When production plants envision the future

How intelligent control solutions are transforming the process industry

Imagine a chemical plant with the ability to foresee the future – not just seconds, but hours ahead. Such a facility could proactively detect process deviations, anticipate critical pressure limits in a reactor or predict declining product quality. It would then immediately initiate adjustments. In the process industry, where operational parameters dictate success or failure, this level of predictability is paramount. This vision is no longer science fiction. It’s becoming a reality thanks to an innovation that is transforming chemical plants, refineries, and pharmaceutical production facilities.

The art of predictive control

Dr. Bernd-Markus Pfeiffer of Siemens, recognized as Inventor of the Year 2025 in the “Lifetime Achievement” category, is a driving force behind this transformation. He champions a data-driven system that continuously calculates dozens of future scenarios, identifying the optimal path for seamless and efficient operations in real-time. This represents a radical paradigm shift for the entire process industry: proactive control replacing mere reaction.

Many of Pfeiffer’s innovations contribute to model predictive control (MPC). Its principle is akin to a chess player who strategizes not just the next move, but the next ten. Unlike traditional control systems that react to deviations, MPC “thinks” differently: It simulates the future development of product quality, temperature, pressure and flow over the coming hours, intervening before problems even emerge.

The distinction is clear: A traditionally controlled process resembles a driver constantly alternating between acceleration and braking. An MPC-driven process, however, navigates smoothly, intelligently anticipating and utilizing traffic light changes before the light turns red.

Digital twins – virtual replicas of real plants – form the bedrock of Pfeiffer’s predictive control. They provide process models that enable MPC to simulate future developments and facilitate safe, optimized operations.

When data speaks volumes

Control performance analytics (CPA) serves as a complementary tool. While MPC simulates, holistically optimizes and proactively manages the core processes of a production plant, CPA continuously analyzes the performance of hundreds of existing conventional control loops in basic automation. It highlights areas ripe for optimization, identifies patterns invisible to the human eye and pinpoints suboptimal control loops. This allows operating personnel to precisely focus their attention on specific control loops with potential for improvement.

“This is predictive plant operation in its finest form,” explains Pfeiffer. “You’re no longer forced to react only when it’s already too late.” This innovation fundamentally shifts the approach from maintenance to prevention, from crisis management to strategic resilience.

Beyond the factory gates

The next frontier is already in sight: integrating internal process data with external information. After all, no chemical plant operates in isolation. The vision for the future includes systems that merge internal process optimization with external data feeds, such as weather forecasts, raw material and sales market trends, and load predictions. This creates a process plant that not only optimizes itself, but also anticipates and stabilizes its entire supply chain – a truly data-driven, predictive and resilient operation.

The green advantage

A predictively controlled plant operates more smoothly, consumes less energy and generates less waste. In the energy-intensive process industry, even marginal efficiency gains of a few percentage points translate into significant megawatt-scale energy savings.

Pfeiffer considers this synergy between technological innovation and ecological responsibility to be the most crucial aspect of his work. Across large-scale facilities, these optimizations collectively contribute immensely to decarbonization efforts.

Resilience as a future imperative

In an increasingly unpredictable world, predictive control is becoming a strategic necessity. Companies investing in it today are not just creating more efficient processes; they are building fundamental resilience. They transform uncertainty into calculable scenarios and volatility into a competitive advantage.

Dr. Bernd-Markus Pfeiffer with his colleague Dr. Lena Lohner

This new paradigm of process control transcends mere technical solutions. It represents a new mindset: proactive instead of reactive, interconnected instead of isolated, resilient instead of fragile. It’s a production philosophy that leverages data intelligence to forge a new era of industrial sovereignty, equipping our customers for the challenges of the future.