News & Knowledge

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| October 5, 2021

E Tech Group’s Life Sciences East Division is CSIA Certified for the Eighth Consecutive Time

E Tech Group is part of an elite group of system integrators achieving the highest level of certification in the Control System Integrator Association’s Certification program and the first to pass its eighth consecutive certification audit as required every three years. Seabrook, NH – October 5, 2021 – E Tech Group, a leading 3-decades-old control system integrator of custom industrial automation and IT solutions with 400+ engineers across the country, today announced the company has successfully renewed its Control Systems Integrators Association (CSIA) Certification. CSIA Certified control system integrators must pass an intensive audit every three years to demonstrate that they meet stringent performance standards. Jose M. Rivera, CEO of the CSIA said, “Congratulations to [E Tech Group] for their successful CSIA re-certification. They lead the pack as the only system integrator with eight consecutive certification rounds to date. I congratulate [E Tech Group] for their leadership and for having made the CSIA Best Practices part of their company culture. Keep it up! By supporting the CSIA Certification program [E Tech Group] is not only advancing their company, they are also elevating the playing field for the entire control systems integration community.” Qualifications of Elite Control System Integrators The intensive CSIA audit process is conducted by an independent third-party consulting firm measuring criteria in general management, financial management, project management, quality management, technical management, human resources, and business development. CSIA Certification ultimately provides benefits to end-users of automation technology by ensuring CSIA Certified control system integrators are financially healthy companies capable of completing projects in a professional and technically sound manner. In addition to being eight-time certified by CSIA, E Tech Group has passed over sixty quality management and validation audits and is both a Rockwell Automation Solution Partner and Siemens Automation Solution Partner. In June of 2020, E Tech Group announced the company had also qualified as an OSI Soft Solution Partner. Some of E Tech Group’s specialized expertise is in the biotech and life sciences industries. The company specializes in complex FDA validated automation systems. We offer coast-to-coast capabilities with multiple locations in the biotech and life science hubs of New England and California. E Tech Group’s 400+ engineers at 18 … Continued

Increased Flexibility & Better Quality for Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

| October 4, 2021

How to Perform a Risk Assessment

– By Tony Schalk, Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland), Automation Systems Engineer, E Technologies Sophisticated companies know that safety is a journey, not a destination. It is a part of their strategic and ongoing growth. As more and more companies look to implement safety programs, questions about budget, time, effort, and feasibility come into play. Larger companies may already employ a safety engineer or even a safety team, with well-established metrics and objectives each year. If you don’t fall into that category, don’t be discouraged. The most important thing you can do on any journey is to start. To begin your safety journey, you start with a risk assessment. In the United States, when an accident originates from machinery, the owner of the machine is responsible for the safety, not just the manufacturer of the machine. This means that if something happens, it’s technically your responsibility. If that doesn’t scare you, it should. The beauty of the risk assessment is that it is your education on what could happen with the machinery in your facility. What you choose to do with your newfound knowledge is up to you; however, in the immortal words of G.I. Joe, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” There are a few caveats. Although companies could self-perform their risk assessments, it isn’t a job that just anyone in your plant can do. A TÜV certification is needed, as well as an understanding of ISO 13849 or IEC 62061 standards. Anyone could pick up the standard and follow the process, but it’s hard to implement a standard and its many details if you’re new to safety. This is where having a safety professional can be very beneficial for efficiency’s sake. He or she can walk into a situation and quickly identify what needs to … Continued

Returning a Roll Coater Paint Line to Maximum Profitability

Our automation engineers expanded line capabilities and upgraded to state-of-the-art Siemens digital drive systems to support a leading steel company.

Project: Bring Existing Automation Tech Back Up to Specs

A leading steel company hired E Tech Group to expand their line’s capabilities to begin production of light gage steel, as well as increase throughput on existing operations by upgrading an existing roll coater paint line to return it to the OEM specs of 1600 fpm.

Solution: Evaluate and Optimize the Automated Equipment’s Capabilities

To accomplish this, E Tech group conducted an equipment audit to determine the failure rate and root causes, and conducted a tension study to determine the equipment’s limitations. This data was then used to improve the tension control on the line by monitoring tower operations and load cell closed loop tension regulators, then tuning them accordingly.

Our engineers also analyzed cable conduit versus using remote I/O, performed a safety study and implemented the study’s recommendations, and performed startup and commissioning services of the plant.

Results: Unmatched Line Speed, Way Less Downtime

This successful project installed a state-of-the-art Siemens digital drive system with new PLC, operator stations, and HMI. The result was a 33% increase in line speed; the line was returned to the maximum OEM-spec speed of 1600 fpm from 1200 fpm prior to the upgrade. Another result of the upgrade was a 50% reduction in electrical downtime. With the hardware and software installation complete, E Tech Group expanded the line’s capabilities to include the production of light gage steel.

