ENGINEERS GUIDE: How hardware & software combine for

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

ENGINEERS GUIDE: How hardware & software

combine for unified systems SPONSORED BY

http://usa.siemens.com/wincc-unified

TABLE OF CONTENTSSoftware makes the user experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

PLCs and drives get software and component upgrade with retrofit kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Efficient and easily sustainable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

How to harness the best of IT to solve problems in OT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

www.controldesign.com

Unified Systems 2

SIMATIC WinCC Unified is a new visualization system you can use to overcome the challenges of digitalization in mechanical engineering and plant construction. It offers proven engineering in the TIA Portal and the latest web technology, so you can implement your ideas the way you imagine them.

Join the WinCC Unified community to be one of the first to learn how to turn visualization of the future into reality. usa.siemens.com/wincc-unified

The future of visualization starts now!

http://usa.siemens.com/wincc-unified

Human-machine-interface (HMI) software has come a long way over my 32-year automation

career . I have developed many simple HMI applications using a DOS-based operating sys-

tem and experienced its rise with the introduction of Windows decades ago and the open

systems of today . But it’s not the hardware I remember; it’s the HMI software .

For me, my HMI experience didn’t start with a monochrome display; I started designing

operator-interface panels full of illuminated pushbuttons requiring that holes be drilled and

each device be wired . There would be 25 or more of these devices controlling the machine

cycle and manual functions . Every motion had an illuminated pushbutton controlling the

motion and displaying its status with a light .

A one- or two-line text display was a luxury, but imagine programming a hundred or more

alphanumeric status and fault messages and controlling them via ladder-diagram program-

ming to display what’s important, especially when many needed to be displayed at the

same time . It wasn’t easy; it was time-consuming and there was never enough information .

The graphic world of Windows certainly helped to simplify HMI software development in

the early days . However, electronic help documents within the program were OK at best,

but the user did receive a large stack of printed manuals to help guide the way . Today, the


Unified Systems 4

HMI software makes the user experienceWhile the hardware chosen for a human-machine interface makes the HMI software choice easy, it’s always the software that makes the application shine

By Dave Perkon, contributing editor


Unified Systems 5

availability of online-help multimedia is

important, but some HMI software suppliers

do it much better than others . Take the time

to view the available online training docu-

mentation and videos from beginner level

to advanced . It may likely be a differentiator

when selecting an HMI software package .

The multimedia training is impressive with

some HMI software . And it gets even better .

The HMI software of today goes well be-

yond the software capabilities of the past .

A single HMI can connect to multiple PLCs

monitoring and controlling them all . Some

act as a gateway tying multiple PLCs to-

gether, sharing data between each . While it

isn’t really for real-time control, it can pass

informational data back and forth such as

status, batch and lot numbers, and other

non-time-critical data .

It’s the higher-end HMI software packages

that really expand the user experience and

makes the connections . And, by connec-

tion, I mean connecting to everything on

the factory floor and everything above it, as

well including data historian, ERP and the

cloud . The resulting HMI and SCADA enable

viewing industrial applications on desktops,

high-definition TVs, tablets and mobile de-

vices . And it’s all integrated in a single de-

velopment environment, the HMI software .

The right HMI software allows use of de-

velopment tools, component libraries and

database integration to quickly create just

about any industrial HMI application need-

ed . Pick the right software and the Industrial

Internet of Things (IIoT) is literally at your

fingertips—but a PC and Ethernet connec-

tions will be needed .

These applications range from a simple

HMI or overall equipment efficiency dis-

plays to centralized data acquisition, device

monitoring and control, and enterprise-level

analytics . If it’s in the requirements, the

programmer’s mind or noted as a future re-

quirement, some HMI software can do it, so

be sure to take the time to find an easy-to-

use platform with the features that fit well

with the IIoT .

Often, more than one developer is involved

with an HMI development project . HMI

software that allows multiple programmers

or even an unlimited number to work with

the software at the same time is an advan-


Unified Systems 6

tage . Other software packages charge for

individual licenses to do the same work, but,

clearly, having a single software platform

that can bring together as many program-

mers as needed along with the data and

systems needed to create multiple industrial

applications is the better choice .

The HMI software may come with every-

thing needed to create the application, but

the future demands more . And don’t think

the software is for a single HMI . It can be

scalable for many HMI displays, and soft-

ware modules can be added and developed

without impacting existing applications .

And it is all designed to work seamlessly

with them .

