Best Distributed Control Systems (DCS) for Startups

Producers like you are adept at navigating the complexities and challenges of staying competitive. This is true in a variety of industries ranging from pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, and food and beverage to mining and chemical. That’s why it’s so important to implement the latest technological advancements to continue your ever-evolving digital transformation journey. From the control room to the board room, process system users face the persistent challenges of balancing productivity against budget and resource constraints as well as proactively addressing evolving operational risks. Meet these challenges and experience real productivity gains in all areas of your plant with the PlantPAx distributed control system (DCS). System features positively impact the lifecycle of your plant operations by ensuring that plant-wide and scalable systems drive productivity, improve profitability, and reduce overall risks for operations.

DeltaV S-series Electronic Marshalling with CHARMs lets you land field cabling wherever you want, regardless of signal type or control strategy. The DeltaV™ Distributed Control System (DCS) is an easy-to-use automation system that simplifies operational complexity and lowers project risk. The state-of-the-art suite of products and services increases plant performance with intelligent control that is easy to operate and maintain. The DeltaV DCS adapts to meet your needs, scaling easily without adding complexity. The inherent integration of the DeltaV system extends to batch, advanced control, change management, engineering tools, diagnostics, and more.

System 800xA is not only a DCS (Distributed Control System) it’s also an Electrical Control System, a Safety system, and a collaboration enabler with the capacity to improve engineering efficiency, operator performance, and asset utilization. With the built-in electrical control system, ABB Ability System 800xA provides ways to be in control of the complete electrical system, from high-voltage switchgear to low-voltage motor control. Whether together with 800xA DCS or not, ABB Ability System 800xA is the ideal solution as your Electrical Control System. Reduce hardwired cabling on switchgear by connecting to intelligent devices, no matter which standard protocol you have. The high reliability on digital communication improves the information flow from the devices and additional electrical measurement equipment can be removed.

ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus is a distributed control system (DCS) designed to maximize plant efficiency and reliability through automation, integration, and optimization of the entire plant. With more than 35 years being the total plant automation platform for the power generation and water industries it is designed to meet the most demanding engineering, procurement and construction contractors' requirements being the preferred provider for power generation and water treatment solutions for all geographic markets. Symphony Plus is backwardly compatible with all previous generations of the Symphony family of distributed control systems – Network 90, INFI 90, INFI 90 OPEN, Symphony Harmony, Contronic and Symphony Melody.

The integrated environment simplifies engineering, commissioning, maintenance and fieldbus management. The intuitive operator interface enables easy operation and diagnosis of the entire system. Freelance is proven since 25 years and fully compatible with older versions. With this new version, Freelance takes the next step into the future. Freelance 2019 provides significant improvements in all areas: scalability, usability, connectivity, compatibility and security.

Trusted for decades, yet continually cutting-edge: the SIMATIC PCS 7 distributed control system is your starting point for exceptional plant performance. Prepare for today's requirements and tomorrow's challenges with PCS 7 – powerful and versatile process control technology from Siemens! Leveraging standardized and reusable process libraries, PCS 7 V9.1 keeps your operations sustainable for the long term. With automatic inventory management, your plant will have a systematic approach to ensuring all critical hardware, software and network components comprising your PCS 7 installation are always up-to-date. The Advanced Process Library provides the basis for simple project planning and reliable process control. The operator system is easily adaptable and offers single-user, multi-user and web operating options.

The control technology is a key lever for gaining a competitive edge in the process industry - and all the more so if it can meet the tremendous challenges of both today and tomorrow. Like SIMATIC PCS neo, the innovative ground-breaking process control system by Siemens. Prepare for the future of automation today: A future in which new opportunities are created through holistic efficiency gains. A future in which users in the process industries will enjoy intuitive engineering and operation. A future in which web-based collaboration is redefined. Experience what it means to rethink process control technology. SIMATIC PCS neo proactively supports your operating personnel to make decisions in their daily work and enables rapid analysis of process information as well as diagnosis of the automation system in engineering and in operation.

