Abstract: A control system for an industrial plant, where the control system includes an automation level, a management level and a control level hierarchically located below the management level and above the automation level. The control system also includes functional units situated in the control level and executing respective functions. The functional units receive input values and process these input values using the respective functions. The functional units are interlinkable as a function of technical problems to be solved. These functional units have a modular designed, each of the functional units including a configurable input area, a configurable functional area and a configurable output area. In addition, each of the functional units is connected to the management level, to the automation level and to another functional unit via data transfer media.