SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

The multi-billion dollar industry is moving on and up as control systems integrate with the latest IT and Internet technologies to create powerful networked intelligence. Ken Sinclair reports.

here was a time when industrial controls and building automation were quite distinct markets for automation vendors, but convergence With the large building automation by both industries to IT methods and market rapidly expanding, demand is Internet technologies has greatly increasing for systems used to provide reduced the gap. Systems for both functions such as: environmental now share many of the same temperature control, indoor air quality components: man-machine interfaces, control & reporting, lighting control, presentation graphics, controllers, energy reporting & control, security sensors, actuators, etc. Although control & monitoring, digital signage, different communication protocols elevator control, parking control, fire exist, the network standard for both & smoke control, life safety. industries is based on Ethernet – According to a 2002 ARC report, because of its low cost, robust nature “Building Automation Systems and global acceptance. Worldwide Outlook”, the global market

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for building automation systems security, energy management/ centres, the demand for large (hardware, software and services) is accounting and facilities management. buildings is on the increase. In set to reach US$24 billion by 2006, up There are additional strengths in comparison, North America already from the US$19 billion registered in the fact that Web-based networked has in place most of its large building 2001. As for the business of operating control systems can ensure building infrastructure, and is now in the such systems once installed, a 2003 energy is purchased at the lowest process of replacing old building Frost & Sullivan report forecast cost from the environmentally automation systems to leverage revenues in the North American correct source and is used to create existing operational resources with facilities management services market the greatest comfort for the least newer presentation and control alone to hit almost US$22 billion by environmental impact. To ensure that features. 2009, up from US$12 billion in 2002. the original system design intent is The Asian market is building at a time when the building automation industry has new cost-effective The global market for building control capabilities. Web-based, sophisticated networked control automation systems is set to reach systems can greatly enhance buildings US$24 billion by 2006. while increasing the intelligence and

The author of the ARC report, David Clayton, noted: “As building automation systems become part of a much larger IT infrastructure, systems for handling energy optimisation, ventilation, fire and water alarms, and security are not only communicating with one another, they are also seamlessly sharing critical information between each other. The ability for the various building systems to share critical information in real time greatly expands the opportunities available to facilities managers.” Well-executed network control concepts can reduce HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) Rapidly rising: Asian market energy use by 30-50 percent below the demand for large buildings. energy requirements for the same achieved, this same system can equipment using conventional provide real-time feedback and controls. The reach and the value of interaction to the original designers. reducing environmental impact. This control networks in intelligent provides a significant ‘greening’ effect buildings is increasing daily, Asia: Building At The Right Time to both new and existing buildings. connecting interrelated infrastructure In Asia, with rapid economic growth The acceptance of many new functions such as lighting, HVAC, and the development of new urban communication and automation concepts has radically changed the function of large buildings. For example, office hotelling has allowed the sharing of expensive office buildings with an increased number of telecommunicating occupants. To effectively manage such phenomena, coordination of everything is required, ie: phones, workstations, data links, security access etc. Occupants also must have the

Siemens ability to interact virtually. The Well-executed network control concepts can greatly reduce HVAC running costs. ongoing virtual interaction with the

INDUSTRIALAUTOMATIONASIA // 19 ■ SECTOR SPOTLIGHT

isted and defined below • was originally L are the main standards developed by MODICON, for device networking in the Building now a part of Schneider building automation industry: Electric, and is publicly • BACnet, by definition, is Standards available and relatively a “Data Communication simple, and has been Protocol for Building Automation and Control adopted by thousands of companies, particularly in Networks”, developed by the American Society of commercial and industrial controls. There is a Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers significant installed base in the USA as well as Europe, (ASHRAE). Beyond this simple definition, it is the open and many control system companies use ModBus for (ie: non-proprietary) protocol specification that allows their communication protocols. building automation controllers (heating and air • OPC (OLE for Process Control) is based on the conditioning equipment controllers, lighting systems, Microsoft COM (Component Object Model) and security systems, fire and life safety systems, irrigation OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) software systems, elevator systems and any other type of architectures. It was created by a group of industrial microprocessor based controller in a modern building) automation vendors working together with Microsoft. made by different manufacturers to communicate and The protocol enables integrators to connect disparate share information with each other. systems together, creating robust solutions and • LonWorks was developed by developed by providing true interoperability, while reducing Echelon Corporation of California to provide communi- implementation time and costs. In addition, OPC cations between devices such as sensors and actuators enables a fully scalable solution for future changes used in building automation systems. LonWorks and expansion. technology allows all manner of control devices to Currently there are hundreds of commercial off- communicate with one another through a common the-shelf OPC products available that will provide communication protocol. Communication transceivers connectivity to every major control system on the and transport mechanisms are standardised, as are market. OPC servers are available for many systems object models and programming/troubleshooting and protocols, including Modbus, BACnet, LonWorks, tools, to enable the rapid design and implementation Johnson Controls, and others. Furthermore, there are of interoperable, LonWorks-based devices. hundreds of OPC client-enabled applications to The LonTalk protocol underpins device and system choose from including HMIs, visualisation and communication, and the LONMARK Interoperability reporting tools, preventive and predictive maintenance Association oversees aspects of device communication packages, HVAC, lighting controls, security applications through the creation of device profiles. and many more.

