Mass Engineering in SIMATIC PCS 7: Tool Evolution, Plant Automation Accelerator, and Best Practices

In SIMATIC PCS 7, mass engineering (bulk generation of charts from I/O schedules) has evolved across software generations: legacy Import/Export Assistant (IEA) handles tabular CSV parameterization; Advanced ES (AES) was discontinued in PCS 7 V8.2; and Siemens COMOS paired with Plant Automation Accelerator (PAA) serves as the modern standard. Best practice establishes Control Module Types (CMT) in the Master Data Library and executes bidirectional synchronization.

Mass Engineering Objectives and Industrial Scale

Modern industrial facilities (such as major oil refineries, pulp and paper complexes, or wastewater treatment facilities) contain thousands of physical I/O instruments and hundreds of recurring equipment patterns (pumps, block valves, control valves, transmitters).

Manually drawing individual Continuous Function Charts (CFC) for 1,500 motors and 800 control valves is economically unviable and introduces severe human error:
* Typographical errors in I/O addresses and tag names.
* Inconsistent alarm priority assignments across plant units.
* Excessive engineering hours spent performing repetitive tasks.

To achieve high efficiency, engineering teams deploy Mass Engineering (also known as Bulk Engineering). In SIMATIC PCS 7, mass engineering automates the generation, parameterization, and updating of hundreds of CFC charts directly from standardized instrumentation schedules or electrical spreadsheets.

Tool Evolution: IEA, Advanced ES, and Plant Automation Accelerator

Siemens has provided multiple generations of mass engineering tools across PCS 7 releases:

Import/Export Assistant (IEA - Classic Standard):
* Native, built-in feature of the SIMATIC PCS 7 Engineering System.
* Utilizes Process Tag Types (PTT) in the Master Data Library and text/CSV import files.
* Allows mass assignment of device names, I/O addresses, comments, and setpoints from Microsoft Excel.
Advanced ES (AES - Discontinued):
* Introduced in PCS 7 V8.0 as an add-on based on COMOS technology for tabular editing.
* Discontinued Notice: Advanced ES was officially discontinued as of PCS 7 V8.2 and is no longer supplied with media packages or supported in modern releases.
Modern Integrated Standard: Siemens COMOS & Plant Automation Accelerator (PAA):
* The contemporary Siemens standard across PCS 7 V8.2, V9.x, and beyond.
* Leverages Control Module Types (CMT), Equipment Modules (EM), and AutomationML (AML) data exchange.
* Provides complete bidirectional synchronization: changes made in electrical P&IDs flow automatically into PCS 7 HW Config and CFC, while field commissioning changes synchronize back into engineering documentation.

Step-by-Step Bulk Engineering Workflow Using Control Module Types

1. Establish Master Typicals in the Master Data Library

Open the Master Data Library (MDL) of your PCS 7 multiproject.
In the Plant View, create a Control Module Type (CMT) (e.g. CMT_Motor_Lean).
Place technological blocks (e.g. MotL, Pcs7DiIn, Pcs7DiOu).
In the CMT configuration table, designate which block pins are Configurable Attributes (e.g. PV_In.Value hardware address, FbkRun.Value, Command.Value).

2. Generate and Populate the Mass Data Exchange Sheet

If using Import/Export Assistant (IEA):
* Right-click the Process Tag Type and select Plant Hierarchy > Create Import/Export File....
* Open the generated .csv or tab-delimited text file in Microsoft Excel.
* Populate columns with field data: Tag Name, Unit Path, I/O Addresses (IW 512, QW 512), and High/Low Alarm Limits.
If using Plant Automation Accelerator (PAA):
* Import the plant instrumentation schedule directly into PAA.
* Map instrument types to CMT typicals in the PAA engineering tree.

3. Execute Mass Instantiation

In SIMATIC Manager, select Plant Hierarchy > Import Process Tags....
Select your completed Excel/CSV file.
The wizard validates addresses, detects duplicates, and automatically generates all corresponding CFC charts across the Plant Hierarchy.
Execute Chart > Compile > Entire Program with Generate module drivers enabled.

PCS 7 Mass Engineering Tools Comparison Matrix

Tool / TechnologySupported PCS 7 ReleasesUnderlying MechanismBidirectional Sync?Lifecycle StatusImport/Export Assistant (IEA)PCS 7 V6.x through V9.x+Process Tag Types (PTT) + CSVSemi-automated (Export/Import)Active Built-in FeatureSIMATIC PCS 7 Advanced ESPCS 7 V8.0 and V8.1 onlyCOMOS-lite runtime + ExcelYesDiscontinued in V8.2Plant Automation Accelerator (PAA)PCS 7 V8.2 through V9.x+Control Module Types (CMT) + AMLFull Bidirectional Live SyncCurrent Recommended StandardSiemens COMOSUniversal EnterpriseEnterprise Relational DatabaseFull Bidirectional Live SyncPremium Enterprise Standard

Verification

Prepare an IEA import file containing 50 motor tag definitions (PMP_001 to PMP_050).
Execute Import Process Tags in SIMATIC Manager.
Confirm the utility completes with 0 Errors, creating 50 new CFC charts in the Plant Hierarchy.
Open chart PMP_025; confirm that I/O addresses, block comments, and tag descriptors match the spreadsheet row.
Compile the Chart folder; confirm module drivers generate cleanly with 0 Errors.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

Avoid Advanced ES for New Projects: Do not design new mass engineering workflows around SIMATIC PCS 7 Advanced ES; software discontinuation prevents migration to PCS 7 V8.2 or V9.x.
Syntax Rigor in Spreadsheets: In CSV import files, ensure delimiter consistency (comma vs. semicolon) and eliminate illegal special characters in tag names (/, \, ?, *, ").
Licensing Requirements: The Import/Export Assistant is included in standard PCS 7 Engineering licenses, while PAA and COMOS require separate commercial software licenses.

Engineer FAQ

What is the difference between Process Tag Types (PTT) and Control Module Types (CMT)?

PTT is the legacy PCS 7 templating technology. CMT was introduced in PCS 7 V8.0 to support modular sub-components, optional blocks, and seamless integration with PAA and COMOS.

Can I modify an instantiated chart without breaking its link to the template?

Yes. With CMTs, instance-specific variations can be configured. When updating templates, the system updates common structural logic while preserving instance-specific parameter overrides.

Where can I find sample mass engineering templates?

Siemens provides sample mass engineering projects and Excel typical mapping sheets on Siemens Industry Online Support (SIOS) under application example entry ID 109737945.