Valmet DNA is a single Distributed Control System (DCS) for all your process automation needs. It gives you complete control of all your processes and provides user experience and transparency that go far beyond traditional automation systems. Valmet DNA can be applied for process controls, machine controls, drive controls, and quality controls. Information management is an integrated part of the platform along with mechanical and field device condition monitoring. The single system architecture saves on both costs and effort while ensuring open growth for your future challenges. Valmet DNA distributed control system (DCS) integrates all the process automation needs under the same system. It provides an easy and practical approach from design to installation and maintenance. Trends and event information is available through the same user interface.

Plants running the TotalPlant™ Solution (TPS) system need to avoid obsolescence by employing modern technology. TPS, introduced in 1998, helped establish open plant automation with a host of advanced applications. However, its users are now dealing with compliance issues related to new safety regulations as well as increasing system support challenges. With Experion LCN, existing control strategy, field terminations, applications, history, and graphics can be retained, allowing users to focus on high-value improvements. It minimizes operating disruptions, maintains overall consistency, and delivers optional lifecycle advantages with virtualization. It also opens the door to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by Honeywell, an approach that connects people to assets, automates predictive analytics and enables increased collaboration.​

Experion®LX is based on Honeywell’s proven Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) technology and is designed to efficiently meet the control system needs of a variety of industrial applications. It provides an integrated platform with comprehensive connectivity, advanced HMI and tools, and software-enabled solutions delivering operational efficiencies and new business outcomes. Experion LX is the perfect platform for users to extend their scope at any time from process control and management to include personnel and assets and to even integrate the resources of their entire business operations. Provides flexible control platform options based on Series 8 and ControlEdge for an improved fit across various industrial applications. Ensure data integrity and integration with business applications for optimized performance.

Process maintenance and other support resources for plants in the process industries are often located remotely. When responding to a process problem, rapid analysis and resolution are critical to maintaining productivity. Experion Collaboration Station uses a large-format, multi-touch display to bring together business network and view-only control system data. It rapidly establishes communication for collaboration between multi-disciplinary team members, regardless of where they are. All participants share the same view and can work simultaneously on the same documents and data within a communication session using their desktop computers. Benchmark best practices across global assets to maximize returns. Turn data into actionable insight so you can benchmark best practices across all your assets to optimize operations, predict plant failures, eliminate unplanned downtime, and maximize returns.

EcoStruxure Foxboro DCS (an evolution of Foxboro Evo) is an innovative family of fault-tolerant, highly available control components, which consolidates critical information and elevates staff capabilities to ensure flawless, continuous plant operation. Customizable, embedded real-time accounting models measure and control the financial value of every point of the process. The Foxboro DCS family of fault-tolerant, highly available components collect, process and disseminate valuable information to every corner of the plant. With flexibility and scalability in mind, the Foxboro DCS offers multiple types of controllers and I/O options to optimize cost, space, and functionality requirements. The Foxboro DCS features state-of-the-art, multi-purpose workstations, and servers which are versatile and robust, with different options catering to different plant environments and operation requirements.

PMSX®pro has been designed to fully meet all requirements in terms of availability, efficiency, expandability, and flexibility. It also features a high level of harmonized hardware and software and includes a finely tuned range of standardized automation equipment. The process management concept adapts to the plant‘s process engineering structure. Maximum safety, utmost availability, and flexible expandability are obtained by structuring the plant horizontally into function units with specific control and automation tasks. In this way, we achieve a clearly structured, hierarchical, and therefore transparent plant structure. Process-related redundancies are not canceled by the control system. For efficient plant and maintenance management, PMSX®pro provides consistent, plant-wide configuration and parametrization from a central point.

PMSX®micro allows users to operate, control and observe small plants, machines, processes or continuous production flows. The plant status, which enables a good overview of the plant at all times, is represented using process graphics. The plant is operated via operating graphics, which reproduce the detailed state of aggregates and make operation easy and convenient. If alarms or messages occur, the operator can navigate quickly and directly to the relevant process graphic, resulting in a prompt and targeted response. PMSX®micro has a full alarm and event system, which records all alarms and messages, displays them and stores them in a database in their correct sequence. This enables process flows to be traced in the event of disturbances or following changes. The operator can add annotations and comments about events or objects, which are then also available for subsequent analysis.

