Controls News 13
36
Focus issue:
User costs of lean technology for the operator
For more than 30 years Saia-Burgess has been
promoting long life cycles and highly portable au-
tomation solutions. This is evidenced in the control
range with Saia® PCD 1, Saia® PCD 2 and Saia® PCD 3,
as well as the accompanying application software.
The term «life cycle» is not a tautology – the life cycle,
or length of the usage phase, is significantly longer
than with conventional automation solutions. This
means that during the usage phase, additional in-
vestment is necessary. Saia-Burgess automation so-
lutions, however, are designed to last for the typical
length of the usage phase. The question is, what is
the additional cost for a manufacturer who chooses
a «life cycle commitment» rather than suppliers with
cheaper and shorter-lived automation technology.
The two memorable customer examples below show
how this additional expense for the manufacturer
translates into added value for the user.
Cost-benefit analysis
This analysis shows the additional costs incurred by the manufacturer –
and the added benefit for the user – when automation systems are designed
consistently for long life cycles.
Author: Jürgen Lauber
The Saia-Burgess «Life Cycle
Commitment» has been part
of the market for over 30 years.
More expenditure on hardware compared to
cheaper methods
Saia-Burgess now makes Saia® PCD automation devices
with double the storage capacity than is currently need
ed for the operating system and application software.
This forward-thinking measure takes account of the fact
that a control series will acquire extra functions during
its life cycle. If the operator wishes to use new functions
five years after installation, it must be possible to update
the operating system appropriately. Saia® PCDs have the
necessary extra storage space in reserve. Saia® PCDs have
sufficient free space on board thanks to their more pow-
erful processors and computing power. That is the ideal
starting point for Saia-Burgess’s promise that the applica-
tion code can be ported to all types of device for decades
to come with minimal extra cost. This is possible thanks
to the decoupling of the application program from the
hardware level. During application development with
the Saia® PG5 Controls Suite, the program code is not
created for a specific CPU processor, but for a standard-
ized virtual runtime environment – Saia Virtual Machine.
From the perspective of application development, it
therefore doesn’t matter what hardware is running on
the virtual machine. This advanced technology has been
used in PCD controllers for over 25 years. Application
programmes created decades ago can run faultlessly on
the newest CPU generations. Visualization requires bet-
ter computing performance in comparison with systems
that have a hardware-level code.
Greater expenditure on hardware means that consid
eration must be given to the availability of electronic
components in the future. Short-lived special chips, that
can perform almost any function at little cost, make no
sense here. These chips are ideal for consumer products
that have to be replaced every couple of years anyway.
For industrial use, it’s important to pay attention to the
compatibility of functions and codes over decades. That’s
why Saia-Burgess works only with components from
manufacturers who are also industry-oriented.
To ensure a long life cycle, hardware adjustments must
Saia®PCD3.Mxx60
CPU board: high-quality
Materials, storage and powerful
processors
What do the additional manufacturer
costs cover?
Automation technology manufacturers who provide
a «life cycle commitment» incur additional costs for:
–
hardware development and maintenance
–
production and service capability
–
development and maintenance of software tools.
The life-cycle approach of
Saia®PCD controller devices
Product care phase
> 10 years
Service phase
> 5 years
18
years < life cycle Saia®.PCD steering device < 25 years
Program compatible with next generation
Implementa-
tion phase
3–5
years
Phase
transition
Added value and savings with
lean in operation
Additional costs incurred
by applying lean principles
to technology
Additional costs and added
benefit with lean automation
technology
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