Software reuse in modern industrial automation systems is gaining in importance. Small and medium-sized companies (SMC) in particular, see reuse as a possibility to lower costs and shorten time-to-market. The market lacks existing reusable software which is applicable for industrial automation systems. Therefore, companies are forced to develop reusable software on their own. The currently avai...

There are four major components in industrial automation including PLC controllers, HMI panels, industrial drives and sensors. The PLC controller is the brain of an industrial automation system; it provides relay control, motion control, industrial input and output process control, distributed system, and networking control. PLCs often need to work in harsh environmental conditions, withstandin...

The level of automation employed in semi-automated assembly systems is crucial, both to system performance and cost. This paper presents a methodology to enable selection of the right Level of Automation. The method thoroughly maps existing product and information flows as well as the automation level in separate parts of the system. It then analyses and identifies future automation possibiliti...

The security of industrial automation and control systems becomes increasingly critical as different networks are connected and systems are integrated in a collaborative manufacturing environment. For industrial automation and control systems the potential impact of an attack may be more serious than for computer systems in general. Users of industrial automation and control systems need to pay...

The installation and administration of large heterogeneous IT infrastructures, for enterprises as well industrial automation systems, are becoming more and more complex and time consuming. Industrial automation systems present an additional challenge, in that these control and supervise mission critical production sites. Nevertheless, it is common practice to manually install and maintain indus...