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Olive oil is a multibillion-dollar market. With a projected compound annual growth rate of 6.10% by 2028, producers must find ways to keep up or get left behind.[1] Challenges in the packaging process can impact the ability to scale operations and can affect many aspects of a company’s product line such as quality, safety, product professionalism, and maintenance costs. Deploying automation solutions can help with these challenges and better streamline operations. When one of the top 4 olive oil companies in California recognized the costly operational challenges of their manual packaging process, automation was key to help them remain competitive.
The olive oil company needed to modernize and expand their packaging process, with preservation of product quality and integrity as a top priority. The customer wanted a state-of-the-art, aseptic system that would integrate well with their other existing processing lines. Certified in Ignition, an industrial application platform from Inductive Automation, and having an extensive work history at the location, E Tech Group’s Technology Solutions Manager (TSM) came up with an innovative plan for the project’s success.
E Tech Group provided design schematics, built the control panels, developed the PLC, HMI, and SCADA programs, and commissioned a new Bag-in-Box line. The controls system included several communication layers managed by a single line control AB ControlLogix gateway. The Process Level (Level 0) was composed of AB PowerFlex 525 VFDs and IFM IO-Link master blocks on an EtherNet/IP DLR network. On the Basic Control Level (Level 1), the line control ControlLogix gateway communicated with all the PLCs from the OEM equipment. Leveraging the existing Ignition SCADA system, E Tech Group developed a special project for the packaging line and installed two industrial computer clients for local monitoring and control.
Using Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) methodology and best practices, our TSM coordinated with the client and the various OEM’s, keeping everything on schedule. E Tech Group has been a certified member of CSIA since 2012, which is a mark of excellence that demonstrates technical proficiency across ten key business management areas and commitment to executing the best methodology. Finally, with the ability to test and run the new system alongside the old, the olive oil company experienced no downtime or loss of production during the transition which resulted in a successful modernization of their packaging process.
[1] Geographic Scope and Forecast. (2021, August). Olive Oil Market Size and Forecast. Verified Market Research. https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/olive-oil-market/
Once wireless is considered strategic, a more comprehensive wireless technology plan is required to ensure there are standards for approved platforms, installation guidelines, security, and ongoing management and maintenance. Here are a few key questions for a company to ask and answer heading into development of their industrial wireless standards.
More industrial wireless best practices were provided by speakers from a Control Engineering webcast, “Exploring industrial wireless best practices.” Laurie Cavanaugh, business development manager, E Technologies, and Dean Fransen, Applied Intelligence, Wood, answered more industrial wireless audience questions below that were submitted but not answered in the one-hour July 8 webcast.
E Tech Group would like to congratulate several team members on recent promotion and new roles.
Virginia Bergman has been promoted to the newly created position of Director of Quality Operations. Andy Corsini, Tag McCormick, and Chris Treat have been promoted to the newly created position of Director of Operations.
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