Process Control Remotely Accessed

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inprotec AG

Siemens AG Industry Sector

Remote Access for a Higher Degree of Versatility

Genthin and Leverkusen are a good four and a half hours’ drive apart. From there, it is another four and a half hours to the headquarters in Heitersheim. It is therefore no surprise that Dr. Andreas Baranyai, one of the board members of Inprotec, made a strong commitment in 2015 to the concept of remotely accessing the production facilities. Baranyai, responsible for production, technology and marketing, likes to be informed at all times about the status of the individual plants — despite the long distances involved. The ideal solution for remote access was found in the management platform for remote networks, Sinema Remote Connect from Siemens. “We were positively surprised at how lean the system is. We have installed one Scalance router into each facility as VPN client, and set up the Sinema Remote Connect server application here in Genthin,” explains Kirschner. “Within a very short period of time, I was able to configure and test the entire system with the help of the regional Siemens support.”

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Sinema Remote Connect manages the (VPN) tunnel connections between the server and the installed plants. Instead of establishing direct access to the plant network, the system employs a neutral control center: The user and the production plant to be maintained separately establish a connection to Sinema Remote Connect. By exchanging security certificates, the identities are checked there and only then is the remote access connection established.

The connection to Sinema Remote Connect can take place via mobile communications, DSL or within private network structures. The production facilities in Genthin and Leverkusen are each connected to the local Scalance S615 routers via internal ports. The routers establish the VPN connection to the server application via the external WAN port. The S615 routers with enhanced security functions are specifically designed for use in industrial automation environments, while also providing security functions from the office and IT worlds — such as a firewall or NAT. VPN standards such as Open VPN or IPsec with tap-proof and takeover-proof encryption up to 4,096 bits ensure the necessary data transmission security.

Secure remote access to the production facilities of all sites can now also be realized using mobile tablets with different operating systems — provided the user possesses the appropriate authorization level. “Dr. Baranyai is very often on business trips, but at the same time needs constant access to current process screens. With his in-depth technical and process knowledge, he immediately sees whether everything is running properly,” states Mr. Kirschner. “I use the remote access for configuring the process control, while the test supervisors in Heitersheim use it to track whether everything is OK in the laboratory in Lever­kusen. And all of this can be implemented without the time and costs of having physically to go there.”

Conclusion: With this remote access solution, Inprotec not only saves valuable time and reduces the impact on the environment, but also benefits from flexible access options to plant data. In conjunction with the advantages of the cross-plant standardization for configuration, operation and diagnosis with the Simatic PCS 7 process control system, Inprotec is in an excellent position for future contract manufacturing orders.

* U. Scheller is Promotor Process Control, S. Grosser is Sales Specialist Communication & Identification, Siemens AG, Leipzig/Germany.

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