The new industrial revolution, guided by Industry 4.0, is driving the informatization of my country's industrial enterprises towards the integration of informatization and industrialization. This integration represents a high-level, deep combination of informatization and industrialization, meaning using informatization to drive industrialization and vice versa, thus pursuing a new path of industrialization. The core of this integration is informatization support, pursuing a sustainable development model. In essence, the implementation of this integration in enterprises means building an integrated information system through system integration to support the construction of smart factories, intelligent production, and intelligent manufacturing. System integration technology is crucial for the integration of informatization and industrialization in industrial enterprises.
According to the requirements of Industry 4.0, industrial enterprises need to achieve four intelligentizations: intelligent industrial products, intelligent production lines, intelligent factories, and intelligent manufacturing. However, achieving this goal requires down-to-earth work; it necessitates building a concrete system for industrial enterprises, encompassing strategic decision-making and the industrial floor. This system, the information integration system, is what enables intelligent manufacturing. Building such a large system requires integrating information from all levels of the system through system integration technology to serve intelligent manufacturing and achieve the four intelligentizations. In short, achieving intelligent manufacturing requires two things: first, a large information integration system; and second, the system integration technology to build this system—both are indispensable.
System integration technology comprises four key elements: (1) application requirements analysis; (2) open systems; (3) interface technology; and (4) system integration industrial networks.
Application Requirements Analysis: Whether building an integrated information system or developing an open software platform, it is essential to clearly analyze the application requirements. This is the first and most important step in system construction.
Open systems: Open systems are a fundamental attribute of integrated information systems. They must have a "broad mind" to accommodate the diverse business needs of industrial enterprises. An open software platform must be built, capable of adaptive development to meet various application requirements, enabling the system to support the diverse requirements of intelligent manufacturing.
Interface technology: Large systems and their software platforms built according to application requirements must be able to connect to equipment from multiple manufacturers and seamlessly integrate with various subsystems to enable the information integration system to accomplish intelligent manufacturing tasks. Interface technology is the most critical guarantee in this regard.
System integration industrial network: The structure of an industrial enterprise's information integration system is essentially its network structure. Each level of the information integration system is organically connected through state-of-the-art networks.
In the context of the new industrial revolution, industrial enterprises are building an open system to meet the application needs of end users. This system uses application interface technology to connect various subsystems and equipment from multiple manufacturers, and connects all levels of the system into a whole through industrial networks, thereby effectively realizing the fundamental task of intelligent manufacturing.
Origin of the concept of system integration
The concept of system integration originated in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s with industrial automation systems. At that time, many industrial production computer application projects required integrating equipment from multiple manufacturers into a single system. Many large enterprises needed to achieve comprehensive monitoring and interconnection of all equipment in their plants. However, the equipment systems at that time were mostly proprietary systems, and the communication protocols were also mostly proprietary. As a result, some small companies emerged, composed of hardware and software developers familiar with equipment from multiple manufacturers. These companies undertook large-scale comprehensive projects or were commissioned by large enterprises to implement comprehensive monitoring of all equipment in their plants. These companies were named System Integration Companies and typically had dozens to one or two hundred employees.
At the outset of a project, the company's computer hardware and software developers go to the site or enterprise to conduct in-depth research, clarify user needs, perform customized development for equipment from multiple manufacturers, propose comprehensive solutions, and finally implement them in their entirety. These developers are called system integrators. Their work is called system integration because they integrate information from various types of equipment across the entire enterprise or large factory for monitoring and management. They integrate various equipment subsystems together to build a computer-based production and manufacturing management system for the enterprise, thus performing the work of "system integration."
From the late 1970s through the 1980s and into the 1990s, industrial automation systems evolved from patented DCS and PLC systems based on single-manufacturer equipment to multi-manufacturer equipment integration, and further to open systems based on DCS, PLC, and SCADA systems. During this period, industrial PCs, embedded computers, and DCS technologies, especially PLCs and PLC systems, experienced rapid development. PLC systems began to replace earlier remote data acquisition and telemetry systems. In many large projects, PLC-based SCADA systems were built. Large-scale open systems built using system integration replaced patented DCS systems and the DDC (Direct Digital Control System) systems of the 1960s and 70s; and the application of system integration technology became increasingly widespread.
During this period, industrial application systems grew increasingly large in scale, demanding correspondingly larger automation systems. These systems needed to accommodate equipment from more manufacturers and required more open architectures to connect to various devices and networks. Industrial PCs combined with HMI software and PLC systems evolved into the main architecture for open system integration.
