Mr. Hempen, what exactly is behind the Dima concept?

Dima stands for 'Decentralized Intelligence for Modular Systems'. The software methodology behind it is based on a manufacturer-neutral interface between the production control level and the production modules. This open interface enables the integration of production modules with their own automation into the control level. We rely on a service-oriented approach in which engineering is significantly reduced. To achieve this, a new methodology for the semantic description of the production modules had to be developed, which makes the functionality of the modules known to the control level. This methodology is called MTP - Module Type Package.

The ZVEI and Namur had already announced their support for the Dima concept in mid-2015. Which manufacturers and users are actually behind it?

On the one hand, end customers such as BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Bilfinger, Clariant, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, Boehringer and Spiratec are involved, and on the other, manufacturers such as Siemens, ABB, Emerson, Honeywell, Rockwell, Schneider, Yokogawa and, of course, Wago. So there is a lot of market pressure, but also a great willingness to finalize the Dima or MTP methodology. Starting in January 2015, the manufacturers mentioned met in ZVEI working groups in cooperation with Namur to finalize the MTP description methodology as a core element of the Dima methodology. National and international standardization has started via another working group founded in 2016 within the VDI/VDE/GMA. Wago is currently implementing three prototype projects for end customers in order to demonstrate the handling of the methodology in practice.

In order to be able to create manufacturer-independent modules, all relevant elements must be clearly describable, i.e. the semantics must be standardized. Aren't there still a lot of work to be done in this respect?

The MTP was subdivided thematically within Namur and the ZVEI into the following areas: HMI and alarm management, process control, maintenance/servicing & diagnostics and safety. Initially, the focus of the work was on HMI, which Namur's working group 2.9.1 dealt with intensively. Here, the design and structure of the MTP were developed and defined with regard to the description of the visualization elements. This methodology was shown using demonstrators at the Namur Annual General Meeting 2016 and at the ZVEI joint stand at the Hannover Messe 2017.

As a rule, suppliers only invest extensively in the implementation of new technology concepts when they can no longer escape the pressure from users. Are you already feeling this pressure on a broad front?

The pressure from end customers and plant manufacturers is there and is clearly noticeable for us. We are currently visiting interested end customers - both from the process industry and the manufacturing industry - on an almost weekly basis and presenting the Dima/MTP methodology. In the manufacturing industry, the modularization of systems has long been a standard, but automation is often still implemented with a central control system in the form of a PLC.

Is the Dima concept now ready or what does the future roadmap look like?

The ZVEI working groups 2.6.1 'Maintenance/Diagnostics' and 2.3.1 'Process control' are still working on further specifications. However, depending on the complexity of the system and modules, projects can already be implemented with the existing status quo from November 2016. At Wago, we integrated the necessary functions, such as the status diagram for services and operating templates for process-related objects such as pumps and valves, into a prototype version of the 'e!Cockpit' engineering tool in 2017. It is now also possible to quickly generate an MTP from the program code at the touch of a button. The software control system from Copa-Data, for example, can already read MTPs. This allows us to implement our first projects.