Challenges for information enabled automation systems

Control systems have been consistently evolving over time, with advances in processing capability in devices and controllers, as well as evolution of network capability. Process control systems are converging into a common model of integrated systems. The ability to easily integrate equipment control into higher-level end to end representations is becoming an imperative for manufacturing companies in order to achieve maximum productivity from manufacturing systems. To support this evolution, individual control systems face challenges of managing control activities and participating in the broader end to end process initiatives. This direction presents new challenges in terms of mapping machine control into an operations management environment. A new perspective on automation management and supervision is required to realize the full potential of this approach. The convergence of information and automation systems presents challenges to developers of hardware for automation systems. A more scale-able approach to the development and management of control capabilities is required. Some parts of the needed approaches are in existence in offerings and research; however a formal integrated model that brings together these initiatives to present a formal architecture is not available. This paper presents some of these initiatives and approaches, to meet the challenge of presenting a new ecosystem for information enabled automation.