During this stage, in response to technological development and changing demands, well-known DCS and PLC manufacturers began to undertake system integration projects and conduct research and manufacturing of open systems. They either established powerful system integration divisions or merged or joined forces with larger manufacturers to form large-scale automation system integration companies.
With the development of IT technology, the wave of enterprise informatization is developing with even greater momentum. Enterprise Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Business Management Systems have developed rapidly due to the deep integration of IT technology. ERP and other management information systems have entered almost all large enterprises. At this point, system integration encompasses a broader scope, extending from automation to informatization. During this stage, almost all world-class large IT companies participated in system integration projects for large-scale informatization systems, and software companies, in particular, made a series of innovations in system integration.
New software architecture concepts are emerging in information system integration projects. Microsoft's .NET development framework, Sun Microsystems' J2EE system integration application architecture, and IBM's SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) have become IT architecture methods for enterprise informatization, connecting enterprise business processes, integrating repetitive business tasks or services, and enabling services built on various systems to interact in a unified and universal way. Large-scale system integration platforms tailored to specific enterprise business needs are also emerging in the deep integration of enterprise informatization and automation.
In the early 1990s, a large number of system integrators emerged globally. In 1994, the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) was established in North America. Since its inception, CSIA has been dedicated to the development of control system integration worldwide, serving system integrators globally. CSIA research indicates that by the beginning of the 21st century, there were at least 4,000 system integrators (companies) worldwide.
CSIA defines a Control System Integrator as: An independent value-added engineering organization that provides application knowledge services and technical expert support for the sale, design, implementation, installation, commissioning, and technical support of industrial control systems, manufacturing systems, and factory automation.
CSIA member companies provide product and system integration services for a wide range of projects, typically including process control, discrete control, management and monitoring systems, batch control, robotics, and data acquisition. It focuses on industrial control and information systems, manufacturing execution systems, and factory automation systems. System integrators need application knowledge and specialized skills in sales, design, implementation, installation, commissioning, and support.
The work of a system integrator combines the functions of an equipment manufacturer's agent, product distributor, engineering consultant, and engineering contractor. Moreover, unlike equipment manufacturers, it possesses greater expertise in the application systems and the actual needs of users, enabling it to provide better comprehensive solutions and value-added services to equipment manufacturers.
Control system integrators develop comprehensive solutions to user-raised questions based on the specific project's input conditions and the requirements specifications formulated according to both general and specific needs. These solutions include final project engineering design, technical documentation, hardware configuration and procurement, user software development, field instrument wiring and installation, control schemes, software selection, testing, and commissioning. The system integrator primarily provides users with technical services related to system integration and leverages their application experience.
Software development plays a more significant role in projects. According to CSIA research, in a typical systems integration project, the value of "intellectual content"—including design, planning, management, software development, technical services, and training—is 60:40 compared to the labor value of hardware and installation. In systems integration projects, the system integrator's responsibility is to select the best products and manufacturers for the project. The system integrator only needs to select specific products that meet specific requirements. Achieving the optimal solution is the primary principle.
A system integrator's work revolves around various automation projects. During the project preparation phase, they provide engineering consulting services, offering successful experiences with similar automation systems and tailored advice to the specific needs of the project. At the start of the project, they provide engineering design, organization, and management services according to the contract. The system integrator procures all necessary hardware products according to the design requirements, ensuring proper matching between the hardware and field devices to guarantee the best cost-effectiveness of the automation system.
One of the primary tasks of a system integrator is to establish an open system integration platform and develop application software tailored to specific engineering needs. System integrators should not use patented integration software platforms, but rather mature software platforms. However, the application software must be engineering-adaptable and must incorporate the integrator's own technical experience and successful engineering case studies.
The system integrator is responsible for key issues in system integration, primarily resolving interface problems. The integrator will guide system installation and debugging, provide technical support during the system's operational testing phase, conduct user training during system runtime, and establish and hand over project documentation. Finally, the integrator promises excellent warranty service throughout the warranty period.
System integration is the process of connecting equipment from multiple manufacturers to achieve all the functions required by the application through an open system; it is an engineering activity in which a shared information platform for the application connects to various subsystems to enable users to achieve automated monitoring and management functions from top to bottom.
System integration is no longer a single-discipline automation engineering activity, nor is it the assembly of systems in isolated automation systems. Rather, it is the realization of automation and informatization of the entire system encompassed by the project; it is a comprehensive automation system built for the project; it is a system built for the informatization integration of each stage of the project value chain. System integration establishes an information sharing platform for the project.
