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A cheese producer contacted E Tech Group as they were facing a bottleneck preventing expansions. The project team installed a new panel to house the ControlLogix PLC and associated communications modules to reduce downtime.
A cheese production facility had three PLC5s critical to daily operations at full capacity, creating a bottleneck for an expansion of ongoing reporting projects. Acknowledging there was an immediate need to remove the existing PLC5s for a ControlLogix replacement, they contacted E Tech Group to facilitate the control system upgrade. Having worked with the customer on a CIP automation project, and their intimate familiarity with the three PLC5s, our team was already up to speed and could act quickly.
The project team had to determine physical and communication connections. The challenge was the existence of multiple DeviceNet networks to existing MCCs with legacy VFDs. Additionally, IO was dispersed over many areas, in multiple panels requiring process knowledge of the core of the facility.
Working with the exact opposite of a fully-integrated automation system inside of a 12-hour timeline to completion would require a creative approach to converting and integrating the new controls.
To minimize the downtime necessary to implement the new control system, all PLC5 IO racks were retained in place and a custom control system panel was designed and installed to house the new Controllogix PLC and associated communications modules.
During onsite support, the project team was able to convert a PanelView Plus that had previously been overlooked to the updated application communications. Our automation team had 12 hours to complete the conversion, which involved taking over existing IO, doing point-to-point checks and validating the HMI. This timeline would allow the client to begin their CIP process before production the next day, with the new ControlLogix installed.
IO Lists were developed to help with commissions, and detailed DeviceNet networks were documented. The team also solved challenges from non-default DeviceNet Node configurations and transitioning RIO communications to remote racks.
The existing Wonderware Applications used for SCADA were updated by E Tech Group’s engineering team and communicated on the first attempt. The project team was able to meet and exceed the tight conversion schedule, with the customer beginning CIP sequences within 10 hours. Following these updates, the project team provided 48-hour continuous onsite support, available to assist with any immediate issues. With this project completed, the customer was able to benefit from the improved reporting, visualization and connectivity with the upgraded PLC system.
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A California winery faced challenges due to outdated controls, which caused downtime, expensive hardware replacement, and lack of maintenance knowledge. They hired E Tech Group to create a PLC and SCADA upgrade solution.
Outdated controls can pose many operational challenges. Companies that operate with outdated controls often experience frequent downtime, expensive or obsolete hardware replacement parts, or few personnel with the knowledge to perform maintenance on legacy systems. These challenges were faced by a long-running California winery that needed to modernize the controls for their red fermentation process. The winery needed to address how a control system upgrade would impact their operations and contracted E Tech Group to create a PLC and SCADA upgrade solution.
The first step was to create a well-documented project plan. E Tech Group analyzed the existing system design and detailed existing hardware components, software configurations and network connections. This step was crucial to have an accurate picture of their current control environment to mitigate production impacts during the implementation phase.
The project team upgraded hardware and reconfigured the customer’s existing Ignition SCADA automation software for seamless post-upgrade operations. The original red fermentation process was conformed with three areas: pump over area, continuous press area, and decanters area.
Previously, each area had their own PLC. The upgraded control system connected an Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC as the main controller, and remote IO was added to control the three areas into one. The system was programmed with ladder logic to the customer’s existing Ignition SCADA software, and seven new PanelView Plus HMIs were also programmed with FactoryTalk View ME as the client’s choice of visualization software.
The project team leveraged their PLC programming, Ignition SCADA software, and controls engineering expertise to resolve software compatibility issues, bugs in the programming code, and electrical connection challenges. E Tech Group’s automation team supported the project to resolve these challenges and performed extensive testing. With the PLC and SCADA upgrade complete, the client was able to improve the uptime of its red fermentation process and eliminate the key challenges of legacy system maintenance.
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When a prominent manufacturer wanted to observe and interact remotely with their production line in real-time, E Tech Group software developers brought their 3D game development expertise to deliver an innovative digital twin of the line. The twin mimics the behavior of its real-life counterpart in real time, visible in a 3D environment via web interface.
After the original equipment manufacturer left work unfinished, a specialty glass manufacturer reached out to E Tech Group for help. The project required KUKA robotics experience and units for inspection delivered within a tight timeline.
The decision of who to hire (and trust) for an automation project is critical. A quality partner will focus their knowledge, techniques, and skills to meet your project needs on-time with the highest-level of client communication and customer satisfaction. After an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) left work at a specialty glass manufacturer unfinished, the manufacturer needed to quickly pivot to a new robotics automation partner that could fully support their complex project within a tight timeline.
The E Tech Group team promptly identified the specialty glass manufacturer’s situation. The project required KUKA robotics experience to support automotive windshield applications and had additional complexities of delivering units for inspection. Challenges faced were a tight timeline and conferring with overseas decision-makers.
“At E Tech Group, we have a people-focused culture,” said an E Tech Group sales team representative. “That means purposefully building authentic relationships through empathy, understanding, and respect. We apply this people-focused culture from the first phone call with potential customers so we can learn about their challenges and diagnose how we can use our unique skills to be a successful partner.”
After identifying the specialty glass manufacturer’s situation, E Tech Group deployed their Senior Controls Engineer with advanced robots training to tackle the KUKA robot challenges on-site within the same week. He applied his expertise in advanced robotics to quickly learn the OEM’s code and KUKA software, as well as understand the pattern needed for the robot to function properly for the manufacturer’s automotive applications.
E Tech Group’s Senior Controls Engineer committed a week and a half of time on-site to resolve the robot’s functionality challenges. Dedicated to the success of the project, E Tech Group’s Senior Controls Engineer stayed into the later hours to provide support as needed and ensured the robot was functioning perfectly. The project timeline was met on-time and as promised for the KUKA robot to apply epoxy to windshield sensor units.
E Tech Group foresees more opportunities to support projects like this in the future based on the success of this project and its quick turnaround time with oversees decision makers. “This was an exciting opportunity for us to apply our experience. Our Senior Controls Engineer has worked all over the globe and we believe E Tech Group has value to offer beyond our domestic borders” said an E Tech Group representative. “The more we can grow organically with customers, the more we have to offer.”
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