Wonderware Midwest

Solution:

The solution consisted of Wonderware System Platform, Application Server, InTouch, Historian, Information Server, and Performance software. By implementing the solution and related processes they enabled the ability to document the savings in dollars, in increased uptime, in OEE and in their quality indicators. Wonderware Performance was selected because it had the functionality that the project required and, in some areas of their operation, they had a strong underlying Wonderware based infrastructure foundation, and related experience, to make it the best choice for this programme.

Benefits:

Automating the collections of downtime and performance information allowed the company to move from being in a position where ‘we think we know where the issues are’ to one of ‘this is what is happening’. They now have the ability to understand the magnitude of the issues in the areas automated, can create detailed, comprehensive plans to deal with the top 5 issues, and can measure the results swiftly and accurately.

A Standardized Solution to Improve Performance               Monitoring Behaviors and Processes

Customer Profile:

Multi-site, Multi-line Consumer Confectionary Company, Extremely Competitive Commercial Environment, and Embraces Standards and Wonderware technology.

Project Goals:

Implement a solution so they could identify where  their most important problems were, eliminate the internal debates about what problems they should prioritize for action, and be able to measure the improvement on a shift-by-shift basis.

Business Challenge:

The customer had a limited capability to visualize   their various metrics from operations, in real time, or to review the recent past shift-by-shift performance data. They were running on an old, restrictive software foundation that did not allow them to view long-term trend data nor to move this data/analysis forward to support their Continuous Improvement efforts.

Automating the collection of downtime and performance data would allow the company to move from a situation where they ‘perceived’ where the issues were to one of knowing what the ‘actual’ issues are.

Customer Benefits:

The integration of Wonderware software components has enabled the Life Sciences Company to offer customers significant improvements in production processes, including 70 percent faster deployment, 75 percent reduced capital investment and an unmatched level of flexibility. Years of single-use biomanufacturing experience enabled them to design and integrate a solution offering an efficient and highly functional biomanufacturing technology platform.

“[Our solution] enables customers to reduce capital investment by more than 60 percent,” said the company’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Invensys Enables Life Sciences Equipment Company to Reduce Operating Costs and Accelerate Time to Market 

Project Goals:

Address the growing demands in the biomedical market space for more effective biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes & develop a solution that would define a model for improving how biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and other therapeutics are developed, manufactured and commercialized.

Business Challenge:

Integrating complex technology with ultra-high levels of functionality was considered the greatest challenge in creating a biomanufacturing platform that employs a single-use technology, controlled environment modules, process automation and electronic batch records.

Solution:

Working with Invensys Operations Management solutions in the past product development, this life sciences equipment company identified Wonderware software as ideal for integrating with this new, innovative manufacturing technology platform. The company selected Wonderware System Platform as the backbone of the complete biopharmaceutical automation software application.

Other Invensys solutions include Wonderware InTouch as the HMI, Wonderware InBatch to provide effective batching operations, and Wonderware Historian to serve as the system’s powerful application to maintain historical production data.

Customer Benefits:

The rollout of System Platform into the  customer’s plants was an unqualified success.  Their MES activities, from plant floor visualization to production data reporting and analysis, are now moving forward based on common, standardized objects across various lines and plants.  They are also very pleased with the GOM and find it saves them a great deal of time in working with complex objects.

IPACT Innovation:

IPACT’s Galaxy GOM is extremely useful in assisting to maintaining complex object libraries.

IPACT “Objectifies” PET Bottle Plant Automation

Challenge:

The customer, a manufacturer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, was convinced that Wonderware’s ArchestrA architecture was the platform on which it wanted to base its future factory automation.  They had an ambitious plan for introduction of System Platform automation into their approximately 50 plants, and knew that making it a complete success was critical to acceptance by various stakeholders throughout the company.

Solution:

Based on input from corporate engineering and various plants, IPACT designed, tested,  and documented standardized objects, some of them very complex hierarchies of other objects, for key pieces of equipment that were used across numerous lines and plants.  Dozens of these objects were created by IPACT engineers, and well over a thousand instances were deployed in the customer’s plants.  As part of this effort, IPACT developed a product called the Galaxy Object Manager (GOM).  This product allows the user to specify object templates – even hierarchical objects many layers deep – in an Excel spreadsheet, and then “import” them into Application Server using the GOM.  It also provides an easy method for deleting hierarchical templates.

Select Experience:

• Blending Systems
• Bulk Liquid Handling Systems
• CIP Systems
• Coating Systems
• Custom Scheduling Applications
• Document Management Systems
• Downtime and OEE Tracking
• Dry Ingredient Handling Systems
• Evaporation
• HACCP Systems
• High Speed Packaging Controls
• In-Line Metering & Mixing Systems
• Integration of MES to ERP
• Inventory Management Systems
• ISA S88 Batch Control Systems
• Labor Tracking Systems
• Laboratory Information
• Management Systems (LIMS)
• Manufacturing Execution Systems
• Material Balance Systems
• Material Flow Simulations
• Materials Bar Code Tracking
• Process Historians
• Production Genealogy / Traceability
• Quality Management Systems
• SPC and Process Analysis Systems
• Spray Drying
• Utilities Management System
• Warehouse Management Systems
• Weigh Systems
• Work Order Management Systems
• Yield Management

Benefits:

You have enough things to worry about in
today’s competitive global business
environment. Confidence in your integration
partner shouldn’t be one of them.

