PLM Interoperability: when ArchiMate meets ISA-95 manufacturing standard (updated 20-05-2019)

If you like this post, don't hesitate to share and to validate my skills and to consult the research articles indicated on my profile, in particular "PLM standards modelling for enterprise interoperability: A manufacturing case study between ERP and MES information exchange business scenario based on ISA 95 standard"

Introduction

In order analysing a PLM standard and defining how it can be used in the enterprise information system in order creating added value, the Standard Interoperability PLM (SIP) project adopted the approach developed within IMAGINE , which consists in modelling the standards using the ArchiMate language. It allows representing the standards through the various architects and operational managers' viewpoints, and to ensure the accuracy with the motivation of the enterprises. It was done in 2017 using ArchiMate 2. Today, within a more operational context as application architect supporting Engineering, the question comes again concerning the advantage of using ISA 95 model blueprints in ArchiMate 3, in particular when considering the extended enterprise. In this article, I first describe ISA 95, as one of the standard component of virtual manufacturing. I then present the SIP blueprint produced within the frame of the Standard Interoperability PLM project (SIP). I then present how such a blueprint can take advantage of a new feature of ArchiMate 3: the relation between a model element and a relation, applied to the flow between business functions and business object. What can be the added value?

The Enterprise-control system integration standard

ANSI/ISA-95 (more commonly referred as ISA-95 ) is an international standard, produced by the International Society of Automation , and aiming at developing an automated interface between enterprise (Enterprise Resources Planning systems) and control systems (Manufacturing Execution systems).

This standard has been developed for global manufacturers, in order to be applied in all industries and for all sorts of processes - batch processes, continuous and repetitive processes, etc.

ISA-95 aims at providing a foundation terminology for supplier and manufacturer communications, associated an information models and associated transactions.

The ISO/IEC 62264 standard is the international standard corresponding to ISA-95.

It has been referenced as a key standard for the factory of the future initiatives. It is part of the Reference Architecture Model Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), as illustrated by the following figure.

It is also referenced and positioned on the NIST Manufacturing standards landscape model of reference.

"Smart Manufacturing Isn’t So Smart Without Standards" ( Simon Frechette, KC Morris, and Yan Lu from NIST)

SIP ArchiMate blueprints for ISA95

The proposed methodology has been defined through the different research projects and papers which are referenced on my Linkedin profile.

The following video illustrates how Archi was used in order producing and using the ISA 95 blueprint.

Standards should be smart, i.e. it should be possible to assess them through interoperability testing.

The developed approach by SIP, and based on Dynamic Manufacturing Network blueprints is very promising. It is illustrated on the following article and many associated research papers.

The high level functions map with information flow provided as a drawing in ISA95 part 1 was represented this way with ArchiMate 2.

ISA 95 functional model captured with ArchiMate 2 and EA

The next chapter describes the changes made when using ArchiMate 3 and the value it brings.

Introducing usage of a new feature of ArchiMate 4

As previously stated, the new feature is the link between a relationship and another model element. Considering the previous model, it was not possible to associate a flow and the conveyed information captured as an ArchiMate Business Object, except by providing to the flow the name of the conveyed object. But the link was not explicit. It can now be done using the new feature. The resulting model using this feature is the following one.

It provides similar advantage than using SysML as described in the article Equivalent IDEF0 and SysML models, using the flow UML construct with formally associated conveyed object. The difference is that the link is not typed and that it is needed, using a name or tagged value with some agreed convention, to indicate that the link is about conveyed information.

ISA 95 functional model captured with ArchiMate 3 and EA

Let's note that making the exercise with EA, and in order to be able to export it in Archi, I discover an issue with EA import/export using the open ArchiMate Model Exchange Format, described in ArchiMate and Interoperability: what are the potential issues you could have?

In terms of enterprise architecture modelling, the advantage is that it allows to link views related to the informational viewpoint and views capturing the Business functions in order to derived data flows between Applications and artefact flows between software systems and machines. The same kind of link can be used for qualifying data and artefact flows, using different naming and tagging conventions (e.g. Data flow and Artefact flow). I've to admit that I should have prefer the terminology defined by STEP for Manufacturing Data exchange and sharing, i.e. usage of knowledge (Business layer), Information (Application Layer) and Data (Technical Layer). But let's rely on ArchiMate terminology.

Conclusion

When dealing with PLM interoperability and governance of PLM standards, it was identified with ArchiMate 2 that producing blueprints representing the content of the PLM standards, like ISA95, was of a real interest for preparing, building and testing PLM interoperability, encompassing the emerging needs of virtual manufacturing.

With the ArchiMate 3 feature allowing to link a relation with an object, it is possible to capture flows of data, artefacts and business objects a more convenient way, with a better consistency of produced models, as illustrated with ISA 95 high level functions/information flows description.

Now, it should be applied for reshaping the blueprint templates and ArchiMate models produced in my previous research activity, for an updated set of modelling capabilities allowing to deal with interoperability within the Extended Enterprise. Let's follow.

And you? What do you think about using ArchiMate for producing blueprint model components derived from manufacturing data standards such as ISA 95? Any experience and feedback to share?