Facts and fears about web browsers

Although web-based systems for maintaining the power distribution infrastructure and power quality are both highly developed and commonplace in the utility industry, production and machine builders have been slow to adopt the same technology and apply its benefits to their system and machine designs.

Why the dichotomy? In just about any commercial or industrial setting, the pace of the migration to new technologies is influenced by business conditions, market environment and a whole host of other circumstances. Regardless of a given technology's potential, there are always early adopters, the wait-and-see crowd and outright refuseniks.

Nevertheless, the relentless pursuit of efficiency, competitive advantage and cost containment are prompting the production and machine building crowd to more carefully consider browser-based technologies to meet those same benchmarks for their customers.

First, let's take a look at why users are adopting such systems. Building on what was previously done with modems and proprietary interfaces, a web-based approach can provide a lower total cost of ownership. It starts with lower installation costs, because users already have most of what they need.

MDC Engineering (http://www.mdcengineering.com), Sarasota, Fla., manufactures blister machines for the pharmaceutical and medical industries. "Web-browser technology is inexpensive to use and most people have a standard browser on their computers," says Michelle Bergeron, controls engineer for MDC. "This enables them to monitor real-time data without special or expensive software. In addition, an Ethernet-based TCP/IP network is open, which makes it easier [than proprietary networks] to integrate into existing plant networks."

The advantages and attractiveness of a browser-based solution may have its roots in traditional SCADA environments. Amerada Hess Corp. (http://www.hess.com), New York, is a full-service energy company, well-known throughout the world. "We were looking at replacing a legacy SCADA system," says Joey Bordelon, automation consultant at Amerada Hess. "The browser made this easy for us. Internet Explorer is already there, as was the IT infrastructure to run it." To provide the browser-based interfaces, then, Hess just used more of what they already had.

Initially, machine builders added browser functionality (Figure 1) to facilitate troubleshooting and software upgrades. Subsequent reductions in downtime cost-justified the initial investment. But, for some, the relationship with browser technology didn't stop there.

Iconics (http://www.iconics.com) is a provider of visualization software for industrial automation and business intelligence. "Web-based HMI allows a centralized deployment platform," says Tim Donaldson, Iconics marketing manager. "Displaying the HMI within a browser allows users to leverage existing hardware."

How about system life cycles? Older systems running on Windows NT are at an evolutionary dead-end, because NT no longer is supported, or even available for purchase. If you need to update one component, you could face considerable sticker shock when the bill comes in for the upgrade.

Berkeley Process Control (http://www.berkeleyprocess.com/) makes control components and markets turnkey control installations to the semiconductor industry, among others. "A browser allows freedom from operating systems," says Lenson Wong, director of marketing. "Some customers invested many man-years in developing a system running on Windows NT. That significant investment now requires a large porting effort after only a few years of use."

Had those systems been built on a browser-based platform, the owners, as well as the machine builders who provided them, might not be facing obsolescence problems or the costs associated with resolving them. At the time, the browser-based platform wasn't really a viable option. Today, it is.

When users grant web-based access to vendors and machine experts, this type of support can serve customers more fully and more quickly at less cost. Users, builders, consultants and manufacturers are all saying the need for system expertise is akin to a craving that never seems quite satisfied.

Essco Electric Sales and Service (http://www.esscoinc.com) is a distributor and integrator of Beijer Electronics operator interface (OI) products. Applications engineer Robert Spencer would love to have access to customer data via remote OI screens, e-mail enabled alarming, and FTP server access. "These very powerful features could save us a lot of travel time and money," he says. He laments the cultural issues that keep his company at odds with his customers' IT people and their concerns over security. This is a key issue, one that has done much to squelch widespread early adoption.