Take the time to look at the capabili-

ties of today’s HMI software . It can cre-

ate just about any industrial automation

solution needed whether it’s just a local

machine display, a plant SCADA system,

connecting to the IIoT, tracking opera-

tions using MES or beyond . HMI software

can do it, or it can likely be expanded as

needed . Adding the connections, reports,

charts and tables for a clear view of the

machine, process, system or facility has

never been easier .

It’s the higher-end HMI software packages that really expand the user experience and makes

the connections .

From its early beginnings, the Krispy Kreme company has designed and built the

proprietary machines that have given rise to their equally safeguarded doughnut

recipe . The quality and consistency of the global doughnut brand starts at the com-

pany’s headquarters in Winston Salem, North Carolina . where a 105,000-sq-ft manufactur-

ing facility houses research, design, testing, engineering and production .

The machines and processing equipment being built there use Siemens drives and controls,

collaboratively integrated by Think-PLC (think-plc .com), the automation engineering part-

ner to Krispy Kreme .

Honestly, in my 20 years of experience, I’ve never seen an end user build such high-quality

machines in-house . Krispy Kreme engineers and manufactures all of its production ma-

chines, from the extruders and conveyors through to the packaging, including its famous

glaze waterfall .

Every Krispy Kreme store is a high-tech doughnut manufacturing facility . The speed at

which an extruded doughnut moves through the store is a very, very big deal . Throughout

the process, the shortening is kept within an exact range of temperature, monitored with a

3-inch-long Pt100 resistance temperature detector (RTD) custom supplied by Think-PLC .

We use the RTD inputs on the Siemens Simatic ET 200SP remote I/O module .


Unified Systems 7

PLCs and drives get software and component upgrade with retrofit kitTechnology conversion gets tested in manufacturing plant before successful rollout out to satellite lines

By Bobby Cole, Think-PLC


Unified Systems 8

The RTD signal is processed through the

Profinet I/O near the fryer . It’s filtered,

scaled and manipulated for multiple tem-

perature-type displays, including European

and North American units, on the Siemens

TP1200 Comfort Panel on the doughnut line .

Doughnuts are cooked on both sides for a

precise number of seconds on each side .

The cooling conveyor cycles through the

store at a set number of minutes .

Patrick Betson is Krispy Kreme’s director

of equipment manufacturing . Responsible

for the machine-building side of the busi-

ness, he has long understood the connec-

tion between the making of great machines

and the making of great doughnuts . Having

gathered insights from the company’s ser-

vice technicians, store managers and cus-

tomers, he had initiated a range of improve-

ments leading to increased uptime and

mean time between failure . Now those early

strides pointed to the need for the latest

drive technology, related software conver-

sions and safety integration .

“Before there was much publicity about

Industry 4 .0 and IoT, Bobby Cole and I often

talked about the data that could be gener-

ated by more advanced machine monitoring,”

says Betson (Figure 1) . “It became increasing-

PERFECT INTEGRATIONFigure 1: The integration of the drive is essential to the retrofit strategy developed by Patrick Betson (left), Krispy Kreme’s director of equipment manufacturing, and Bobby Cole, president of automation consultancy Think PLC.


Unified Systems 9

ly clear that, by integrating the latest Siemens

drives and controls on our machines and con-

necting them using Profinet communications,

we could start putting that data to work .”

Krispy Kreme’s decision to use Siemens

control automation would support an ag-

gressive rollout of new stores and the swift

retrofitting of existing stores . Integrating

the latest Siemens variable-frequency-drive

(VFD) technology was an easy decision .

The hard part would be to figure out how to

conduct those retrofits in the shortest and

most cost-efficient way in more than 600

stores worldwide .

A notice came from Siemens’ supply chain

that product cancellation was nearing for

the original Micromaster drives, which had

always been standard on the doughnut line .

I informed my customer Patrick Betson that

we needed to have contingency plans in

place . In that conversation, there was much

discussion regarding the ease of install, ease

of cost and ease of support, as this could

be a literal show-stopper if we didn’t have

our ducks in a row .

That’s when Betson and I came up with the

idea of a retrofit kit, one that would enable

every store to quickly add new compo-

nents and software to existing hardware,

making massive technology conversion

acceptable to all and therefore actionable

in short order (Table 1) .

