Cutting Time from R&D to Manufacturing

Life science tech transfer and validation gain efficiency as companies employ a modular S88 approach, cutting development costs and speeding time to market.

By Keren Sookne , Contributing Writer

In the changing life science industry, a company’s success hinges on its ability to introduce new products safely and quickly, connecting R&D to bulk production and piecing data together in a meaningful way. Historically, the approach to bringing a product to market has been fragmented—steps like R&D, clinical batch production and bulk production have been treated as individual operations, each involving single-purpose systems and a reliance on tribal knowledge.

The traditional manufacturing execution system (MES) has been designed for one product and one process, with the goal of maximizing yield at the lowest cost. But the next-generation facility must be able to rapidly respond to product (and process) changes, in part because the facility may accommodate multiple products. Across the industry, companies are looking for ways to systematize tech transfer to introduce new products and make process changes in a cost-effective and agile way.

Fragmentation to integration

To create innovative systems, companies have spent considerable time examining the drawbacks of the current processes. The islands of automation—and resulting islands of data—that evolved from single-purpose solutions have led to overall systems that lack efficient connectivity, with many handoffs between levels of the manufacturing hierarchy. Each island is, understandably, concentrated on producing the life science product and documentation to meet its own specific requirements, without consideration of the full product lifecycle.

Companies often lack the flexibility to introduce recipe changes or new products in a cost-effective manner. “It’s very cumbersome to take [the master control] recipe and roll that out across the plants in a seamless way,” says Douglas Gray, director of standards, analytics and visualization at Johnson & Johnson.

But many life science companies, including Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, have been adopting a product lifecycle framework that promotes partnership between supply chain, production, maintenance, quality and distribution. Beginning with the end user in mind, the approach is driven by product flow from R&D to patient use.

“Ultimately, we believe in making sure we’ve got a system and process from R&D that will drive the recipe all the way down into facilities,” Gray says. “Across the globe, we’ll have one general recipe, multiple site recipes, and then those will be automatically executed in various control systems in a consistent manner.”

The end-to-end strategy is helping companies meet customer needs by reducing the time to fulfill technical, regulatory and business requirements. Gray explains a three-part content-execution-visualization (CEV) framework, beginning with the right content being input, followed by consistent execution (similar production across the globe with real-time data tracking in ready-to-use contexts). The framework concludes with the visualization of data that allow for process and product analysis that support faster and better-informed decisions.

The S88 approach in tech transfer

One of the keys to success in product lifecycle management is the S88 framework used to standardize automation. The ANSI/ISA-88 (S88) is a standard for batch control that provides a structured way to segment operations. S88 separates recipes from equipment control, which allows changes to be made to either the control software or the recipe without affecting the other. This means that software can be designed based on the capabilities of the equipment, unlimited by a specific product recipe. Another main feature of S88 is modular design: recipes and blocks of information that can be copied or reassembled, which can save time during maintenance or implementation of new projects.

“S88 is about taking all the activities we perform, breaking them down into reusable blocks of information, then selfishly (and diligently) reusing them wherever we can,” says Marc Hooybergs, senior director of global execution systems at Johnson & Johnson.

Though S88 is a useful tool for the development of control software, it also provides value as a philosophy: The segmented approach can be used to reduce time and cut costs in the rollout of master recipes from corporate headquarters to manufacturing sites that may have different equipment, raw materials, packaging, etc. Additionally, the platform provides common terminology to help keep vendors and manufacturers on the same page.

Reducing development time

The approach can lead to reduced NPI cycle time by simplifying regulatory filing and development through the use of reusable blocks of code, Hooybergs explains. With a general recipe built in the R&D stage (containing regulatory submission information), unique manufacturing sites can transform and auto-generate their DeltaV master recipes. Tech transfers can be 40 percent faster, and require 50 percent less effort to validate.

The data model provides stakeholders with real-time visibility into manufacturing to make better decisions as the process is happening rather than after the fact, while full electronic batch release helps to expedite product shipment. Scientists can also benefit from better understanding as the focus shifts from obtaining the right documentation to obtaining useful data for process knowledge.

Presented at this year’s Emerson Global Users Exchange in Denver, recent DeltaV standardization efforts by Janssen (part of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development) have shown major gains, with five sites deploying standard DeltaV site infrastructure in parallel. One site reported saving 2,500 hours, while another saved $100,000 per skid. One consumer plant in India had a 90 percent reduction in recipe generation.

Looking to the future, Amgen’s Greg Bischoff emphasizes the need for streamlining automation and data transfer as the industry shifts its focus to patient-based value. Of particular importance is the need for continued innovation in single-use instrumentation (flow, pressure, dissolved oxygen sensors, etc.) as automation becomes more sophisticated. To promote the delivery of the right drugs to the right patients at the right time, systems must be in place to integrate patient data all the way through manufacturing and the supply chain, and to produce the drugs in a safe and agile manner.

