Monday, 13 July 2015

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-

Thursday, 25 June 2015

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

Monday, 22 June 2015

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


Sunday, 24 May 2015

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.





Tuesday, 5 May 2015

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

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

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