KITS FOR RAPID RETROFITTINGThe concept of a kit was inspired by the re-

alization that, while the Siemens drives and

controls installed around 2001 were now

Parts IncludedName Description Quantity

Sinamics PM240-S power module for drive 2

Simanics CU240E-2DP control module for drive 2

Sinamics IOP-2 drive keypad 2

Simatic HMI memory card new HMI program 1

Simatic S7300 memory card new PLC program 1

Drive template template for marking mounting holes for drives 1

8-32 screws drive mounting hardware 3

#29 drill bit 1

8-32 tap 1

18 AWG blue and blue/white wire for new control runs, if needed 3 feet

Wire labels replacement labels, if needed -

Panel tags replacement panel tags (VFD-1, VFD-2) 2

RETROFIT KITTable 1: The retrofit kit enables every store to quickly add new components and software to exist-ing hardware, making massive technology conversion acceptable to all and therefore actionable in short order


Unified Systems 10

starting to show their age, they all shared a

farsighted onboard feature: an SD card . This

would prove to be a time-saving, cost-cut-

ting advantage, because the SD cards in the

older Siemens drives and PLCs have been

maintained to match each store’s unique set

of machining and processing parameters .

In addition, each kit would include all that

was needed for a local contractor to up-

grade the legacy control panels, including

parts for safety and power wiring . A bill of

material having 15 parts would be reduced

to seven . This would mean fewer parts to

wear, troubleshoot and stock in the future .

The main purpose of the kit was to replace

the older Siemens Micromaster drives with

their Sinamics G120 drives (Figure 2) . The

SD card in the kit has software that we

modified, and, with a couple flips of some

switches, the drive is automatically pro-

grammed . Someone with absolutely no con-

trol experience can reload the new software

into the new drives and the new PLCs .

There are two systems most commonly built .

The larger doughnut line used an S7-300,

SHOP-FLOOR AUTOMATIONFigure 2: John Priddy, Krispy Kreme fabrication manager, installs the newly developed kit into the fryer section of a doughnut machine.


Unified Systems 11

which has migrated to the S7-1500 . The

smaller lines used to have the S7-200, and

they were migrated in 2010 to the S7-1200 .

The newly designed S7-1500 system inte-

grates fail-safe features—safety—into the

processor . This allows for Profisafe safety to

be achieved within the topology network of

drives and remote I/O . Safety can now be

distributed through fieldbus instead of the

costly and timely install manor of hardwired

signals to complex safety relays .

To prove the retrofit kit concept, we tested

the kit’s installation and use in the Krispy

Kreme manufacturing plant in Winston

Salem, North Carolina, followed by tests at

various stores in the region . The new drives

and PLCs installed smoothly . Their SD cards

automatically updated and matched all pre-

vious store parameters . After two months,

the stores reported the trial a success . But

to further test the concept themselves, we

made a whirlwind trip to retrofit every store

in Australia over five days using the kits

(Figure 3) .

The retrofit kit concept had worked . It en-

ables a store to replace its drives and con-

trols in about two hours . This compared to

the hours invoiced by a control technician

to travel to a Krispy Kreme store to do the

same—a time/cost difference that would be

even greater, were the SD card not a fea-

ture of the Siemens drives and PLCs .

During the doughnut frying process, the

efficient pumping of heated shortening is

RETROFIT HEROESFigure 3: Retrofitting with ease—Betson and Cole found that they could retrofit every store in Australia in five days by using their technology retrofit kit concept.


Unified Systems 12

critical to maintaining optimal doughnut

quality and product count . When the flow

rate is not at the desired constant, the wide

range of viscosity becomes a problem . The

melted shortening will not be filtered of

dough bits and pieces . Temperature vari-

ances will soon occur, causing hot spots at

any point in the frying process, including

inside the fryer vat itself .

Behind the scenes, the Siemens Sinamics

G120 drive addresses all of these pump mo-

tor concerns, while visually reporting the

operational status of each motor . Moreover,

the drive is working to assure that all of the

pump motors are keeping their cool, below

the threshold for heat damage .

In many pumping applications, motor over-

heating is probably the number-one service

issue . That problem is being removed by

the drive’s ability to set and hold a curve

that assures the most efficient flow, at a

low speed and at a high speed, from 7 Hz to

90 Hz . The accuracy of the fry time is also

being increased by 12%, resulting in a more

consistent product with less waste yield .

A big advantage of the drive is that it can

run a motor slowly without the usual rise in

SHOP-FLOOR STOREFigure 4: The new Krispy Kreme store in New York’s Times Square features a vertical cooling convey-or that was engineered and built by the company entirely in-house. Control integration was provided by Think PLC automation consultants using Siemens drives and controls.