Currently, system integration is evolving into comprehensive solutions for enterprise-wide information integration. It has expanded from the control domain to the information domain, requiring system integrators to integrate enterprise control systems, manufacturing processes, and also management and information systems. Correspondingly, the open systems used in system integration must be able to network various devices at the lower-level equipment layer (field instruments and sensors), the factory control layer, and the enterprise management layer to achieve intelligent manufacturing of the enterprise's core business and realize enterprise-wide monitoring management and integrated information services. Industry 4.0 explicitly encourages manufacturers to develop into intelligent manufacturing system integrators and to evolve into product and service system integrators.
Industrial Enterprise Information Integration System
The concept of industrial enterprise information integration system was first proposed by experts from my country's 863 Program. The National Technical Committee on Industrial Automation Systems and Integration Standards (TC159) has been dedicated to developing national standards for enterprise information integration systems. In January 2010, the National Standardization Management Committee released the "Standard of Industry Enterprise Information Integration System" (GB/T26335-2010), which came into effect in June 2010.
This national standard defines an industrial enterprise information integration system as follows: "An industrial enterprise information integration system is a large system that integrates an industrial enterprise's production automation system, production management system, and business decision-making system based on computer environment and technology, in order to improve the enterprise's operating efficiency and promote the achievement of the enterprise's strategic goals."
The standard emphasizes in its basic provisions that: "The integrated information system of industrial enterprises should be built into a complete system from production automation and production management to business decision-making; it will organically integrate enterprise automation and information technology, effectively integrate the core business system and related business systems of industrial enterprises, improve the efficiency of enterprise operation, and serve the realization of enterprise strategic goals."
GB/T26335-2010 provides a hierarchical model for general industrial enterprise information integration systems, which is a layered and graded system based on the Purdue model. The typical architecture of an industrial enterprise information integration system consists of three levels: H1: Plant-level system (plant level includes: large, medium and small production plants, production bases, etc.); H2: Company-level system (company level includes: cross-plant joint enterprises, large joint production bases, etc.); H3: Group company-level system.
(1) H1 Plant-level System: The plant-level system of the industrial enterprise information integration system should include five layers as shown in Figure 1, from L1 to L5. They are: L1: Field equipment layer; L2: Production process control layer; L3: Manufacturing execution layer; L4: Management layer; L5: Strategic decision-making layer. Through the vertical and horizontal integration of the five layers, the application integration of field equipment, production process control, production execution, command, management, and strategic decision-making is realized, forming a complete plant-level system. Among them, L1 and L2 constitute the basic layer of enterprise production automation, and the source information of the core business of the information integration system is generated here.
(2) H2 Company-level System: This level of system should integrate the distributed plant-level systems and build an enterprise-level information integration system. The system includes three layers: L3, L4, and L5, but its structure and function are different from the corresponding three layers of H1. Through vertical integration technology, a seamless interface between H2 and H1 is achieved, realizing the flow of information at this level.
(3) H3 Group Company Level System: The group company level system includes three layers: L3, L4, and L5, but its structure and function are different from the corresponding three layers of H1 and H2. The information flow between levels and layers is realized through vertical integration technology.
The connotation of industrial enterprise information integration system
Specifically, in industrial enterprises, an enterprise information integration system is a complex, large-scale system that organically integrates and optimizes the three key elements of people, materials, and technology—as well as their information flow, material flow, and capital flow—through computer hardware and software, and the comprehensive application of modern management, manufacturing, information, automation, and systems engineering technologies throughout the entire production process. Its core is an integrated infrastructure/platform that provides enterprises with basic information integration, application integration, process integration, and business integration services. Through these integration services, the technologies and systems of different units within the enterprise operate collaboratively, forming an integrated enterprise information system that supports the efficient operation of the enterprise's R&D, production, and management activities, achieving the integration of enterprise elements such as people/organization, technology, resources, and business management.
Industrial enterprise information integration systems are based on underlying information closely related to the production and manufacturing processes, and revolve around the core business of the enterprise. This forms the foundation and basis of the system, consistent with the "Industry 4.0" concept. The information integration system consists of two main parts: the control system (or control manufacturing system) and the enterprise system (or enterprise information system). The information integration system is the synthesis and integration of these two parts.
