FAQs

1. What is NCS?
2. What is STARDOM?
3. What does "STARDOM "stand for?
4. Which market does STARDOM target?
5. What is the difference between STARDOM and PLC+PC (SCADA)?
6. What is the difference between STARDOM and DCS?
7. Will Yokogawa discontinue its CENTUM (Yokogawa DCS) business?

1. What is NCS?

NCS stands for Network-based Control System, which is a new Yokogawa concept. As advances are made in information technology, there is a growing demand by customers for the ability to control and monitor remote facilities via the Internet or an Intranet. NCS can meet this need by linking a variety of remote devices, controllers, and systems. By integrating the data handled by these devices and systems, it is possible to achieve dramatic increases in manufacturing efficiency.

2. What is STARDOM?

STARDOM, one of Yokogawa's newest products, applies our revolutionary Network-based Control System (NCS) concept to the industrial automation field.The STARDOM system is composed of highly independent components that are based on the latest network technologies. Versatile Data Server (VDS) software is high-performance SCADA software for monitoring and control that has been developed specifically for the STARDOM system. The Field Control Node and the Field Control Junction (FCN/FCJ) are autonomous controllers. An Application Portfolio (APPF) is a set of control software that brings together the applications expertise which Yokogawa has accumulated over the years as a leading DCS vendor. By networking these STARDOM components with users' manufacturing management systems, PLCs, or other devices, users can optimize their systems.

3. What does "STARDOM "stand for?

STrategic ARcher for new business DOMain
A strategic concept based on embedded network technology that is targeted at a new business domain. A rising star in the industrial automation field.

4. Which market does STARDOM target?

STARDOM targets a rising new niche market which requires autonomous control and monitoring systems. Typical applications would be oil and gas wells or pipelines distributed over a wide area, wide-area co-generation systems, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and food-product manufacturing.

5. What is the difference between STARDOM and PLC+PC (SCADA)?

PLCs, which are a substitute for the relay logic that was in use decades ago, deal mainly with IO related ON/OFF information and leave the data processing up to a PC (SCADA). The data is not integrated and does not have a logical name (example: X123), which can be confusing to users because the SCADA software just acquires and sets the data through the PLC\'s inner register. In the STARDOM system, the controller (FCN or FCJ) excels at dealing with both analog and ON/OFF information. This controller sends data to a PC (running STARDOM\'s VDS SCADA software) along with embedded data processing functions. Unlike a PLC+PC, all data is integrated within function blocks and these have a user defined logical name.

6. What is the difference between STARDOM and DCS?

DCS has its origins in the regulation and control of operations at large-scale industrial plants such as oil refineries that require super reliability, continuous monitoring / control, and system continuity over the entire lifetime of the facility. As a result, DCS systems place more emphasis on reliability and continuity with legacy systems than on flexibility and openness. STARDOM has been expressly developed to target new niche markets which require more openness, connectivity, and flexibility. STARDOM uses the IEC61131-3 programming language, employs Ethernet as a standard bus, has a compact yet robust controller, and uses a thin HMI client. This promotes both system flexibility and openness. Furthermore, Internet and intranet connectivity is promoted with an embedded web function that provides several useful applications. Consequently, STARDOM is more suited than DCS for controlling and monitoring remotely located facilities or mid-sized facilities that can be run autonomously.

7. Will Yokogawa discontinue its CENTUM (Yokogawa DCS) business?

Absolutely not!
Yokogawa will continue its CENTUM business. As a world-leading company in the industrial automation field, Yokogawa offers customers more choices with STARDOM added to its industrial automation product lineup. Also, STARDOM targets a new niche market and there is little overlap with the CENTUM target market, which are primarily very large scale facilities such as oil refineries. STARDOM is not a replacement for CENTUM.