Control and information systems, like any new investment, have to be considered with a clear business benefit in mind. These can be tangible, such as cost savings or output increases; or less tangible, such as quality improvements or improved business efficiency arising from better management information.
Costs can be reduced by cutting waste and also by avoiding downtime: both planned for changeovers and unplanned for breakdowns. For example, it is possible to optimize the performance of a plant with scheduling systems that avoid unnecessary downtime, or with data historians that identify bottlenecks or the most frequent causes of breakdowns.
Achieving better quality is all about producing greater consistency. Although this is clearly important, it is often difficult to quantify the benefit in terms of improved customer satisfaction - although once greater consistency is achieved the process can be driven nearer to its nominal operating parameters, with the possibilities of reducing material usage, waste and manning levels.