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Wireless in factory automation – a slow trend01 July 2009Wireless devices are perceived as the next big technological wave in factory automation. However, the current adoption trends are moderate at best, because wireless devices are not considered robust enough by end users. Khadambari Shanbagaraman reports Major concerns about the adoption of wireless in factory automation can be summed up in two words: reliability and security. End-users believe that if their plant needs to operate reliably round-the-clock, current wireless technology simply doesn’t provide the necessary robustness. Technical issues such as signal mismatch, electromagnetic induction, data loss in transmission, and other interference problems that are quite common in a factory automation environment, sustain these negative attitudes.
Additionally, end user conservatism, which is evident in industries such as food and beverages and plastics, is holding back investment in wireless technology because there is less willingness to implement it without proper assurances relating to transmission security and operational benefits.
Many end users fear they might even jeopardise their current operations if they shift to this new technology. Other concerns, such as high initial investment cost, short battery life, device interoperability and non-uniform wireless standards, are also currently hampering wireless device adoption.
Why adopt wireless?
The key reason for wireless adoption in factory automation is the need for readily available, real-time data and work force mobility. End users indicate that continuous monitoring of factory floor processes is a major requirement in order to maintain quality through every process step. Work force mobility is enhanced using wireless devices such as PDAs, and monitoring and alarm functions can be achieved much more cost effectively, thanks to the elimination of cable installation.
Wireless devices also allow measurements to be taken in applications that are either difficult or impossible to access using conventionally wired methods. Temperature measurements from furnaces or rotating coils, for example, are now possible using wireless devices. Indeed, end users believe that plant performance is greatly improved by acquiring this previously untapped critical information.
It is up to the wireless device vendors to educate their end-user customers and reverse the collective conservative mindset. Offering end users products for testing and trials is an important first step towards increasing wireless adoption. In this way, take-up –albeit gradual – will be assured as more and more end users come to realise the benefits that wireless technology can bring to their operations.
Khadambari Shanbagaraman is a research analyst for Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation & Process Control Group.
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