As one the nation’s leading control system integrators, E Tech Group is a multifaceted automation company offering the best in process automation solutions to manufacturers across industries. E Tech Group has experience in the metals, chemical, machine building/OEM, pharmaceutical industries, and more. Our turnkey factory integration services provide clients with robust, cutting-edge control systems that adapt, scale and optimize your processes.

Learn More About E Tech Group’s Building Automation Services

Implementation of an FDA-Compliant Biologics Process Control System

E Tech Group’s process control solutions included a manufacturing execution system for FDA-compliant data collection and reporting, as well as a building management system and other vendor-supplied control systems.

Project: Turnkey Factory Automation for a Biologics Client

E Tech Group implemented a $1.8M process control system (PCS) for the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) state-of-the-art facility in Mattapan, MA. The MBL facility performs cell culture and purification of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) and filling of licensed and R&D stage liquid parenteral (injectable) products that cannot be terminally sterilized. The monoclonal antibody production centers around cell culture and purification.

Solution: Build a Custom, Fully-Integrated Automation System

E Tech Group installed a PLC- and SCADA-based PCS system utilizing redundant Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5550 processors with 1756 series I/O, 1794 Flex Series I/O, Festo solenoid blocks, and Mettler Toledo scale indicators. The I/O is distributed between 13 control panels which are interconnected with DeviceNet and ControlNet I/O networks. The PCS communicates approximately 400 data points over Ethernet to the various equipment vendor-supplied systems.

The PCS consists of a SCADA/Historian fault-tolerant server, manufacturing execution system (MES) fault tolerant server, web reporting server, 11 portable client workstations, 7 fixed client workstations, and 2 engineering workstations. The 11 portable workstations contain wireless Ethernet capability and are mounted on a portable cart with an onboard battery and barcode scanner.

The following software packages were used as part of the PCS system:

SCADA – GE/Proficy iFix
Historian – GE/Proficy Historian
Data Analysis – GE/Proficy Real Time Information Portal
Reporting – Crystal Reports
Manufacturing Execution System – Elan XFP, Oracle database
Alarm/Event Storage – SQL Server

The following equipment is located in the MAb production area:

Buffer preparation tank
Portable pH adjustment tank
55L, 500L, and 2500L bioreactors
Portable Q-eluate tank
Harvest tank
Portable nanofiltration tank
Chromatography skid
Final bulk tank
Ultrafiltration / diafiltration skid
Fill / finish production
Vial washer, parts washer, and autoclave
Depyrogenation tunnel and filling line
Labeling and packaging equipment

The following utility systems are located in the MPL Mattapan Facility:

Water for injection (WFI) pre-treatment / soft water generation
Acid day tank
WFI still, and hot WFI storage tank
Caustic day tank
Compressed air generation
Clean in place (CIP) skid
Chilled process glycol generation
Clean steam generation
Hot process glycol generation and distribution

Results: An Efficient, Compliant, Comprehensive Plant-Wide Control System

Our engineers implemented a PCS to control process and cleaning steps for the buffer preparation tank, harvest tank, pH adjustment tank, Q-eluate tank, and nanofiltration tank through hardwired I/O. The PCS coordinates CIP operations with the CIP skid, controls CIP and WFI distribution, and interfaces with the various equipment vendor-supplied systems over Ethernet. The PCS stores alarms and process data from the skids and hardwired I/O.

The PCS provides a MES that includes material tracking, equipment management, barcode recognition and creation, and electronic work instructions (EWI) for execution of process steps in the MBL facility. Operators use barcode scanners to verify and record raw materials, semi-finished goods, finished goods, and equipment that is created and/or used in the MBL facility.

The system also consists of a number of equipment vendor-supplied control systems and a building management system (BMS). The PCS provides supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), batch execution, electronic work instructions, material tracking, equipment management, barcode recognition and creation, historical data collection, and reporting. All data collection is in accordance with 21 CFR Part 11.

With deep domain expertise in the life sciences and biopharma industry, E Tech Group creates process automation solutions that keep you compliant with R&D, production, and quality control regulations while retaining the ability to scale and adapt in this ever-changing industry. Improve processes and reduce costs with strategic, robust building automation.

Provides a MES that includes material tracking, equipment management, barcode recognition and creation, and electronic work instructions (EWI) for execution of process steps in the MBL facility. Operators use barcode scanners to verify and record raw materials, semi-finished goods, finished goods, and equipment that is created and/or used in the MBL facility.

Learn More About E Tech Group’s Life Science Capabilities