System Products

System Products

System products fill the space between individual field instruments and the higher-level control architecture, providing “solutions for the loop” such as recorders, data managers, signal conditioning, and device management tools. They consolidate measurement points, present values in an operationally useful format, and create persistent records that support troubleshooting, optimization, and compliance. 

Data managers and data loggers are core elements of this category. They are designed to organize process values, visualize them clearly, and log them securely while monitoring limits and supporting basic analysis. Units typically handle multiple analog and digital signal types, calculate derived values, and provide export or communication interfaces for reporting. Through common protocols, measured and calculated values can be transferred to higher-level systems and individual plant modules can be interconnected, enabling targeted modernization without a full control system replacement. 

The benefit is disciplined data capture with minimal engineering overhead. In continuous processes, long-term trending exposes drift and intermittent upsets; in batch operations, time-stamped records help confirm recipe execution and support investigations. Local alarming and limit monitoring provide a simple safety or quality backstop, and recorded data reduces reliance on manual logs and ad hoc spreadsheets while improving audit readiness.

System products also streamline device work in the field. Portable configurators support parameterization and lifecycle management across device types, shortening commissioning and turnaround tasks. When paired with digital documentation workflows, configuration outputs and reports can be stored centrally so that the “as-left” condition is available for future maintenance and audits.

Typical applications include packaged skids, pilot plants, utilities, retrofit projects, and areas where a local record is needed independent of the DCS—such as environmental monitoring, critical utilities, or quality-relevant unit operations. Selection balances I/O needs, required retention and reporting formats, display and alarm requirements, cybersecurity and access control, and integration effort with existing automation standards.

Engineered Equipment Company, a leading supplier of specialized industrial equipment.