Consumer Goods

In the last article for this topic, we discussed the importance of field data collection and the importance of a methodical approach to PID tuning.  I introduced the concept of the bump test and that its results would help guide the steps and equations used in proper tuning.  Here I will explore that concept in greater detail.  At ECS we use a visual tool for data collection in every instance.  The tool may be part of a controller suite, or it may be stand-alone but, in any case, it is imperative to capture accurate information about the performance of your system before planning and then programming a solution.

In the interest of time, this article will focus on tuning concepts for self-regulating loops as they make up the majority of applications in the industrial field.  A common example of this type of loop is a flow control which varies flow through a pipe via either variable speed control on a pump or a position-controlled valve.  In this example, the flow can be adjusted by speed adjustment of the pump or position of a valve and the result of the change ordered from the controller is stable and is generally fast and repeatable.

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Read More | Posted In: Beverage Industry, Blogs, Chemical Industry, Consumer Goods, Food Industry, Life Science Industry

The personnel challenges facing virtually every industry over the last few years have been nothing short of astonishing. Proper candidates have become increasingly difficult to court and bring on board. New staff in key roles are tasked to accomplish more with fewer floor operators and technology is increasingly leveraged to close the resulting gaps. This is not unique in history although it may seem that way due to the current media deluge surrounding business intelligence and general-purpose visibility software that makes life easier, smarter, and generally more efficient.

Industrial software is again playing a leading role in the current intelligence revolution. Inductive Automation didn’t invent floor supervisory (SCADA) software, nor did they invent the first responsive, general-purpose web software. However, their current offerings certainly do marry these concepts together in a way that hasn’t existed in industry before. Since 2010 their award-winning Vision Module has enhanced the experiences of factory floor users everywhere, easily connecting complex factory controllers to databases, alarm and reporting systems, and intuitive visualization tools. This product is robust, proven, and works very well for users “inside the industrial network” of many facilities. Today this is coupled with the newer Perspective Module which is an equally powerful tool for use in mobile-responsive applications. For situations where a user may be “outside the industrial network” or simply need to utilize a variety of hardware platforms like PCs, phones, or tablets, Perspective provides an ideal solution.

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Read More | Posted In: Bakery Industry, Beverage Industry, Blogs, Chemical Industry, Consumer Goods, Food Industry, Inductive Automation, Life Science Industry, Metals Industry, SCADA

A global consumer goods manufacturer hired ECS Solutions to evaluate and install an upgrade of an Ignition Application from Version 7.9 to Version 8.1. Version 7.9 was originally installed by ECS Solutions.  The overall objective for the company was to have a web-based client application that was independent of Java and based on HTML5.  The upgrade included a reconfiguration of the MES software to improve its effectiveness.

The previous Ignition “Vision”-based Application did provide the functionality to monitor Equipment Downtime and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), but the use of Java within the Ignition modules conflicted with other applications at the site and made it difficult to access throughout the organization.  Migration to the web-based Perspective Platform allowed ECS to significantly lighten the application and to focus on the most important data.  The new version of the Sepasoft OEE module also made it possible to simplify how the workstream was modeled within the Sepasoft Production module.  The company required this application be designed to work with both PCs and iPads.

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Read More | Posted In: Consumer Goods

THE CHALLENGE

Read More | Posted In: Case Studies, Clean in Place, Consumer Goods