CENTUM 50th Anniversary
CENTUM 50th Anniversary
Always with You,
Yesterday, Today,
and Tomorrow.


Yokogawa's CENTUM, the world's first distributed control system, proudly celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Since 1975, CENTUM has continued to evolve as a core monitoring and control system that delivers reliability, stability, and compatibility while driving productivity improvements in plants worldwide. Looking ahead, Yokogawa remains committed to preserving this legacy while pursuing sustainability and engaging in continuous innovation as we deliver cutting-edge technologies for the industries of tomorrow.
On this 50th anniversary, we express our heartfelt gratitude for the trust and support that our customers have shown us over the years. Together, we will strive to play an active role in creating a more prosperous and sustainable society.

Message
from the Top Management

This year marks the 50th anniversary of CENTUM, the world's first distributed control system (DCS). We owe CENTUM’s continued development over the past five decades to the trust and support of our customers and business partners, and extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you.
Over my many years at Yokogawa, I have been involved in the management of projects for the commissioning and remodeling of systems at our customers’ plant sites. Through this hands-on experience, I have witnessed firsthand the strong trust that our customers have placed in our products—especially CENTUM—and the high expectations they have for us. That sense of appreciation and inspiration continues to fuel my determination to always be a trusted partner to our customers.
Today, industries around the world are undergoing a major transformation to build a more sustainable society. Expectations for control technology are higher than ever, ranging from the ever-present need for enhancements to safety and efficiency and for progress to be made in digitalization and decarbonization. CENTUM is now evolving beyond the boundaries of a traditional DCS and growing into a versatile solution that addresses diverse business needs. We remain committed to delivering both safety and reliability while providing value in new ways that will drive transformation and support the future of industry every step of the way.
Guided by our vision statement—"Through autonomy and symbiosis, Yokogawa will create sustainable value and lead the way in solving global issues"— we will continue working hand in hand with our customers to create new value and point the way to a brighter future. We can all look forward to the continued evolution of CENTUM and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
Kunimasa Shigeno
President and CEO, Representative Executive Officer
Yokogawa Electric Corporation
What is CENTUM?
-
The world's first
distributed control system (DCS),
developed by Yokogawa
Electric Corporation.CENTUM was introduced in 1975 as the world's first DCS. It is a control system for the process industries, where extremely high reliability and robustness are required. By controlling various process variables such as fluid pressure, flow rate, and temperature, it enables the automated operation of plants.
-
CENTUM has evolved over
half a century.
The latest CENTUM VP R7 is
the tenth generation.CENTUM is renowned for its reliability, stability, and compatibility with previous versions, and over 30,000 of these systems have been implemented in over 100 countries since its launch. It supports a wide range of industries, including oil refining, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, food, water treatment, electric power, and gas, contributing to various industrial applications.