Control (Manufacturing) System
Industrial production has always been intertwined with the development of information technology. Each industrial revolution has been accompanied by advancements in information technology. Industrial production equipment and facilities, controlled by automated systems, constitute the most fundamental industrial manufacturing process. Simultaneously, the scientific organization, scheduling, command, and management of the entire industrial production process are gradually being realized through computerized information systems. Industrial automation and enterprise informatization drive industrial modernization.
From the perspective of automatic control system applications, industry can be divided into two main categories: one is manufacturing, such as aircraft and automobile manufacturing; the other is process industry, such as petroleum and chemical industries.
Manufacturing primarily involves processing various materials into individual parts through production lines, assembling these parts into components, and then assembling these components into machines on assembly lines. The automated control systems in manufacturing require the ability to automatically control the mechanical manufacturing and assembly processes; to strictly control various parameters of the parts to a certain precision; and to ensure that the assembled machines meet design specifications. These requirements are achieved through systems composed of various CNC machine tools and automated assembly lines. The manufacturing process is a discrete process; parts are processed one by one, components are assembled one by one, and machines are assembled one by one. Correspondingly, the automated control system mainly addresses the control of these discontinuous processes, known as discrete control. Discrete control typically employs a PLC control system.
Another major category is process industries, also known as flow processing industries. These are industrial processes that transform raw materials into products through pipelines and material handling equipment, or industrial processes that convert energy into energy during the flow of a medium. To ensure the normal operation of these industrial processes and the safe, stable, and continuous production of qualified products, the entire process must be automatically controlled. Such systems are called process control systems. Process control systems control continuous quantities, known as continuous control, and continuous control employs a distributed control system (DCS).
In practical industrial applications, manufacturing and process industries are not strictly separated. Many industrial enterprises, and even on the same production line, may contain both types of industrial control, involving DCS and PLC systems. The hierarchical model of the production control system in a factory is called the Purdue model.
An industrial enterprise control system is the control of an enterprise's production system. The manufacturing process of modern industrial enterprises is entirely achieved through efficient, high-quality, and intelligent control. In this sense, the industrial enterprise control (manufacturing) system is the most fundamental system of modern industry. Research on system integration technology for industrial information systems should take system integration technology in production automation systems as its foundation.
Industrial control systems (taking continuous control systems as an example) are mainly divided into two layers: the field device (production unit) layer and the automation system control layer. The field device layer mainly consists of various sensors, transmitters, actuators, and actuators. They collect various information closely related to production in the industrial field and transmit it to the control system. At the same time, the actuators and actuators in the field drive valves, switches, and drive equipment according to the instructions from the control system.
The control layer of an automation system mainly consists of controllers that control various process parameters in industrial production, industrial control networks, operator stations, control layer data servers, and production application servers.
In manufacturing automation control, the controlled parameters are mainly mechanical and kinematic quantities, including speed, linear velocity, acceleration, displacement, length, angle, force, torque, and related voltage, current, power, and various electrical parameters. Manufacturing automation control systems primarily control moving drive equipment: motors, linear motors, hydraulic motors, hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic motors, pneumatic cylinders, and their motion conversion devices. The main monitoring points are digital inputs and outputs.
The key characteristic of process control is the strict control of process parameters, also known as technical parameters, during the processing of raw materials. Only when these technical parameters are guaranteed can the industrial process continuously produce qualified products. The main technical parameters in process industries are the so-called four major parameters: temperature, pressure, flow rate, and level (liquid level). Different industrial processes may also have other different technical parameters. These technical parameters are mostly continuously changing and are called analog quantities, such as temperature changes. From a control principle perspective, the control of analog quantities is fundamentally different from the control of discrete quantities. Therefore, automatic control systems in process industries are primarily systems that control continuous quantities.
In actual operation, industrial automatic control systems must possess specific quality indicators. In layman's terms, the automatic control system must be stable, must stably reach the required control value (the steady-state value of the system), and must reach this required value quickly, which is the so-called requirement of stability, accuracy, and speed.
The quality of industrial control systems determines the quality of industrial products; industrial control systems are the soul of industrial manufacturing. With the advent of the new industrial revolution, industrial control (manufacturing) systems will inevitably adapt to the requirements of intelligent products and the needs of intelligent production lines, undergoing tremendous progress and changes.
In the era of Industry 4.0, the fundamental problems remain as described above. However, the Internet will directly penetrate into the field device layer of industrial control systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology will change the structure and model of traditional industrial control systems. Industry 4.0 CPS systems can directly integrate field devices with the industrial management decision-making level, laying a solid foundation for the realization of intelligent manufacturing.
