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Major SCADA & PLC Upgrade Increases Uptime, Lowers Maintenance Costs for Rice Milling Company
A rice milling company needed a new PLC in a truncated timeline. Automation Group, an E Tech Group Company’s team inventoried equipment and upgraded the facility’s automation system to Ignition SCADA software, setting the client up to meet goals and be prepared for growth.
The Project: Upgrade a Facility’s Control System in 2 Days with No Downtime
A rice milling company was facing operational constraints of a legacy SCADA system. The system was costly to maintain, and the control system design caused frequent communication problems between different production areas.
The client needed a new PLC program to be installed within a 48-hour timeframe to minimize production impacts, and the existing SCADA system needed to remain operational during the migration to Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform.
The client contracted Automation Group, an E Tech Group Company as their choice system integrator given their advanced expertise in system migration and the successful execution of projects at the client’s other facilities.
The Challenge: Tread Softly with Time & Operation Constraints
An obsolete PLC controlled their rice finishing line.
An obsolete SCADA automation application controlled the entire facility.
The client had a strict 48-hour timeline to the upgrade implementation.
The new SCADA needed to be implemented without disrupting the existing one.
The new SCADA needed to be able to work alongside the legacy control system.
E Tech Group’s team knew this diverse set of obstacles would affect the course of the project, end-to-end. Our control system integrators had to find a creative way to work quickly without sacrificing our detailed approach or the quality of the upgraded automation system.
The Solution: Modular Migration Solves Everything
The project team created a site inventory of the customer’s existing PLCs, network, computers, and applications. The project included upgrades to servers, computers, and network switches in collaboration with the customer’s IT department, the upgrade to Ignition SCADA software across six applications with approximately 500 screens, and the upgrade to two ControlLogix PLC chassis.
The SCADA upgrade was completed in several phases and each application was upgraded individually. This helped minimize impacts on the customer’s production efforts and enabled the legacy and new SCADA applications to run simultaneously so the customer’s personnel could learn the new SCADA software.
The Results: Short-Term Success for Long-Term Growth
This approach to updating the facility’s control system allowed the client to improve operations and network communications at once while giving their operators time to learn the new system before getting rid of the old. Automation Group, an E Tech Group Company leverages this distinct diverse, multidisciplinary engineering approach to create intelligent automation solutions for the customer’s long-term success and the opportunity to support their operations in the years to come.
The talented automation engineers at our most recent acquisition, Automation Group, an E Tech Group Company, managed this particularly tricky project. For more information on this system upgrade, visit their website for the complete case study.
Upgrading a QBMS while Enhancing Existing Functionality
Unsupported OSs forced a client to upgrade their automation system to avoid failures. E Tech Group developed and integrated a creative solution that delivered the desired functionality between previously incompatible software and hardware components.
The Project: Update a Building-Wide Control System to Avoid Imminent Issues
A client had a QBMS (Qualified Building Management System) operating on an antiquated version of iFix and was running on an outdated OS (operating system). At a certain point, they would no longer be able to update either, preventing them from getting the most out of these systems and leaving them with an unsupported OS and HMI system.
The potential of increased downtime in the event of a failure eventually proved more costly than upgrading the entire building management system. Knowing it was only a matter of time before they would start encountering issues that could jeopardize the system’s operation and reliability, they knew it was time to work proactively.
After evaluating their options, they moved to update and upgrade the QBMS while at the same time enhancing and expanding its capabilities from monitoring building parameters (i.e. temperature, room differential pressures) and independent equipment (i.e. freezers, refrigerators, lab incubators) to monitoring production equipment and centralizing the historical data collection of all equipment at the facility.
The Challenge: Overcome Compatibility Issues & Add Functionality on a Tight Turnaround
Our team is always up for a challenge, and this project presented no shortage of them. The client was set on a PlantPAx 5.0 platform for their new QBMS. As a Rockwell Automation Gold System Integrator, our engineers have extensive experience with the Rockwell PlantPAx 5.0 building automation system, which proves a top performer in both turnkey control system builds as well as partial upgrades like this one.
