OT is operational technology, an industry that has been developing for many years and has its own characteristics. It is very important to distinguish OT from IT, as they have different histories, use different approaches and equipment, but meet at a certain point to provide new value to enterprise.
Operational technologies are exactly hardware systems with software control, which directly control technological processes and objects. Each industry has its own peculiarities, but there are also general principles, such as use of PLC, DCS, SCADA, standard communication protocols, both open and proprietary, such as OPC-UA, Modbus, Prifibus, Profinet, etc.
For a separate technological process, its own control automation system is created, since even similar objects have some features and differ in location, external conditions.
For each such OT object, system integrators/engineers create new schemes of different types, such as electrical, P&ID, installation, etc., select equipment, depending on various factors, such as system needs, owner’s requirements, equipment availability, its cost, other limiting factors.
Then a project is transformed from schemes into a real system at a facility, with participation of a system integrator, as well as customer’s employees. After passing stage of commissioning the system is brought to a stable state of operation. Then customer receives all documents related to the system, and project is completed. If a customer wishes, developers can also support the system.
Meet the Industrial Automation Companies (system integrators)
This is a classic work plan of OT integrator. Currently, new items and tasks can be added to this plan due to development of IT for industry and equipment that combines IT & OT. For example, IoT (Internet of Things), IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), which have already become common solutions in those projects where only OT would have been used before.
Combination of OT and IT allows us to get much better results and insights that these technologies could not give separately from each other. Gathering data from many sensors in a system, processing it with machine learning, and drawing conclusions from smart systems on how to optimize the process, reduce costs, increase productivity, or achieve greater sustainability – this is what convergence of OT and IT can bring to manufacturing systems.
Take a look at machine learning products on offer:
Thus, mutual penetration of technologies gives a great impetus to manufacturing enterprises. Many of them have already implemented separate OT and separate IT, now, with the help of new technologies, they can be combined and raise enterprise to a new level.
These processes are taking place all over the world, and Ukrainian engineers are able to do all this, both in their own country and are ready to carry out international projects according to international standards.
The Ukrainian standardization system has been rapidly implementing international standards in Ukraine in recent years, and engineers also switch to international standards in their work, even for domestic projects in Ukraine.
We invite you to get acquainted with our companies – OT & IT integrators in the following articles.
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