ABB's System 800xA represents a fundamentally different philosophy from traditional DCS platforms. Rather than being purely a process controller, 800xA is an integrated operations platform that unifies DCS, safety systems, electrical management, and asset management under a single engineering and operations workspace.
The Extended Automation Concept
Traditional automation architecture requires separate systems for process control, safety instrumented systems (SIS), electrical control, and SCADA monitoring. 800xA collapses these into a single environment.