Factory Automation vs. Process Automation Differences Explained

Last updated on February 7th, 2025 at 08:12 pm

At first glance, the differences between factory automation vs. process automation may appear subtle. After all, they both are classified under the broader rubric of industrial automation, and each system leverages automation technologies and incorporates it into production processes. However, there are fundamental differences between the two. Where one system uses automation to operate machines that manufacture objects, the other uses automation to control the processes that operate systems that manage tangible assets. Sound confusing? It’s really not. Here’s what differentiates the two:

Factory Automation

Factory automation is a holistic industrial process that utilizes technologies that automate tasks, processes and production designed to increase manufacturing output and maximize efficiency at reduced costs.

In factory automation, products are manufactured, assembled, packaged, machined, etc. Control systems employ computer software to program equipment and machinery to perform manufacturing tasks historically performed manually.

The control systems automatically operate industrial equipment with a significantly lower level of operator involvement. In this regard, increased automation also increases plant safety. As automation is inherently designed to reduce human interaction with equipment and machines, it also reduces and, in some cases, eliminates past risks associated with manually operating and handling dangerous equipment or the risks associated with labor in hazardous environments.

Flexible vs. Fixed Automation

Factory automation systems generally consist of feedback loops and sensory programs that adjust automatically to operating conditions in real time. Though many processes are applied to automate such systems, it is done under one of three categories of automation: fixed, programmable, and flexible.

Fixed automation, rigid or hard automation, dedicates automated equipment and machinery to execute repetitive tasks. It is considered inflexible in that once a fixed automation process is set up it cannot accommodate any other configuration for manufacturing other products. The equipment cannot be reconfigured or modified to perform other operational tasks. Fixed automation is a good option for high-volume production of particular parts or components used in assembly, such as those parts required by the automotive industry.

Programmable automation and flexible automation each offer flexible automation solutions for manufacturers. Programmable systems are ideal for batch quantities of medium volume or, when cost-effective, in low or high-volume runs. Controls can be reprogrammed or new ones written to alter automated processing tasks and sequences of production. Still, equipment such as industrial robots must be reconfigured to perform such tasks with each changeover.

Flexible automation, or soft automation as it is often referred to, offers manufacturers flexible solutions similar to programmable automation. The prime difference between the two is the flexible automation’s big advantage in product changeovers, which are reprogrammed through the control system only, without reconfiguration of equipment in between batches. the variations in product design are flexible and there is no downtime in production between batches such as with CNC machine applications.

Process Automation

The commonality of all factory automation processes are in the manufacturing of objects. On the other hand, process automation is used to automate industrial control applications that operate factories, plants and facilities, such as electric power plants, chemical plants, oil refineries, paper and pulp factories, cement factories, mining or mill operations, and the like. Process automation applications continuously monitor and control analog and digital measurements, using software specifically designed for controls of systems in a factory or plant and to automate monitoring tasks once done by people.

In process automation, a network interconnects controllers, sensors, actuators, valves, operator terminals and other hardware to regulate such process variables as temperature, flow, pressure, vibration, speed, switches and the like. The system uses open and closed control loop feedback systems, such as Cascade control loops, PID (proportional integral derivative) controllers and feedforward controls to monitor and to control process variables.

In process automation applications, sensors distributed throughout the plant collect data on temperatures, pressures, flows, and so on, automatically monitoring performance values and the quality of outputs and determining the best settings to run the production equipment. The information is stored and quantified for continual analysis to ensure operational efficiency and safe operating conditions. Any deviation in operation settings are automatically adjusted to achieve the optimum production.

Contact the Automation Experts at EAM

Both factory automation and process automation are technologies in industrial automation. Factory automation relates to the manufacturing of objects assembled, machined, printed or packaged. Process automation involves sensors, actuators, computer technology and software engineering to monitor and manage plants and factories related to industries that produce end products. Often, end products that provide the power, fuel, lubrication, or source material for those objects are manufactured through factory automation. For more information about factory automation vs. process automation, contact the experts at EAM today.