Plant Information Management System With OPC-UA Support and Stronger Security

Yokogawa has announced the release of ExaquantumTM R3.10. This latest version of the Exaquantum plant information management system comes with stronger security and improved compatibility through the support of OPC Unified Architecture (OPC-UA), the latest OPC communication standard.

Among manufacturers, there is an increasing need to store and analyse large amounts of data on temperature, pressure, and other variables that can be used to improve the efficiency of plant operations. To facilitate the collection and storage of this data, there is a rising demand for plant information management systems (PIMS). Yokogawa has developed the Exaquantum PIMS to meet this need, and has been improving its functions. The Exaquantum PIMS can be used in a wide range of industries, including oil, refining, petrochemicals, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, electric power, gas, pulp and paper, foods, pharmaceuticals, and water treatment.

With the rising use of information technology in production management and control applications, maintaining the security of plant information and control systems is a growing challenge. And as companies seek to introduce the latest network technologies, security becomes an even more pressing concern. To meet such needs, Yokogawa has added support for the latest communication standard to Exaquantum R3.10 and has upgraded its security features.

Exaquantum R3.10 supports OPC UA and can now securely exchange data with a wider range of data sources, including OPC UA-compliant devices such as the Yokogawa SMARTDAC+ series data acquisition systems.

Based on a review of the vulnerabilities in the previous version of this software, the program paths (routes to files and folders) and the authorisation of access rights have been tightened in Exaquantum R3.10. Exaquantum is now less vulnerable to computer viruses and cyber-attacks.

Exaquantum R3.10 supports the latest versions of operating systems and other kinds of software, including Windows Server 2016 (a server operating system), Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB (a PC operating system), and Microsoft SQL Server 2014 (a relational database management system).

Object linking and embedding for process control (OPC) is the de-facto standard for interoperability in the industrial automation industry and other fields, enabling data to be exchanged securely and reliably, and OPC Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) is the latest version of this standard. OPC UA is independent of any specific hardware or operating system platform, and ensures high security and extensibility. As such, this communication standard holds great promise for Industry 4.0.

The main applications for Exaquantum R3.10 is the real-time collection of plant process data into databases, the calculation of collected data and display of collected data in trend charts and other types of graphics, spreadsheets, etc. Exaquantum R3.10 is ideal for process industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, electric power, pulp and paper, foods, pharmaceuticals, and water treatment.

Exaquantum is a plant information management system (PIMS). The large amount of data stored in a control system is an important asset that can be used by management to improve productivity, quality, and safety. Exaquantum acquires, processes, and stores control system data and provides it to applications in the manufacturing execution system (MES) domain for use in managing and analysing operations. Exaquantum provides an environment in which data can be analysed, not only from the viewpoint of plant operations and management, but also from a business perspective, facilitating the flow of information at field and management levels and making real-time management a reality. Yokogawa will continue to utilise Exaquantum to create value with its customers and expand its solutions business.