Developing process industry sections such as small- to medium-sized manufacturers have a huge scope of growth and with the help of some unique industrial automation systems, that growth can be accelerated to greater heights. Let us understand this with the help of an example - a paint manufacturer based in India who decided to pool in some funds to purchase a new generation hybrid automation system (a system that caters to both the process and discrete steps of a manufacturing operation). In its initial phases, the manufacturing unit was manually managing large quantities of raw materials. Several containers of liquid and bags of chemicals were delivered and dropped off on the plant production floor. These were then each weighed individually on platform scales so that mixture quantities could be accurately measured out. After this, the ingredients were manually loaded into the mixers.
All of this evolved completely when the company shifted to an automation system uniquely designed to cater to the need of its several hybrid processes. After the upgrade, the raw materials were being stored in bulk in storage tanks. They were conveyed by pumps to weighing tanks mounted on the load platforms. The raw materials were weighed in the weighing tank and transported into the mixer according to the predefined formula. Bulk raw materials like oils, solvents, resins, and emulsions were transferred from storage tanks to the mixers, with amounts estimated with the help of mass flowmeters. For example, pneumatic conveying systems are often employed in the case of bulk powder raw materials, where amounts are estimated by means of load cells on silos. This adoption of this process automation has lead to a huge reduction in the need for manpower for functions like material handling, safer handling of chemicals, faster batch cycle time, greater consistency in quality, and higher productivity.
In recent times, due to the absence of automation systems distinctly designed for hybrid segments, manufacturers were pushed to either use available HMI, PLC / SCADA systems (intended for industrial automation) or DCS which are commonly employed by large, continuous process industries. However, these systems are not sufficient to meet the needs of hybrid segments since they are devoid of the integrated connectivity which is needed to connect data from both discrete and process applications. Users of these systems have regularly tried to defeat the shortcomings by creating customized software for each process. However, this never really worked out since the manufacturers became extremely dependant on the skills and availability of the software developers. Those who stuck with the DCS option found that the systems were far too costly to use & maintain on a regular basis and did not have the desired effect. This fundamental gap in the marketplace triggered the creation of a middle-level process automation platform made particularly to meet the requirements of the hybrid segments.
Modern innovations such as the #SchneiderElectric Hybrid DCS are designed to anchor hybrid industrial segments where engineering skills and manpower are in meager quantities. By offering a mix between control and supervision, and powerful diagnostics, these systems enable engineers and operators to work within an transparent, flexible, and easy-to-use environment.
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Erric Ravi is an entrepreneur, speaker & the founder of Storify News and Recent News He is the Co-Founder of The Storify News Times. Forbes calls him a top influencer of Chief Marketing Officers and the world's top social marketing talent. Entrepreneur lists him among 50 online marketing influencers to watch. Inc.com has him on the list of 20 digital marketing experts to follow on Twitter. Oanalytica named him #1 Global Content Marketing Influencer. BizHUMM ranks him as the world's #1 business blogger.
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