Which packages and applications are the main competitors against Wonderware? Other SCADA I have found on search engines all seem to be linked to suppliers of either control gear or complete plant. We don't wish to tie ourselves to particular plant & equipment manufacturers.

We run a totally un-automated factory and I am very impressed with the Wonderware and Invensys products.

However we need to evaluate alternatives.

Also Microsoft platform please, our I/S dep't doesn't like the others.

thanks.

 

Hello AGNZ;

One suggestion, for a SCADA product that is independant of any PLC or controls manufacturer, and that we have worked with extensively: Citect SCADA. It is very powerful and user-friendly; their genies/super-genies allow replication of functionnalities inside a project; their built-in faceplate library also saves development time. They are Windows-based, ansd integrate COM/DCOM; they also include a built-in communication library that can connect to over 200 different PLCs (no external libraries to buy or configure). The scripting language is calle Cicode, very simple syntax (resembles Pascal) that integrates their control functions without hassle.

Their website is http://www.citect.com; you can downlaod a fully operational version of the software for evaluation (2-hour limited runtime). The online helps is very clear and abundant. There is also a Citect user's forum than you can join, we have always found enthousiastic reponse from actual users to help us out on our design or communication problems.

 

Intellution Ifix
RSView-32 of Rockwell automation
WinCC of Siemens
are good example of generic SCADA. you can use it for any application.

 

You might try Citect!

http://www.citect.com/

 

You can visit the products of Arc Informatic.
PcVue SEA Pte Ltd / ARC Informatique
PcVue / WebVue / PlantVue
applicom / SST
http://www.pcvue-sea.com

 

We use CitectSCADA. It was independent but was recently purchased by Schneider Electric.
We use it with mostly A-B products, but it has drivers for many others. It has very flexible programming and can do just about anything you need.
http://www.citect.com

 

FactorySQL and FactoryPMI from Inductive Automation are powerful SCADA applications that aren't linked to particular suppliers. They're also considerably cheaper than most other options. FactoryPMI is Java based meaning that clients may be launched as a full application from a web browser without any installation/configuration. FactorySQL runs as a Windows service. It's basically a communication layer between OPC sources (your PLC) and any SQL database (MS SQL Server, as you suggested that your IS dept would like is a fine choice). They would probably also be interested in the fact that FactoryPMI can authenticate clients via Active Directory. Our products may be fully evaluated without any purchase. You can find out more at the following links or contact us directly for more info.
http://www.inductiveautomation.com/products/factorypmi
http://www.inductiveautomation.com/products/factorysql

I'd be happy to address any technical or specific questions that you may have.

----
Nathan Boeger
boeger AT inductive automation DOT com
Inductive Automation
"Design Simplicity Cures Engineered Complexity"

 

Sure!

Take a look at:

1) FactoryLink (http://www.ugs.com/products/tecnomatix)
2) Citect (http://www.citect.com)
3) Iconics (http://www.iconics.com)
4) Vista Control (http://www.vista-control.com)

Here there is some good tips regarding to see and select your next SCADA software: http://www.control.com/1026220185/index_html#1026220288

Good luck.


On November 14, 2006, AGNZ wrote:
> Which packages and applications are the main competitors against Wonderware? Other SCADA I have found on search engines all seem to be linked to suppliers of either control gear or complete plant. We don't wish to tie ourselves to particular plant & equipment manufacturers.
>
> We run a totally un-automated factory and I am very impressed with the Wonderware and Invensys products.
>
> However we need to evaluate alternatives.
>
> Also Microsoft platform please, our I/S dep't doesn't like the others. <

( Complete thread: http://www.control.com/1026228575/index_html )

 

?? I think your Confused, get A-B PLC. support is awesome and PLC can't be beat. Costly but good.

 

Two large competitors are Citect HMI/SCADA and Intellution iFix. Both packages are very configurable. Intellution was purchased by GE but the package is still a good generic control system front end. Citect has a plethora of IO drivers that are included with the software and are native
to the application.

Good Luck,
Dave

 

Dear AGNZ,

The only good Scada software TOTALLY independant you can find is PCVUE. Citect is Schneider, iFix is GE, WinCC is Siemens...