Through our proven ARCHeTYPESM systems delivery process, IPACT has created a reputation for reliable, innovative, and hassle-free technology deployments. Add in our significant experience in all facets of metals manufacturing, Wonderware experience, Prebuilt Applications and Technology and you have a combination that is very hard to find.

Providing Yield Management and Traceability Solutions

Business Challenges

Cheese manufacturing is under great pressure to provide better traceability for consumers. Most cheese manufacturer’s lose traceability with the rework that occurs through trim. This loss of traceability creates two problems, first in the case of a recall; the window of recall is
large. The recall must be done by the “expected” time that materials were used. This often requires that material window recall is three times as large as the lot previous and the next lot. By providing a more “accurate” and timely traceability report, the client is able to reduce their exposure. The other key aspect of trace-ability provided is the linkage between vendors’ supplied lots and finished product for purposes of yield.

Raw cheese, whether purchased externally or manufactured internally has different
characteristics that impact the yield. By enabling true traceability, yield calculations
are more accurate and subtle difference in vendors and vendor lots of cheese can
be linked allowing a client to negotiate better pricing based on actual yields.

Overview

Founded by engineers from the process automation world, IPACT has spent nearly 25 years helping clients achieve greater productivity, quality and profitability through the intelligent application of technology. Our experience includes implementations in every facet of food processing, plus support systems and integration to Level 3 business systems.

Our approach is to use Wonderware’s System Platform for applications ranging from homogenizers and HACCP solutions to end to end Manufacturing Execution Systems within a dairy. IPACT brings not only tremendous domain experience in the industry but domain knowledge of Wonderware products and applications such as our Galaxy Object Manager, MES Library and Process Simulator Module.

IPACT provides value well above and beyond traditional systems integration by maintaining seasoned food industry veterans on staff. Their expertise allows us to provide additional benefits to our customers through analysis and operations consulting.

 Challenge:

This CPG company, with 30 + sites around the world, required a standardized metrics system that was flexible enough to encompass sites that had dissimilar equipment types and different  cultures and end customers. Automating the collection of downtime and performance data would allow the company to move from a subjective view of where the issues are to one of knowing what was happening in real-time. Packaging Operations is a complex area in their environment: high speed with a variable product flow. It was difficult for operators to document what was happening as they were very busy keeping the machines running; typically an operator would be responsible for 3 lines each. In addition, the lack of information made it difficult for maintenance to prioritize the issues they were experiencing by the significance of the issue to production. The goals for the project were to increase production throughput and enable faster changeovers.

Solution(s):

Customer already owned System Platform, Application Server, InTouch, Historian and the Information Server. The new software added for the project was Wonderware Performance. Wonderware Performance was selected because it had the functionality that the project required, the customer had a strong foundation, and experience, with other Wonderware software and it was the best choice for standardization across the enterprise. The system was designed to measure the performance of packaging equipment, provide OEE metrics, provide downtime reason information and reporting capabilities.

Business Benefits:

Removed the myths about what was occurring operationally. Common metrics were implemented which facilitated the comparison of plants by way of consistent measurements. The customer enabled their internal Performance Improvement Teams with real data such that it eliminated the debate about what the most important problems are. Lastly, the customer experienced measurable improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness and Performance.

Industry:

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)

Customer Profile:

• Multi-site, Multi-line High Speed Packaging Operations
• Operating on a 24 x 7 basis
• Embraces Standards and Wonderware technology

Industry:

Discrete Manufacturing & Assembly

Products:

High-performance hydrostatic transmissions, gear reduction drives, piston pumps, wheel motors and accessories for both the consumer and commercial markets.

Application:

Transmission Assembly Test Line

 Challenge:

The transmission assembly test line had no existing operating performance metrics to deliver production process feedback for improving product quality.

Solution(s):

The installed operational system provides downtime and OEE data for each station on the line, as well as the line as a whole, and bases these calculations on station benchmark rates that are variable and based on product type.

• Which types of units have the worst (or best) testing results at a particular testing station
• Which stations are the worst bottlenecks for the line as a whole in terms of actual performance compared to the benchmark?
• Which models of products cause the most downtime per unit?

“Canned reports” were also made available for the same type of information available from the dashboards. The final result of the performance installation is that it tracks each unit individually through the line, aggregating all data, and provides a complete genealogy report for each unit or product type on demand.

Conclusion:

Utilization of the operational performance system on the line has reduced waste and cost. The intelligence uncovered by the system has led to performance improvements in upstream processes as well.