A STRATEGIC FOCUS FOR PROCESS-CONTROL

Process control applications must begin with the needs of the commerci al business in which the controls will be utilized. Once these are und erstood, the practitioner must address the nature and needs of the man ufacturing process being used. At this point, an integrated control st rategy can be meaningfully developed. Then the platforms and systems r equired for deployment of the control strategy come into the picture. All too often, this paradigm is reversed: the control system hardware is selected, the designer works backwards through strategies and plant characteristics, then looks for justification. This presentation pres ents a logical foundation for the strategic focus for process control. The result is a ''holistic view'' of process control that includes a broad range of approaches and tools to operate the process more optima lly and achieve maximum business results.