The need for additional alignment

Though the S88 approach is helping to standardize life science automation and tech transfer strategy, it is not a silver bullet. “Many disciplines, tools and techniques must be aligned to a vision of standardization for true change to take place within an organization,” says Jeff Hackney, manager of North American life sciences business development at Emerson Process Management. “Process design, automation design, recipe design, business processes, SOPs, QA, QC and more must be considered holistically to achieve the goals being set forth in the industry.”

Any changes in the production of life science products must be accompanied with appropriate SOPs, data management, sample tracking and analytic technologies to ensure patient safety. Experts are exploring the possibilities of standardizing in other areas. Examples include the incorporation of more versatile manufacturing components to reduce inventory demands and increase flexibility, or the creation of a single bioreactor standard for a predefined equipment list so that facilities can conform SOPs to their equipment, design by omission rather than addition.

Will building a new facility ever be as easy as assembling modular blocks like children’s toys? No. There will always be a need to customize and reconfigure recipes and control logic. But the S88 tech transfer platform is already helping companies by significantly reducing development time and cutting costs, speeding time to market and allowing capital to be allocated to other advancements in science and automation.

Source by : -http://www.automationworld.com/process-control-software/cutting-time-rd-manufacturing

Molex: Heavy Duty Connectors for Industrial Automation

GWconnect Heavy Duty Connectors provide exceptional mechanical strength and vibration resistance in power, control and signal circuits.

The UL/CSA-approved connectors are rated to IP66, IP67 or IP69K (EN 60529) for applications exposed to harsh substances or requiring frequent washdown. Applications may include control panels, robotics, industrial automation, food and beverage, in addition to railway, commercial vehicle and renewable energy equipment. Constructed of die-cast aluminum alloy with a polyester powder coating, connectors are available with a range of enclosure materials and options. Inserts constructed of self-extinguishing UL 94V-0 thermoplastic material are available with screw terminals, screw terminals with terminal block, spring terminals, crimp terminals and push-in terminals. Special sealing gaskets protect the inserts against dust, water and chemical agents. Turned contacts are made of hard silver or gold coated copper alloy, ensuring high reliability and performance. A complete range of stamped crimp contacts, supplied on reel, is also available for automated crimping. The connectors also feature a lever locking system to resist impact and prevent accidental unmating.

Source from:- http://www.automationworld.com/cables-wiring-amp-connectors/molex-heavy-duty-connectors-industrial-automation

What does CAD/CAM and job shop management software integration mean?

So much of metal fabricating activity today is focused on the elimination of waste, and one of the bigger steps a company can take is integrating its CAD/CAM software with its job shop management software.

It wasn’t too long ago that the shop floor drove the metal fabricating company. Workers started a job when it made sense to them—unless otherwise instructed—and the completed job shipped, sometimes unknown to the front office. The shop also followed a schedule that made sense from only its perspective, which typically resulted in large amounts of work-in-process sitting around and excess material being ordered for products being fabricated but not yet ordered.

Even in the shops with the best communication between management and production, waste was seemingly inevitable. That is no longer the case today.

Shop management systems allow for strict materials resource planning, inventory control, job costing, quoting, and scheduling. CAD/CAM and nesting software systems deliver detailed information on production requirements for a job and simulations to prove them out, resulting in more accurate job quotes, better material utilization, and more precise inventory counting.

True automation of information flow between the front office and the shop floor is still elusive. The problem is that these modern software tools often are not integrated. Information from a shop management system is not automatically generating nests and schedules without some sort of manual intervention, and the shop floor production results don’t necessarily flow back to the enterprise-level software used to run the company. A chasm exists between the two software systems.

More metal fabricators are seeing the light, however, of what can be accomplished when the shop management software is more closely integrated with CAD/CAM packages. The results speak for themselves.

1. A more precise quote is delivered.

A winning job quote can become a losing one if a shop is not making money on the job. Luckily, fully integrated software tools can help deliver a good outcome.

Once a job, such as a laser cutting operation, has been successfully completed, the information from the fabricating activity can be fed back into the job tracking and costing modules of the shop management software. An estimator processing a repeat of that same job or something similar can find out real process times instead of relying on averages that likely haven’t been updated in several months.

This is especially helpful in more intricate jobs, such as a laser-cut disk with plenty of grooves. It’s difficult for even experienced estimators to deliver an accurate job quote just with a guesstimate. The estimator has to take into account piercing and speed adjustments as the laser cutting head moves around the many curves. An archived reference would help to deliver a sound quote while speeding up the quoting process.

Automated information flow to formulate quotes also helps to process additional quotes. In today’s marketplace where quotes sometimes are awarded on a “first-in-to-win” basis, timely responses to request for quotes can be very important.