Enterprise (Information) System
The upper layer of the industrial enterprise information integration system is the enterprise (information) system. From the perspective of enterprise business operations, the enterprise system consists of five parts: management subsystem, engineering design subsystem, manufacturing subsystem, quality assurance subsystem, and basic support infrastructure subsystem.
Management Subsystem: Includes management functions such as market forecasting, business decision-making, production planning, production technology preparation, sales, supply, finance, cost, equipment, tools, and human resources. Engineering Design Subsystem: Performs product design and analysis. An automated engineering design subsystem typically includes functions such as product design, performance analysis, process design, assembly planning, and design document management. Manufacturing Subsystem: Composed of manufacturing equipment and corresponding support resources, including CNC machine tools, machining centers, cleaning machines, measuring machines, transport trolleys, automated warehouses, and multi-level distributed control (management). Quality Assurance Subsystem: Includes functions such as quality decision-making, quality inspection and data acquisition, quality evaluation, control, and tracking. The quality assurance subsystem monitors quality throughout the entire process from product design, manufacturing, and testing to logistical support, aiming to achieve high-quality, low-cost products and enhance corporate competitiveness. Infrastructure Subsystem: The infrastructure subsystem provides the basic environment supporting the operation of all enterprise subsystems. It includes basic factory buildings, communication infrastructure, and energy supply facilities.
Enterprise informatization refers to the comprehensive application of information technology in all aspects of an enterprise's production and operation, management and decision-making, research and development, marketing and sales. It involves building information networks and systems, and through the efficient development and utilization of information and knowledge resources, adjusting or reorganizing the enterprise's organizational structure and business model to serve its development goals and enhance its competitiveness. Enterprise information systems are various computer application systems that support the achievement of the enterprise's overall business management goals. Enterprise informatization involves multiple business links and supporting technologies, including R&D, production, sales, service, and decision-making management. Furthermore, the professional characteristics and management maturity of different enterprises directly affect the implementation and application of enterprise information systems. Enterprise information systems can be summarized into several levels: entry point, business decision-making, operations management, product development, production control, business collaboration, and integration platform. Each level contains several information systems, each meeting different needs of the enterprise's business. These systems are also inherently interconnected.
Enterprise Entry Layer: Provides a unified access point for enterprise information application systems; Business Decision Layer: Includes business intelligence and decision analysis systems. Its main purpose is to utilize big data and cloud computing, through data mining, OLAP online analysis, and other methods, to comprehensively analyze data generated by lower-level application systems, providing technical means and scientific basis for enterprise decision-making and strategic management with the assistance of decision support systems; Operations Management Layer: Primarily includes ERP/SCM/CRM.
The system manages the enterprise's internal and external supply chains and logistics, as well as management planning and control, and customer relationship management, providing support for the enterprise's business operations; the product development layer includes CAD/CAE/CAPP/CAM/PDM systems, providing design and manufacturing technologies covering the product lifecycle, and providing basic support for other business systems of the enterprise; the production control layer includes MES and PCS systems, realizing the management of manufacturing equipment, underlying data acquisition equipment, control equipment, and workshop-level production planning and execution process control; the business collaboration layer provides a collaborative business work platform to support collaborative work within the enterprise (between various related business units, between various branches of the enterprise) and between enterprises (between the enterprise and suppliers, between the enterprise and customers, and between the enterprise and collaborative design developers).
After years of development, many domestic companies have developed a number of unit software products for enterprise applications. Information integration platforms provide basic support functions for the integration of these unit application software systems. By providing corresponding standardized and regulated integration components, the goal of interconnecting application software systems can be achieved, and information integration systems can be implemented in enterprises.
An enterprise information integration system is a large system that integrates enterprise systems and control systems. The key here is integration. On one hand, it unites the scattered and heterogeneous components of the production and enterprise systems into a collaborative whole, thereby achieving more powerful functions and accomplishing tasks that individual parts cannot do alone. On the other hand, it integrates all subsystems of the entire system through interfaces to achieve comprehensive and collaborative functions, ultimately aiming for overall optimization. This integration completely connects the different layers of the control system with the different layers of the enterprise system, while simultaneously horizontally integrating information from subsystems at the same level to form a complete information integration system. In the new industrial revolution era, with the support of the Internet, information integration systems achieve the integration of industrial control (manufacturing) systems with enterprise (informatization) information, realizing smart factories and smart production, and truly achieving the goal of the integration of informatization and industrialization.
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