Unified Systems 13

motor temperature . When you run a motor

at very low Hertz, it generates a lot of eddy

current . It gets so hot, that you can’t touch

the motor . And when you overheat the lam-

inations of a motor, you greatly decrease

the life of the motor . But we can monitor

each drive through the Siemens TIA (Totally

Integrated Automation) portal . We’ve seen

the amperage reduced by almost 17%, and

the temperature of the motor reduced by

34% . We expect this will more than double

the life expectancy of every pump .

REMOTE MONITORINGThe successful grand opening of the Krispy

Kreme store in New York’s Times Square

was not without the occasional behind-the-

scenes drama for new store commissioning

(Figure 4) . A sudden pumping issue, it was

the kind of problem that can happen at any

hour, at any of the 500-plus global stores

owned by the company . But it is also a con-

cern that can be quickly solved on-site or

from thousands of miles away .

The situation was addressed in a matter

of minutes . I just went online through the

Siemens secure TIA portal to see what the

Siemens G120 drive was showing me . While

setting up one of the machines, a motor had

been miswired . I could quickly tell the local

setup contractor where to look .

The TIA portal experience is like standing

in the store at the drive’s operator interface

(Figure 5) . When you open the door to the

drive, a large display presents any fault mes-

sages . Select a fault message and you are

given the related fault code that you would

in the past need to look up in the user’s man-

ual . Now, all of the information you need—

the details, what to check, how to reset—are

on the display . Diagnostic screens help you

debug the problem . And beyond this, faults

and alarms can be data-logged in the cloud .

Trends can be studied over the course of a

year . Faults for a particular machine can be

identified and addressed . A shortening pump

that is tripping more often can be replaced

during the store’s next on-site inspection .

SAFETY INTEGRATIONKrispy Kreme employees are trained and

dedicated to serving up the fresh-made

doughnuts that flow from their store’s

unique production floor . So, if you are a

Krispy Kreme employee, you do not need

to understand what 60 Hz means . You are

not thinking about the cylinders that are

extruding the dough, the 100-plus feet of

chain that is carrying the dough from the

extruder to the fryer, the humidity of the

dough for that particular doughnut and

the exact amount of time that doughnut

spends in the fryer . You see an opera-

tor interface that shows the image of a

doughnut type . Press the button, and you

see an hourglass representing the dough-

nut is in the fryer . That’s it . You can go

back to serving your customers . Behind

the scenes, the humidity of the dough,

the temperature of the oil, the speed of


Unified Systems 14

doughnut flow and the frying time are all

automatically being taken care of .

And all of that is being done with your

safety in mind . The Sinamics G120 drive

supports the design of machines and

processes that have triple-quadruple re-

dundancy . Especially in areas where the

fryer is exposed, employee safety is being

reinforced . The new drives and PLCs be-

ing retrofitted into every store integrate

with the existing Siemens safety monitor-

ing circuitry, inclusive of automated safety

mechanisms and e-stop buttons . For

example, if a hose were to break on the

shortening pump, the flow stops within

100 milliseconds .

The Siemens safety circuitry is less complex

and more integrated from feedback to op-

erator standpoint, in leu of a general e-stop

active alarm . By incorporating ProfiSafe, we

eliminated complex wiring, power contactor

devices and hidden alarm messages .

SHORTEN THE ADOPTION CURVEFigure 5: A store can produce a thousand dozen doughnuts per hour. Pump motor drive performance in the store can be seen through the Siemens TIA portal to diagnose, troubleshoot, maintain and pre-vent disruptions to production flow.


Unified Systems 15

PORTAL TO THE FUTURE Betson sees the big picture that is being

made clear by the data now starting to flow

through the Siemens TIA portal . Along with

the ability to remotely use each store’s data

to plan for machine maintenance and pre-

vention, the data can routinely be studied

to measure and improve the design of the

company’s machines and processes .

The remote connectivity piece is very in-

novative in the sense we needed to sup-

port such a large customer as Krispy Kreme

all over the world . We brought the world

of IoT to a valued customer before it was

a buzzword . With that, Think-PLC added

value in experience, leading the way into

the 21st century .

Having anticipated the emergence of In-

dustry 4 .0 and IoT, Betson now also sees

how data can be used to guide employee

training and best practices for human-

machine interaction . Continuous improve-

ment and operational excellence can be

studiously amplified storewide and in

stores worldwide .

