Digitalization raises a lot of expectations in the industry. Providers of digital services and platforms tend to promote their offering as a one-size-fits-all solution. However, the reality is more complex, and as a trusted partner, Endress+Hauser recognizes that each customer has different needs. For one plant, digitalization may mean digital access to calibration reports. For others, it may mean regulating ambient conditions via cloud-connected sensors. To help you find the technical foundation for your individual digitalization needs, we offer a validation and commissioning service for digital networks.
Benefits
- Time savings: Shorter commissioning and start-up phases thanks to clear integration procedures and acceleration of the optimization process through additional resources, can include installation qualification and operational qualification
- Proven network: Field-proven and reliable solutions for instrument integration through a detailed network design that ensures coverage of wired and wireless networks in industrial applications
- Validation service: Industry and digitalization experts with consulting expertise analyze the system to gain independent and complete awareness of the network topology, supporting your validation master plan
- Open architecture – IIoT: Parallel connection to the automation pyramid, no influence on the existing plant control infrastructure
- Up-to-date, reliable and future-proof: Access reliable plant information and documents in a consolidated view and benefit from a future-proof and scalable network design
- Access to critical data for improved decision-making: Process values and secondary data are seamlessly integrated into leading business systems, enabling informed decisions to be made to increase productivity and sustainability
Setting up a new facility
When building a new facility, decisions about network topology are crucial. While analog components may still be used in older facilities, they will soon be very limited when it comes to meeting new data transfer requirements. To achieve sufficient speed and volume for a wider use of field data, digital communication technology is necessary. And when it comes to topology design, we often hear from our customers that system integrators do not always consider that you want to be flexible in the future and propose solutions with low interoperability. We also understand that designing the complete field network can be a challenging task for the plant management – especially when experienced personnel are becoming scarcer. With Endress+Hauser as your consulting partner, you can rely on us to validate the network design against proven blueprints and, if desired, to provide commissioning services and support for installation qualification and operational qualification. We have a profound knowledge of industrial communications and component compatibility to avoid future limitations and support your validation master plan from the very beginning.
Enhancing the set-up of an existing facility
In a running plant, it can also become necessary to retrofit the network topology and apply a new communication layer, whether partly or completely. Maybe new sectors or skids are added. Or the target to reduce maintenance efforts requires asset health monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions. Another need we frequently hear from our customers is to have easy access to calibration protocols, configuration reports and other documents. This helps streamlining workflows, commissioning new components on time and keeping quality upright with precise criticality classification. In plants with remotely located devices, there might also be the requirement to install a wireless connection. And there are many other use cases for expanding the network design. Endress+Hauser can advise you to select the fitting technology for achieving an interoperable set-up, short commissioning cycles and a stable and intelligent infrastructure that is fit for the future. Our validation services can also include site acceptance testing (SAT) and performance qualification to ensure your upgrades meet compliance and operational goals.
What services do we offer?
The starting point for every customer project is the design of the plant and the initial documents, such as the commissioning report, which are available on a central platform. The documents are digitally organized and managed as a ‘digital twin’ throughout the entire lifecycle. Optimal performance can be ensured through continuous monitoring of the system status. Diagnostics on the condition of the equipment and troubleshooting can significantly extend the lifecycle of the plant. Remote monitoring of devices and processes, for example through seamless integration via API, enables data-driven decisions to be made to optimize production efficiency and quality. In addition, services such as professional consulting and training for plant personnel can be offered in all phases of a customer project, including validation protocol development and support for IQ OQ PQ documentation.
Typical components
