
- Rockwell Software
- Allen Bradley
- AVEVA (Wonderware)
- GE Proficy
- Omron
- Siemens