ADM Milling UK - Smooth upgrade of production-critical 1980s control panel
ADM Milling is a market leader for flour and bakery ingredients with a strong reputation for product quality, technical support and customer service. At their Corby mill, OAL has seamlessly upgraded and modernised production-critical control panels, achieving zero unplanned plant downtime - a notable achievement given the complexities involved.
ADM Milling is a market leader for flour and bakery ingredients with a strong reputation for product quality, technical support and customer service. At their Corby mill, OAL has seamlessly upgraded and modernised production-critical control panels, achieving zero unplanned plant downtime - a notable achievement given the complexities involved.
Upgrading ageing control panels presents significant challenges, particularly for businesses like ADM that depend heavily on continuous production and cannot risk sales losses due to downtime. In this critical situation, ADM trusted OAL based on several key strengths: OAL's industry reputation for being “easy to work with, their proven ability to meet stringent deadlines, and their commitment to prioritising customer needs in all proposed solutions.
The purpose of this project was to replace the existing obsolete MCP12 control panel.
The panels control three flour packing lines.
The new control panel offers less downtime and easier maintenance moving forward due to up-to-date components and accurate documentation. Furthrermore the new panel meets the latest electrical standards and incoprates extra functions
“OAL showed excellent health and safety whilst on-site. They were a respectful team and a diligent workforce with high standards. Nothing was too much trouble for the team and there was no noise on the project!”
OAL engineers complete the installation of the new control panel.
Challenge
The control panel dated from the 1980’s, so although there was a nearly complete set of original drawings, all the modifications over the years were not necessarily fully documented.
Additionally, the fact that the existing field devices and cabling were to be reused, meant that a lot of survey work was required to ensure there were no unknowns when the old panel was disconnected and the new one installed.
The panel needed to be swapped out during a 14-day shutdown, during which no packing could take place, so it was essential to the business that it was completed on time.
The “old” control panel.
Solution
OAL executed the project using our proven methodology, “The OAL Way”. The key activities completed are highlighted below:
Extensive survey work to ensure there were no unexpected issues when disconnecting the existing old panel. As the old saying goes, “An hour in planning (specification) saves 10 hours of doing!”
Designed and build of the new control panel at our factory in Peterborough.
Software modifications the new PLC and I/O sensors.
Factory acceptance test (FAT) of all equipment at OAL.
Disassembly of the new control panel into sections. Reassembly in situ on site due to access restrictions; it needed to be on the 3rd floor.
The following tasks were completed in the 14-day planned downtime window whilst the clocks were ticking:
Identify and disconnect cables from the old panel.
Disassemble and remove the old panel.
Position the new control panel and reconnect cables
Perform I/O testing of all field devices and recomission each packing line.
The plant was ready for start-up on Monday as planned. OAL provided 24/7 cover for support issues following go-live which has subsequently rolled into an annual support contract.
The new upgraded control panels in situ.
Results
Since the successful completion of the project, ADM has had no electrical component failures. The project has secured future reliability and adherence to DSEAR regulations.
The integration of new, current-specification equipment is expected to significantly reduce downtime and simplify maintenance due to the availability of updated and precise documentation.
Upgrading the control panel construction to meet current standards has facilitated the easy modification of control sequences and enabled the incorporation of several additional functions, as requested.
OAL can upgrade your systems too - speak to our team today for advice and guidance.
At a glance
Customer since: 2004
Challenge
Packing lines reliant on a critical control panel from the 1980s
No original electrical drawings
Lots of survey work required
Strict lead time to begin and complete work
Solution
Extensive survey work carried out enabling an accurate work timeframe
The new current spec allows less downtime and easier maintenance
Up-to-date system documentation
Addition of several extra functions
Results
Zero electrical component failures
Up-To-Date system for reliability and longevity
Documentation now up to date for easier future maintenance
Fresh salad manufacturer increases yield and reduces wastage
OAL has helped one of the UK’s largest fresh salad operations reduce wastage and increase the efficiency of their packaging line with automation.
OAL has helped one of the UK’s largest fresh salad operators reduce wastage and increase the efficiency of their packaging lines by deploying Autocoding and a SCADA upgrade.
Challenge
The site was investing in new leaf washing, mixing and drying lines due to the age of existing equipment and a drive for improved line efficiency. As part of the investment, the site had a requirement to update the existing automation, with a keen focus to improve efficiency and flexibility to suit the vast selection consumers now demand.
After reviewing suppliers, the customer chose OAL due to positive word of mouth recommendations from sister sites who have experienced first-hand working with OAL on similar projects and the difference it can make to their production line efficiency.
Solution
A key part of OAL’s solution was to focus on the operator. Previously, twelve operators worked together to feed one weigh station, where the only feedback on giveaway was a single beacon. By installing a load cell, barcode reader and touch screen to every operator’s preparation station, feedback and reporting can be customised to individual requirements.
OAL’s SCADA system provides supervisory control of preparation stations covering recipe and scheduling. The OAL solution included the following highlights to ensure operational engagement, yield improvements and quality control.
Visibility
To drive operator engagement and yield improvements, the OAL Connected solution takes a proactive approach to increasing visibility. For operators, they now have all the information they need on a screen in front of them and get constant feedback as to productivity and yield.
For management, this means full visibility of performance, who is the most productive and who performs the best for giveaway. With this information in real-time, they can now work on the shop floor to drive improvements. Large screen TV’s have been placed on the line to show everyone’s performance, driving a performance-led culture.
Reports are web-based so that they can be accessed anywhere within the company's Intranet. All sites can view other sites performances and the reports are updated directly from SCADA. This allows for effective real-time comparisons across the country without direct contact.
