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The article focuses on the ARC Advisory Group's 23rd annual Industry Forum that explored the relative merits of integrated vs. non-integrated safety systems in an increasingly connected world. It mentions that each user set up a checklist of all the attributes needed from the safety system; and also mentions the demand for data and increased connectivity increases cyber risk.

The article discusses that conversations around automation and safety have focused largely on logic solvers and instrumentation. It mentions that safety automation has always centered around the automation involving process-connected devices; and also mentions that analytics already play a growing role in process safety, but not just directly related to the control systems.

The article reviews the roundtable discussion at the 2017 ARC Industry Forum in Orlando on the changing responsibilities and skillsets in the operational technology space. Topics discussed include strategies to address skilled labor challenges, cyber security threat to process control staff, and chemical engineering graduates as the best resource for process control engineering roles.

The article suggests that improvements in processing power, network technologies and software will allow more value for end users in the near future by changing how process controllers are implemented. The author says that cloud computing does not provide the determinism or speed needed by most Level 2 control applications.

The article offers information on impact of wireless control systems used for manufacturing process control in chemical industry. Topics discussed include overview on older control systems of manufacturing units, analysis on fieldbus technology of digital communication and utility of wireless data communication systems in chemical industries. It also mentions about applications of proportional-integral-derivative controller (PID) controlling algorithm patented by FieldComm Group.