Abstract: A common automation system for various partially interacting plant parts of a commercial-size, automatic industrial plant, and in particular, of a primary industrial plant such as a coke oven. The common automation system includes automation devices which carry out individual functions and which are connected by means of data lines to a master control unit and via the latter to one another. The automation devices are connected to one another via local data transmission units to exchange data directly, thereby defining automation groups individually capable of operating autonomously, according to the technological structure of the plant. The automation devices independently process the values from the plant and adjust, control, and regulate the plant components assigned to an automation group, distributed according to their programming based on the plant data supplied to them.