2. Production jobs are organized more easily.

Plenty of shops have a work flow that calls for a programmer to create nests manually in the front office or that involves shop floor workers creating the nests at the machine. This gives the shop ultimate control of the nest, but loses out on the time efficiencies associated with automated nesting.

With integration of nesting and shop management software, a programmer no longer gets a folder with 50 different jobs on it and instructions to nest them and get them out the door as quickly as possible. Instead, the shop management software pushes jobs to the nesting software, and those nests are created automatically according to a project due date. Realistically, a shop that previously required a full day to nest parts for several hundred orders now can accomplish the same task in less than an hour.

The integration allows for more flexibility as well. For example, if a shop is organized according to manufacturing cells or value streams in which only certain types of products are fabricated, the shop management software can organize nests according to material type. Now the front office can schedule nests for a certain group of machines, rather than just schedule them according to delivery date.

3. Inventory is tracked more accurately.

Inventory is a tricky aspect of shop operations. A business doesn’t want too much raw material inventory because it doesn’t want to pay for something that isn’t going to be used right away and is just going to take up floor space. That cash can be applied to something more productive. However, the same business doesn’t want to be short of inventory that may be needed to cover a rush job.

Anyone involved in manual inventory counts knows the inaccuracies that can occur and the time needed to pull that together. Even getting a machine operator to log inventory information, such as what material was used and if any remnant was left, into the shop management software is rife with potential errors simply because it’s a manual task.

With integration, once a cutting job is done, the material information is fed back automatically to the front office. Management knows exactly what material is available and what has been used. It makes ordering more precise and keeps cash from being tied up in excess inventory that may otherwise simply languish in a rack for an extended period of time.

4. Real-time visibility into operations is achieved.

Perhaps the greatest benefit for having CAD/CAM and shop management software more closely aligned is the access to real-time production information. Management simply can call up a report or add a key performance metric to a dashboard to find out the status of any job in the shop, the performance of a certain machine tool, or any other item of interest. The front office isn’t dependent on getting that information directly from shop floor personnel or relying on those same individuals to input information into the system.

Visibility can be expanded depending on the relationship between CAD/CAM and shop management software packages. For instance, if the shop management system is allowed deep access to the cutting and nesting engine, anyone with a license to the enterprise software can gain greater access to shop floor activities. That license holder can see what a part looks like, where it resides on a nest, where it is in the production schedule, and how long it took or will take to process. This is all information that at one time was accessible only to the machine tool operator or possibly the part programmer.

Imagine a daily production meeting that now includes reports that not only show job status updates and shipping details for the day, but also pictures attached to the individual job orders listed on the report. This gives management a visual clue to the work going on in the shop, and it’s a complete picture, both literally and figuratively.

The automation of information flow between the shop floor and the front office is the next great step in eliminating waste and improving decision-making in metal fabrication operations. The only way that this can occur, however, is with efficient software integration. Without it, metal fabricators are not making the most of their engineering and production capabilities.

Source:-http://www.thefabricator.com/article/cadcamsoftware/what-does-cad-cam-and-job-shop-management-software-integration-mean-

How Michelin Develops a Stream of Trained Automation Employees

Randy Crutfield of Michelin North America explains how Michelin’s workforce development programs and close collaboration with local community colleges helps ensure the company has a steady of stream of well-qualified workers.

Amid years of discussion about a manufacturing skills gap—or lack thereof—and what factors may or may not have created it, many companies instead focused on taking action to address their workforce needs now and in the future. One of those companies is Michelin.

Randy Crutfield, site hiring manager for Michelin North America’s Lexington, S.C. site (the largest site for Groupe Michelin and the largest manufacturing employer in South Carolina), explained to attendees of The Automation Conference 2015 how the company operates its workforce outreach program, which is designed to ensure the company has little problem maintaining the knowledgeable workforce it needs.

Key factors in this program are:

• Michelin Technical Scholars Program—through which select students can develop hands-on work experience while earning their degree in Electronic Engineering Technology or Mechatronics at a local technical college. Michelin Technical Scholars receive scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, fees and books for the program along with competitive pay and part-time work and benefits;
• Internal policies and procedures for finding the right candidates—which includes specific tests for math, mechanical aptitude, and electrical and mechanical technology skills;
• Area school visits and outreach to kids as early as 9th grade;
• A formal pipeline assessment process; and
• Partnerships with local technical colleges that includes curriculum alignment.

Joining Crutfield in his presentation were Cheryl Garrison and Accounties Lashan Smith from TriCounty Technical College to explain how they work with Michelin in curriculum development and promotion of Michelin’s program to the school’s student body.

