Omron's Philip Shardlow looks at developments in safety control, and explains what these developments should mean for manufacturers facing the challenge of building integrate-able, flexible safety systems which support industrial automation and efficiency initiatives. Historically, standard and safety control systems were in conflict on the factory floor. They had different goals and different architectures. Safety meant additional cost as engineers were forced to maintain separate networks, keeping two sets of spare parts and spending additional time managing the two systems. Safety was also synonymous with 'reduction in production' and so forced management into a conundrum: be safer but lose revenue, or compromise safety and maintain output.
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