News & Knowledge

We’re your source for automation news. Keep up with the latest industry updates and E Tech employee spotlights, as well as tips and guidance from our manufacturing experts.

| April 6, 2023

Data Analysis Disruptors in the Industrial Space

Adapt past the disruptors to realize benefits from industrial data analytics. Vice President of Business Development, Laurie Cavanaugh, shared her insight and experience with Control Engineering for a webcast last spring in this partial transcript from the April 21, 2022, RCEP PDH webcast. Emerging Trends in Industrial Data Analysis Industrial data analysis is evolving rapidly, driven by advances in connectivity, AI, and machine learning. Modern manufacturing facilities are increasingly relying on real-time insights to optimize production, reduce waste, and improve production quality. That means that understanding analytics trends can help companies stay ahead of competitors and achieve measurable operational gains. The Source of Key Disruptors Shaping Industrial Analytics Several factors are fundamentally changing how manufacturers approach data analysis: Just as each of these creates new opportunities for manufacturers, it also introduces disruptors that can prevent progress. That doesn’t mean we should avoid progress — but it does shape what adapting to new technologies looks like. Disruptors Can Slow Industrial Data Analysis Adoption The industrial data analytics course title says “Just Enough,” but what is enough? Sometimes, enough isn’t good enough because of some of the disruptors to industrial automation. Back in the late ‘90s and the early aughts, it was difficult for those trying to sell computers into the industrial automation space. The user adoption just wasn’t there. People were afraid of technology. They didn’t have a computer in their home at that point, or were just getting into that. Fear of the unknown prevented full forward movement of the industrial automation space. There were generational barriers, but in just a 10-year timespan from the late aughts until mid-2010s, what really disrupted that? What started changing the minds of end users in the industrial space? It was what they were doing outside of work. All of a sudden, users are … Continued

| March 29, 2023

Helping a Food & Beverage Client Avoid Obsolescence Concerns

A large food and beverage company recognized there was the potential large-scale obsolescence of their control systems. They reached out to E Tech Group to have our automation team assess and provide plans for remediation and optimization.

| March 24, 2023

When Dealing with Obsolescence Becomes a Challenge

E Tech Group’s Group Engineering Manager, George Bruce, shares his insight into leading an extensive system upgrade over a weekend. A system integrator upgraded a decades-old obsolete system to a current high-speed system over a weekend. Avoiding Obsolescence: Insights on E Tech Group’s Process: Key Challenges of Obsolete Systems Decades-old control systems often come with a host of challenges that can disrupt operations and limit growth. Slower processing speeds, unsupported hardware, and outdated software increase the risk of unplanned downtime and make routine maintenance more difficult. These issues not only compromise productivity but also create barriers to scaling operations or integrating new technologies. Understanding these risks helps manufacturers prioritize upgrades and plan transitions with minimal disruption to production. Automation & Control System Needs Upgrading, No Downtime Allowed E Tech Group automation engineers were contracted to update and replace obsolete hardware in a pickle plant. They knew that if the one centralized PLC-5 that controlled five systems responsible for over 50% of pickle production failed, they would be shutting down the entire plant to identify and fix the issue, leading the company to lose valuable time and revenue during peak production periods. To upgrade and separate the equipment, the five systems controlled by the central programmable logic controller (PLC) would need to be migrated and have all communication transitioned to Ethernet. A Piecemeal Automation System, Time Constraints & Michigan Weather Because there were a number of hurdles to take into consideration when beginning this upgrade, it took careful planning to ensure this project could be completed without disrupting production or extending the deadline. First, the team mapped three decades of piecemeal, undocumented upgrades to plan a safe cutover from a central PLC-5 to segmented ControlLogix/CompactLogix cells over Ethernet. Second, understanding the facility used only fresh produce, and at certain times ran … Continued

| March 15, 2023

Understanding Automation Trends: From Buzzwords to Practical Solutions

Automation will solve many problems—but not without people supporting it. Derrick Colyer, Business Development Manager at E Tech Group, shares his insights in this latest Food Engineering article on automation trends. Derrick discusses the role of AI in food manufacturing and why digital transformation needs to come first. What’s Going on with Automation in the Food & Beverage Industry? The food and beverage industry has been one of the slowest to adopt new technologies—and maybe that’s a good thing. The auto, chemical and petroleum industries, for example, have served well as testbeds for new automation technologies. Meanwhile, food and beverage has benefitted from all the trialing and proving of “bleeding-edge” systems such that the buzzwords we’ve used for the last few years — e.g., “digital transformation,” AI/ML, “digital twin” and Industry 4.0 — are becoming everyday terms that describe technology we now rely upon to be competitive in today’s changing world of consumer tastes. Moving Beyond Automation Buzzwords As industrial automation continues to evolve, it’s easy for these terms to become overused buzzwords. What makes them more than empty hype is how they’re used. Companies that put real effort into training, strategy, and implementation can translate emerging technologies into everyday operations — and measurable improvements in efficiency, safety, and uptime. Key Automation Trends That Are Worth the Hype Several trends are driving meaningful change in industrial automation today: What Do the Automation Engineers & Integrators Have to Say? So, I asked system integrators, engineering houses and automation suppliers what their food processor clients perceive to be the three to five key trends/issues in automation today, and how processors are taking advantage of these automation trends. After tabulating the results, the top five trends cited were: Effective Automation & Visualization Go Hand-in-Hand When I asked integrators and system suppliers what are the key trends affecting … Continued

News & Knowledge

Expert Automation System Integrators in North Carolina