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.

| September 12, 2023

E Tech Group to Attend 2023 Annual ISPE Boston Area Chapter Product Show

E Tech Group will attend the 32nd Annual International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Boston Area Chapter Product Show and Career Fair at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, on September 20, 2023, 11:00 am – 6:30 pm. West Chester, OH – E Tech Group, a leader in providing high-quality automation, control, and engineering services for industrial clients, announced today that it will be displaying its oligonucleotide automation demonstration at the 2023 International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Product Show at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, on September 20, 2023. Find E Tech Group at ISPE 2023 E Tech Group will be taking over the hall — you’ll be able to find E Tech Group on both sides of the convention following the acquisition of E-Volve Systems earlier in 2023. You can find E Tech Group at booth W69 and formerly E-Volve Systems at booth E110. The E Tech Group team will be providing information around our IT/OT risk assessments, a helpful tool in addressing and mitigating issues at facilities. On the other end of the hall, still bearing E-Volve Systems logos and banners, E-Volve Systems will showcase its capabilities for oligonucleotide automation, an industry facing many opportunities for automation, in a featured demo. Attendees can learn how E Tech Group can help a batch process that is currently manual and facing inconsistency issues become a more efficient and safer process. “E-Volve Systems, an E Tech Group company, is excited to once again be showcasing our expertise at the ISPE Product Show. We look forward to highlighting our experience with automating what was once a manual process in oligonucleotide manufacturing, connecting with our peers, clients, and new faces. Joining E Tech Group earlier this year, we have expanded our capabilities and reach, becoming a major player in the industry across North America. This is an exciting time in our company and in … Continued

| September 6, 2023

S88 Specs, Part 1 of 3: An Introduction to the S88 Standard

For a deeper dive into S88 system implementation, check out Part 2: System Modeling Under S88 Standard and Part 3: Understanding S88 States. Together, this series guides you from the fundamentals of batch control to advanced modeling and operational best practices. E Tech Group’s expertise in S88 standard adoption ensures that your batch processes are efficient, compliant, and optimized for modern industrial operations. Where did the S88 Standard for Batch Control Systems Stem From? In the world of industrial automation, the S88 standard, also known as ANSI/ISA-88 or Batch Control, plays a vital role in providing a universal framework for the control and automation of manufacturing processes. Developed by the International Society of Automation (ISA), the S88 standard offers a structured approach to designing, implementing, and maintaining batch processes. For those who are new to the S88 standard and want to delve into its applications across various industries, this three-part blog series will serve as a guide to understanding the fundamentals of the S88 standard, its benefits, and an overview of its working principles. What is the S88 Standard for Batch Control Systems? The S88 standard provides a comprehensive and modular methodology for designing, implementing, and managing batch processes in industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and beverage, and many others. It establishes a consistent and structured approach to defining the equipment, control strategies, procedural operations, and information systems required for effective batch process automation. Within the ISA-95 framework, batch systems adhering to the S88 standard are identified as Level 2 systems. They are subordinate to Level 3 MES systems and achieve process control through interaction automation and control systems (ISA-95 Level 1 and 2). In practical terms, the S88 system, a batch control application, executes recipes. A recipe is a sequence of operations containing multiple recipe phases. Recipe phases … Continued

| August 30, 2023

Four Big Benefits of a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) Study

When building a new facility-wide automation system or a control system upgrade, the planning stage is perhaps the most important part; it creates the foundation for the entire project. In-depth planning can set you up for success, whereas poor planning can make the design/build process fraught with issues. You wouldn’t build a house without blueprints, a survey, or licensed contractors, right? If you start an industrial automation project (or any project) without initial evaluation and design, you could encounter a number of issues that have the potential to negatively impact the project. So, why would you begin engineering, procurement, and construction without a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study? Short answer: you wouldn’t… or at least, you shouldn’t. What is a FEED Study in an Automation Engineering Project? A FEED study is designed to help produce all necessary technical documentation, validate hardware and software specifications, and accurately define the project scope. It should be performed before the design phase of the project. A FEED study typically includes: Why is a FEED Study Important in Project Planning? The FEED study is an important step in the project development process because it helps to ensure that the project (1) is feasible, (2) can be completed within budget, and (3) can be delivered on schedule. These studies also help identify any potential risks to the project, which allows you to develop mitigation strategies ahead of time. There are a number of short and long-term benefits any project could see from a FEED study, most of which involve maintaining timelines and avoiding negative impacts on the projected budget. Here are the four biggest benefits: 1. Reduced Execution Costs Support Internal Funding Because projects often hinge on a shoestring budget, every penny counts when requesting internal funding. Incorrectly calculating cost has the potential to negatively impact decision making … Continued

| August 29, 2023

Proactively Protecting Against Cyber Threats

With increasing digitalization and the convergence of IT and OT networks, industrial facilities face more sophisticated cyber threats than ever before. Protecting sensitive data, production processes, and critical infrastructure is essential to avoid costly disruptions, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. Secure Your Company with a Cybersecure Control System Cybersecurity continues to gain more and more momentum in manufacturing, and for good reason. Some of these facilities can be responsible for millions, sometimes billions of dollars in business, quickly gaining attention and, unfortunately, becoming a target for a cyberattack if not properly secured. At a time when manufacturing facilities tend to be among the most impacted by the decline in available workforce, the need for more flexibility in production capabilities takes precedence over most other initiatives. The rush to connect available assets for consolidated control and monitoring, and integrating their data collection and analysis, will sometimes push decision makers to leap before they look. Not always considering any of the following, or lack thereof, may become an active threat without proper planning: Too often, the process of upgrading and updating automated systems starts before taking stock of what measures are in place to protect this investment. Unfortunately, realizing they may not be as well protected as they once thought comes on the back of a cyber-attack, rendering them victims and leaving them to act REACTIVELY instead of PROACTIVELY. Nothing Beats a Proactive Approach to Industrial OT/ICS Security To avoid adding to any further expense to what can already be a hefty sum while performing any number of control system upgrades to remedy the aforementioned challenges, it’s best to act proactively. If done correctly, it can severely limit the vulnerability of a cyber-attack and provide the framework to continually assess, adapt and prevent most future threats. Being proactive will involve a combination of strategies and practices to expect, prevent, respond, … Continued