“The data we are capturing now and here-

after strengthens us in many ways,” Betson

says . “It’s important to us as a machine

builder, because it also reinforces our

culture and Krispy Kreme’s identity in our

global marketplace .”

LIGHT THE WAYAt the end of the day, we do these magical

things . From a safety perspective, from the

standpoints of reliability and the simplicity

of an operator interface, the Krispy Kreme

equipment group in Winston-Salem are

amazing machine builders . At any hour, in-

cluding when a store’s hot light is on to signal

free doughnut samples are now available, or

when a store is giving away free doughnuts

to healthcare workers, you can’t have a ma-

chine go down, disrupting what you promise .

That ethic has come naturally to a company

that has always understood the connection

between making great machines and mak-

ing great doughnuts .

Bobby Cole is president of Think-PLC in Winston-Salem,

North Carolina . Contact him at bcole@think-plc .com .

FOCUS ON DESIGN AND USABILITYThe fully automatic wood chip heaters of Heizomat attract many customers—from new

homeowners to medium-sized businesses . One thing is always the same: The demands on

functionality and usability are constantly increasing .

SUSTAINABLY EFFICIENT SOLUTION FOR ALL USERS AND REQUIREMENTSThe fully automatic wood chip heaters make efficient use of wood as the source for

producing energy . “The wonderful thing about it is that wood is renewable,” says Rob-

ert Bloos Jr ., managing director of Heizomat . The company has been very successful in

the international market with its systems for producing sustainable energy: Around half

of the systems it builds at its factory in the small community of Maicha in the south-

ern German district of Gunzenhausen are shipped to other countries . “That includes

Canada,” explains Klaus Regler, software developer at Heizomat . The signs point to

growth for Heizomat . This year, around 850 heating systems left the factory, and soon

the number is expected to be 1,000 . “At the same time, we also realize that the mar-

ket is becoming more demanding, especially in the case of systems for private users,”

continues Regler . “Our customers want a heater that looks good and is modern in every

respect, including its operation .”


Unified Systems 16

Efficient and easily sustainableSustainable production of energy from a renewable raw material: SIMATIC WinCC Unified makes Heizomat wood chip heaters efficient

By Siemens


Unified Systems 17

MODERN LOOKHeizomat had been using 7-inch Comfort

Panels from Siemens as the central inter-

face between the system operator and the

system . For the next generation of its heat-

ing systems, the company was looking for

a new operator control solution that would

allow it to develop and incorporate its own

functions in order to offer customers even

more convenience .

EFFICIENT OVERALLThe systems face ever increasing demands,

partly due to legal requirements . Heizomat

must constantly integrate new functions

in order to make sustainable and efficient

use of wood as an energy source . The new

visualization system is also intended to opti-

mize use of the company’s own resources

by making configuration more efficient and

supporting effective system servicing .

ACCEPTED AND DURABLEFor the international market, Heizomat

needs an automation solution that is estab-

lished and accepted worldwide . The heating

systems have a life cycle of 20 to 30 years

and the controller has to match that . That is

why Heizomat wanted a solution based on

industrial systems with corresponding qual-

ity and spare parts availability .

HEIZOMAT, GERMANY: ENERGY IN THE CYCLE OF NATURECountless businesses, farms and private

households use Heizomat wood chip heat-

ers to meet their energy needs with renew-

able raw materials . “And just as easily and


Unified Systems 18

economically as with traditional fossil fuels,”

says Managing Director Robert Bloos Jr .

SUSTAINABLE BY CONVICTION: RENEWABLE RAW MATERIALS AS ENERGY SOURCESince its founding in 1982, Heizomat Geräte-

bau-Energiesysteme has integrated sus-

tainability into everyday practice . With his

automatically fed wood heaters and wood

chippers, Bloos Jr . relies on cutting-edge

solutions for sustainable growth—quality

over quantity . Another focus of the com-

pany is user-friendliness: The systems are

fed fully automatically so that they can run

round the clock . The company has de-

veloped most of the technology required

for this itself . For years, the company has

collaborated closely with Siemens on the

automation and has given thought to things

like what the operation of its systems in the

smartphone era might look like .

In the future, we will be able to use apps on

the touch panels . That opens up many more

possibilities such as the ability to offer a long-

term analysis of heating values, says . Bloos .

