TOKYO -- Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announced the unveiling of the next-generation Release 7 concept and the launch of Release 7.01 of the CENTUM™ VP integrated production control system, a core product in the OpreX™ Control and Safety System lineup. This is the 10th generation of the CENTUM series, and its release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the announcement of CENTUM as the world’s first*1 distributed control system (DCS), on June 19, 1975.
Development Background

In addition to the dynamic changes in supply chains over recent years, countries have been strengthening regulations in response to a growing awareness of the need to protect the environment. At the same time, with the increasing use of digital technologies for complex applications such as the management of the utilization of renewable energy and the analysis of data in cloud-based environments, security risks have become a greater concern. Also, while utilizing existing tangible assets, there is a growing need to pass on to others the expertise of seasoned operators, and to reduce the workload and mental burden for personnel who are responsible for systems that must be kept operating around the clock. Amidst the growing complexity of these industry challenges, management and frontline personnel are required to increase competitiveness and strike a balance between the stable manufacturing of superior products and the need to improve efficiency and profitability.

The Concept behind CENTUM VP Release 7

In response to these issues, Yokogawa has based its development of CENTUM VP Release 7 on the concept of enabling autonomous operations*2. With CENTUM, Yokogawa is helping its customers attain sustainability by improving energy efficiency, accelerating decarbonization, and providing a safe and secure working environment. While maintaining the reliability, stability, continuity, robust security, and comprehensive engineering and service network that have been hallmarks of the CENTUM series since its inception, Yokogawa will drive innovations for the future in the following three areas:

1. Expanded scope of control and monitoring
By securely aggregating a wide range of data scattered throughout the plant, the status of the entire plant can be monitored, and the scope of automated operation can be expanded, enabling safer and more secure operations.
2. Predictive monitoring through process condition monitoring
By extracting and identifying process-specific events related to operations and predicting deviations from expected values, operators can anticipate changes and take action, helping to achieve more stable operations and improve energy efficiency.
3. Reduction of operator workload
By presenting future scenarios that leverage operator knowledge and know-how, it supports the operator in making accurate decisions. In addition, autonomous control AI*3 can take over from operators to achieve long-term stable operation. This reduces operator workload and mental stress.

Main Features of Release 7.01

To achieve autonomous operations, it is essential to leverage AI while ensuring safety and security. Release 7.01 helps to establish the necessary foundation for this goal. The key features are as follows.

1. Enhanced security

To achieve data-driven operations, it is crucial to ensure the security of critical infrastructure. This release adopts industry security benchmarks to strengthen the cybersecurity of the components that make up control systems and enhance the overall security level of the system.

2. Expansion of control and monitoring scope with CENTUM

By integrating OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) connectivity, the range of plant equipment and devices that can be controlled and monitored by CENTUM is expanded. OPC UA is a platform-independent standard that enables data exchange between devices from different manufacturers in the industrial automation field. In this update, OPC UA client functionality has been added to CENTUM.

3. Enhanced engineering capabilities for large-scale projects

To promote operational optimization by integrating various systems within the plant, a feature has been added that allows the merging and testing of multiple engineering databases related to CENTUM. This enhancement will enable high-quality and efficient engineering, contributing to the rapid startup of new plants and restart of upgraded plants.

Mitsuhiro Yamamoto, Vice President, Executive Officer, and head of the Systems Business Division at Yokogawa Electric stated, “In this VUCA*4 era, the conditions required for manufacturing sites and management are becoming ever more complex. By realizing stable operations and expanding the scope of autonomy, CENTUM VP Release 7 will help our customers achieve a more sustainable society and sustainable business growth.”

*1 CENTUM has been recognized as the world’s first DCS by Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science, which in 2012 designated CENTUM as such in the document “Important Material for the History of Science and Technology (Heritage of Future Technology)” (Japanese). This status was also confirmed by the Denki no Ishizue (Foundation of Electric Technology) 14th Electric Technology Awards (Japanese).

*2 Yokogawa is advocating the transition from industrial automation to industrial autonomy (IA2IA), and defines industrial autonomy as a state where plant assets and operations possess learning and adaptive capabilities that allow responses with minimal human interaction, empowering operators to perform higher-level optimization tasks. Autonomous operations is the final stage of industrial autonomy, representing an ideal state where operations function with complete autonomy throughout a value chain.

*3 The Factorial Kernel Dynamic Policy Programming (FKDPP) reinforcement learning AI algorithm. Yokogawa defines autonomous control AI as “a robust system capable of deriving optimal control methods and autonomously responding to unexperienced situations to a certain extent.” Yokogawa already has experience in integrating the use of an autonomous control AI and CENTUM VP, and this has been officially adopted for use in controlling operations at a chemical plant. For this achievement, which has reduced environmental impact, lessened workloads, and improved safety, Yokogawa has received the Prime Minister's Prize, the highest of the 2023’s Japan Industrial Technology Awards (Nihon Sangyo Gijyutsu Taisho), which was established in 1972.

*4 An acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity