Challenge
Production health is a synergy between availability, performance, and quality. Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is the gold standard to measure these metrics and can help identify early signs of production issues with modern software solutions. This was the challenge for a leading supplier of almond products who needed to find a better way to monitor the real-time efficiency of their lines as well as record production line problems as they occurred. The almond supplier also wanted to own this data and not rely on outside data hosting resources since these often limit extensive data archives. E Tech Group was engaged to upgrade the almond supplier’s performance monitoring system given their experience with the platform, OEE, and database structures.
Solution
The almond supplier requested E Tech Group convert their existing production system to Ignition, an industrial application platform from Inductive Automation, to standardize their SCADA architecture due to its scalability and intuitive design features. The customer requested the project be expedited within a very tight timeline and E Tech Group was ready to put boots on the ground.
E Tech Group provided connection programing to ensure assets were properly tracked in the Allen-Bradley PLCs using Studio 5000 Logix Designer in addition to the Ignition system using the Perspective module. This supported the customer’s ability to have a personalized visualization system that could monitor, control, and record their industrial applications in real-time across any mobile device.
The E Tech Group team set up a database that could effectively log information in an organized manner and enabled seamless data extraction. This structure was difficult to develop from scratch due the high-level of efficiency desired when querying the data. The E Tech Group team engaged their Ignition specialists to configure and connect the SQL database structure with Ignition’s transaction groups and this was later proved to be highly efficient.
Result
The project was completed in three months and the Ignition Perspective module is currently being tested by the customer. The project deployed seamlessly given E Tech Group’s proactive collaboration with the almond supplier. The Ignition platform enabled the customer to track shift start and end times as well as monitor the shift time efficiency. E Tech Group’s Ignition specialists leveraged their in-depth expertise to support the conversion to the Ignition platform, enabling a strong performance monitoring system that could properly track, store, and visualize data to support the customer’s OEE.
Our partner, Wynright, kept experiencing motor failures on hydraulic lift tables in their distribution centers. They asked that we get involved to help to pinpoint the exact issue causing $160K a month in failed motors and hours of downtime. E Tech Group harness our expertise in material handling automation to diagnose and remedy this expensive issue. Dysfunction: Overloaded Lift Table Motors During the process review with the customer and distribution center associates, it was determined that the failures were likely due to excessive cycling of the on/off state of the motor. The cycling was a direct result of the hard contact of a foot switch provided to the line associates to raise the lift table. Diagnosis: A Miscommunication Between Human & Machine In a normal working position, the associate would stand with one foot on the switch and the normal shift of weight as packages are moved across the worker’s position would cause incidental switching of the motor. Some instances indicated that in an effort to perfectly position the lift table, the worker would feather start/stop operation exacerbating the situation. Treatment: Implement a Better Translational Tool To remedy this, initially a VFD based solution was recommended. But we felt a solution with a delay timer that negates the signal from the foot pedal for a short time, stopping the on/off signals would provide a better, more long-term resolution to their issue. Stewart Brinkoeter, our fabrication manager, partnered with our Ohio team to finalize and implement this solution in one facility for a test run. Prognosis: An Elegant Solution to a Widespread Problem Just an hour and a half of downtime and less than a third the cost of a new motor, the table was functioning flawlessly and the associate working with the test unit did not discern any loss of functionality. Because of its success, … Continued
Congratulations to our Principal Engineer, Matt Martin, and Senior Project Manager, Tony O’Deay on earning their PI System Infrastructure Specialist Certifications.To complete the PI System Infrastructure Specialist certification an individual must have one year of experience configuring the PI system, complete a set of training modules, and pass a 50-question final exam. The certifications show our company has trained and is experienced with PI System. E Tech Group is committed to providing expert service and support for the PI system. Thank you, Matt and Tony, for pushing yourselves and sharing this expertise to E Tech Group and our clients!
Challenge
Quality control can be a significant challenge in the food and beverage industry. One small error in the batch production of products can compromise quality, consistency, and brand reputation. To be successful, beverage facilities rely on batch production and pasteurization solutions so processes can be repeatable within close tolerances as well as scalable to reach large production volume needs. The setup of these solutions are often complex which cause beverage manufacturers to seek support to avoid costly downtime, inferior batch quality, or poor data acquisition capabilities for regulatory reporting. This was the challenge for a global drink manufacturing leader who needed support setting up a new production line that included batching, pasteurizing, and bottling capabilities with a dedicated Clean-In-Place (CIP) system. E Tech Group was engaged to support the development of a new juice and tea production system at one of the customer’s large production facilities in North America.
Solution
The customer needed a repeatable batching system and a near zero liquid loss pasteurizer to maximize the available uptime of their system. The E Tech Group team knew that understanding the customer’s system performance expectations, including cycle times, volumes, and other company-specific production conditions, would be key to develop the logic needed for optimal system utilization.
The team applied the robust AG5 project methodology approach, collaborating with the customer to develop tools for their batching system based on prior operator challenges. For instance, the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) was developed using Wonderware software and designed to be an informative interface for plant personnel without an overwhelming visualization of data. Reports were also routinely generated to provide the customer details about each product run related to batching and pasteurization.
The E Tech Group team developed logic to manage system sequencing using the ControlLogix Programable Automation Controller. An Actuator Sensor Interface (AS-i) networking solution was applied and integrated with the industrial Ethernet structure, enabling an intelligent control system to include smart valve monitoring. The CIP system was fully automated and tested, which enabled circuits to pass inspection after the first run and did not require repeated cycles to clean the system properly. Furthermore, the pasteurizer process was developed with modular phasing to allow the system to switch seamlessly between machine states based on current operational needs.
Results
The entire project was completed in nine months; three months to develop, three months to commission and test, and three months to monitor. The system has been running for over a decade and, since it’s completion, the global drink manufacturer has frequently requested E Tech Group as their trusted automation partner to support further upgrades and adjustments in addition to other production lines.
