"The accuracy of the
downtime reports provided by the Wonderware software solution were so good that
even our equipment supplier is using them to troubleshoot its equipment at our
plant instead of using manual tracking sheets normally used when servicing the
equipment."
John
Coetzee SAB Business Systems Manager, Manufacturing
Pretoria, South
Africa
– As summer rolls around, thoughts of barbeques and family get-togethers come
to mind. And what would a good hot dog or hamburger be without a cold soft
drink to quench a hot summer thirst. For soft drink makers, prepping for this
busy time of year entails reviewing manufacturing lines to ensure they are
operating at peak performance. The challenge of commissioning a new packaging
line in time for this annual summer run on soft drink products can be daunting.
But not for Amalgamated Beverage Industries, a division of South African
Breweries (SAB), which chose to implement a new manufacturing line based on
Wonderware automation software from Schneider Electric Software Operations
Management.
Amalgamated’s
main business goal was to accelerate production of its packaging line which
included tracking machine performance parameters, reducing manual data capture,
improving the accuracy of measurements and establishing reference points to
better evaluate the reports from OEMs regarding performance of its machinery.
Amalgamated’s machine OEM suppliers are responsible for managing the
performance and commissioning of their equipment until final implementation of
the manufacturing facility.
Another
important objective specified that the project was to serve as a ”proof of
concept” for the effective implementation of PackML
(Packaging
Machinery Language) standards, which are an open system of guidelines used
in the design of automation machinery. The PackML
standards were established by the Packaging Workgroup arm of the OMAC
(Organization for Machine Automation and Control) group, a consortium of
automation and manufacturing professionals dedicated to supporting the machine
automation and operational needs of manufacturing.
“Without
access to valuable process data it would be difficult for us to evaluate the
statistics which are designed to assist the company with determining
performance improvements and ascertain what part of the project yielded the
most value,” said John Coetzee, SAB Business Systems Manager of Manufacturing.
Amalgamated
worked with system integrator EOH Mining and Manufacturing (EOHMM) which
provides fully integrated operations solutions, MES, enterprise integration and
intelligence solutions to the mining and manufacturing industries in Africa.
EOHMM developed and managed the project parameters including compiling the user
requirements and specifications, developing and implementing the full
application creation of performance reports, managing factory acceptance
testing, commissioning the system, and training users and the technical team on
how to manage and maintain the application.
“We
took a collaborative engineering approach involving our process control manager
who provided input on process and procedures, the SAB Manufacturing Systems
division which consulted on design guidelines and standards, and EOHMM for
management of all the engineering aspects. This collaboration of efforts worked
very well in successfully implementing this project,” Coetzee said.
Challenges and
Successes of Collaborative Line Commissioning
The
greatest challenge in the software project was the fact that it was being
implemented at the same packaging line it was to monitor while it was being
commissioned. During commissioning of a new factory line, all focus and effort
is centered on this process.
However,
Amalgamated was challenged to implement both the hardware component and the
software simultaneously. Normally, the hardware architecture of the line is
implemented first, followed by the software -- Amalgamated wanted both
completed in tandem.
To
successfully achieve the company’s objectives for leveraging existing SAP
processes, conforming to the PackML standard and capturing downtime data,
Amalgamated selected an Schneider Electric Software Operations Management
solution using Wonderware software. The company implemented the Wonderware
MES/Performance, Wonderware System Platform, Wonderware InTouch HMI,
Wonderware Information Server and Wonderware Historian applications. The
combination of these powerful software tools enabled Amalgamated to achieve its
objective of accelerating the production of its soft drink manufacturing line
during peak demand cycles.
The
foundation of the Amalgamated system is the Wonderware MES/Performance software
built on the Wonderware System Platform. The performance software collects,
tracks and communicates key performance indicators in real-time. This
information is then delivered to operators who can take immediate action to
correct a problem on the line. Built on Wonderware System Platform, the
performance software is highly scalable for all SCADA, supervisory HMI
and MES applications.
Delivering
Information to the Right People at the Right Time
Wonderware
InTouch HMI is used for visualization of manufacturing operations. Sophisticated
graphics are displayed on operator screens showing standardized PackML
information to assess the operational efficiency of various machines on the
packaging line. To prevent operator confusion, only machine Overall Equipment
Effectiveness (OEE) information is shown, although the full OEE dashboard is
available on request.
“Because
raw data is short on analysis and facts, Wonderware MES/Performance software
adds important details to the information captured by the systems,” Coetzee
said. “The software also tracks production volumes and provides details on the
product deliveries to ensure we are meeting the requirements of the original
production order.”
In addition to OEE dashboards, any specific
portion of the HMI
screens can be customized to display various information such as downtime,
Pareto charts, line stoppages including duration and frequency, job progress,
and live or historical performance trending.
“Because
the downtime reports provided by the Wonderware system are so accurate,
Amalgamated’s machine OEM is using them to troubleshoot its equipment instead
of using the manual tracking sheets normally used,” Coetzee said.
With the implementation of Wonderware
Historian, Amalgamated has access to a wealth of historical information from
its production processes. As a high-performance, real-time database, Historian
is able to collect a wide variety of plant data, at full resolution and very
high data rates. This ensures that decision-makers at all levels have the
information needed to drive vital productivity improvements. This information
is shared throughout the organization using Wonderware Information Server which
aggregates and presents plant production and performance data over
Amalgamated’s intranet.
With
the help of Wonderware Historian and Wonderware Information Server, Amalgamated
has access to accurate downtime and stoppage reports, can more accurately
estimate reject counts and determine the number of crates on the line. The
elimination of manual logging of these activities has significantly increased
the efficiency of the production facility by making the information readily
available for business analysis.
Wonderware Software Open
Architecture – Making It An Easy Choice
Today’s
MES implementations are a far cry from the “big bang” approach of the past. Wonderware
software solutions can be installed gradually with success measured at each
stage of the implementation before contemplating the next step. With adherence
to standards such as PackML, manufacturers are assured that all pieces of the
puzzle will actually fit together and operate effectively over time.
“Packaging
line hardware and software suppliers used to only offer proprietary solutions.
This made Amalgamated very wary because proprietary systems would lock us in to
a particular vendor’s solution,” Coetzee said. “But since companies such as Schneider
Electric Software have adopted open standards, we are more open to buy these
solutions because we know they will have interoperability and will integrate
with other systems. So the irony is that the tactic of proprietary systems that
were designed to lock in customers to a particular technology actually sold
less than open systems with interoperability. This enables flexibility of
manufacturing operations to quickly address the changing demands of soft drink
consumers.”
So
go ahead and open that bottle of soda at your next picnic or cookout, because
thanks to automation solutions from Schneider Electric Software, soft drink
beverage maker Amalgamated is prepared to satisfy the thirst for frosty
beverages when the summer sun blazes.”
Source: This case study was first published as: Schneider Electric Software
Success Story "Amalgamated
Beverage Industries"
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