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E Tech Group announces the immediate renaming of E-Volve Systems to E Tech Group, following their strategic acquisition on February 23, 2023, emphasizing a unified vision, expanded services, and enhanced client and market value through this integration. E Tech Group, a leader in providing high-quality automation, control, and engineering services for industrial clients and Gold Certified Rockwell Automation Partner, today announced that the brand formerly known as E-Volve Systems has now been renamed as E Tech Group. Effective immediately, the brand formerly known as E-Volve Systems will operate under the name E Tech Group, unifying the two entities under one market-leading brand. The transition to the new name will be seamless for clients and partners. All existing commitments remain in place, ensuring continuity and stability. “We’ve gained the ability to market and deliver large-scale projects that may not have been available to us before the acquisition due to our size,” said Kevin Stout, previous E-Volve Systems founder and president and current vice president at E Tech Group. “We’ve also gained a tremendous network of team members whose skillsets seem limitless.” E Tech Group’s acquisition of E-Volve Systems was finalized on February 23, 2023. This strategic move allowed E Tech Group to significantly expand its range of services, thereby enhancing the overall value offered to its clients. The acquisition was a step towards integrating complementary strengths, consolidating market presence, and fostering innovation in service delivery. “The name change at this time is a formality as E-Volve Systems has been a part of the E Tech Group since late February 2023,” said Matt Wise, Chief Executive Officer of E Tech Group. “Their contributions have positioned E Tech Group to elevate its service offerings and reach with the added benefit of resources located throughout North America as well as a broader suite of … Continued
This article was written by Matt Smith, E Tech Group Network Engineer, and originally appeared on Automation World. Click here to view it. An IT/OT assessment is an inventory of all operations technology assets that are necessary for production. This assessment provides the foundation for ensuring your equipment is connected, secured, monitored, working efficiently, and running up-to-date firmware. Because so much equipment on a production floor runs different types and versions of software and firmware, it is common for engineering managers to lack a full understanding of the state of the equipment currently in operation. They may have limited knowledge of all devices’ ages and stages in their lifecycle, the version of the firmware being run, and how to connect the device to their larger network. Sometimes even the physical whereabouts of certain operations technology (OT) assets is unclear. With this uncertainty, it is difficult to measure and suggest meaningful improvements for overall production line efficiency. It is also challenging to determine areas of high cybersecurity exposure and risk. As a result, capital planning becomes a murky task, lacking the required data to make fully informed decisions on the best areas of investment. To get a handle on this kind of disjointed environment, the first step to take is to complete a full accounting of all equipment in operation using automated and onsite data collection methods. This is referred to as an IT/OT assessment. Documenting assets In an IT/OT assessment, each piece of equipment is evaluated to obtain information such as: Firmware revision is currently in operation. IP address. Network location. Communication across the network. Frequency of packet errors. General performance compared to expected performance. Once collected, this data can be used to make fully informed, rather than speculative planning decisions. Recommendations can then be given for how best to move forward with problem area … Continued
Rockwell Automation Solutions Improve Spice Company’s Production Capabilities
When a major spice producer decided it was time to convert key manual processes to automation in order to improve efficiency, E Tech Group leveraged Rockwell Automation solutions that supported increased throughput and cost reductions.
The Project: Design a Custom Automation System for a Spice Supplier
A supplier of culinary spices needed to automate their receiving and washing areas to improve efficiency and visibility. The existing manual approach caused bottlenecks and hindered production potential, making automation crucial for optimizing processes, streamlining workflows and gaining the ability to scale.
The Solution: Utilize Rockwell Automation Technology for Seamless Transition
E Tech Group used a range of Rockwell Automation hardware and technologies to align with the customer’s objectives, resulting in a more streamlined and responsive control system. They also upgraded the hot wash hardware using a suite of Rockwell Automation components, improving efficiency, reliability, and safety. Rockwell Automation’s Studio 5000 v33 and Factory Talk View Studio Machine Edition provided a user-friendly control system interface for the spice supplier.
The Results: A Cost-Effective Automation Solution with Real-Time ROI
Our automation and engineering firm provided dedicated support to the project, which resulted in increased throughput and reduced production costs. The expected return on investment will materialize in three years, showcasing the cost-effectiveness of the Rockwell-based automation solution. This transformation optimized operations and paved the way for future improvements, highlighting the effectiveness of our collaboration and Rockwell Automation’s process control solutions.
E Tech Group’s system integration expertise resolved complex integration challenges for a major food distributor, fostering trust and future collaborations with the customer.
Challenge
Challenges in complex projects are inevitable, but the dedication to overcome challenges is what sets exceptional system integration firms apart. This case study highlights how E Tech Group, stepped in when another company was unable to fully execute a project. The case study underscores how E Tech Group’s exceptional capabilities not only remedied the situation but also earned the trust of the client to support three additional projects to-date.
The client, a major food distributor, needed to integrate a conveyor system with their pocket filler, vacuum filler, and steamer. Delays in the system deployment resulted from understaffed control support, incomplete project aspects, and equipment transfers from another facility. Plus, new conveyors had been installed by a different controls integrator. The client sought E Tech Group’s help to create a clear project outline and overcome the project challenges.
Solution
E Tech Group staffed the project with highly skilled engineers with expertise in canning lines and control strategy. First, the project team examined the state of the production line to determine what needed to be finished. They discovered that the current contractors involved were facing too many challenges with the conveyors before the system could become operational and the project deployment lacked direction because of this.
E Tech Group’s engineers presented a 30 itemed punch list to the startup team which became the central punch list for the project. E Tech Group met with plant technicians to determine how the existing OEM equipment interlocks to the conveyor system and met with OEM experts to have a firm understanding of the pocket filler design. The conveyor company later left the site without completing their controls, which caused E Tech Group to create a controls strategy that integrated the conveyor system with the existing pocket filer, vacuum filler, and seamer. The project team corrected electrical issues, standardized the programming between each OEM equipment and conveyor system, and tested the system’s functionality including the customer’s existing Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLCs and PanelView Plus HMIs.
Results
By promptly tackling issues and implementing effective solutions, E Tech Group restored the project’s trajectory within weeks. The team’s expertise not only conquered challenges but also built client trust, leading the customer to engage E Tech Group for three additional projects to-date. E Tech Group rose to the occasion with system integration expertise and dedication, helping the client reach their goals and supporting positive project outcomes.
