Software `cuts project development times by up to 40%`

Rockwell claims that automation system design and deployment times can be slashed by up to 40% by using a new software tool that provides a single platform for designers and maintenance engineers to build and manage their automation projects.

RSAutomation Desktop (above) is designed to integrate software from Rockwell and from third-party suppliers, and provides a central repository for design data for each project. It allows several users to work on a project simultaneously, sharing access to logic, documentation, and other data. Duplicate data entries are eliminated and tags are created automatically.

This is said to reduce dramatically the time and effort needed to manage the design process, as well as allowing data to be re-used on future projects. It eliminates the tedious and error-prone process of importing or copying data from other projects.

"The most cost-intensive stage of any automation project is the design, because the complexities involved in managing project data wastes a lot of time, and system errors created during design are often not detected until start-up," explains John Gooday, manager of Rockwell`s design automation software business in the UK. "RSAutomation Desktop helps to reduce design costs by integrating disparate information into a single application for more accurate, efficient project management."

By centralising data on a single server, users can access personal views of a design project from any workstation, via a company intranet or the Internet. The latest versions of their applications are available from any login point and they can navigate through any project work item, including logic and network layouts.

Only one user can edit an object at a time. The system logs each user`s actions and creates a history for each object in the project.

Once a system has been designed, the software generates wiring diagrams, I/O lists and bills-of-materials automatically.