TABLE OF CONTENTS Managers and users of process control systems are quite often faced with a situation where a decision is required on matters involving large sums of money. In today's economy, the game is survival of the fittest, and the game has a set of rules that is played on the global scene (some say there are no rules). If you lose, you're out. Markets that were guaranteed few decades ago are now threatened by international competition.
Product life cycles are much shorter, and technology is changing at an unwavering rate. In addition, production needs to be faster, less expensive on a per unit basis, and of high quality. The olden days, when products had a long life cycle, the domestic market was secure, and the economical conditions could be predicted, are all gone. We are in a new world, a world of international competition, where survival is a daily issue and vital decisions are frequently required.
A mismatch of process, production capabilities, and customer requirements generally results in poor quality, high cost, and low morale. On the other hand, success not only means survival but also increased markets and increased profits. From a process control point of view, one of the main tools in achieving success is the proper implementation of modern process control systems (see chapter 9 for further details). These systems are, when well applied, an aid to costeffective, reliable, high-quality, pollution-reducing, and flexible production (i.e., an aid to survival).
In existing plants, the implementation of modern control...