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/workforce-development/how-michelin-develops-stream-trained-automation-employees

5 HMI Technology Trends

As interest in mobile access to manufacturing equipment increases for both asset management and production insight, there has been a corresponding uptick in HMI technology to facilitate this interaction.

Whether its part of a process to pave the way for an Industrial Internet of Things initiative or simply to provide more accessible insight into operational capabilities, the role of the human machine interface (HMI) has clearly moved front and center for many companies. In reaction to increasing manufacturer interest for more versatile HMI capabilities, HMI technology suppliers are actively bridging the gaps in HMI technology that long kept it affixed to the machine(s) it monitored.

To gather some insight into some of the key advances that have been changing HMI technology over the past few years, I spoke with Jeff Thornton, product manager at Red Lion Controls. He pointed to five key facets of HMI technology that are changing the common perceptions of HMI. Granted, the technologies that Thornton discussed with me are specific to Red Lion Controls’ products, but they provide important insights into the direction HMI technology is headed.

The first thing Thornton pointed out in our discussion of modern HMI technology was protocol conversion. According to Thornton, Red Lion’s Graphite HMIs, for example, can be setup as “the gateway to exchange data between all connected devices. Graphite HMIs can convert between 13 protocols simultaneously from a list of more than 300 drivers to integrate disparate devices like PLCs, drives, barcode readers and panel meters. “

The ability to manage these complex multi-vendor environments via programming software is the second technology advance Thornton highlighted. “Red Lion realized customers were spending too much time setting up HMIs, so we designed plug-in modules for our Graphite HMIs,” he said. “These modules minimize development and commissioning time over traditional systems that use an HMI paired with separate I/O, PLCs, and other controllers.”

Development of modules to ease the system integration programming process is an increasing trend throughout industry. For more information about this trend, see the article on machine design building blocks I posted a few months ago.

Thornton highlighted that fact that PID control is included in the Graphite plug-in modules. This ability can “eliminate hours of custom PLC protocol development associated with standalone controllers. Operators can use Graphite PID modules to configure multi-zone systems, such as plastic extrusion heating, and integrate everything in minutes,” he said.

With the ability to now take your HMI practically anywhere with you, how the device collects, processes, and presents data continuously for proactive monitoring and control becomes ever more important.

The Crimson programming software used to customize Graphite HMIs permits configuration of communication protocols (such as the 300 device drivers referenced earlier in the protocol discussion), definition of data tags, and creation of user interfaces. The software also has a built-in emulator for testing, data logging and web serving; and access to features such as read/write to the SD card and serial port management, Thornton said.

Web serving and data logging are two big trends in the HMI space—and the third major HMI technology advance noted by Thornton. He said that Graphite HMIs are “the only rugged HMI that web-enables any device for remote operation across a LAN or the Internet. Users can remotely monitor and control applications via PCs, tablets or smartphones to streamline operations. When problems occur, SMS text messages and email alerts can be automatically sent to maintenance teams for proactive problem resolution.”

When asked about the security concerns surrounding remote access to industrial systems, Thornton pointed out that remote access to Graphite can be setup as disabled (no access), view-only, or full control of the HMI. “Based on who is logging into the HMI, the software can dictate what level of permissions will be granted,” he said. The proprietary operating system used to run Graphite HMIs are a factor that Thornton said protects Graphite HMIs from many of the security threats affecting HMIs using a more common OS.

The ruggedness of Graphite HMIs is the fourth HMI advance Thornton noted about modern HMI technologies. “For some industries, like oil and gas, alternative energy and water/wastewater, an HMI needs to stand up to harsh conditions. It used to be tough to take an HMI out into oil fields or have it withstand very hot or cold temperatures. But with the use of cast-aluminum metal housing, such as on the Graphite HMIs, these devices can now withstand shock and vibrations and extreme temperatures between -20° to 60°C.”

With the ability to now take your HMI practically anywhere with you, how the device collects, processes, and presents data continuously for proactive monitoring and control becomes ever more important—and the fifth modern HMI technology pointed out by Thornton. “The ability collect, store, and display data for real-time analysis provides valuable insights into processes that enable operators to analyze output levels, detect valve issues, or identify temperature extremes,” he said. “By logging real-time performance data, including productivity and output comparisons, organizations can easily implement process improvements or quickly pinpoint and address bottlenecks or chokepoints.”

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/5-hmi-technology-trends

BACnet Veins of Building Automation

Building Automation Training Institute

The simple mathematical word integration makes things easier to understand that we can add several domains in one system.  But picture becomes blurring when we see this to implement to our daily building requirements together. In building automation main domain for working is Climate control (temperature and humidity), safety, public addressing, and security.

Individually we have many systems to perform these tasks but these systems shrinks when intelligent and efficient buildings are in talk. BACnet is a communication protocol for building automation and control network. The BACnet protocol provides mechanisms for computerized building automation devices to exchange information, regardless of the particular building service they perform. Proper communication between building automation devices is critical for maximizing building energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and other aspects of "green" buildings.

