ARC: Report details standards, practical guidance for automation strategies
ARC Advisory Group has released a report titled, “Industry standards: Part of a comprehensive automation strategy,” that describes several influential standards and provides practical guidance to end users and other stakeholders on their importance when developing and executing an automation strategy.
Standards provide specifications, practices and guidelines that can help define the characteristics of a product, process or service. Following standards helps simplify selection and deployment of products and promotes interoperability among multiple devices used in manufacturing systems. The need for automation-related standards has increased because of the rapid development and adoption of new technology in areas such as programming, communications and instrumentation.
The industry tends to use the term "standard" very broadly to refer to any of several types of documents or specifications, often without specifying the context. This, in turn, often leads to confusion. It is possible to characterize individual standards from any of several different perspectives, depending on the situation and the ultimate objective. Each standard typically focuses on prescribing or influencing response and decisions in one or more general areas:
- Defining functionality
- Achieving interoperability or integration
- Supporting operations processes and procedures
- Supporting technology choices
Both end users and suppliers struggle with how to respond to the large number of standards developed by industry. Identifying and selecting appropriate standards alone are not sufficient to achieve real business value. Standards must be selected and applied at various stages of the automation systems lifecycle and as an integral component of a well-defined technology strategy.
For more information, logon to http://www.arcweb.com/Blog/Post/1206?_cldee=c3RlcGhhbnkucm9tYW5vd0BndWxmcHViLmNvbQ%3d%3d.
Report written by Eric Cosman in Machine Control and Safety, Process Automation and Safety, ARC Advisory Group
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