Virtualised SCADA
The OAL solution has used a virtual SCADA system over the more traditional server installed systems seen in food factories. A key benefit of virtualisation is the ability to reduce downtime because of the real-time backup of data. Furthermore, virtualised systems require less maintenance and have a lower cost of ownership. Combining the virtualised SCADA with Terminal Services based client’s results in an extremely robust infrastructure.
Terminal services based thin clients reside predominantly on the back of the plant monitors. They provide a remote desktop connection onto the SCADA. The main advantage of this is that a client is not tied to one location, and it is interchangeable. If a client breaks, it can simply be removed and replaced with a spare.
Another advantage is a saving in cost, not only in hardware but in software as well. Due to the SCADA software being server-side, licensing costs are reduced. In traditional SCADA architecture, each machine would need a software license. With the new client architecture, a license is needed for each server (two in this case), and then special ‘client’ licenses for each thin client. The thin client licenses are significantly cheaper than standard licenses, reducing cost.
Security is also improved as the servers are the single point of contact to the outside world. This means that only the servers need protecting.
Result
The new OAL Connected vegetable preparation station automation has provided the customer with the visibility and tools to improve yield and efficiency. The project was completed on schedule and the site was delighted with the new visibility of the preparation system. Since installation, the site has already begun to see the benefits that include:
A reduction in yield losses due to enhanced visibility of the vegetable preparation.
Reduced downtime leading to an increase in production.
An increase in productivity and quality as a result of automated quality control checks and improved planning and decision making.
At a glance
Customer since: 2015
Challenge
Replace existing salad prep stations.
Requirement for “live” waste and efficiency to drive improvements.
Solution
12 digital salad prep stations with real-time waste and efficiency recording and reporting.
Integration with recipe manager and scheduling.
Results
A reduction in yield losses due to enhanced visibility of the vegetable preparation.
Reduced downtime leading to an increase in production.
An increase in productivity and quality as a result of automated quality control checks and improved planning and decision making.
SCADA replacement improves data visibility at leading UK bakeries
OAL has replaced an existing SCADA and recipe tracking system across 6 bakery sites improving resilience and providing the tools and date visibility to grow and improve operational efficiency.
OAL has replaced an existing SCADA and recipe tracking system across six bakery sites improving resilience and providing the tools and date visibility to grow and improve operational efficiency.
Customer
One of the UK’s largest vertically integrated baking and flour milling businesses with over five bakeries in the UK.
Challenge
The bakeries were undergoing reinvestment of which a key requirement was to improve operational performance through better control, reporting and visibility of; scheduling, recipe control, product tracking, set points, adherence to plan, yield, waste and water absorption.
The new SCADA system needed to be robust and require minimal levels of maintenance to ensure a low cost of ownership.
The existing project management information system (PMIS) that was used across a number of sites to offer basic SCADA functionality required a complete overhaul, the existing system was over 30 years old.
Solution
Following a review of suppliers, OAL was chosen to replace the old SCADA system and implement their proven bakery product tracking system because of our bakery controls experience.
As part of the enabling works, the bakeries installed a Modicon PLC on each plant. This plc is used to capture data from the various areas of the plant and store in a central location.
OAL’s SCADA system uses these as the primary source to capture data and control hardware on the plant. In addition data is exchanged directly with packaging lines via CompactLogix PLC’s and directly with Mixers via existing Modicon PLC’s.
Legacy devices are connected to the new Ethernet infrastructure. This gives the bakery the opportunity to continue upgrading the rest of their equipment to Ethernet devices in the future, whilst maintaining communication with existing equipment.
The OAL solution included the following highlights to ensure long term operational success and a robust system was delivered on time as part of a phased roll-out to bakery sites:
Paperless
The new system enables paperless recording and reporting of ingredient usage, plant utilisation, waste and yield whilst also providing maintenance/engineering functionality. Significantly the system utilises the newly designed reporting software to improve engagement and visibility of plant data. The new screens pictured look very different to the old screens and uses clever traffic light systems to highlight intolerance's.
The new screens provide a much greater resolution in tracking, and as such it is much easier to view what is going through the plant at a glance. This is due to the re-design of the screens and the use of colour whilst still remaining familiar with the old system.
Reports are web based so that they can be accessed anywhere within the company's Intranet. All sites can view other sites performances and the reports are updated directly from SCADA. This allows for effective real time comparisons across the country without direct contact.
Virtualised SCADA
The OAL solution has utilised a virtualised SCADA system over the more traditionally server installed systems seen in food manufacturers. A key benefit of virtualisation is the ability to reduce downtime because of the real time backup of data. Furthermore virtualised systems require less maintenance and have a lower cost of ownership. Combining the virtualised SCADA with Terminal Services based clients results in an extremely robust infrastructure.
Terminal services based Thin clients reside predominantly on the back of the plant monitors. They provide a remote desktop connection onto the SCADA. The main advantage of this is that a client is not tied to one location, and are interchangeable. If a client breaks it can be simply removed and replaced with a spare.
Another advantage is a saving in cost, not only in hardware, but in software as well. Due to the SCADA software being server side, licensing costs are reduced. In traditional SCADA architecture, each machine would need a software license. With the new client architecture a license is needed for each server (2 in this case), and then special ‘client’ licenses for each thin client. The thin client licenses are significantly cheaper than standard licenses, reducing cost.
Security is also improved as the servers are the single point of contact to the outside world. This means that only the servers need protecting.
Result
The highly technical project was completed to schedule and the bakeries were delighted with the new visibility of the tracking system. Long term trending and intelligence will allow the bakeries to instil best practices across the group and secure operational improvements. Over the last 12 months sites have already begun to see the benefits that include:
● Reduction in yield losses due to enhanced visibility of the process parameters.
● Reduced raw material usage across sites.
● Increase capacity because of improved scheduling.