 In green buildings generally concept come from its individual domains (HVAC, FireDetection Alarm and Suppression, CCTV and Public addressing systems) and its efficient use.

·         Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system has work to maintain our ambient temperature at desired value, with certain level of humidity and freshness or air. It includes automatic control of HVAC system i.e. temperature of different   part of Air Conditioning unit and automatic Ventilation. It includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in buildings.

·         Fire is most destructive disaster for life and resources. That is why we use fire detection alarm and suppression system to make our building safer. Detection of fire, Alarm and Suppression should be Automatic so controlling is required.

·         Access Control Authorizes people to operate or access to given area or process, so that this secures our place from unauthorized entry. Access control system can be programmed as per requirement .Access control system can be used in parking area, attendance management, intrusion detection, and to operate automatic doors.

·         CCTV is now a days most common thing for surveillance and its data is useful for many ways .But most of the people are not aware of its wide application. CCTV can be used as face recognition, traffic controller, counter, and high speed detection.

Above domains are key to automatic building but until we do not integrate these systems it would not be efficient and cost effective. For communicating on same platform we use BACnet it integrate these domain and makes things easier.

In building automation many companies have stepped in and there is wide scope for engineers.

Honeywell, Johnson and controls,Schneider, carriermidea ,Bajaj Electricals and many more are looking into this systems .Many projects in India is going on by Johnson and Control, Honeywell  and Bajaj As well.

The Connected Smart Bottle Is Calling

Thinfilm and Diageo plc partner on a prototype that uses printed sensor tags and near field communication to deliver personalized messages from a bottle on the store shelf to consumers’ smartphones.

A guy walks into a liquor store, heads to the whiskey aisle and stops for a second to contemplate which of the many brands on the shelf he will buy. Suddenly, his smartphone pings him with a message: “Johnnie Walker Blue Label has layers of big flavor and a deep richness that has a smoky smooth finish.”

He nods, puts his phone back in his pocket, and grabs a Blue Label bottle. At home, as he uncaps the beverage, his smartphone alerts him of another new message. “Start by serving the Blue Label neat in a tumbler, nosing the whiskey carefully.”

He slowly pours his first glass, as instructed, and then reads the next message on his phone. “Take a sip of iced water before your first sip of whiskey to make sure the palate is cooled and refreshed.” Ah, good advice, he thinks as he heads to the kitchen.

These mysterious messages may seem a bit eerie as they pop up at just the right moment, giving the impression that this guy is under surveillance. But, he’s not being watched, he’s being sensed—by a smart bottle.

These mysterious messages may seem a bit eerie as they pop up at just the right moment, giving the impression that this guy is under surveillance. But, he’s not being watched, he’s being sensed—by a smart bottle.

Welcome to the world of omni-channel marketing where manufacturers can engage directly with a consumer regardless of where they are (online or in the physical store) or what communication method they are using (printed catalog, website, mobile app, or social media). In this scenario, Diageo plc, a global beverage provider with a large collection of alcohol brands-- including Crown Royal, Captain Morgan, Ketel One, and Johnnie Walker-- is taking multi-channel marketing to the next level with the addition of the Blue Label smart bottle.

Together with Thin Film Electronics ASA, a supplier of printed electronics and smart systems, the company is testing the connected “smart bottle” designed to enhance the customer experience through real-time interaction. Thinfilm’s new OpenSense technology includes near field communication (NFC) which enables smartphones and tablets to communicate with other close-range devices containing a NFC tag.

The OpenSense tag covers the seal of the bottle’s cap and carries digital information that can be accessed by NFC smartphones. OpenSense is designed with dynamic detection of a product’s “sealed” and “open” states that supports a variety of real-time marketing, product authentication, and security applications. The manufacturer, for example, can push targeted messages, such as promotional offers, cocktail recipes, and exclusive content, to the consumer at just the right time.

Thinfilm’s printed electronics, which support memory, sensing, and logic, is a low-cost and highly scalable alternative to traditional silicon systems. (Technology Watch: Printed Electronics.) Couple the technology with NFC and the ability to sense different product states, and there are new opportunities for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries to track product location, temperature, movement, moisture, and more. It can even help control inventory and identify if a product has been tampered with.

Unlike conventional static QR codes that are often difficult to read, easy to copy, and do not support sensor integration, OpenSense tags can ensure product authenticity as they are permanently encoded at the point of manufacture and cannot be copied or electrically modified, Thinfilm officials say.

In addition, while RFID tags are the common way to track perishable products during distribution, they are attached to a shipping crate. Smart labels with printed electronics can be attached to individual items. This opens the door to help manufacturers easily—and affordably—adopt wireless sensing capabilities throughout the supply chain as well as build out an Internet of Things (IoT) network that includes smart bottles.

