What are Industrial Processes?
Industrial processes are systematic activities within an industrial environment through which raw materials, energy or data are converted into products, semi-finished goods or services. These processes are often (semi-)automatically controlled by technical installations and digital systems such as PLCs, SCADA platforms or DCS.
Industrial processes are at the heart of sectors such as:
- Production (e.g. automotive, food, pharmaceuticals)
- Energy (e.g. power plants, wind farms)
- Water (e.g. drinking water production, wastewater treatment)
- Transport and logistics
- Chemicals and petrochemicals
🔧 Types of industrial processes
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Batch process | Production in delimited quantities (e.g. medicines, beer) |
| Continuous process | Uninterrupted processing (e.g. refining, power generation) |
| Discrete production | Assembly of components into a finished product (e.g. cars) |
| Infrastructure processes | Processes in water, traffic, energy supply |
🧠 Characteristics of industrial processes
- Automation via Sensors, Actuators, Setpoints and control systems
- Control by PLC, DCS or RTUs
- Monitoring via HMIs and SCADA systems
- Data storage in Historians for analysis and optimisation
- High demands on availability, safety and predictability
🏭 Example: wastewater treatment
A typical industrial process at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP):
- Sensors measure oxygen, pH and turbidity of the water
- PLC drives aeration, pumps and mixers
- SCADA displays status to operators and generates alarms
- MES reports on performance and energy consumption
- ERP processes maintenance scheduling and resource consumption
🔐 Cybersecurity in industrial processes
Industrial processes are increasingly digitally connected to IT systems, making them vulnerable to:
- Ransomware or malware attacks on control systems
- Unauthorised access to Remote IO or Setpoints
- Vulnerabilities in fieldbuses such as Modbus, ProfiNET or OPC UA
For this reason, measures such as Defense in Depth, the Zone and Conduits model and SIEM are deployed to secure these processes.
📌 In summary
Industrial processes form the heart of production and infrastructure systems, and rely on accurate control, automation and security. Insight into these processes is essential for both operational success and digital safety.