THE SOLUTION IN DETAIL: A SYSTEM WITH MORE POSSIBILITIESHeizomat has chosen a visualization system

with SIMATIC HMI Unified Comfort Panels

powered by SIMATIC WinCC Unified . The

system features a responsive touchscreen,

scalable vector graphics, the latest Web


Unified Systems 19

technology and proven engineering in the

TIA Portal, plus high-performance reserves

for the coming years .

ANYTHING BUT A SMALL HEATER CONTROLThe automation of the Heizomat systems

no longer has anything to do with a small

heater control: An integrated system man-

ager monitors and controls multiple heating

circuits with temperature sensors, lambda

probe, particle filter and, where needed,

external memory and modules . That is why

a complete change of the Heizomat auto-

mation to PLC technology was made a few

years ago: “We are now more flexible in

terms of integrating new sensors and actua-

tors or functions, and we can implement

new requirements more efficiently than we

would be able to with a complete in-house

development,” explains Regler .

For the controller, Heizomat uses a SIMAT-

IC S7-1200 or a SIMATIC ET 200SP CPU

1510 or 1512, depending on the complexity

of the system . “In addition, we use many

other Siemens components, such as dis-

connect switches, fuses, switching devices,

converters, HMI devices—actually every-

thing Siemens offers to meet our require-

ments . The advantage for us is that we can

use a single tool, the TIA Portal, for all our

engineering,” explains Regler . Heizomat

covers the different configuration levels of


Unified Systems 20

its systems with the options handling fea-

ture in TIA Portal: The automation project

is only configured once for the maximum

configuration and then easily and conve-

niently defined for various other configura-

tions by selecting options .

INNOVATIVE OPERATING CONCEPT WITH SIMATIC WINCC UNIFIEDHeizomat was already using SIMATIC HMI

Comfort Panels as HMI devices for its heat-

ers . Heizomat now wanted to take this

solution a step further, “which is why we

took the opportunity as a development

partner to bring in our requirements for the

new SIMATIC HMI Unified Comfort Pan-

els”, explains Regler . According to Regler,

features of the new HMI devices deemed

to be especially important by Heizomat

include the rugged, modern looking glass

front, suitable interfaces and details such

as compatible installation dimensions: “This

allows us to retrofit even older heaters with

state-of-the-art operator control without

mechanical work on site at the operator

location .” For configuring the visualization

with WinCC Unified, it is now possible to

use vector graphics, “which can be scaled

more easily”, continues Regler . Regler also

sees many new opportunities arising from

the openness of the system, such as the

ability to import their own software and ap-

plications onto the devices for maintenance

operations, for example . For that reason,

he doesn’t view the workload involved in


Unified Systems 21

changing to the new visualization solution

as a disadvantage: “Of course, we now have

to port our visualization and the libraries,

but we can then benefit fully from the new

possibilities of the WinCC Unified System,

and that is very important to us .”

SOPHISTICATED AUTOMATION SOLUTION WITH SIMATIC S7-1200 AND SIMATIC ET 200SPAs far as the automation solution is con-

cerned, all Heizomat systems appear to be

from a single source: both the control cabinet

and the operating unit look identical . How-

ever, the inner workings differ depending on

the complexity of the systems, says Regler .

“Especially for customers who want to heat

their homes with our systems, for example,

we must be able to offer a very cost-effec-

tive automation solution . At the same time,

we want to continue to take advantage of

the benefits of integrated engineering,” he

says . For these plants, which usually have

an output of up to 50 kW and only one or

two heating circuits, Heizomat uses SIMATIC

S7-1200 . “The first plants automated in this

way were delivered to customers about eight

years ago, and they are still working perfectly .

This shows that with Siemens we can offer

high-quality automation at a very reason-

able price” . If the requirements are higher, for

example for commercial plants, a CPU 1510 or

1512 central processor module in the SIMATIC

ET 200SP takes over the control of the func-

tions . In both cases, the signals are connected

to the controller via the distributed ET 200SP

peripheral system . Heizomat covers the dif-

ferent expansion stages of its plants with

TIA Portal concept option handling, which

consist of an automation project configured

only once for maximum expansion and then

defined simply and conveniently for different

plant variants activating different parts of the

hardware and automation tasks via software

within the execution of the program or dur-

ing commissioning . This enables Heizomat to

adapt its solutions to the respective require-

ments without much effort .

“The superior performance of the panels

is advantageous not only to our custom-

ers because it gives them a better op-

erator control solution, but to us as well

because we have more possibilities for

implementing our application,” says Regler .

