Software importance increasing among plant engineers
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.
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 applications
PLANT 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 characteristics
PLANT 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
Networks
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 technology
Wireless 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 future
With 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.
Primary communication protocols
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%
Engineers’ favorite software-PLANT ENGINEERING asked you what your favorite software application program is and why. There were numerous responses, some of which are listed here.
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
Key software challenges
Plant Engineering magazine asked what factors you see as key challenges your company faces concerning software applications. There were numerous responses, some of which are listed here.
Compatibility among systems
Compatibility among programs and intranet applications
Training
Upgrade compatibility
Pricing
Selecting and implementing a CMMS
Advancing an application in a declining business market
Availability of capable people for implementation
Being cost competitive
Agreeing on a standard control software to implement and use
Combining parts, production, and sales databases
Communication, interfaces, and historical data management
Companies that stop supporting equipment and software after just a few years, requiring users to upgrade
Hardware and software upgrades
Customizing to meet individual needs
E-commerce
Finding useful applications
Getting corporate to authorize the purchase of a decent package
Efficiency
Going online with a work order system
Implementation of BPICS
Implementation of a new ERP system
Integrating CMMS with office systems
Integrating different software for electronic data exchange
Integrating information between different business units and providing web-based access
Integrating the new systems with the existing ones
Internet connectability and security
Knowledge management
Letting go of legacy software
Machine control integration
Networking PLCs
Better predictive maintenance
Nonsupported software
Quick sketching
Regulatory compliance with electronic audit trail
Too many standards and getting vendors to use them
Windows 2000 compatibility
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