News & Knowledge

We’re your source for automation news. Keep up with the latest industry updates and E Tech employee spotlights, as well as tips and guidance from our manufacturing experts.

Remedying Delays & Downtime for Global Leader in Logistics

A global courier was facing delays and fines caused by an aging system. E Tech Group performed a complete overhaul of the operational infrastructure and added on-call support, eliminating all delays post-implementation.

The Project: Perform a Complete Retrofit that Eliminates Errors

A global leader in logistics and courier services located at an airport hub was experiencing routine equipment failure as their SCADA environment would freeze, crash, stall, and disrupt operations on a nightly basis. In some situations, the IT team had to restart the server environment to get the system to function.

They and the airport sort packages overnight between 11pm – 5am. So as soon as the planes land, the packages need to be taken off the plane, trucked to the facility, sorted, and placed back on another plane. All this needed to be completed before 5am so that planes could take off before 6am. If the planes didn’t take off before then, it would disrupt commercial operations and they would be fined $100k per plane.

The old system causing delays combined with the large number of packages during peak season would routinely push them past that 6am deadline, resulting in hefty fines. They were hemorrhaging time, money and reputation by the day.

The Solution: Restructure, Update & Support an Aging System

Our team of automation integrators determined an overhaul of their operational infrastructure, and the addition of on-call support would be the best solution.

E Tech Group upgraded the server environment and the software, corrected major programming errors, and supported the SCADA environment. These combined solutions eliminated the delays and fines. Due to the large scale and volume of the facility, E Tech Group worked in tandem with the client to provide continued support around managing the servers, operation updates, and providing 24/7 on-call support.

The Results: Exactly Zero Delays Experienced Post-Implementation

Since implementing the 24/7 on-call emergency SCADA support, the client has never been delayed.

The client was so pleased with the success of this upgrade and support contract that they have asked E Tech Group to tailor and scale this custom process automation solution across multiple US and European sites.

LEARN ABOUT E TECH GROUP AS A MAIN AUTOMATION PARTNER

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Utilizing Ignition Platform to Provide Organization-Wide Access to Quality Data

E Tech Group helped Prima Frutta increase productivity by 50% without hiring extra personnel by using the Ignition platform, which allowed remote operation of the production line and real-time data access from any smart device.

The Project: Ignite Increased Productivity with the Right Automation Platform

Manufacturers are facing costly workforce challenges. Between the labor shortage and the costs associated with employee turnover, companies are finding it difficult to increase productivity on their current automation system designs.

Prima Frutta, a cherry packaging facility in Linden, California, was struggling to maintain its production levels, but did not have the scope to add a lot of extra personnel to reach those levels. E Tech Group was called to help overhaul their control system, and under a tight timeline.

The Solution: Divide & Conquer Material Handling Automation

This control system upgrade was divided into three phases:

Phase One: Project Planning and Documentation
- In the project’s first phase, the E Tech Group and Prima Frutta teams collaborated on planning, budgeting and documentation. They used CSIA methodologies and standards, created a detailed budget, and documented all OEM hardware into schematics that were approved before proceeding to Phase 2. This ensured the project remained on track and within budget.
Phase Two: Wireless Network Set-Up
- The E Tech Group team successfully established a wireless network, which enabled ten tablets to remotely operate the production line through the Ignition industrial application platform from Inductive Automation. Ignition was chosen because of its flexibility, affordability and fast setup. The applications can be entirely customized quickly and easily, and data can be accessed from any smart device, including tablets, desktops, or any other smart device to allow real-time data access from anywhere the user is located.

In this project, the tablets enabled a change in process flow from anywhere in the plant, providing full SCADA control, unlike a static location. The installation process of Ignition on the tablets was seamless and took less than two hours. The Ignition software also ran on more than 120 screens throughout the plant, providing real-time data and color-coded information to employees for quick and efficient reactions.

Phase Three: Development, Testing and Implementation
- E Tech Group used Prima Frutta’s existing server to develop modular software and PLC codes, allowing for quick deployment through component, template and user-defined type reuse.

The Result: Reaping the Fruits of a Well-Designed, Fully-Integrated Control System

The project resulted in a 50% increase in production with no additional personnel, helping Prima Frutta become the world’s largest cherry production line. The Ignition platform reduced downtime and enabled the facility to respond to changing conditions.

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Winery Begins Digital Transformation with Automated Brix Monitoring & IFM Integration

A leading California winery was facing manual sampling inefficiencies. E Tech Group implemented an IFM Integration project, achieving fully-automated in-tank brix monitoring with our IO link platform expertise.

The Project: Transition Manual Brix Monitoring to an Automated System

A California winery faced operational inefficiencies with manual wine sampling and turned to E Tech Group for an IFM integration project. The goal was a seamless transition to fully automated brix monitoring. Our proposed solution involved IO Link Masters for Modbus TCP data retrieval and two durable NEMA 4x stainless steel enclosures. The client chose to contract E Tech Group as their integration partner because of our proven expertise in IO Link Platform, and our proven track record of providing reliable process automation solutions.

The Solution: Leverage Expertise & Cooperation for a Custom Automation Solution

The project team partnered with IFM and a research university to verify the precision of a new pressure transmitter for accurate brix measurements. Our team worked with the winery’s maintenance team to secure space for control panels, and collaborated with Tanknet for the system integration. An IO Link Master was set up for communication through Modbus, leading to successful implementation of the automated brix monitoring system.

The Results: Process Automation Optimizes the Sampling Process

We successfully acquired brix measurements within the tanks and integrated Modbus IO Link Masters into the control system, meeting the client’s goals for automated brix monitoring. Our automation team’s expertise and collaboration resulted in a positive outcome, moving this leading winery forward into their digital transformation.

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| January 15, 2024

The Power of PI in Power Plants

The power industry is facing several challenges, including the need to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet elevated environmental regulations. With the available workforce decreasing and facilities looking toward digital transformation, investing in a platform capable of facilitating these requirements is almost a necessity. As these systems continue to become more and more technical, the need for a real-time data management software platform that can help power plants address these challenges is increasing exponentially. That’s where the AVEVA PI (formerly OSI PI) Historian can come into play. Capable of providing a central repository for plant data, enabling operators to monitor and analyze plant performance in real-time, AVEVA PI is able to positively influence critical decisions that may need to be made on the fly. This information can be used to identify and resolve operational issues, increase efficiency, and optimize plant operations. Benefits of AVEVA PI AVEVA PI’s advanced capabilities are a result of its origins. AVEVA acquired OSIsoft’s PI system when they acquired the company in 2021. They then combined OSI’s strengths: real-time data acquisition and analysis, with AVEVA’s strengths: engineering and operational software applications, to create an automation platform with improved visibility, decision-making, performance, and security. 3 big benefits this particularly dexterous PI historian has to offer: Increased Efficiency  With it becoming more difficult than ever to staff positions in this industry, and the power plant workforce projected to decline by 10% over the next ten years, increasing and improving efficiency is key in ensuring projected output. AVEVA PI Historian can help power plants improve efficiency by providing centralized, real-time insights into plant performance. This information can be used to identify and resolve operational issues, improve process control, and optimize asset utilization. Reduced Costs  You don’t know what you don’t know. At a glance, you may think everything is performing optimally, but there … Continued