5. Trends and conclusions

The trend today is to think in terms of manufacturing processes. This was also shown by a survey carried out among users of automation equipment in 2002.

The machine is integrated into a production line, becoming a module within it. This modular approach is global: mechanical and control. This type of architecture favors the systematic use of "manufacturing process" solutions to minimize specific control development costs.

Generally speaking, the introduction of the field network is part of the transition from the world of electricity and automation to the world of industrial IT. It's a change in technological culture. Difficulties arise as soon as the word "IT" is uttered. In many minds, "IT" is still synonymous with incompatibility with the notion of an industrial environment. This view, which is still deeply entrenched in many automated...