Challenge

Shanghai Petrochemical’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) needed to acquire data from the PLC systems of all of its main devices. Data had to be shared between a total of 51 PLC and DCS systems that came from different vendors and included various models. A proprietary data access solution was not feasible due to the complexity of the system; instead, the company needed an open, standard-based OPC connectivity protocol.

Solution

The company deployed 26 MatrikonOPC servers that enabled the MES to communicate directly with each of the company’s various controllers. In addition, the company integrated several MatrikonOPC Buffers to support data collection and buffering.

Results

•    Reduced costs

•    Eliminated challenges of non-unified data acquisition interfaces

•    Unified software for easy after-sales service and support

•    Simplified training and configuration

•    Overcame compatibility issues with standard-based architecture