“The Internet of Things is huge for us,” says Jennifer Ernst, Thinfilm’s Chief Strategy Officer. In the Blue Label set up a simple sensor tells the NFC device if the seal is broken. “But we are also beginning to introduce temperature sensors for use as industrial process monitors.”

The affordability of printed electronics in high volume quantities is what will drive adoption in the future. “For a few dimes you can add intelligence to products,” Ernst says.

The high-quality consumer experience, however, is what will enable manufacturers to innovate outside of the plant floor.

Diageo will unveil its smart bottle prototype this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. “Our collaboration with Thinfilm allows us to explore all the amazing new possibilities enabled by smart bottles for consumers, retailers, and our own business,” says Helen Michels, Diageo’s Global Innovation Director. “Mobile technology is changing the way we live, and as a consumer brands company, we want to embrace its power to deliver amazing new consumer experiences in the future.”



Source:- http://www.automationworld.com/connected-smart-bottle-calling

How Building Energy Management Can Help Your Factory

Building automation advancements have provided facility managers greater visibility of actionable energy data. With robust plant networks and smarter devices, can manufacturers learn lessons and apply better asset management practices?

Finding and leveraging energy savings in commercial buildings has accelerated over the past 10-15 years largely because of modern building automation systems (BAS) and the BACnet standard development in the U.S. and globally. Direct digital control (DDC) has kicked pneumatic control systems to the curb, and energy data is now readily presented to facility managers, bringing noticeable energy savings for larger companies.

Modern BAS and energy management systems (EMS), along with the proliferation of room and zone monitoring via sensors in modern or retrofitted buildings, present facility managers with opportunities most did not have 20 years ago—namely, through actionable data.

However, best-in-class manufacturers are already roadmapping plant strategies that include much more data from the shop floor. So when does energy management become part of the discussion?Is there an opportunity for manufacturers to leverage the BAS and EMS strategies used in the building space? Compared with building automation, it’s fair to say manufacturers are presented with different types of energy saving challenges because of unique and varied industry applications and manufacturing footprints. For years, electricity costs have been viewed as a fixed cost in the operations world, with building management usually not in the discussion.

Where to start?

“We recommend the top-down approach over a period of time, where we tell manufacturers and building managers to start with your main building profile,” says Arun Sinha, director of business development at Opto 22. “Monitor, learn and find anomalies in energy footprint.”

Building control is quite uniform. BAS resides as software on an operator workstation or is available as a web page, while various controller types manage equipment and portions of the network. Meanwhile, zone sensors provide input data to the controllers. All of this is done through a BACnet communication protocol, ANSI certified, or on a LonWorks network. Monitoring at the subpanel level allows for motion sensing and automated lighting schedules to conserve energy when rooms are empty.

However, the inherent variety of manufacturing applications and control architectures does not allow for a simple plug-and-play handbook for industrial energy monitoring. For example, warehouses or refrigerated storage facilities may lean on a traditional automation system to control compressors and chillers for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) and production equipment. These applications include control and monitoring.

“If we’re in the boiler room and there’s 10 energy loads right in the same room with chillers, boilers, pump and circulation pumps, then I’d say it’s better to use a programmable automation controller (PAC) system,” Sinha says.

Energy, a fixed cost?

A particularly challenging aspect of industrial energy management is ownership by operations. Energy management or the cost of electricity has mostly been viewed as a fixed cost, with plant operations focused on meeting output and continuous improvement.

“Historically, production people really haven’t had the resources to look at energy monitoring because 15 different machines on the plant floor have different load requirements and demands, and it was just overwhelming to try to have a production manager really think about energy management," says Doug Ferguson, vice president of Americas Operations Services for Phoenix Contact.

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However, that’s changing as more equipment data moves from the plant floor to third-party energy management software solutions.

“The current trend we’re seeing is a lot of the building automation companies, hardware vendors and the energy management application providers for standard commercial buildings move into the manufacturing space,” says Erik Dellinger, product manager for Internet of Things solutions at Kepware Technologies. The systems they provide often export energy data via XML from conveyor motors via OPC communication drivers into the cloud or energy dashboards for real-time visibility.

Seeing energy data is not a problem. “There’s a lot of options now,” Sinha says. “A lot of companies have emerged offering cloud-based visualization systems that are very easy to use.”

There are numerous third-party energy integrators with dashboard solutions, such as Pulse Energy and eSight Energy, but automation suppliers are in this space too. Siemens andSchneider Electric, for example, both offer cloudbased software with vertical integration of building and automation systems to manufacturers, aiding in business intelligence strategies for larger organizations.

