Industrial automation users are familiar at this point with how aspects of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) are converging. Less recognized, however, is how IT/OT incorporation of mobile interfaces is enabling a second convergence of operations and maintenance personnel roles. My article in the November 2019 issue of Plant Engineering, HMIs Enable Collaboration Between Operations and Maintenance, covers this topic.
Production plants, much like large naval vessels, often employ a crew for operating systems under normal conditions and a maintenance group for responding to problems. These are typically two distinct teams that must coordinate when issues arise. However, digitalization improvements such as mobile human-machine interface (HMI) technologies are enabling operations and maintenance personnel to collaborate more closely to increase efficiency.
HMIs Anchored in PlaceConventional industrial HMIs are fixed in place, requiring operators to contact maintenance mechanics and electricians when trouble is detected. This is a standard approach, but it introduces delays and opportunities for errors.
The Other ConvergenceWithin the field of industrial automation, a trending topic regards the many ways business IT is converging with plant floor OT. This is the primarily result of IT-based hardware, software, and networking becoming more compatible with historically specialized OT systems.
Improved IT/OT integration has enabled a lesser-known merging of the roles of operations and maintenance personnel. Highly capable mobile HMIs are a visible example. Some facilities provide site-specific industrially hardened tablets, while others may endorse the use of the bring your own device (BYOD) trend to take advantage of mobile HMI capabilities.
Rising Tide of CapabilitiesSome form of fixed HMI may always be needed, but it is clear that mobile HMIs release operators from the confines of the control room, and also provide extended information for maintenance personnel at field locations. As the article states:
Operators can carry HMIs right out to the production line, identify problems faster, and in some cases resolve the issue immediately, for example by adjusting a setpoint and observing its effect. If maintenance personnel are needed, they can be called to the spot, often by receiving a message via a mobile HMI. When they arrive, they can collaborate with the operators to troubleshoot the problem.
Using fixed and mobile HMIs, maintenance personnel can take on some of the roles formerly restricted to operators, such as reacting to alarms, often by working in concert with operations personnel.
Operators Walk the LineMany manufacturing sites operate a distributed mix of automated equipment, much of it standalone. Outfitting operations and maintenance personnel with mobile HMIs allows them to move about and correlate HMI-supplied information with real-world conditions, minimizing the time between recognizing and resolving problems.
Changing How Work is DoneMobile HMIs empower workers by bringing real-time knowledge into their hands wherever they are, closing the gap between the control room and the field. Emerson machine automation supports these applications with a variety of HMI products including QuickPanel+ operator interfaces, industrial monitors, panel PCs, and industrial web panels. IT/OT convergence has led to a secondary convergence of operations and maintenance personnel, allowing companies to make the best use of their available expertise to improve operations.