In this decade new tools for operation technology developments will make it possible for the chemical industry to go into an environment of totally automated processes that are operated with a minimum of operator intervention at optimal process conditions. This technology will be based on fundamental process models and will have capabilities for control design, instrumentation design, process modelling, process optimization and the development of operation procedures, the major developments needed will be discussed in this paper. Those who want to play a major role in this field will have to accept the strategy that these tools will interface to commercial modelling environments and should also cover the total control and operational technology field.