E Tech Group Senior Project Manager, Cassy Gardner was a panelist for the ISPE San Francisco first-ever Food Science Technology event. The diverse set of panelists dove into all things Food Science and Technology; covering topics from the perspectives of Design and Construction professionals to the views of frontiers within Food Technology companies. About ISPE: The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering The ISPE is a non-profit that aims to advance all sectors and stages of pharmaceutical engineering by providing research and automation professionals with educational, technological and networking resources. ISPE was founded in 1980 by professionals addressing the need for an organization that focused on practical applications of pharmaceutical science for technical professionals. The San Francisco Bay chapter has been a particularly active and prolific ISPE member since its founding in 1991. About E Tech Group: A Leading Nationwide Control System Integrator E Tech Group has deep domain expertise in the food and beverage industry, including automation for alternative proteins, recipe, batching, continuous production, and more. Coupled with our extensive experience in pharmaceutical automation, we are poised for the future of automation in food science technology and industrial food production. Thank you Cassy and all those involved with the event for sharing your knowledge and insight on the industry!
Our partner, Wynright, kept experiencing motor failures on hydraulic lift tables in their distribution centers. They asked that we get involved to help to pinpoint the exact issue causing $160K a month in failed motors and hours of downtime. E Tech Group harness our expertise in material handling automation to diagnose and remedy this expensive issue. Dysfunction: Overloaded Lift Table Motors During the process review with the customer and distribution center associates, it was determined that the failures were likely due to excessive cycling of the on/off state of the motor. The cycling was a direct result of the hard contact of a foot switch provided to the line associates to raise the lift table. Diagnosis: A Miscommunication Between Human & Machine In a normal working position, the associate would stand with one foot on the switch and the normal shift of weight as packages are moved across the worker’s position would cause incidental switching of the motor. Some instances indicated that in an effort to perfectly position the lift table, the worker would feather start/stop operation exacerbating the situation. Treatment: Implement a Better Translational Tool To remedy this, initially a VFD based solution was recommended. But we felt a solution with a delay timer that negates the signal from the foot pedal for a short time, stopping the on/off signals would provide a better, more long-term resolution to their issue. Stewart Brinkoeter, our fabrication manager, partnered with our Ohio team to finalize and implement this solution in one facility for a test run. Prognosis: An Elegant Solution to a Widespread Problem Just an hour and a half of downtime and less than a third the cost of a new motor, the table was functioning flawlessly and the associate working with the test unit did not discern any loss of functionality. Because of its success, … Continued
Congratulations to our Principal Engineer, Matt Martin, and Senior Project Manager, Tony O’Deay on earning their PI System Infrastructure Specialist Certifications.To complete the PI System Infrastructure Specialist certification an individual must have one year of experience configuring the PI system, complete a set of training modules, and pass a 50-question final exam. The certifications show our company has trained and is experienced with PI System. E Tech Group is committed to providing expert service and support for the PI system. Thank you, Matt and Tony, for pushing yourselves and sharing this expertise to E Tech Group and our clients!
Challenge
Olive oil production relies on robust storage systems. Storage systems that have inadequate controls against light, heat, and oxygen exposure can compromise the freshness of olive oil products and result in considerable production loss for olive oil manufacturers. To combat this, olive oil companies commonly use temperature controlled and light-protected stainless steel tanks to safely store the olive oil until it’s ready to be bottled. Any mismatch in storage capacity to olive oil production presents a manufacturing bottleneck and loss of profits. For one of the largest olive oil producers in California, the ability to scale their business relied on a robust storage system to expand their olive oil processing capabilities. Industry partner Barnum Mechanical Inc. teamed up with E Tech Group to support the company’s storage system needs.
Solution
With the desire to expand their olive oil production, the customer needed a new storage tank farm with greater capacity. The project team assessed existing equipment, current system requirements, and collaborated with various stakeholders to best plan the storage tank system, keeping safety, maintenance processes, and future expansion capabilities top-of-mind. The team interfaced Rockwell Automation ControlLogix PLCs with Wonderware software to support a high-performance control platform with intuitive process visualization. An ifm Actuator Sensor Interface (AS-i) networking solution was designed and integrated in the PLC to simplify wiring efforts with various storage system sensors and save significant time during the installation process, notably as an alternative to conventional point-to-point wiring. Additionally, at the time of this project, it was believed that the team created the largest AS-i network in North America given the extensive networking applications needed for the customer’s large industrial environment.
The team also integrated a Clean-In Place (CIP) system in the controls engineering design to better support production uptime, product quality, employee safety, and cost-effective maintenance. The CIP system provided an automated method to clean interior surfaces of the process equipment without having to disassemble the system for future cleanings. The CIP system was integrated with all storage tanks and transfers to each tank from the olive oil extraction process.
Result
The project and process were a complete success. The customer was able to sufficiently store their increased production of olive oil and then some. The project team was thrilled to have the opportunity to support the new storage tank system and optimize their process environment with a CIP system. With the greater storage capacity, the customer was able expand their product into new geographies and gain greater market share.
