Siemens is the first company to obtain security certification from TÜV SÜD (German inspection and certification organisation) for an automation system based on IEC 62443-4-1 and IEC 62443-3-3. In August 2016, Siemens had already become the first company to receive the TÜV SÜD security certification according to IEC 62443-4-1 for the general development process for automation and drive technology products, including industrial software, employed at seven German development locations. This has now been followed by the first product certification according to IEC 62443-4-1 and 62443-3-3.

For the product certification according to IEC 62443-4-1 and 62443-3-3, TÜV SÜD tested and verified the security functions implemented in the Simatic PCS 7 process control system. The conformity of development and integration processes was also checked. Regularly repeated audits will also ensure that Simatic PCS 7 continues to meet the required standards and concepts in future, and so retain the right to bear the certification. As a leading automation and software supplier to industry, Siemens is continually improving its products and solutions in terms of industrial security. This also includes certification based on IEC 62443. With this certificate, the company documents its security approach to automation products, and gives integrators and operators a transparent insight into its industrial security measures.

The Simatic PCS 7 process control system from Siemens controls and monitors continuous manufacturing processes, such as those in chemical and cement plants, the water and waste water sector, and the pharmaceuticals industry. As plant downtime in these industries can have enormous effects, both functional safety and industrial security are very important. Simatic PCS 7 provides a large number of functions for industrial security: These include segmentation into zones and security cells, the security of access points and user authentication, secure communication, patch management, system hardening, virus scanners and whitelisting. The comprehensive security measures and functions for Simatic PCS 7 contribute toward safeguarding plant operation, and so avoid plant downtimes and expensive outage times.

The international standard IEC 62443 describes an IT security concept based on the deeply tiered "defense-in-depth" approach, in which device and system suppliers, system integrators and operators are involved and contribute toward the overall solution. On the basis of lEC 62443, companies can examine the potential weak points in their control system and develop effective protective measures.

CEOs and experts from China’s leading companies gathered in Shanghai and Beijing to explore how smart manufacturing will deliver value to the manufacturing industry and support government initiatives including China Manufacturing 2025. Hosted by Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK), “The Connected Enterprise CEO Forum” was led by Rockwell Automation’s new president and CEO, Blake Moret.
Rockwell Automation refers to The Connected Enterprise as the connection of information from the plant floor to the rest of the enterprise. This delivers unprecedented business value by bringing together people, processes and technology to achieve enhanced productivity, sustainability and economic performance. The Connected Enterprise is enabled by an integrated control and information architecture that delivers a smarter, more productive and more secure environment.

“The Connected Enterprise is a future-proof vision available today that is perfectly aligned with the Chinese government’s “China Manufacturing 2025” and “Internet Plus” initiatives, to help China transition to smart manufacturing,” said Moret.

“Connecting operations technology with information technology has become a business imperative,” added Moret. “The Connected Enterprise is how companies will realize tangible business value. For example, it will enable pharmaceutical companies to comply with stringent regulations; the consumer industry to be more flexible to changing market trends; and bring greater efficiency to heavy industry.”

China’s traditional industries, facing the problem of overcapacity, are considering moving abroad for further development. Last year, China’s Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) surpassed its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the first time. It is crucial now for Chinese companies to enhance quality as well as plant productivity to compete globally. As they move to cultivate markets outside of China, The Connected Enterprise will help those companies address a number of challenges, including global differences in standards and regulations.

“Rockwell Automation is well-positioned to help Chinese companies invest globally,” said Bob Buttermore, managing director, Rockwell Automation Greater China. “Our Connected Enterprise can help Chinese companies boost global competitiveness by connecting their people, processes and assets for global optimization. Additionally, our global network covers over 80 countries and can help companies meet local manufacturing standards, access available support resources and build the infrastructure for global plant-wide optimization.”

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces to release ProSafe®-RS R4.02.00. With this latest release of the ProSafe®-RS safety instrumented system, a number of functional safety management (FSM) related functions have been added to the Automation Design Suite (AD Suite) engineering environment for ProSafe-RS that will support our customers in ensuring safety throughout the plant lifecycle.
Development Background:

In energy and basic materials industries such as oil, gas, petrochemicals, and chemicals, various safety measures must be taken to prevent incidents and to protect the environment. One such measure is the introduction of safety instrumented systems, which can safely initiate an emergency plant shutdown if a critical failure is detected.

The initiating causes of such incidents have been investigated by regulatory bodies that have identified poor clarity in requirements definition and communication as the major contributing factor. Further to this, increased attention has been paid to the role that FSM plays throughout the plant operational lifecycle in keeping the risks of unsafe practices or failures within an acceptable range. Interest among our customers has thus been rising in ensuring the safety of their plants by obtaining compliance with the IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 international standards*1 on functional safety. However, FSM is a complex subject requiring a diversity of expertise to carry out tasks such as deciding policies, creating management systems, drawing up plans, managing their execution, and training personnel. To help customers accurately define, test, and understand their systems and to simplify the task of ensuring that a system remains in compliance with the IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 functional safety standards during the engineering phase and while in operation, Yokogawa has added new functions to AD Suite.

Enhancements:
1. Enhanced support for FSM planning and implementation
2. Enhanced support for hand-over of FSM information
3. Enhanced support for a better understanding of safety instrumented systems engineering and operation

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that its CENTUM® VP R6 integrated production control system has received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize. The receipt of this prize was confirmed today. This is the second time a CENTUM system has received this honor, which is the highest Machine Industry Design Award; the CENTUM-XL distributed control system won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize in 1989.

The Machine Industry Design Awards were established in 1970 to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, a highly influential daily newspaper that covers business and technology. Sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and supported by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and various other industrial organizations, this award program aims to advance and improve the design of mainly industrial products. The evaluation committee consists of experts from various government agencies, universities, and industrial organizations. The committee assesses products with a focus on quality and safety, as well as next-generation design that represents a step forward for industry.

Yokogawa's highly reliable CENTUM series plant production control and monitoring systems are the core product platform for the company's control business. For our latest offering, CENTUM VP R6, we have added a N-IO (Network-I/O) device to our product lineup. I/O devices are an important element of the control system, and the N-IO device has unique I/O modules that can accommodate any signal type. All users need to do is change the software setting. This eliminates the need to change the I/O modules and do a lot of re-wiring when, for example, a decision is made during a plant construction project to change to a different sensor type, thus keeping project delays to a minimum. In terms of design, the same bright color scheme is employed for the I/O modules including the LED display area, and the modules all also have the same friendly rounded features. This unified design concept serves to communicate that these modules all work together for improved safety and reliability.