CUSTOMER BENEFITS: MODERN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN MEETS USER-CENTERED VISUALIZATIONWith SIMATIC WinCC Unified and the new

Unified Comfort Panels, Heizomat has

found the right solution to meet its require-

ments—a modern visualization solution for

customers that simply looks great and is

really easy to use .

A good HMI gives the user certainty in oper-

ating the systems . There is already evidence

that Heizomat is on the right path with the

new visualization solution, continues Regler:

“We have already won over the first target


Unified Systems 22

group: When we introduced the new HMI

design to our sales team, the enthusiasm

was tremendous .” The main advantage for

Heizomat is the significantly better usability:

“The design and the responsive multitouch

technology are a class above our previous

solution in terms of optics and performance .

Inspired by the new possibilities that WinCC

Unified affords us, we have collaborated

with user interface design experts to rede-

sign the visualization from the ground up .

The effort was worthwhile as the new HMI

gives our customers more certainty in op-

erating their systems, eliminating the need

for some service calls . Customers benefit

by being able to help themselves more ef-

fectively, thereby saving time and money .

We also benefit because we can better plan

maintenance work .”

“The new HMI gives our customers more

certainty in making settings themselves .

Then, service calls by us become unnec-

essary . Once again, great collaboration

with Siemens,” says Regler .

RELIABLE OPERATIONWith the new Unified Comfort Panels,

Heizomat benefits from a modern yet reliable

solution . The devices can be operated while

wearing gloves and detect sources of error

such as water drops and palm rests . Reliable

operation by the user is made possible by the

responsive multitouch display and high ease

of use, similar to that of a smartphone .

AS A UNIFIED WHOLEHeizomat configures the new visualization

solution and all other SIMATIC automation

components with the same tool—the TIA

Portal . In this way, the company can make

optimal use of existing know-how and save

on training of employees and sales partners .

Heizomat uses its own additional software

applications in the visualization, thereby

forming a unified whole while also benefit-

ting from greater freedom in developing

and implementing the required solution .

GLOBALLY ACCEPTEDSIMATIC components are internationally

accepted and have all the relevant approv-

als . From its collaboration with Siemens,

Heizomat benefits not only from the global

spare parts service: Siemens also supported

Heizomat in obtaining UL certification for

the North American market . “It is reassuring

for our relatively small company to be able

to rely on support from a global enterprise,”

affirms Regler .

PORTFOLIO HIGHLIGHTS: UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES FOR EVERY APPLICATIONThe future of visualization starts now:

SIMATIC WinCC Unified is a totally new vi-

sualization system that you can use to meet

the challenges of digitalization in machine

and plant construction . State-of-the-art

hardware and software technologies make

this possible now and in the future .

Roy Kok joined CESMII as marketing director in August 2020 . He has more than 30

years of experience in industrial automation, ranging across both hardware and

software . His areas of expertise include data acquisition, PLCs, HMI/SCADA, histo-

rians and analytics solutions across all vertical industries . He has worked with research com-

panies for industry and held evangelist roles for product companies and standards organi-

zations . He plans to bring an extremely broad perspective of industry needs and position

CESMII as the clear solution for enhancing the competitiveness of U .S . manufacturing . Kok

holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University

and resides in Massachusetts, either at his home or on his trawler, RyKa .

What are three key things that a machine builder, system integrator or manufacturer should

know about your company?

Roy Kok, marketing director, CESMII—The Smart Manufacturing Institute (www.cesmii.org):

CESMII is on a mission to change the world of manufacturing for the better, in one major

step, the introduction of standards and example technologies to deliver application plug-

and-play . The goal is to democratize smart manufacturing for all enterprises, large, but es-

pecially the small and medium companies that make up more than 98% of the market . The

opportunities of Industry 4 .0 and smart manufacturing are largely out of reach, due to the

cost and complexities of adoption .


Unified Systems 23

How to harness the best of IT to solve problems in OTEdge computing plays major role for CESMII

By Mike Bacidore, editor in chief


Unified Systems 24

CESMII is delivering technology, but also

assisting customers with education and

networking with peers that are on the

same journey .

Every company, end user, system integrator

and product vendor should become a mem-

ber of CESMII, a government-funded, non-

nprofit institute specifically for their benefit .

What new technologies are driving your

product development and why?

We’re looking to deliver existing cloud-

based technologies in ways that manufac-

turers can feel comfortable with, decreas-

ing infrastructure costs, while ensuring

security through modern encryption prac-

tices and safety by taking a read-only ap-

proach to machine learning and AI . We’re

also beginning to invest heavily in edge

and hybrid scenarios, where appropriately

managed compute services deployed at or

near network boundaries can be orches-

trated to solve more real-time problems .

