Software importance increasing among plant engineers
Jack Smith, Senior Editor, Plant Engineering Magazine -- Plant Engineering, 4/1/2001
Today's plant engineer is transcending the longstanding stereotype. The plant engineering function is no longer just nuts and bolts. Today's plant engineer is mature, educated, and tends to stay in his or her job. And the job requires an increasing amount of software.
Software is a fact of life on the plant floor of today and tomorrow. The question is not whether to use software, but which software to use. And plant engineers are not only using, but also demanding efficient, affordable, and well-supported software.
What software applications do plant engineers use? What software characteristics are important to plant engineers? How do plant engineers use networks? How many plant engineers are using wireless technology?
These questions, as well as others, are addressed in an exclusive PLANT ENGINEERING survey. This article summarizes the survey results.
Software applicationsPLANT ENGINEERING asked which software applications you use. The chart in Fig. 1 indicates that all respondents use project management software. A close second — 97.1% — use programmable logic controller (PLC) software. Third, 96.7% use CAD systems, while 96.6% use design, and 93.2% use automation software. Computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) users round out the top six at 92%.
Equipment selection and specification software is used by 91.7% of respondents. Next, 85.7% use energy analysis, followed by 83.9% using data acquisition (DAQ), then 80% using enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
Vibration analysis is used by 76.3% of respondents. Following closely is electronic document management at 76% and enterprise asset management (EAM) software at 75%.
Of the respondents, 73.7% use supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software. Next, 72.5% use predictive maintenance and 72% use project document management software.
There are no surprises here. The survey indicates significant software usage, as well as demand, among plant engineers. With expanding software usage on the plant floor, one inference can clearly be made: Software is becoming increasingly important to the plant engineer.
Important characteristicsPLANT ENGINEERING asked respondents to rank software characteristics in nine categories. The following list presents these categories in order of importance based on your responses. However, a word of caution is appropriate here. The last item on the list does not necessarily mean that the item is not important. Respondents ranked all categories with a certain level of importance.
- Availability of technical assistance
- User friendly
- Upgrade compatibility
- Service after the sale
- Training availability
- Ease of installation
- Computer control compatibility
- Price
- Ability to customize
Two-thirds (66.3%) of respondents use both networked and stand-alone systems, while 19% use only networked and 14.1% use only stand-alone.
Whether partially or totally networked, some type of network protocol must be used. PLANT ENGINEERING asked: "If networked, what is your primary communication protocol?" The table categorizes the responses.
The protocols in the "other" category are AS400, HP Brio, and simple TCP/IP.
From these data, it is obvious that Ethernet continues to dominate communication protocol for most respondents.
Wireless technologyWireless technology offers plant engineers the capability to "connect" instruments to networks without expensive wiring, maintain voice communication, facilitate controls and automation, and perform certain maintenance tasks effectively and efficiently. However, only slightly less than 25% of respondents are using it (Fig. 2).
Of the 23.6% of respondents who are using wireless technology, 69.2% use it for plant communications. Nearly half use it for controls and automation. Third, 38.5% use it for maintenance (Fig. 3).
Of those responding, 5.1% use wireless technology for bar coding, 2.6% for fire panels and computer room, and 2.6% for stockroom and receiving.
The futureWith only a few categories swapping positions, software characteristics plant engineers consider important follow trends from previous PLANT ENGINEERING surveys. Ethernet is still the dominant network protocol. Also, wireless technology is still slow to catch on. However, project management software has replaced CMMS as the most used application among plant engineers.
These data indicate that software is a fact of life on the plant floor. Software is important to plant engineers because it helps them do their jobs more efficiently. As software continues to evolve and plant engineers' requirements become even more sophisticated, it will undoubtedly become more important.
| Protocol | Respondents, % |
| Ethernet | 77.5% |
| RS-232 | 8.5% |
| 4-20 mA | 7.8% |
| Modbus | 7% |
| RS-485 | 6.2% |
| Proprietary | 6.2% |
| ControlNet | 3.9% |
| Profibus | 3.1% |
| AS-Interface | 3.1% |
| Foundation-Fieldbus | 2.3% |
| DeviceNet | 2.3% |
| BACnet | 1.6% |
| HART | 1.6% |
| ARCNet | 1.6% |
| WorldFIP | 0.8% |
| SERCOS | 0.8% |
| Other | 3.9% |
| Favorite software | Reason |
| Allen-Bradley | Cross-functional packages |
| Allen-Bradley RS series | Service |
| AS RS Logix 500 | To program Allen-Bradley SLC 500 PLCs |
| AS RS Logix, RS View | Ease of use |
| AutoCAD | Most useful Stability of product Very powerful, good support, no bugs Works well for low price Relatively universal and friendly Use it every day for quick sketching The newer versions have made drafting more versatile as well as challenging Good tool for my needs Allows visualization of space utilization, production flow for new machinery Its an important part of our work here and its easy to use I need it on a daily basis |
| CardKey | Ease of use |
| Cimplicity | Easy to use, reliable |
| Cimplicity HMI | Allows great control of various machines |
| Datastream | Performs all purchasing, inventory control, and work orders for maintenance |
| Datastream MP2 | Excellent CMMS package All encompassing, brings much data together, good report generation |
| Emonitor Odyssey (Entek) | Logical, user friendly, capable |
| Excel | Copy and exchange files rather than create from scratch |
| Faser 5.0 | Well written with good technical support |
| Fluke NETDAQ | Ease of use |
| Intellution | Ease of use |
| Mainsaver CMMS (Cayenta) | Easy for shop personnel to use |
| Maximo Predictive Maintenance | Helps maintenance manage the bottom line |
| Microsoft Office | Facilitates job performance Integrated package that allows me to do my job efficiently |
| MicroStation | Power Its what I use; it works well |
| Palm desktop | Daily organizer, address book |
| Pegasys | We can monitor and control our power consumption and demand |
| PHD design software | Makes specifying pneumatic and hydraulic components much easier |
| PLM (Plant Line Monitoring) | You can see the entire plant on one screen |
| Power Basic | Design in-house control systems |
| SKF Prism 4 for Windows | Ease of use and graphics |
| TurboCAD | Low cost with excellent functions |
| Visio | Adaptable to a wide range of custom applications |
| Visual Basic | Ease of writing custom applications |
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