eBuilding Centre Control Room BACnet enables Internet Remote BA/SA Server Station interoperability A-Studio HMI Server between building Internet automation BACnet control products.

VBOX-3200 ADAM-6500 UNO-2050 UNO-2050 UNO-2050 ADAM-6022

Digital Facility DDC Web-based Access ADAM-4000 PTZ Video Manager Controller Temperature Controller Remote I/O Camera Recorder Controller

Single-door Multi-door Access Access Up to 16 Channels ADAM-6000 Smart Web I/O

ADAM-5000/TCP Camera Ethernet I/0

Ethernet-based CCTV System Access Control Facility Management DDC Control System

Advantech

■ 20 // INDUSTRIALAUTOMATIONASIA SECTOR SPOTLIGHT building by both occupants and is reproduced here: the oBIX guidelines the potential to designers leads to improved “The Building Controls industry has become the standard of choice to sustainability while increasing the made great strides over the last 10 unify operating data from diverse overall real and perceived value of years in the creation of communications systems the building. standards. Both BACnet and LonTalk Similarly, at the AHR (Air- These concepts are a part of not are now viable, commercially accepted Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating) only intelligent buildings, but also solutions that provide owners with Expo show in Chicago in 2003, there intelligent communities, and intelligent open communications. Yet while we was unified acceptance of Web-based facility management. The new market have made great progress in these solutions in addition to a strong in Asia has the opportunity and areas as an industry, there has been acceptance and connection to the potential to lead the world with an emergence of a larger, more evolving digital office standards, by exciting new, fully implemented globally accepted standard created by all automation hardware and software intelligent communities. This is the world of Information Technology. vendors. In addition to the direct IT possible through the expansion of the In particular the broad acceptance and solution for the industry, new large building infrastructures during ever lowering cost of Ethernet/TCP/IP/ concepts such as networked Digital a time of never before available XML communications is finding its way Signage Systems are opening up new technologies. However, it requires into our industry.” communication conduits with the careful planning and global communication with many new Enter The Internet players to achieve these goals.

Importance Of Industry Standards Standards in the building automation industry facilitate the interconnection the many systems necessary for automating intelligent buildings. As standards become established, no longer are integrators tied, or locked in, to a single vendor. Integrators are At BuilConn 2003 – a now able to deploy control systems strong consensus for and applications, regardless of establishing guidelines vendor, and build best-of-breed for the use of XML solutions. Building automation is no and Web services in longer dominated by a few large building automation. companies. The playing field is now open for many developers to offer far more advanced and superior solutions, while reducing the total The Open Building Information exciting medium of inter-building cost of ownership. Xchange, or oBIX, is a focused effort communications. An open letter to the Building by industry leaders and associations There is also an intense focus by Controls industry turned into a reality working toward creating a standard non-control companies on Machine at the BuilConn Forum 2003 in XML and Web services guideline for To Machine (M2M) interfaces. These Dallas. BuilConn is the annual event the building automation industry. The interfaces are about enabling device that brings together players in goal is to evolve the oBIX guidelines -to-IT and IT-to-device information the Networked Building Systems into a standard protocol for building flow. This market is estimated to industry. The letter proposed the systems, allow building professionals grow to US$100 billion by 2010. establishment of a consortium that to enjoy such benefits as enterprise- As a ‘connecting industry’, building would work on the creation of a wide facility management and open automation vendors should be guideline for use of XML and Web systems integration based on IT prepared. services in building automation standards. and control applications. Being in At the December 2003 launch of Technology Challenges attendance at this groundbreaking the initiative, Ronald J. Zimmer, CEO Evolving communication standards meeting, this writer can vouch for of CABA (Continental Automated and the rapid migration to Web-based a real sense of purpose and co- Buildings Association) said, “The control by building automation operation over the issue. knowledge and control oBIX puts in hardware manufacturers are together The first paragraph of the letter the hands of facility managers gives eroding away pieces of the