Studying energy loads

One company taking a holistic approach to energy use in manufacturing, while updating its building controls systems with DDC, is automotive engine manufacturer Cummins. The company has been working with its local utility, Duke Energy, to better see the energy loads at its Rocky Mount, N.C., manufacturing facility.

The 1.2 million square foot facility makes about 150,000 engines a year, and compressed air—used to blow off chips from machining the engine blocks and heads—is a major energy factor. Some characterize compressed air as the fourth utility for industrial manufacturers, after electricity, gas and water. For Cummins, there’s no question about its importance.

At the Rocky Mount plant, Duke Energy helped design an energy management system that ties into the company’s existing building management system, where it looks at the cubic feet per minute (CFM) of compressed air used per engine line. The company has a dedicated staff watching air compressors in real time and compiling data logs of energy loads. About 12 main compressed air drops within the plant are metered.

“Rocky Mount is compressing about 20,000 CFM. It is the largest energy-consuming system within our plant,” says Mark VanDam, facilities engineer at Cummins’ Rocky Mount plant. “It accounts for about 25 percent of the electrical energy we use on a daily basis to compress air.”

At the Rocky Mount plant, they’re trying to pinpoint leaks or other equipment problems that could drive compressed air use up, VanDam says. “That data is logged every 15 minutes and then it logs the average every 15 minutes for us to see.”

Cummins is developing its own energy dashboard that drills down to plant floor lines to provide data for more Six Sigma improvements. “We’ll be able to give each individual business unit within the plant a CFM per part that they produce—basically, a measure so they can understand whether their usage is going up or down per part, and drive our energy cost down,” VanDam says. “We’re up to six different Six Sigma projects now, and there is a total savings of about $135,000 annually based on straight energy savings, including electrical energy as well as compressed air savings.”

Rocky Mount isn’t the only Cummins plant moving toward better energy visualization. The engine plant in Jamestown, N.Y., is at the end of a five-year plan to retrofit its entire building management system that will support a BACnet open architecture. Similar to Rocky Mount, compressed air use makes up about 20 percent of the plant’s electricity use.

“At Jamestown, there are three shift operations, but second shift is a maintenance shift. So one of the things we look at is to make sure that our load drops proportionally when production goes home for the second shift,” says David Burlee, plant engineering leader at the Jamestown facility. “With our metering program, we’re able to see a lot of things that we didn’t know existed around energy waste, particularly if the lines or areas are not working.”

Asset management

Data coming from the shop floor can lead to energy savings, certainly, but it can also provide equipment insights or better asset management practices. One opportunity comes from looking at power quality on the factory floor. Poor power quality management can increase power usage and damage devices, such as electrical motors, computers and industrial control equipment.

Three-phase power modules are a common solution and they monitor energy behavior for motors, production lines and motor control centers while transmitting data using industrial protocol standards such as Profibus, EtherNet/IP, CANopen and others.

The modules measure active, reactive and apparent power, total power consumption, power factors and phase shift angles, to name a few.

More importantly, energy data is just a dashboard away. “Our three-phase power measurement modules have an energy management dashboard that provides the engineer or technician with a quick view of the energy use of the system,” says Charlie Norz product manager at Wago.

Energy use at the device level is providing more real-time energy data, but networking solutions also allow plant managers to view bigger plant energy consumption patterns. For example, recent energy profile developments with Profinet and EtherNet/IP provide manufacturers with easier access to a bigger systems view.

The ProfiEnergy communication profile can transmit power demand information back to the controller to support more sophisticated energy savings strategies, including peak load management. Specific examples of peak load management include energy savings during brief and longer production pauses, and unscheduled downtime.

A white paper from ODVA called “CIP Energy Profiles” discusses the importance of a bigger view—a top-down approach—afforded by industrial networks. “Some devices may report very accurate energy data, but high accuracy is not really needed at the device level. There will usually be revenue-accurate meters upstream in the energy distribution network,” the paper notes. “This more complete energy picture provides valuable information on the energy behavior of a machine, zone, line or area, allowing users to make decisions that result in reduced energy usage and cost.”

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/energy-management/how-building-energy-management-can-help-your-factory

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Turck: Compact Temperature Transmitters | Sensors

The TTM sensor line has been expanded to include dynamic programmability and special features via IO-Link.

These fully programmable sensors allow a user to program the temperature range required, rather 

than be constrained to specific ranges, for more specific temperature control. This new functionality also allows the sensor to be programmed and used as a temperature switch. 

The line includes several models, including remote-mount transmitters, transmitters with integral Class A RTDs, as well as all stainless steel configurations to meet different measurement, space and material needs. To eliminate problems associated with conventional transmitter assemblies, all are factory assembled with an overmolded or welded housing, and come ready for installation. 

The overmolded remote transmitters are suitable for applications with limited clearance because they ensure electronics stay out of harm's way. Remote versions can also be mounted separately from the RTD, for improved temperature readings by isolating the transmitter circuitry from the temperature being measured. 

