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Challenge
After producing some of the world’s most famous and flavorful confections for many years, a Northern California candy manufacturer’s aging conveyor system was becoming old, noisy, and obsolete. The existing conveyor system, which had sorted and moved large volumes of product for over a decade, was a line shaft design and was beginning to degrade. The factory was in desperate need of a conveyor system modernization which would increase efficiency, decrease noise and minimize maintenance costs.
Solution
For this project, E Tech Group (AG) used Ignition industrial application software from Inductive Automation and an Allen Bradley controller. The technology for the new conveyor was DC roller controlled. DC rollers are quieter, more energy efficient, and can be controlled more precisely with the set-up of multiple zones per conveyor. This technology allows for a variety of new features to enhance overall operations and reduce wear and tear. As an example, multiple rollers can be started and stopped in sections, and can also start and stop on demand. This enables a more efficient workflow based on capacity and need.
The addition of Ignition Software provided increased visibility to the plant floor, as well as the ability to pull more data via the new Itoh Denki controller. It also enabled AG to create templates for the DC roller controllers which included running data, alarming data and controls.
The upgrade and modernization of the candy manufacturer’s old, outdated conveyor system helped improve overall operational efficiency and enhance the automation processes. AG was able to eliminate the manufacturer’s noisy, worn-out system and modernize their entire conveyor operation with added features that created a quieter operation, extended life, and reduced wear and tear
Quieter Conveyor
Upon installation of the new system, the candy manufacturer noticed an immediate reduction in noise during the operation of the conveyor system.
More Efficiency
With a 24V DC motor nestled inside each roller’s tube, the conveyor system achieved better accumulation (a higher run rate). They also had tighter control of product placement which increased overall efficiencies.
Reduced Maintenance
The old conveyors were always running and had a lot of moving parts that would get worn out and require servicing or replacement. Since the modernization project has been completed, the manufacturer has seen a significant decrease in all service and maintenance costs.
– By Tony Schalk, Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV Rheinland), Automation Systems Engineer, E Technologies Sophisticated companies know that safety is a journey, not a destination. It is a part of their strategic and ongoing growth. As more and more companies look to implement safety programs, questions about budget, time, effort, and feasibility come into play. Larger companies may already employ a safety engineer or even a safety team, with well-established metrics and objectives each year. If you don’t fall into that category, don’t be discouraged. The most important thing you can do on any journey is to start. To begin your safety journey, you start with a risk assessment. In the United States, when an accident originates from machinery, the owner of the machine is responsible for the safety, not just the manufacturer of the machine. This means that if something happens, it’s technically your responsibility. If that doesn’t scare you, it should. The beauty of the risk assessment is that it is your education on what could happen with the machinery in your facility. What you choose to do with your newfound knowledge is up to you; however, in the immortal words of G.I. Joe, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” There are a few caveats. Although companies could self-perform their risk assessments, it isn’t a job that just anyone in your plant can do. A TÜV certification is needed, as well as an understanding of ISO 13849 or IEC 62061 standards. Anyone could pick up the standard and follow the process, but it’s hard to implement a standard and its many details if you’re new to safety. This is where having a safety professional can be very beneficial for efficiency’s sake. He or she can walk into a situation and quickly identify what needs to … Continued
Increasing Throughput Capacity at a Global Parcel Hub
A global parcel service reached out to E Tech Group when they were asked to increase their throughput. Our engineers helped them meet peak-season demand through our turnkey material handing controls systems to improve the capacity of one of their more dated hubs.
The Project: End-to-End Automation System Upgrades
A global parcel service reached out to E Tech Group after being tasked with increasing throughput capacity in one of their older hubs prior to the peak season for shipping. The turnkey project involved upgrades to 70% of the site’s control systems, along with expansion of the control room and package handling systems.
E Tech Group was responsible for every aspect of this building-wide automation upgrade, including:
Engineering design
Software design
Procurement and installation of all electrical hardware
Start-up and validation of the updated control systems
Once the new systems were implemented, integrated facility-wide and validated, our automation team provided ongoing support through the course of their peak period.
Challenges
The project start date was delayed condensing the original schedule down from 9 months to 5 months
The scope of work had to be planned sequentially because each upgrade was dependent on the previous one
The mechanical upgrades had to be completed prior to control system completion, further limiting installation and start-up windows
All installation and start-up work had to be completed during weekly downtime windows that started Saturday mornings and ended at 11:00 AM on Monday
Both mechanical and electrical equipment deliveries were “just in time” and sometimes late, requiring a very agile installation and start-up team
While the customer had very detailed specifications, many exceptions were allowed so that the new installations would match the existing operation. This required more rigor during definition to review prior precedents set at the hub.
Solution
A dedicated E Tech Group project team was deployed to the site to complete definition through both audits and reviews. The project team produced a highly-detailed report with a list of exceptions to the customer’s specifications. These exceptions were submitted to the customer for approval prior to the start of the design.
Our automation engineers worked with the customer’s mechanical consultants to develop and then continuously refine plans to sequentially install the control system upgrades in scope blocks that could fit into short downtime windows. In several instances, multiple E Tech Group teams were deployed to the site simultaneously to work in different areas.
Our engineering design team also worked to standardize new electrical panel designs so they could easily be adjusted from one area to another with minimal notice, if required. The automation software was also standardized across the facility to make it more easily supportable during deployment and ongoing.
Once installation began, our engineers deployed full site management to the hub to oversee all deliveries and installation activities. E Tech Group’s site manager was also the single point of contact for the hub manager and the mechanical consultant, creating a seamless communication channel from the customer to the E Tech Group project team.
There were several challenges associated with the successful completion of this project, ranging from tightly-scheduled downtime to dealing with delayed equipment deliveries. Our engineers closely managed the project and evolved the highly-detailed schedule to accommodate the customer’s needs.
The Results: Exceeding the Client’s Automation Expectations
This turnkey systems upgrade required rigorous planning and constant communication, making thorough and collaborative project management essential. After completing this project on time and on budget despite all the obstacles, E Tech Group has been awarded several other projects with this customer at the same facility.
For manufacturers with multiple locations, finding an automation company you can rely on for projects across facilities is key to operational integrity and consistency in each plant. E Tech Group cultivates these symbiotic long-term relationships through a unique brand of project management, focused on close collaboration with the client and strategic control system design that allows the facility to improve, adapt and scale.
When approaching an upgrade of your aging control system, focusing on the execution of the upgrade is natural. Often overlooked is the time and effort it takes to choose the right platform and approach for the upgrade. The upfront investment can have a tremendous payoff when you take a long-term view and consider all stakeholders’ needs from the system.
