How to understand \"full-process automation\"? Does achieving remote control equate to achieving automation?

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This post was last edited by cww9521 on May 29, 2023, at 09:13. The China Chemical Industry Association provided answers to questions regarding the “four zero targets” in the fine chemicals industry: “How should we understand ‘full-process automation’? Does achieving remote control equate to realizing automation?” Full-process automation in the fine chemicals industry means that automation controls are implemented throughout the entire process, from raw material input to the production of the final product. The goal is to minimize the number of personnel present at the workplace and prevent safety risks caused by human errors. For those that are not yet ready to achieve full process automation, remote control should be implemented first in order to minimize the number of people present at the work site. However, remote control remains essentially a manual operation method, and it cannot address issues such as safety risks caused by human errors; therefore, it cannot be considered equivalent to automation. Companies should gradually improve upon remote operation methods and ultimately achieve full automation across the entire process. Based on the answer, I believe there are three possible approaches for achieving full automation of the entire process in the fine chemical industry: 1. Manual operation on-site → remote operation via DCS → gradual optimization based on remote operation → full automation of the entire process; 2. Manual operation on-site → full automation of the entire process; 3. For new products and new processes, manual operation (including remote operation via DCS) is skipped, and full automation is achieved directly. Approach 1 is the solution proposed by the China Chemical Industry Association for fine chemical enterprises across the country. Personally, I think implementing this approach is in line with the characteristics of fine chemical production processes, and logically speaking, this answer is quite responsible. “\"2\" and \"3\" are part of the visions of the senior management in current fine chemical companies; achieving these goals in one or two steps is not impossible, but this requires highly mature process technologies and equipment. Otherwise, issues related to the processes, equipment, or control systems will arise during the automation setup process, and all the problems and pressures will fall on those responsible for automated programming and debugging. If, at the same time, the company imposes demands on production capacity on these same personnel, it will only increase the safety risks. The above are purely personal opinions. The automation of batch reactions in fine chemical manufacturing, as well as the automation of the entire upstream and downstream processes, remains a challenging task. I welcome colleagues to engage in active discussions and share their valuable experiences. Automatic control instruments