History and curiosities about iFIX, passing through FIX, DMACS and BOS

iFIX today has thousands of applications in Italy, especially on what are considered critical infrastructures and in highly regulated sectors: the history of our SCADA is long and full of satisfactions for us and for our customers.

Especially in the pharmaceutical sector, the GE Digital platform (once Intellution) has demonstrated that it possesses all those characteristics that make it a reference product in a sector where best practices and regulations impose very high standards.

So here is a brief history of how "the FIX" has evolved following the needs of the Pharma world: a heartfelt thanks to Maurizio Volonghi who, fishing from memory (and from the archives...) has fished out this very interesting testimony...enjoy reading!

• At first it was FIX (contraction of FICS): Fully Integrated Control System. One of the first PC-based HMI/SCADA released on the market from 1983-1984.
  It ran on MS-DOS, but it wasn't born as a multitasking OS. The developers of The FIX had therefore developed a pre-emptive Multitasking shell, which could support up to twenty tasks active at the same time (e.g. SAC, ALM, View, HTC, etc.)
• DMACS extension: Distributed Manufacturing Automation Control System. It was the evolution of The FIX, born (first on the market) in a distributed configuration in 1989. In the first versions, during installation, a sw layer was required for network management. To be disabled (but left active) even if used in a stand-alone application.
• FIX DMACS was still born in DOS, but soon after (in 1991-2) a 2-16bit OS/32 version came out (it was the PC OS, developed by IBM as an alternative to MS Windows), then in 1993-4 it arrives the version for the first versions of Windows (then 16 Bit). In the first half of the 90s FIX DMACS was also available for VMS, OS for VAX, powerful computers of DEC /Digital Equipment Corporation, then merged into Compaq and finally entered into HP.
• FIX BOS: Batch Operation System. Released in the early 90's, first in OS/2 then in Windows.

In 1995 it arrived FIX Hawaii (with a completely redone GUI GUI). Then followed FIX32, (when Windows NT became "really" 32bit).

Finally iFix, as we know it today.

The platform originated from Intellution, founded in 1981 by Steve Rubin, with Alpin (Al) Chisholm among the partners. Intellution, or "Intelligent Solution", also suffered a lawsuit brought by Intel, for plagiarism of the name. Cause that then had no follow-up. Intellution was acquired by Emerson in 1995 (for approximately $100M at the time). Emerson then traded it to GE-Digital in 2001.

We like ServiTecno we began distributing and supporting this software in 1985-1986.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing

An advantage for factory automation: the integration of the process with the information system

by Maurizio Volonghi

Contents

The model presented in this article represents the keystone for linking the factory information system to the production process, proposing an alternative (possibly more effective) to similar existing systems. The proposed model is based on the use of software
FIXBOS standard, developed by INTELLUTION LTD. It operates according to the international standards ISA S88.01 and harmonizes with the necessary "validation" requirements, in compliance with the client/server architecture.

Roche SpA (at the time) was building a new factory, whose most innovative characteristics, in addition to the use of automated systems with a high quality standard, concern precisely the integration of the company information system with the production process. Thanks to this "dialogue" it was possible to reduce non-productive times, increasing the safety of use and the quality of the product obtained.

The project of the new production site involved all the functions of the company for a substantial reorganization: it was in fact necessary to rationalize the various activities involved in the manufacturing process. In fact, the use of automation requires the modification of sometimes consolidated procedures, involving all operators (from technicians to workers) in an "updating" of behavior which is much easier if they share the objectives and methods of the new project.

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