Collaborative Information Server(SCADA)

Remote operations deliver efficiency and productivity

To achieve both efficient operations and increased productivity throughout, collaboration between all parties is essential—namely, between on-area operators and management, specialists in each field located far from sites, and each business division.

However, such specialists cannot always be present at remote areas and sites, so a higher-level view is important to remotely operate each site and plant seamlessly.

The Collaborative Information Server facilitates the connection between geographically distributed plants and processes, and presents the operations into a central location. This provides on-site and office personnel members a clear view of all aspects of production in real time. You can increase productivity and operational stability with higher efficiency through remote operations and collaboration of connected business personnel.

 
Remote operation and monitoring

Client operation and monitoring screens can be browser-based (HTML5) for remote access.
The client supports PCs, tablets, and smartphones, ideal for remote operations.

For example, specialists and production managers at HQ can provide smooth, targeted support to field operators located far away. This hassle-free ability to cover the need for specialized knowledge and skill without dispatching personnel from the headquarters saves labor and increases the autonomy of your plants.

Web-based solutions come with concerns about security threats such as network-based attacks, direct attacks from terminals, and data leaks, but Yokogawa protects against these.

Enterprise engineering

Centralized Engineering is realized using web-based technology, allowing the distributed the Collaborative Information Server databases to be configured and synchronized from a central location, drastically reducing engineering time associated with managing distributed architectures.

Multi-user functionality is incorporated by design, allowing local or geographically distributed personnel to operate and engineer the system online without disturbing the operational system.

Enterprise IT/OT convergence

The Collaborative Information Server makes it possible to integrate the plant floor horizontally bringing in critical process information from industrial equipment and sensors simultaneously.
This information is seamlessly transported vertically to upper-layer systems for visualization and analytics purposes, using built in industry standard communication standards such as OPC UA, MQTT & ODBC.

The Collaborative Information Server delivers highly reliable system integrated management because in addition to incorporating the process data acquired and monitored at plants by DCS, production and geographically distributed production systems, and other integrated control systems, it can acquire data from devices and systems that manage various equipment and installations, store this huge amount of data long-term, and provide server redundancy.

It also supports the IEC 61850 communication standard, and achieves measurement field (continuous control, DCS) and electric field (sequence control, PLC) integration. Through such EI (electric-instrument) integration, both electronics and measurement can be centrally run and operated simultaneously at all manufacturing sites, which advances the integration and construction of a comprehensive system for running and operating facilities and equipment.

Supercharge operations by optimizing overall production

It’s not just a matter of managing individual operations and manufacturing at a plant.

To increase production efficiency and implement continuous improvement company wide requires acquisition and storage of diverse operational data (OT data) including quality information related to the plant’s production.

To realize the benefits of the captured information, data informatization is required. The Collaborative Information Server fuses the operational and informational data (IT/OT convergence) and seamlessly links it to sophisticated algorithms AI that transform it into actionable feedback for production plants.

Each plant runs a variety of equipment, systems, and devices, which involves an extremely large amount of raw data that is difficult to use for increasing production efficiency and continuous improvement activities.

By mutually associating data on manufacturing, quality, equipment operating rates, and other processes, and then organizing those associations, for the first time you can see the big picture of your plants and analyze it for future improvements.
With the Collaborative Information Server, not only can you operate plants and manage production, but you can also transform the large variety of data related to those activities into a form that adds value: you can “informatize” that data.

Beyond simply acquiring and storing data, the Collaborative Information Server provides these as a data model for wider use in optimizing your overall plant production and improving operations. And when you link up integrated production control and safety systems, your data and models are always updated with information that is continuously acquired on operational changes and external phenomena. While ensuring plant operation fundamentals such as safety and stability, you can also start focusing more on operational profitability, revenues, and flexibility.

 
Enable AI and digital twin for convert information into executable action

The Collaborative Information Server acquires and stores process (OT) data from the manufacturing sites, and also enables you to process that “big data” into a state suitable for your purposes and applications.

By linking with AI you can derive algorithms for optimal control logic and procedures, and then use a digital twin to verify whether those algorithms function effectively. By feeding back verified algorithms to manufacturing sites through the Collaborative Information Server, the system can continuously optimize itself throughout the plant lifecycle.
 
Repeating this cycle improves plant operation and overall efficiency, and improves corporate profitability. It optimizes general production and achieves even better operations throughout.

 
For example:

• For production sites, link with quality improvement software that stabilizes and optimizes production processes and procedures.
• Use AI and machine learning to predict equipment and device failures, and for judgment support of maintenance work.
• Coordinate management targets (KPIs) across organizations for the process industry from the plant area level to the management and corporate level.
• Utilize web applications that provide market predictions, weather forecasts, or geographical data (GIS: geographical information systems) 

 
Effective communication across organizational levels

The data and information that people need can differ depending on their roles, authority, and fields of responsibility in the company.
The Collaborative Information Server contextualizes and presents information in real time to suit the individual user profile, such as of an operator and technician.

You can ascertain the conditions at plants within each site and the data that affects those conditions in real time, and this enables flexible responsiveness and decision-making. By taking timely and targeted action in each situation, you will realize integrated operations with optimization throughout.

Collaboration between CI Server and the Cloud

In addition to the system configuration in an on-premises environment, CI Server can be used as a Platform as a Service (PaaS)*2 that combines Yokogawa Cloud*1 with software licensing and maintenance. By operating CI Server in a cloud environment, the hardware footprint such as PCs installed in the plant can be reduced, contributing to rapid project start-up and reduced maintenance. Leverage with Yokogawa Cloud for a stronger security environment. For more information, please see the R1.02 press release.

*1 Yokogawa Cloud
Our company's cloud platform is the foundation for Industrial IoT to accelerate the development and deployment of industrial cloud applications and enable industrial transformation. Applications and solutions powered by this platform collect and process data from a variety of information sources to deliver new value. It also provides industry-specific algorithms and models, integrates across applications, and supports rapid decision making and advanced levels of automation.

*2 PaaS(Platform as a Service)
This refers to the provision of a complete set of platforms such as hardware and operating systems for running application software as services in the cloud. CI Server and the equivalent hardware required to install it can be placed in the cloud.