Process architecture PlantPAx 5.0 running on ztC Edge

“Whether it’s control in Water and Wastewater management, Machine Builders innovating for their customers, or managing remote assets in Oil & Gas, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving operational excellence. Enterprises require plant-wide data and control solutions with high availability that can both scale up and scale down based on the use case and location, while being cost effective and easy to implement,” said Dave Rapini, Business Manager for PlantPAx at Rockwell Automation.

The ability to bring mission-critical applications to where they’re needed most via Edge Computing delivers the scale and real-time data acquisition for operational excellence. Stratus’ simple, protected, and automated platform with fault tolerance and zero-touch operation is powering the disaggregation of large process architectures, traditionally deployed at level 3 and 4 of the Purdue model. The combined Stratus and Rockwell Automation “Solution in a Box” architecture provides a flexible approach to scale Industry 4.0 capabilities across a range of environments that were not previously possible.

PlantPAx is a plant wide distributed control system (DCS) that utilises a common automation platform to seamlessly integrate both process and discrete control as well as plant-wide information. Version 5.0 improves the availability of system assets that drive compliance in regulated industries and enables analytics at all enterprise levels. Intuitive workflows and the use of cyber security standards help teams design, deploy, and support a DCS infrastructure to get to market faster to improve performance and profitability.

ztC Edge is an industrial-grade Edge Computing platform that offers built-in redundancy to eliminate unplanned downtime and meets Class 1 Division 2 requirements to operate in hazardous environments. While meeting standard IT performance and security requirements, ztC Edge is simple to deploy, protected from interruptions and threats, and operates autonomously. The zero-touch Edge Computing platform can be quickly installed at a single location or across multiple locations without the need for specialised skills or IT support..

Craig Resnick, Vice President, ARC Advisory Group, said: “Companies are looking increasingly for scalable edge solutions that adapt easily to their existing assets and OT infrastructure and help them achieve the flexibility, real-time visibility, operational excellence and operational resilience needed to sustain their businesses in a world where often the only certainty is uncertainty.

“From an implementation standpoint, the Stratus and Rockwell Automation ‘Solution in a Box’ process control architecture not only addresses those market demands for industries, such as food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and life sciences, but also does so in plug-n-play fashion that is well suited for distributors and channel partners to effectively sell and support.“

Frank Hill, Director of Rockwell Partnership at Stratus, added: “ztC Edge’s redundancy at the compute level matched with PlantPAx DCS redundancy at the control level is a formidable combination for downtime prevention for mission-critical applications. By partnering with Rockwell Automation to characterise this joint solution, we’re delivering a massive leap forward for operations and integrators.”

Hill continued: “With ztC Edge’s industrial-grade design, teams can now install redundant, virtualised Edge Computing on the DIN rail in the same cabinet as the PlantPAx DCS controllers, even in harsh environments. In addition, ztC Edge’s built-in virtualisation allows users to integrate multiple solutions – PlantPAx applications and Rockwell’s ThinManager that previously required multiple computers – into a single platform which delivers enormous savings for engineering, operations, and maintenance.”