// ROBOTICS AND SMART FACTORIES TERM
Process Engineering
Process engineering involves designing, operating, controlling, and optimizing industrial processes to transform raw materials into finished products efficiently and safely.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Process engineering is a discipline focused on the design, analysis, optimization, and control of physical, chemical, and biological processes, utilizing principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and mass transfer to convert raw materials into valuable products in industries like chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processing.
BACKGROUND
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high-tech, but it is most commonly applied to industrial design, in which raw materials from the primary sector are transformed into finished goods on a large scale. Such goods may be sold to other manufacturers for the production of other more complex products, or distributed via the tertiary sector to end users and consumers.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Chemical engineering
- industrial process design
- operations engineering
- process optimization
USAGE NOTE
Process engineers often use simulation software to model and improve manufacturing workflows.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Process Engineering.
Develops the Digital Enterprise Suite, including the TIA Portal and MindSphere IoT platform, which enables the creation of comprehensive digital twins to simulate, diagnose, and optimize entire production processes.
Provides industrial automation and information solutions through its FactoryTalk software suite and Allen-Bradley hardware, focusing on process control, manufacturing execution systems (MES), and data analytics to optimize production workflows.
Offers a wide range of process automation technologies, including robotics and the ABB Ability™ platform, which integrates control systems (like System 800xA) and software to improve the efficiency and safety of industrial processes.
Specializes in process automation with its Plantweb digital ecosystem and DeltaV distributed control system (DCS), providing tools for advanced process control, monitoring, and predictive maintenance.
Develops the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, with applications like DELMIA for modeling, simulating, and optimizing global production processes. This enables virtual process planning and validation before physical implementation.
A division of Honeywell that delivers automation control systems, instrumentation, and advanced software, such as the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), to manage and optimize complex industrial operations.
Creates the EcoStruxure platform, an IoT-enabled architecture that provides real-time control and operational intelligence to optimize process efficiency, safety, and sustainability in industrial plants.
A leading provider of asset optimization software, including process simulation tools like Aspen HYSYS and Aspen Plus, that enables engineers to design, analyze, and improve manufacturing processes through advanced modeling.