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ECS Solutions and Inductive Automation Deliver Solutions for Latin America
At ECS Solutions, Inc., (ECS) we’re seeing a change in how the Latin American market is approaching manufacturing operations. The region is one that has traditionally addressed challenges by adding personnel in almost any situation. This mentality is evolving in the face of a rapidly growing population and the associated demands for things like regionally processed food and beverage products. Increasingly, companies are using technology to streamline operations.
As is usually the case, the correct solutions lie with partners who have the right staff and the right tools. At ECS we believe that we can deliver both via our team and with products offered by Inductive Automation. ECS is chiefly focused on batch industries, and this has led us to decades of success in delivering solutions in industries like food processing. Our team now includes multiple native Spanish-speaking personnel, several of whom reside within the Latin region in places like Columbia and Venezuela. From initial project discussions, we can provide personnel with deep expertise to explore options with clients in their native tongue. Execution of projects occurs under project management from our personnel within the region along with local strategic partners and backend support from our home office and elsewhere. The client experience is with genuine, local ECS subject matter experts and project managers.
We’ve found Ignition’s software solutions to be a perfect option for many projects. The entire Ignition suite is available to clients via a single license, and this allows a buyer to explore many options for streamlining operations without having to purchase new software for each area they’d like to address. Buyers purchase software once and then determine for themselves what are the highest value items to target inside of their facilities. Some have elected to begin with simple automation of manual, paper tasks. Others use the components to create rich information boards in multiple languages that their personnel use to guide activities within a facility. Still more have added valuable oversight of human-machine interfaces (HMIs) with detailed reporting solutions. Some have even elected for full-blown automation with batch management. The option exists to begin on a small scale, to go all-in, or to land somewhere in the middle of the spectrum with regard to their applications. Then they have the flexibility to adapt over time and evolve their operations.
The simple architecture of Ignition greatly reduces the technology footprint in the way of physical servers and so the costs and labor associated with creating and maintaining the platforms are less. The entire suite works in harmony as opposed to multiple technology silos that exist within others’ solutions, many requiring multiple servers to deliver entire solutions. This simplicity keeps hardware costs low and lowers the requirements for maintenance personnel on the IT side.
The simplicity of Ignition’s architecture makes pricing straightforward. Coupled with their streamlined architecture, this quickly emerges as a strong option for processors in the region. As a solution provider, this allows ECS to focus on the clients’ end results without concentrating too deeply on various complex licensing scenarios. Others’ architectures can devour a project’s budget and complicate the end product. This simplicity is extremely attractive to clients who are new to automation.
ECS is the right solution for regional clients interested in batch solutions. Our deep history with most of the automation platforms and batch solutions on the market allows us to work within existing ecosystems. When starting from scratch, however, Inductive Automation’s products allow us to deploy a flexible palate that can provide innumerable benefits for a client in the short and long term. Together with Ignition, ECS Solutions is a strong option for processors within the region.
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