Regarding asset management

I think it’s a way for DCS manufacturers to enter the ERP market. Personally, I don’t see any point in DCS integrating such functions; small private enterprises manage their operations in a rather informal manner, and they don’t even consider things like MES or ERP； Large enterprises’ upstream groups already have their own ERP systems (developed by companies specialized in ERP solutions), so the functions available on DCS are essentially redundant – they serve only as interfaces. Moreover, the asset management features provided by DCS do not match the actual management practices of these enterprises, which is why almost no one uses it.

Personally, I think integrating DCS with ERP is nothing more than a marketing gimmick – it’s not very useful. Using ERP on a small scale is a waste, while using DCS combined with ERP on a large scale is somewhat of a case of selling something that isn’t what it seems. Our group’s approach is that, after upgrading to ERP, the control systems of all affiliated production units must be procured in such a way that they can be connected to the group’s ERP system.

First of all, I thank the two guests from the second and third floors for their answers, but I don’t quite agree with them. 1. DCS and ERP focus on completely different objects and scopes, and as a result, their requirements regarding data latency also differ significantly. Typically, data in DCS is measured in seconds or even milliseconds, whereas data in ERP is more often measured in days, weeks, or months. 2. It is not possible to use the data from DCS directly in ERP. A major reason for this is the first point mentioned above; this is also why many companies that implement ERP do not see good results. It is for this reason that MES was developed as an intermediary between ERP and DCS. Real-time data from the field must be processed by MES before it can be transmitted to the ERP layer, so as to enable effective support for corporate decision-making. 3. For domestic enterprises, there has always been a lack of focus on soft costs such as labor expenses, as well as on aspects like rapid fault resolution to minimize production downtime and its associated losses; however, from the perspective of technological development, this is an emerging trend. 4. The factory asset management mentioned here primarily refers to that of on-site equipment, as an increasing number of intelligent on-site devices can provide a wide range of diagnostic information in addition to process signals. By utilizing this diagnostic information, we can shift from a passive approach to addressing on-site failures to proactive and targeted preventive maintenance, which makes it highly valuable in practice.

I can relate to that; our organization has also developed a production scheduling system based on Ethernet and TCP/IP. However, after installing the relevant OPC software, it still had a certain impact on the maintenance of the DCS system.

The fourth point, which supports the author’s analysis, is that the asset management mentioned here is more similar to Emerson’s AMS (Asset Management System). It is aimed at various smart instruments used in the field; such instruments provide a lot of diagnostic information in addition to process signals. By utilizing this diagnostic information, we can shift from a passive approach to dealing with faults on site to an active, targeted preventive maintenance strategy. Therefore, it holds great practical value.

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call it a device management system? The term “assets” makes people think of ￥￥￥￥.

In Honeywell’s asset management system, what should be managed more accurately is the concept of domains; different levels of authorization are assigned to the operational and management layers, with device management being merely one function within the domain management framework.

Asset management – does this mainly involve the allocation of assets?

Personally, I think it’s very useful to integrate DCS with ERP! I agree with the view expressed on the 4th floor. Integrating DCS data into ERP is highly beneficial for statistics, finance, and senior management

Different companies have different concepts, and their functions also vary.