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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.  

Cost-Saving Ignition-Based Design: Meeting ISA–88 Standards for Batch Control

E Tech Group is currently in the final stages of developing a design that interfaces with Inductive Automation’s Ignition, to support batch control while meeting ISA-88 standards. The resulting design will give batch control manufacturers access to Ignition’s open architecture, cross-platform compatibility, user-friendly development environment and flexible licensing model while meeting the strict ISA-88 standard.

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Utilizing Ignition Platform to Provide Organization-Wide Access to Quality Data

E Tech Group helped Prima Frutta increase productivity by 50% without hiring extra personnel by using the Ignition platform, which allowed remote operation of the production line and real-time data access from any smart device.

The Project: Ignite Increased Productivity with the Right Automation Platform

Manufacturers are facing costly workforce challenges. Between the labor shortage and the costs associated with employee turnover, companies are finding it difficult to increase productivity on their current automation system designs.

Prima Frutta, a cherry packaging facility in Linden, California, was struggling to maintain its production levels, but did not have the scope to add a lot of extra personnel to reach those levels. E Tech Group was called to help overhaul their control system, and under a tight timeline.

The Solution: Divide & Conquer Material Handling Automation

This control system upgrade was divided into three phases:

  • Phase One: Project Planning and Documentation
    • In the project’s first phase, the E Tech Group and Prima Frutta teams collaborated on planning, budgeting and documentation. They used CSIA methodologies and standards, created a detailed budget, and documented all OEM hardware into schematics that were approved before proceeding to Phase 2. This ensured the project remained on track and within budget.
  • Phase Two: Wireless Network Set-Up
    • The E Tech Group team successfully established a wireless network, which enabled ten tablets to remotely operate the production line through the Ignition industrial application platform from Inductive Automation. Ignition was chosen because of its flexibility, affordability and fast setup. The applications can be entirely customized quickly and easily, and data can be accessed from any smart device, including tablets, desktops, or any other smart device to allow real-time data access from anywhere the user is located.

In this project, the tablets enabled a change in process flow from anywhere in the plant, providing full SCADA control, unlike a static location. The installation process of Ignition on the tablets was seamless and took less than two hours. The Ignition software also ran on more than 120 screens throughout the plant, providing real-time data and color-coded information to employees for quick and efficient reactions.

  • Phase Three: Development, Testing and Implementation  
    • E Tech Group used Prima Frutta’s existing server to develop modular software and PLC codes, allowing for quick deployment through component, template and user-defined type reuse.

The Result: Reaping the Fruits of a Well-Designed, Fully-Integrated Control System

The project resulted in a 50% increase in production with no additional personnel, helping Prima Frutta become the world’s largest cherry production line. The Ignition platform reduced downtime and enabled the facility to respond to changing conditions.

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Winery Begins Digital Transformation with Automated Brix Monitoring & IFM Integration

A leading California winery was facing manual sampling inefficiencies. E Tech Group implemented an IFM Integration project, achieving fully-automated in-tank brix monitoring with our IO link platform expertise.

The Project: Transition Manual Brix Monitoring to an Automated System

A California winery faced operational inefficiencies with manual wine sampling and turned to E Tech Group for an IFM integration project. The goal was a seamless transition to fully automated brix monitoring. Our proposed solution involved IO Link Masters for Modbus TCP data retrieval and two durable NEMA 4x stainless steel enclosures. The client chose to contract E Tech Group as their integration partner because of our proven expertise in IO Link Platform, and our proven track record of providing reliable process automation solutions.

The Solution: Leverage Expertise & Cooperation for a Custom Automation Solution

The project team partnered with IFM and a research university to verify the precision of a new pressure transmitter for accurate brix measurements. Our team worked with the winery’s maintenance team to secure space for control panels, and collaborated with Tanknet for the system integration. An IO Link Master was set up for communication through Modbus, leading to successful implementation of the automated brix monitoring system.

The Results: Process Automation Optimizes the Sampling Process

We successfully acquired brix measurements within the tanks and integrated Modbus IO Link Masters into the control system, meeting the client’s goals for automated brix monitoring. Our automation team’s expertise and collaboration resulted in a positive outcome, moving this leading winery forward into their digital transformation.