News & Knowledge

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Providing Expertise for a Control System Evaluation

E Tech Group, being a trusted system integrator for this biotech client, was asked to consult on the analysis of their current control system and evaluate potential new platforms. Our automation team helped them bring an aging control system up to current needs with future growth in mind.

The Project: Determine the Scope & Execution of a Control System Upgrade

An American biotechnology company was dealing with an aging control system. The vintage installation of GE iFix, iBatch and CompactLogix were approaching end-of-life, making an upgrade essential for multiple locations in California. Understanding intervention by an automation company was necessary.

The client grappled with key questions such as: What is the best control system platform to meet their business needs? Do they upgrade their current system or install a new system altogether? The company approached E Tech Group with this problem, interested in learning about the different platform options and working with a control system integrator to make the right choice based on their needs.

For a project of this magnitude, creating a strong partnership between client and integrator was crucial. Fortunately, the E Tech Group automation team included seasoned engineers who have been through large-scale control system platform selection and conversion projects before and supported similar decisions for other clients.

The Solution: Evaluate, Collaborate, Integrate

E Tech Group went through a process of user requirements definition and user group meetings, assessing the company’s site and global needs. E Tech Group control system engineers participated in workshops with all stakeholders within the company:

Automation
Environmental Health &Safety
Facilities/Maintenance
Instrumentation
IT
Production/Manufacturing
Process Engineering/Development
Procurement/Finance
Quality
System Integration Partners

Based on experience in providing countless custom controls upgrades, the E Tech Group team challenged the client to think beyond basic requirements from a technical and business perspective. Engaging the team together in workshops enabled each group to learn about how others in the company would be using the system.

At the conclusion of the process, the control platform vendors considered were evaluated against the newly-defined requirements. E Tech Group worked with all of the internal stakeholders at the company to evaluate the options and assess how the different platforms could best support the business’ current and future needs.

Using a scoring system and working with the decision analysis team at the biotechnology company, E Tech Group supported efforts to develop financial and statistical models to help the client determine the best option from a financial and risk perspective.

After deep analysis and evaluation, it was unanimously decided that the proposed DeltaV control system would best help reduce the risk that obsolescence and instability will disrupt the supply of critical patient therapies, help enable agile expansion of future capacity through a thoughtfully-designed automation system, provide flexibility and self-sufficiency for production needs, and ensure delivery of quality product in a compliant manner.

The client and all stakeholders, having been provided with control system software options and educated on the pros and cons of each, reached a unanimous decision on the future platform for the site, landing with DeltaV.

The Result: Long-Term Plans for Long-Term Growth

Understanding what a large financial undertaking this would be, the client, the platform vendor, and E Tech Group continue to collaborate on a long-term roadmap to support the upgrade/conversion of the site to the new platform.

Learn more about our expertise with DeltaV control platforms.

| August 17, 2022

Case study: Redesign the process, then the control system

Author: Kevin Tom, E Tech Group lead automation engineer Pharmaceutical control system integration: Fixing a blind spot in the process design helped user requirements for a heat exchanger control system. A control system may not be able to fix a faulty process. Learning Objectives A system integrator was tasked with fixing a control system flaw for a pilot plant at a large pharmaceutical company. The integrator had to make several changes to the temperature control unit (TCU) to compensate for different variables with the liquid nitrogen flow. Thorough initial design and investigation helps prevent a scramble at the end of a project end to patch design holes. System Integration Insights System integrators are often the last people involved in an automation project, which gives them a unique perspective on operations. That perspective is a double-edged sword, though, and can be problematic if there are design flaws in the system. In this case study, the system integrator had to make several changes to the temperature control unit (TCU) to compensate for the liquid nitrogen flow, which resulted in a few challenges that had to be addressed. The adage of automation always coming last may well be true, but the system integrator can avoid some pitfalls if the initial design and investigation is thorough. A workable process design is the foundation for successful control system design. That can conflict with the timing of the old system integrator adage about new plant construction: “Automation always comes last.” It’s only after everything else is put in place that the system integrator can step in to install and test the control system, so they’re often the last member of the construction team. However, what happens when the system integrator encounters a conflict between the process design left to them and the practical operation of the … Continued

| August 12, 2022

E Tech Group Automation Engineer Shares Expertise on Control Engineering Magazine Webcast

E Tech Group Lead Automation Engineer, Kevin Tom shared his knowledge and expertise on Best Practices for Effective Automation Applications for Control Engineering Magazine‘s webcast on August 16th, 2022, where he discussed the nuances of control system applications. When Should a Process be Automated? Kevin explains the criteria that a company should consider when weighing whether or not to apply automation to a process: What is being made and how is it currently being produced? Consider tools, parts, mechanisms. What is the environment like? Consider space constraints, equipment, hazards. What is the labor pool like? Consider union/non-union, labor shortages, turnover. In considering automation, goals and constraints must also be hashed out: Are we trying to replace human labor with mechanized processes? Are we trying to scale up operations/increase throughput? What is the capital we have to/are willing to invest in this project and what is the necessary ROI? These questions are all addressed early on in a project’s inception, as stakeholders hold the keys to the budget needed for an automation project. However, control system engineers should also be consulted early on to give insight into the specifics of these questions, like cost, ROI, improvement caps. Applying Automation is as Much Planning as Execution Kevin Tom’s cohost points out that much of the time, the options are: automate or die. It may sound histrionic, but the labor shortage is a real and pervasive issue, especially when manufacturers are trying to scale. Increased production goals means hire more people. But there aren’t enough people to be found, and/or high turnover, and/or lack of qualified professionals, which all present labor bottlenecks. Automation is the best (and only) solution to avoiding the obstacles associated with labor shortages. However, it isn’t as simple as design-build-implement. For the transition to automation to run smoothly, the system first … Continued

| August 11, 2022

E Tech Group Director of Operations Featured on CSIA Podcast

A recent episode of CSIA’s podcast: Talking Industrial Automation, featured E Tech Group’s Director of Operations, Cassy Gardner. A decade of experience in engineering, sales and project management in the Life Sciences field has allowed Cassy to leverage her engineering and MBA degrees to help clients achieve their automation goals. On the podcast, Gardner discusses how she came into the field of automation, citing a professor who inspired her during her senior year and connected her to the automation professionals at Banks Integration, which later became a part of E Tech Group. Let’s look at some of the questions Cassy tackled in her podcast interview and her main talking points: Q: What kinds of trends and challenges are you seeing in industrial automation right now? Engineering labor shortages. Partners, clients, and other automation firms are having a really hard time filling positions with the right type of talent. Company visibility. We’re competing with giants like Apple and Google for the same talent, but are largely referred only by word of mouth within the automation industry. A lack of emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in recruitment practices. Q: What is DEI and why is it important? Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Another letter being added on is Belonging It’s about people from different backgrounds having equal opportunity to share their skills and perspective. This in turn improves design and engineering because you’re harnessing diverse points of view and skill sets. DEI measures improve the quality of a talent search. Diversity: having a wide array of perspectives and backgrounds Equity: fairness – being thoughtful in policies, procedures and vocabulary Inclusion & Belonging: going past people showing up – making sure people feel like they are a part of the organization/project/story Q: What do you mean by diversity? Engineering is a male-dominated field, … Continued