On the technology front, we are currently

interested in edge compute, orchestra-

tion workflows, graph databases, semantic

models, OPC UA and Industry 4 .0 technol-

ogies such as Asset Administration Shell .

ThinkIQ and Savigent, among others, have

also played a key role in defining technol-

ogies and architectures .

How does the Industrial Internet of Things

figure in your business strategy?

Clearly, the 4th Industrial Revolution tech-

nologies, with Industrial Internet of Things

(IIoT) as a component is important to the

whole world, and especially to us, as it is

our mandate to make the benefits available

to all . The primary challenge to adoption of

Industry 4 .0 technologies is that consumers

are implementing with Industry 3 .0 tech-

niques . Most small and medium companies

do not have the knowledge, time or staff

to implement these solutions and reap the

benefits . Hence a step change is needed to

facilitate adoption . CESMII is working on

modeling equipment and processes such

that applications will be able to be installed

at a site and will be able to discover the

equipment and processes that they can

interact with . While data models are be-

coming more prevalent in software, they

are implemented in silos, in vendor-specific

ways, and lack broad applicability . Most

also lack the greater context that is needed

for automated discovery and configura-

tion . Most models are designed for user

interaction—a system integrator perform-

ing the needed review and implementation .

This needs to change if we are to enable

the Industrial Internet of Things in a broadly

applicable way . When CESMII accomplishes

this, and it is just around the corner, then


Unified Systems 25

applications delivering predictive analytics,

OEE, asset management, AI and ML will be

commonplace and not the purview of the

largest and most mature enterprises .

How will machine automation and controls

alter the way companies staff their opera-

tions in the future?

The CESMII goal is to enable progress with

minimal staff change . Through the enhance-

ments in technology, delivered without

the need for complicated installation and

configuration, staff will be able to concen-

trate on the benefits of new functionality,

and not hampered by maintenance of that

functionality . This should lead to a boom in

new applications . Vendors and system in-

tegrators will be able to focus on delivering

new and truly valuable solutions to industry

problems that will be able to plug-and-play,

discovering items to analyze and automati-

cally configure the delivery of their value .

How is the development of software so-

lutions impacting your requirements for

hardware?

It is hard to believe, but in 1965 we saw the

introduction of Moore’s Law, the prediction

that integrated-circuit complexity would

double every two years . That concept has

been proven true and continues to this day .

So, hardware is continuing to become more

powerful, and, in the world of automation

and analytics, it is now time for applications

to catch up and make use of the hardware

that is available . We are already seeing the

prevalence of edge devices that are secure

and ready to be vessels for new applica-

tions . Edge computing plays a major role in

CESMII deliverables . We are also seeing the

proliferation of secure and reliable cloud-

based computing, again, a platform ready

for the applications that need to be created

and delivered . And again, CESMII is ready to

leverage cloud computing is a very scalable

way, ready for the small and medium manu-

facturers, but also scalable to meet the larg-

est of the Fortune 1000 .

As engineering and IT continue their con-

vergence, which one is and/or will be lead-

ing the direction of future automation and

technology at your organization?

Convergence may actually be minimized, and

they will be focused on their strengths . In past

years, convergence was required to deliver

the collaboration needed for technology

rollout . If technology distribution becomes

simplified to the point where we see plug-

and-play and have the ability to try before

you buy, then we will see IT focus on technol-

ogy and business metrics, and engineering

will focus on what it should be focused on,


Unified Systems 26

improving the production and engineering of

the product or service . Manufacturing needs

drive our direction, but information-tech-

nology principles and ideas from computer

science inform our explorations and imple-

mentations . CESMII wants to harness the best

of IT to solve problems in OT .

Looking into the future, how will technology

change your company over the next five

years?

Driving cleaner energy and smart manu-

facturing innovation is CESMII’s present

and future; technology is just one tool we’ll

use to try to improve the situation for U .S .

manufacturers . Other tools include best

practices, informed by our membership,

open standards that we’ll invest in applying

and improving and workforce development

through the democratized distribution of

information and education for any member

that wants to participate .

It is now time for applications to catch up and make use of the hardware that is available .

Roy Kok, marketing director, CESMII

—The Smart Manufacturing Institute (www.cesmii.org)

Documents

ENGINEERS GUIDE: How hardware & software combine for