Like any process manufacturing industry, the food and beverage industry is focused on operational excellence to deliver the best product safely and on time. However, many small and medium sized processers are discovering the need to incorporate more automation into their plants. Fewer available personnel coupled with aging equipment and more complex supply chains are driving a need for increased automation to support overworked operators and technicians.
Automation can be complex, as is detailed in a recent article in Food Engineering featuring Emerson’s Drew Mackley as a contributor. But manufacturers can cut through much of that complexity by following some critical strategies to help drive success in their projects. Drew suggests two key focus points: breaking down data silos and managing support across the lifecycle of automation investments.
Silos stymie strategy
Teams driving peak performance from their assets require a lot of data. They need to see the health and performance of their equipment, and they need early warnings when something is about to go wrong. Unexpected downtime is one of the biggest contributors to poor performance and sustainability, so reliability teams need to keep a finger on the pulse of their assets at all times.
However, as assets are added over time, it becomes more difficult to get access to critical data across the plant or enterprise. Drew explains,
“One of the easiest ways to silo data accidentally, especially in some of the largest food and beverage facilities, is to trap data in systems with poor communication capabilities or in areas that are out of range of wireless gateways. As teams add new equipment, they must ensure they continuously have accurate, reliable measurement of relevant fault conditions. As that data is collected, teams need to ensure they have an analytics and interpretation solution in place that can collect and contextualize the data to turn it into actionable information. This means selecting solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing SCADA, PLC, or other control and data management systems.”
The easiest way to circumvent data silos is to select automation technologies designed with a boundless automation vision in mind. The boundless automation vision is centered on democratizing data—ensuring seamless connectivity between systems for easy data mobility from the intelligent field through the edge and into the cloud. Solutions like AMS Asset Monitor, AMS Wireless Vibration Monitor, AMS Machine Works, and AMS Optics are all easy to install and connect seamlessly out of the box to get data into the hands of key users in real-time, and provide actionable insights into the health of systems 24×7.
Lock in lifecycle maintenance
Another key strategy to drive success in automation investments is to ensure everything runs well across the lifecycle. Instrumenting assets will deliver fast return on investment through reduced downtime and lower maintenance costs, but that’s not where a lifecycle strategy ends,
“Those same systems should also be able to scale so they don’t need to be ripped out and replaced every time the organization needs to accommodate expansion. Modular, flexible systems will adapt to evolving needs without requiring a complete overhaul of the system.”
And even if a plant has seamless, scalable solutions in place, monitoring those solutions across their lifecycle can bring additional value,
“Support across the lifecycle of solutions is also an important consideration. Teams should seek out solutions with access to a comprehensive digital experience to help them manage support, subscriptions and licenses for easy management. It also pays significant dividends in reduced cost and time when teams select systems that offer easy calibration and remote monitoring capabilities.”
You can learn more by reading the article in full over at Food Engineering, where Drew and other automation experts share their insights to help plants drive more value from their investments.
The post Better Automation Across the Plant and Across the Lifecycle appeared first on the Emerson Automation Experts blog.