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.