Pcvue is a standard Scada implementing for:
- Communication:
The most popular protocols (from Schneider, Siemens, Yokogawa...).
OPC Client AND Server.
Lonworks communication.
- Multistation:
Server / Client architecture is supported including redundancy.
- Alarms:
Powerfull Alarms manager
- Archives:
Database (like Sql Server) archiving is available.
You can archive for logs and trends.
- HMI:
The most powerfull Hmi on the market.
Use object oriented technology.
Implement 3D (DirectX) objects.

You can contact us from our websites:
Europe: http://www.arcinfo.com
Asia: http://www.pcvue-sea.com
US: http://www.pcvueinc.com

Hope to talk to you soon.

Nicolas

 

There's an excellent piece of software which is not very well known that is completely independent, inexpensive, and very customizable: VTS from Trihedral Engineering, LTD, in Bedford, Nova Scotia.

The website is:

http://www.trihedral.com

Be sure to give them a good look--you'll be very pleased. In addition to an excellent HMI and SCADA software application, their Customer Service and Technical Support is second to NONE. They have thousands of licenses around the world.

There is even one company which has used VTS to develop an HMI for use with GE Speedtronic turbine control panels (Mk IV+, Mk V, and Mk VI).

Their website is: http://www.itc-info.us

markvguy

 

Look at Iconics. You will be impressed. I am a current Wonderware user and when I thought it couldn’t get any better I saw an Iconics demo.

 

All the products listed by others are good products and will probably get the job done for 95% of the applications out there.

Support is (in my mind) one of the most important factors in choosing any software (or hardware for that matter) system. I would recommend you look for a strong installed base in your region and talk to those others about experiences they have had. We short listed 3 products (any of them could do exactly what we required) and chose Iconics because of the stong local and factory support.

 

You may also have a look at:
http://pvbrowser.org

 

Dear AGNZ,

Where are you located?

 

Very good SCADA package is CIMPLICY from GE-Fanuc.

see http://www.gefanuc.com/en/ProductServices/AutomationSoftware/Hmi_Scada/CIMPLICITY/index.html

CITECT

see

http://www.citect.com/products-and-services/citectscada.html

or

GENESIS 32

http://www.iconics.com/products/genesis32.asp

I hope this helps.

Raymundo D. Balderas
Mexico D.F.
[email protected]

 

Hello AGNZ,

> Which packages and applications are the main competitors against
Wonderware? Other SCADA I have found on search engines all seem to be
linked to suppliers of either control gear or complete plant. We don't
wish to tie ourselves to particular plant & equipment
manufacturers.
>
> We run a totally un-automated factory and I am very impressed with
the Wonderware and Invensys products. <

It seems to be a good place for DACHSview with its SDL/SDL-Gfx and SQL extensions, an all-in-one programming tool including a visualization tool
as well as a SQL data base.

DACHSview is an advanced SoftPLC and is based in general on function block programming. It supports access from physical memory and I/O ports up to the single pixels of a visualization as well as access to fieldbus data (PROFINET, PROFIBUS, EtherCAT, CAN, CANopen, INTERBUS, a.s.o) and SQLite, a SQL data base.

The function block library for the graphics is SDL based and includes additional function blocks of virtual instruments. With this library you can create your own customized SCADA screens in an object oriented manner without any restrictions and system borders. For more information have a look to http://www.dachs.info/ or check the flyer http://www.dachs.info/DACHSview-SDL_E.pdf

> However we need to evaluate alternatives.
>
> Also Microsoft platform please, our I/S dep't doesn't like the
others. <

OK, the workbench of DACHSview is Windows based, the target systems are running the very reliable RTOS QNX6. BTW, runtime licenses for QNX6 for PLCs, SCADAs and visualization system can be bought in the meantime separately w/o buying the QNX Momentics Development systems!

Best Regards,
Armin Steinhoff

 

Try http://www.electroind.com, Energy Manager Ext. this is a citect based SCADA/HMI software that is best fit for small to large scale projects.

Electro Industries had a suport.

 

SCADA
Citect beats Wonderware in alarms and trends also it has Cicode - programming language, redundancy,it is very helpfull, but as I know Wonderware has Industrail Application Server - new feature seems to be also very good but for big distributed projects.

Best Regards,
PROSTO
www.pro-sto.ru