The stainless version offers a more robust package without an overmolded housing suitable for food and beverage applications. The sensors feature a 4-20 mA transmitter. They are pre-scaled 0 to 150 ºC but can easily to programmed to specific temperatures within those ranges via IO-Link.

Industrial Automation Controls Custom Car

Multiple functions on this custom car—from raising the hood and trunk to the controlling the electrical systems and windshield wipers—are powered by industrial automation components.  

Hints of the 1986 Ford XF Falcon can still be seen when viewing the purple and red custom car known as “The Psycho”. And though it’s clear from outward appearances that this car has been radically transformed from its original delivery specs, what’s not so obvious is how different this car is with respect to its operation.

Greg Maskell, the Australia-based designer of "The Psycho", turned to industrial automation technologies to control many of the car’s functions. Underneath the dash, along with the high-tension coil packs of the ignition, are a Rockwell Automation MicroLogix PLC and a ProSoft Technology Industrial Hotspot. The 802.11 a/b/g HotSpot is ProSoft Technology’s RLX2-IHW industrial-grade wireless Ethernet device rated up to 54 Mbps with Power over Ethernet and serial encapsulation.

Without the use of industrial automation controls technology, remote control of all these functions in the car would have required 18 separate toggle switches.

The controller and Industrial Hotspot are connected to a Rockwell Automation PanelView Plus 600 HMI through a Hirschmann Spider 4TX switch. The ProSoft Technology Industrial Hotspot is used for remote programming of the PLC and HMI.

Though the use remote controls via a mobile device in custom cars is not new, Maskell (who produces two the three custom cars a year) says this is the first time he has incorporated the use of a PLC.

The PLC controls all of the car’s electrical systems including “start up, shut down, fuel pump, thermo fans, water pump, windscreen wipers, windows and the stereo,” Maskell says. Without the use of industrial automation controls technology, remote control of all these functions in the car would have required 18 separate toggle switches.

Maskell relied on Gary Lomer, a Melbourne, Australia-based industrial electrician with 30 years of experience, to build the controls system for the custom car based on his industrial automation knowledge. Lomer currently works for Visy (a paper, packaging and recycling company), but has also worked at General Motors in Melbourne, as well as in many other industries. “I used my industrial background to select components that were proven with solid and reliable software and hardware,” Lomer said.

Working on "The Psycho" was an after-hours job for Lomer, who took on the extra work because “it was something different and challenging that didn’t come along every day.”

Maskell said he and the owners of the car are very happy with the performance of the equipment. He plans on using the PLC/ProSoft industrial wireless car control system more often when a customer decides they want to control their car remotely. He adds that “we are working on using ProSoft’s i-View iPhone app to operate the car via an iPhone.”

In just one car show in Australia, “The Psycho” won Top Paint, Top Undercarriage, Top Engine Bay, Top Interior, Top Coupe, Top Five, Top Street Machine and Australia’s Coolest Ride. It is considered by many to be the Top Show Car in Australia today.

Source:-http://www.automationworld.com/industrial-automation-controls-custom-car

Market for IAE Expected to Show Strong Growth

The market for industrial automation equipment is expected to show strong growth in 2014, with global revenue reaching $185.3 billion. 

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So says a recent report from information and analytics source IHS Technology.

The $185.3 billion represents a 7% increase over the $173 billion racked up in 2013. This year marks the return of more vigorous activity after the industry managed only middling revenue increases of 1.2% in 2012 and 3.4% in 2013. Prior to those two years, expansion had been in the double digits in a heartening show of force after the recession. Healthy expansion is set to continue after this year, says IHS, with industry revenue forecast to hit $225 billion by 2017.

Motors and motor controls will be the largest segment in 2014, accounting for 40% of total industrial automation equipment revenue. Automation equipment is next with 31%, followed by power-transmission equipment with 29%.

The automation equipment sector will be affected substantially this year by technological innovation, says IHS. Specifically, demand for more communication and more sophisticated machine control will drive technical advancements, especially in the discrete controller markets. Controllers overall are at the hightest risk of cybersecurity attacks, and this will prompt product development seeking solutions to forestall or prevent unauthorized incursions altogether.

Three distinct market developments will help the industrial automation equipment market continue to grow in the future. First, manufacturing will be transformed from a productivity-driven process to one that is controlled by digital information; IHS refers to this trend as "convergence." Second, 3-D printing could also represent another turning point, offering possibilities likely to alter the manufacturing landscape in sweeping ways. And third, the combination of an aging workforce of skilled engineers along with low rates of replacement will pose a significant concern for manufacturers, particularly in the West. Increasing levels of automation and semiautonomous robots will ultimately drive a transition to more and more automation.