But having to complete a partial upgrade in an existing system still requires a bit more analysis and research than starting from scratch. And try as you might to ensure as few potential hurdles as possible are overlooked and unrecognized once the work is underway, some can be out of your hands and unavoidable.
Our team encountered two significant challenges during the project:
1. The client selected the PlantPAx 5.0 architecture, however, some of the equipment to be displayed and monitored was not PlantPAx 5.0 based. Certain pieces of equipment didn’t even provide the data from a PLC, but instead from an OPC server which presented its own set of compatibility issues.
2. The equipment and production areas being monitored by the existing QBMS would only be able to be down for a very short time (preferably less than one working day) to perform the cutover from the old system to the new system.
It was critical to strategically plan the necessary downtime to implement the updates to their control system so we could minimize disruption to their daily operations.
The Solution: A Slow & Steady Approach Results in Methodical & Efficient Execution
To solve the non-PlantPAx 5.0 equipment problem, a PlantPAx 5.0-based PLC was set up to read the data from the equipment and the data from the OPC server was read by an OPC client which was then transmitted to the PlantPAx 5.0 PLC. This PlantPAx 5.0 PLC was then used to display the information on the HMI and from which the Historian gathered its data.
To migrate the systems from the old QBMS to the new PlantPAx 5.0 QBMS, a combined philosophy of modularity and “you can’t do everything at once” was employed. Trying to disconnect, reconnect, and validate all the I/O points from the control panels would take days.
Ultimately, the work would be done one panel at a time, one day at a time. The team converted and tested only one control system panelper day because that made the number of points being converted completed in manageable pieces, reduced the number of issues that needed to be monitored manually at one time, and limited the downtime of systems not being converted.
The Results: Immediate Improvements and Increased Compatibility
This QBMS migration was a labor of love, and the perfect example of how even partial control system upgrades can transform a facility’s operations via better industrial data management and analysis, logistical control, network communications, production quality and throughput, and more. This client now has the resources to continue enhancing their facility’s capabilities without having to face a complete rebuild.
E Tech Group supports clients with a distinct approach to control system integration, including everything from pharmaceutical automation to alternative meat production, chemicals, biologics, and more. Our creative, methodical and communicative strategy to control system design provides clients with advanced, user-friendly automation systems that prove beneficial in the present and future as they continue to grow.
When a major food manufacturer needed an automation system integrator to design and fabricate six UL 508A custom control panels for their new production line, E Tech Group rose to the challenge, and in record time.
The Project: Fabricate Six Custom Control Panels on a Tight Timeline
A major food manufacturer needed a trusted control system integrator to design and fabricate six control panels for their new production line. They chose E Tech Group because of our expertise in building UL 508A control panels, including custom panel design, as well as our ability to source hard-to-find parts, and ability to create alternative solutions to meet tight project deadlines without compromising system quality.
The client required swift project execution and a customized automation solution that included 6 UL 508A control panels. E Tech Group was able to streamline the panel build process by leveraging E Tech Group’s proven project management methodology. E Tech Group rose to the challenge, constructing six UL508A control panels with speed, quality, and engineering integrity to support the customer’s new production line.
The Solution: Collaborate Closely with the Client from Start to Finish
A main challenge was to ensure the project remained on schedule due to long lead items to PLC components, such as safety PLC modules, VFDs, and other components necessary for this integrated control system solution. Our automation engineering team leveraged our efficient panel build process and AG5 project methodology to create a viable solution for the customer across five key phases:
Phase 1 – Collaborate, Plan & Prepare
Following a technical Q&A with the customer and creating a bill of materials, E Tech Group’s project manager collaborated internally with their purchasing department to review project materials and potential long lead items. Long lead items were ordered to ensure the project timeline was not impacted.
