Enhanced Version of Integrated Production Control System

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Netherlands) announces the release of version R4.03 of the company’s flagship product, the CENTUM(R) VP integrated production control system. CENTUM VP is a core platform of the VigilantPlant(R) concept of realising the ideal plant. This new version includes enhanced security functions, a new batch management package, and improved HART communication support. These changes will enable Yokogawa’s customers to achieve a higher level of safety, reliability, and productivity.

In recent years, Yokogawa’s customers have had to deal with drastic changes in their market environment and respond to a diverse range of consumer needs. It is imperative that they adjust and optimise their plant operations in response to these market changes and innovations in production technologies. In the knowledge that safety, reliability, and productivity are the key factors in plant operations, Yokogawa has been providing the requisite products, solutions, and services. The CENTUM VP integrated production control system is at the core of this product offering that realises Yokogawa’s VigilantPlant vision of the ideal plant.

With this new version, Yokogawa has focused on strengthening CENTUM VP’s security functions to protect against cyber threats and on enhancing support of the HART communication protocol. A batch management package with reconfigured operation screens is also provided to improve the productivity of batch processes for manufacturing a variety of products in variable
amounts: an approach that has mainly been adopted by the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

In support of its customers’ long-term efforts to develop their businesses, Yokogawa will continue to improve its products.

CENTUM VP R4.03 features great new security enhancements. Since an increasing number of general-purpose PCs and network devices are being incorporated in production control systems, it has become more important to have cyber-security measures in place that will protect these systems against computer viruses and the like. For CENTUM VP, which makes use of PCs and network devices in its human machine interface (HMI) and other components, Yokogawa has made changes to its security setting function and taken other measures that enhance security.

A new function has also been added that co-ordinates modifications to user accounts with an information technology (IT) management system. This makes it easier to modify and delete a user account when an operator is transferred or retired, thereby reducing the risk of access from an unauthorised account.

In addition; there are enhancements to the batch management package The batch management package for CENTUM systems has been updated and released as VP Batch. The operation screens have been reconfigured to improve ease of use.

HART communication support for legacy CENTUM systems New I/O modules and signal conditioner cards that support the HART communication protocol have been added, and are compatible with legacy CENTUM systems such as CENTUM-XL and Micro XL. When a CENTUM user migrates to CENTUM VP, HART devices can be introduced at minimum cost by utilising existing wiring.

Principle markets for CENTUM VP systems are process control and monitoring of plants in industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, electric power, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages, iron and steel, and water supply and sewage treatment. Applications include control and monitoring of plants and production equipment.