by Mark Noseworthy, Group Engineering Manager I was recently working at a client and made some DeltaV code changes on the Development system to a composite1 used in a control module. One of the code changes involved adding an Alias2 reference out to a different control module to obtain some information running in that other module concurrently. Once it was all configured and tested, the code was downloaded successfully to the Production system, and I didn’t think any more on it. Fast forward a few months, and a colleague is modifying the same code for a different project. He was experiencing some odd behavior in the code that he couldn’t explain. He pulled in the client and me to look at it, and none of us could figure out what was happening. The phase that was running on the unit module that contained the control module with the composite that we had both updated would not run successfully the first time through the code, but if manually manipulated, the phase would run as expected subsequent to that first pass through the logic. We troubleshot the issue by first reinstalling the code without my colleague’s changes, assuming that would fix things. It did not. We were flummoxed. Since my colleague’s logic needed to be used in Production, the client indicated that it was acceptable to put on the Production system, attributing the odd behavior as a Development system issue. Upon doing this there were no issues running in Production. Although grateful, we were doubly flummoxed now. Clearly the issue lies in the Development system, but where? Trying to Uncover the Mystery Flaw in the Control System Further investigation discovered a yellow question mark (which generally means some sort of error) on a CALC (calculation) block that was definitely not there when the initial code was verified. This also happens to … Continued
“The best jobs we’ve had are the ones that have everyone involved up front, sitting down together at the beginning to discuss the project. Operations folks should also be engaged before the project starts. Get champions identified earlier on.” Craig Cooper, Engineering Account Manager, and Jason Phelps, Project Manager, recently authored a in a blog post for Automation World on the psychology of change and how to best prepare when taking on a project upgrade: Here’s a scenario—we’re contacted by a company to help them with a system upgrade. The client wants a system upgraded with Ethernet, databases, historians, etc. We provide a proposal, and upper-level engineering love it. Then, the project kicks off. But the boots-on-the-ground operations people hate it. They spend much of the project execution trying to make the new system exactly like it was before. Throughout this process, we try to coax the operations folks to see our way is better, and to show them why it’s better and how it will help them. It feels like a constant sales presentation. This results in a lot of rework, because we want to make them happy. And then as they adjust, they go back and forth on changes. Sound familiar? Often when companies approach an upgrade project, they go straight into the technology, functional requirements, and business needs. These are all very important considerations, but an important piece of the puzzle is missing: the psychology of the change itself and how best to manage it. To an operations team with production goals and other metrics to meet every shift, change is not exactly embraced with open arms. Change can mean adaptation (which takes time that they think they don’t have), it can be scary (even the best ideas can be poorly executed with catastrophic results, and they’ve probably seen … Continued
Vacaville, California – March 14 – E Tech Group, one of the largest industrial automation firms in the United States, announced today the promotion of Stan Reyna to Vice President of Life Sciences. Reyna has over 17 years of experience with E Tech Group, where he served in various roles including Director of Operations for Banks Integration, an E Tech Group Company. He was appointed to the role by previous Vice President Gary Powell. Powell was promoted last month to Senior Vice President of Operations. “Stan’s long tenure with our company has given him deep experience in the needs of our clients and, most importantly, our own team members,” said Powell. “His strategic thinking, strong work ethic and technical capabilities make him a great resource and leader for our west coast team.” Powell and Reyna are working together on transition through the end of March, when Reyna will officially assume the role. “During all the years I have worked at Banks / E Tech Group, I saw how our former founder Greg Banks and later our Senior Vice President Gary Powell have empowered and invested in our employees to do magical things,” said Reyna. “Their leadership helped us to provide creative solutions to complex Life Science automation challenges and ultimately helping our customers save lives and manage diseases. This is the same inspiration that continue to drive me today, and I aim to impart that same leadership and support to our team in my new role.” About E Tech Group: Excellence in Automation Founded in 1993, E Tech Group, Inc. is one of the largest independent industrial automation system integrators in North America, with offices coast to coast and a combined staff of 400+ specializing in industrial automation, information systems, Business Intelligence (BI), machine safety, machine and process modeling, and … Continued
Challenge
Communication is an essential tool for operational efficiency. Poor communication across manufacturing departments and their control technology can result in production downtime, inferior product quality, unhappy customers, and ultimately the loss of focus as an industry leader. After all, a company’s expertise is their product and generally not control system communications. When one of the world’s largest almond processing companies became unsatisfied with their legacy SCADA system and its limited report capacity, E Tech Group was called to action to support the conversion to a new SCADA system.
Solution
The almond processing company determined Ignition, an industrial application platform from Inductive Automation, was the best platform to standardize their supervisory control and data acquisition across multiple locations. As a Premier Ignition System Integrator, E Tech Group applied their expertise in Ignition implementation to streamline the conversion process and support post-conversion operations. “Complex system upgrades call for advanced expertise. Partnering with a system integrator well-versed in Ignition is essential to drive successful results and a well-executed project”, says Xavier Tristan, Controls Engineer at E Tech Group.
While migrating to the new system, the E Tech Group team resolved network-related challenges and prioritized a user-friendly software design. The team developed screens on the new Ignition platform to closely resemble the company’s legacy system for operator ease and comfort. The goal was to reduce the learning-curve for their client’s workforce as they adopt to the new SCADA system. This enabled the company to enhance their workforce efficiency post-conversion with greater data communications and minimal training costs.
Results
Within a four-month timeframe, the E Tech Group team successfully converted the almond processing company’s legacy SCADA system to Ignition. The new platform equipped the company with enhanced visualization and reporting capabilities to make the right decisions at the right time. This means improved cross-functional efficiency, greater quality assurance, and reduced downtime —all with a more reliable, easier to manage system.