Step 2 – Design the Panels & Source the Parts
Next, E Tech Group’s engineering team created the control panel design, defining the system requirements, developing a device and I/O list, and creating the panel schematics. Every detail had to be considered and carefully planned to support proper functionality when the control panels were later assembled.
Our engineers and drafting team approved the control panel design with engineering leadership as part of our own internal quality control procedures before the panel design was submitted for client approval. E Tech Group’s purchasing department then ordered all automation hardware to support the multiple control panel builds.
When supply chain issues were identified, we quickly informed the project team of unavailable materials to discuss possible alternatives with the client. E Tech Group’s project manager and engineering team worked closely with the client to create a viable food and beverage automation solution with compatible alternatives. The team then regrouped internally to source those alternative hardware options with the purchasing department.
E Tech Group understands that the collaboration and design stages are key to the success of the next phase of a project – building the control panels. Attention to detail and quality control measures lead to faster and higher-quality project outcomes, which is why the first two phases act as a foundation to deploying a well-executed control system solution.
Phase 3 – Fabricating the UL 508A Control Panels
Once the schematics were completed and the components were received, E Tech Group began building the control panels at their large-scale panel shop in Modesto, California. The panel shop team assembled the six control panels to the customer’s specifications and to comply with UL 508A standards. The panels integrated CompactLogix 5380 Controllers with POINT I/O Safety I/O Modules, PowerFlex 525 AC drives, and Panel View Graphic Terminals for visualization.
Phase 4 – Testing the Assembled Control Panels
E Tech Group’s control panel shop team carefully evaluated each aspect of the assembly process to ensure it complied with safety requirements and functions as intended. The panel shop team performed several evaluations, including point-to-point testing, and produced documentation for the client of how the control panels were built in collaboration with E Tech Group’s drafting team.
Phase 5 – Deploying the Panels to the Client
With the control panels thoroughly tested and validated for complete functionality, E Tech Group prepared and shipped the control panels to the client’s site for installation.
The Results: An Advanced Automation Solution Delivered Ahead of Schedule
E Tech Group’s multidisciplinary team showcased exceptional results in this project execution, completing the project 4 weeks ahead of schedule. Through seamless collaboration and leveraging diverse expertise, our team achieved high-speed project completion, avoiding supply chain disruptions by sourcing alternative automation hardware without compromising control system or panel quality.
Our control system integration team’s coordinated efforts expedited the timelines, resulting in significant time and cost savings for the client. The emphasis on maintaining high standards throughout the project lifecycle ensured the delivery of quality solutions, ultimately leaving the client highly satisfied with the outcomes achieved for their new production line.
Data is an ever-present and growing benchmark in all industries. However, sometimes it may feel like it’s cloaked in mystery. There’s often a question of, why is collecting process data important? You then start to go down the rabbit hole trying to answer…..How do you get data out of your equipment? How do you decide what to collect? After assessing the previous questions, how do you test, and if necessary, validate that all of that data is being collected as expected? Understanding a holistic approach to data collection and validation from an AVEVA PI Historian System can help provide a high-level, big picture understanding to the importance of process data. With more than 10 years’ experience as a group engineering manager, Matt Martin has a depth of experience with integrating AVEVA PI Systems within sites of various sizes – here’s what I’ve learned: Why is the Importance of Data Increasing? The “why” question is the easiest one to answer. Everyone can agree that in the era of modern manufacturing, extracting data from your manufacturing processes is critical to a business’s success and ability to grow. This includes every level of production and management: Provides the operator at the plant floor level the ability to adjust and better control the manufacturing process on the fly Allows engineers better insight into trends and behaviors of the overall process to improve designs from both a throughput and efficiency standpoint Produces KPIs (key performance indicators) for managers and executives to assist in their decision making Having large representative data sets is becoming even more important with the advent of AI and more specifically machine learning. Allowing these technologies access to your systems data helps identify patterns, overall system behavior, and correlations that were previously near impossible for the human eye to uncover. Now, How … Continued
