ABB announces asset management and security solutions for process industries

November 29, 2018 – During SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg, Germany this week, ABB debuted a new asset management product and an update to its security system for process industries. 

The new Asset Management Application is a digital solution that enables process industries to manage and protect their assets through predictive and preventative maintenance to avoid costly failures.

The application offers industrial plants real-time condition monitoring of equipment, connected devices and field devices to reduce unscheduled downtime, prevents equipment failures and optimizes operation and maintenance of the installed base. ABB enables predictive and preventative maintenance by diagnosing asset conditions and predicting looming equipment problems on premise and, for the first time, at an enterprise’s global level. The application also enables the usage of advanced analytical methods such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze equipment problems and optimize the performance.

In the case of a problem, users can make informed and quick decisions, based on clear recommendations. Actions range from immediate attention to scheduling maintenance in the near future and the identification of issues that can be resolved during its routine maintenance of equipment.

The application is available for basic instrumentation equipment across all processing and manufacturing industries, for detailed assets such as motor transformers or circuit breakers and complex electrical or rotating equipment, and mechanical handling equipment such as conveyor belts. By providing a precise cause of any equipment problems, the application also enables speedy identification and recovery, which the company says can further reducing costs.

The Asset Management Application will be launched in the second half of 2019. It sits within ABB Ability, ABB’s digital offering, which includes more than 210 industrial internet solutions and an industrial internet technology platform and cloud infrastructure. 

On the security side, ABB announced an update to its Freelance distributed control system (DCS), which it originally launched in 1994. 

The Freelance suite of solutions comprises an operator level, a scalable process level option, and an engineering application, which is used to configure and commission the system including the operator interface.

Freelance 2019 includes advanced navigation, filter and sort functionality. The user experience has been improved with a new, very modern UI. A new controller, PM 904F, expands the Freelance AC 900F controller family in the upper range, supporting four communication interfaces. It also provides more application memory and enables the reservation of specific memory. As for all Freelance controllers user applications are 100% runtime-compatible which also enables smooth upgrade opportunities.

Freelance provides an additional alternative to its user management capabilities known as “Security Lock” by a solution called “Extended User Management.” This new option makes use of Windows user accounts, supporting both local and domain accounts. As a result typical requests for options such as central password management, rules for password complexity or password aging can be fulfilled. The update is available now.