INDUSTRIALAUTOMATIONASIA // 21 ■ SECTOR SPOTLIGHT hardware’s traditional functionality industry crossover of the marketing A central part of the industry’s and transferring it to software. of these software applications business involves collecting, acting Hardware becomes simpler and less increases volumes, allowing costs to on, and distributing real time data unique. Companies then need to look drop even further. such as temperature, pressures, energy at how they can build the new breed In the past, it was not so apparent usage, client comfort, humidity, of controls cheaper, or make as part that the building automation industry video, etc. But the industry is only of their existing device infrastructure. would be so affected by information just starting to grasp the concept of With the hardware complexities of convergence. It is not sufficient to how this real time data converges the industry disappearing, existing wait until convergence occurs and with the clients’ information enterprise. control capabilities are increased then get involved with how it gets And clients are also just starting to several times with new functionality marketed, because it will be too late. discover how information that is that can be created in software easier The industry’s presence in creating a presented easily (and anywhere) can and at a lower cost than hardware. marketing convergence plan changes be extremely useful for enterprise Furthermore, globalisation and everything. growth and for staying competitive. Building Automation Suppliers

isted below are several of the major manufacturers L and suppliers of building automation systems. Some names may be unfamiliar as many of the companies are relatively new having grown out of the Direct Digital Control (DDC) revolution. These companies and their dealers and representatives supply the majority of large building automation globally, although new companies are appearing daily. Most partner with specialised equipment suppliers to complete their Siemens total building automation integration packages. Honeywell http://www.honeywell.com/ Andover Controls Honeywell control solutions http://www.andovercontrols.com/ Makes the intelligent building a reality Johnson Controls http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/ Alerton Technologies Inc Building control systems. http://www.alerton.com/ A leading manufacturer and pioneer of Direct Digital Reliable Controls Control (DDC). http://www.reliablecontrols.com/ Stand-alone BACnet compliant Direct Digital Controllers Automated Logic Corporation http://www.automatedlogic.com/ Richards-Zeta Complex controls made powerfully simple. http://www.richards-zeta.com/ Manufactures flexible, powerful and inexpensive controls Computrols for building automation http://www.computrols.com/ A New Orleans based Building Automation Systems Siemens Building Technologies manufacturer. http://www.sbt.siemens.com/hvp/ Is an international industry leader. Delta Controls http://www.deltacontrols.com/ T.A.C Based in Vancouver, Canada http://www.tac-global.com CSI and TAC have combined to create a new company Distech http://www.distech-controls.com/ Tridium Develops solutions for computerised control of http://www.tridium.com/ buildings on open protocol. The inventor of the Niagara Framework.

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Navigating The Road Ahead New directions, new capabilities, and About The Author new relationships are set to impact the large intelligent building welcome the opportunity to provide IAA this overview of our large automation industry, It will be a time “Ibuilding automation industry,” says Ken Sinclair, the editor/owner of self-discovery for all, navigating of AutomatedBuildings.com an online B2B magazine for the intelligent new roads, and meshing dynamic buildings and large building automation industry. Based in Canada, Ken data and real time interactions with has been in the building automation industry for over 35 years as a service the building occupants’ standardised manager, building owner’s representative, energy analyst, and consultant. network interfaces. He has been directly involved in over 100 This new direction will not only conversions to computerised control. change industry players but will have Ken says he is constantly asked if there a significant impact on how the complete list anywhere of the best examples of building owners approach building intelligent, fully automated, well connected management and optimisation. The buildings? His reply: “Well no, not that I am aware guidance of successful convergence of, but I have prepared a page to provide linkage will become a valuable art. The to the industry’s online resources of documented practitioners that can create this building intelligence, this can be found at dynamic interface art, while making www.automatedbuildings.com/connectedbldgs/ the myriad of complex technologies list.htm. used to create this reality all but “Keep focused on the fact that the latest and greatest in intelligent, invisible, will be the clear winners. fully automated, well connected buildings are still under construction and To the companies and their have not yet been documented. The fact that our industry’s integration artisans who move the industry ahead capabilities are increasing exponentially widens this gap. “ with successful demonstrations will go increased market share. New relationships and partnering will

The reality is that the convergence of industrial automation and facilities management and information technology is well underway.

abound. Smaller and smaller mediums for the industry such as companies will provide greater cell phones, PDA, digital signage impact on the industry systems, etc will also appear. through online interactions The reality is that the convergence that become available with of industrial automation and facili- Web-based presentation. ties management and information The concept of partnering technology is well underway. It is to provide clients’ requested a convergence that heralds the complex software functionality inevitable move of environmental will become common. These monitoring and control onto the partnerships will lead to building information infrastructure. significant cross-pollination Though it is often the technological with completely new techno- issues that are stressed, it also Reflecting on the future: convergence of logies and concepts, all of involves a convergence of both technologies will have a big impact on the which will feed the con- technology and working relation- building automation industry. vergence fire. New interface ships. ia

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