Modular Automation – Openness Through Common Standards

 6 May 2021
Pioneers in Modular Automation

The WAGO Live SPS, held on December 1st to 3rd, 2020, took customers and partners along the path to new technologies for the intelligent factory of the future. This included large, and small, steps towards digitization. One landmark event was the panel discussion by trailblazers in modular system design. Representatives of large corporations – Bayer, Clariant, Evonik, and Merck – expressed their conviction that the future belongs to standardized and manufacturer-independent descriptions of process modules for efficient integration into automation systems.

The Module Type Package (MTP)

The Module Type Package (MTP) was first developed in order to solve communication and connectivity problems in highly-adaptive modular systems. MTP offers a standardized and manufacturer-independent description of process modules and package units for efficient integration into automation systems. This concept is considered a prerequisite for modular production. Companies like Bayer, Clariant, Evonik, Merck, Engie, Siemens, WAGO, and Yokogawa are working together on various projects related to the practical application of MTP standards in industrial environments.

Operators of large systems generally all see themselves as confronted with the same challenges: they must continuously react more flexibly to demand situations and adapt their production capacity very quickly. The most prominent example is the current mission to produce sufficient quantities of the Corona vaccine. Vaccinating millions of people quickly will only succeed if flexible processes are available, and this can only be achieved through modular designs. The process industry recognized this years ago; however, implementation has not been easy.

The underlying idea is that systems that are designed modularly, instead of monolithically, can be scaled faster and more easily. However, a processing system functions as the sum of its modular components only if there are uniform standards followed by all participants. Technical bodies, like NAMUR, ZVEI, and VDI/VDE, have been working intensively toward this goal for a number of years. This has resulted, for example, in standard 2658, which describes the approach to modular automation.

In my opinion, modular automation and MTP standards establish the future for change in the process industry, by increasing resilience, flexibility, and agility for adapting to a constantly changing environment.

Polyana da Silva Santos, Lead-Engineer for Process Control at Evonik

Strategic Topic at WAGO

“We at WAGO also use these fundamentals in order to help users implement the benefits of modular concepts in their operations,” states Lukas Dökel. He is the Global Industry Manager for Process at WAGO and explains, “The module type package (MTP), developed in different working groups, offers one standardized and manufacturer-independent description of process modules and package units for efficient integration into automation systems.” This concept is considered to be a prerequisite for modular production, and is also important for solving communication and connectivity problems in highly adaptive modular systems.

Dökel emphasizes that this represents a strategic engagement for WAGO, stating, “We will continue to support the MTP standard and and implement it as a product.” It is additionally clear that WAGO will continue to promote the standardization of MTP on the market in order to assist in establishing a global standard. “At present, we already support today’s process industry with suitable products, like rail-mount terminal blocks, remote I/O, touch panels, a variety of controllers, and also the correct automation software.” Dökel describes cooperating with users: “It remains important that we use joint projects to remove the final obstacles and solve problems.”

Specific Benefits from the Operator’s Perspective

During the digital and interactive “WAGO Live SPS” on December 1st to 3rd, 2020, Dökel also moderated a virtual panel discussion on the topic about how the benefits of modular automation can be specifically used, and which challenges still remain, according to large system operators. It became quite clear that operators see potential for modular operations at two major points: during process development and as part of restructuring.

As an example, Merck produces many products with short lifecycles. By implication, this means that new products also have do be developed and produced very quickly. “If a product is successful on the market, then the modular operation puts us in a position, where we can quickly increase capacity by numbering up,” explains Manfred Eckert, Process-Development Association Director for Performance Material at Merck. This is based on the fact that purchasing, wiring, and commissioning of standardized modules can be carried out significantly faster than is possible with a typical scale up. After all, the goal of a functioning, modular approach is plug-and-produce.

Eckert also invokes another essential aspect from the pharmaceutical industry: the complex and protracted approval processes. “Modular concepts also provide us with the potential for shortening the current approval processes of a year or longer down to four weeks or less! We are already in talks with the authorities relating to the ORCA project,” he continues.

MTP will revolutionize the automation of future laboratory and production systems. We have achieved a high degree of flexibility in the configuration of systems with plug-and-produce, enabling manufacturers to flexibly react and fabricate products according to specific customer needs and demands.

Manfred Eckert, Process Development Association Director for Performance Material at Merck

Defining Interfaces

For Jens Bernshausen, Engineering Manager at Bayer, there remains yet another essential aspect, involving active collaboration in the MTP concept, “In order to be able to competitively reproduce the large numbers of projects at Bayer, it is important to externally contract subtasks.” According to his experience, clear interfaces must be defined between the functional units delivered by third parties. “This means that the automation levels have to be encapsulated. In my opinion, the MTP concept already includes this solution, so that individual supplier’s contributions can be used like a plug-and-produce system,” he explains. This is an expense that pays for itself. As a counter example, Bernshausen cites a Bayer migration project, in which a complete aspirin manufacturing line, without modularization, was scaled up to a new system. “We generally work in package units in compounding and packaging. In this case, it was quite cumbersome to establish the OPC/UA communication to the control system. The MTP approach would have saved us a lot of work.” What was the reason that this project was not developed using MTP? “Unfortunately, most control systems are not yet MTP capable, and that is a prerequisite,” he states with regret.

Bringing Sceptics and Doubters to the Table

Evonik has also invested in MTP and participated in numerous projects. “For us, an important task is to continue utilizing this concept and to gather more experience in the context of cooperation,” explains Polyana da Silva Santos, Lead-Engineer for Process Control at Evonik. The technology becomes merely one topic in this case: “The major challenge that we need to solve relates to organizational nature. We need the time to bring sceptics and doubters to the table and to convince them. That can take quite a while. Therefore, my recommendation, based on several years of experience, is to start early! Luckily for us at Evonik, we did that, and now we have advanced quite far down this path – and our team is growing. This shows that acceptance is currently there,” she states.

In order to strengthen acceptance among suppliers, Michael Pelz, Automation und Digitalization Manager at Clariant, emphasizes “the need to discuss the topic now with different package unit suppliers. My recommendation, based on experience, is to use smaller projects, that are not necessarily time sensitive, in order to start the conversations with your own suppliers. This way, you can clarify the challenges and benefits that an MTP project provides for both sides. We need to gain a broader field of applications.”

I recommend that system suppliers engage with MTP today, so that they can prepare for tomorrow’s business models.

Norman Südekum, Manager Industry Sector Management for Mechanical Engineering at WAGO