Has been highly regarded for the high reliability of its control equipment, and its user-oriented operational monitoring and engineering tools. The solution is not just a great fit for thermal power plants; it also works as a control and monitoring system for a variety of facilities and products, including rocket launch facilities, LNG carriers, plant management systems, and office building management systems. This has enabled dramatically improved hardware reliability, and the incorporation of protective circuits that meet Safety Integrity Level (SIL) requirements. With a lineup that caters to everything from small to large systems and from equipment control and monitoring to protective functions, the DIASYS series goes a step further in contributing to customer businesses.

HIACS series is a comprehensive monitoring and control system for thermal power, hydropower, and nuclear power plants that brings together Hitachi's rich experience and control technology. In the history of more than 40 years, we have accumulated a lot of application results. As a result, you can achieve that rationalization of the system according to the scale of equipment, compactification by applying remote I/O (reduction of the amount of cable between the field and the electrical room and reduction of the electrical room area), and realization of the latest state at low cost by a partial update according to the status of the control device. In addition, the latest HIACS series supports HMI using web technology and HMI using mobile terminals, collects and analyzes information from the control device, and improves facility availability through early detection of equipment abnormalities. We provide ICT solutions that aim to improve operational efficiency by optimizing inputs.

PlantCruise by Experion® has based Honeywell’s proven Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) technology and is designed to efficiently meet the control system needs of a variety of industrial applications. It provides an integrated platform with comprehensive connectivity, advanced HMI and tools, and software-enabled solutions delivering operational efficiencies and new business outcomes. PlantCruise is the perfect platform for users to extend their scope at any time from process control and management to include personnel and assets and to even integrate the resources of their entire business operations. PlantCruise by Experion offers an integrated control package based on state-of-the-art controllers and technology, which enable seamless, plant-wide control and improved connectivity.

The CENTUM VP Distributed Control System (DCS) is Yokogawa's most advanced, integrated process control system, providing enhanced productivity and optimization across a wide range of industries. For over forty years, the Yokogawa CENTUM DCS family has evolved to meet and exceed the needs of businesses and will continue to do so as they reinvent themselves through digital transformations and incorporate new technologies such as IoT far into the future. When sustainable operation without shutdown time is a requirement for your plant, CENTUM VP is the most reliable distributed control system available. CENTUM VP has a proven availability better than “seven nines” (99.99999%), delivering an allowed downtime less than one minute over ten years.

With the actual implementations in many plants and absolutely high reliability, CENTUM CS has been the best seller of large-scale DCS since its first sale in 1993. Since it was released in 1993, CENTUM CS is widely applied in the plants of oil refinery, petrochemical, chemistry, iron and steel, non-ferrous metal, metal, cement, paper pulp, food and pharmaceutical industries, and power, gas and water supply as well as many other public utilities. The excellent operability and engineering technique, and the high reliability proved by the abundant actual application results, guaranteed that the CENTUM CS will continue to play an important role in the 21st century.

Nexus Controls OnCore† Control System, a distributed control system, is an advanced, fully configurable solution that improves asset visibility, provides built-in troubleshooting and maintenance tools, offers simplified expansion capabilities, and reduces overall installation and training costs for all your distributed turbine control system needs. Nexus Controls OnCore Control System is an integrated solution for turbo machinery applications across a broad spectrum of different industries. They range from large heavy equipment, such as gas turbines, steam turbines, or hydro turbines, to compressive solutions that are integrated with turbines and provide high-speed anti-surge control. All of these can be managed using the Nexus OnCore Control System.

FalconTune© is a PID loop-tuning software for distributed control systems (DCS) and programmable logic controllers (PLC). Detailed description of the software is available upon request. FalconTune© is currently optimized for Yokogawa DCS© but will work with any DCS or PLC through the OPC communication protocol. A range of available licenses provides flexibility to the end-users. Yearly and perpetual, as well as workplace-based and site-wide licenses are available. IMB Controls Inc. performs research and development in process control. IMB has developed FalconTune, which is an automated PID loop tuning software. IMB Controls was founded by Dr. Igor Boiko, who is a leading researcher in the field of control systems. Dr. Igor Boiko is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Petroleum Institute (PI) in Abu Dhabi.