PLC Upgrade: The pros outweigh the cons

For any manufacturer, the decision to upgrade PLCs is difficult. First there’s the cost of a new system and the labor to install it. Then there’s the expense of retraining your employees to operate the new hardware; not to mention the loss of production while systems are shut down during the switch. But those costs are minuscule when compared to those involved during a sudden failure of an outdated PLC. In that instance, the company still faces the expense of repair or replacement and retraining, while likely dealing with a longer shutdown as they scramble to find now-unavailable parts and other long-term solutions. Not to mention the fact that a modernized PLC can often increase efficiency, production capacity and speed, and improve inventory processes, thereby saving the company money in the long run.

In other words, the decision to upgrade a PLC is one every manufacturer wants to be able to make for themselves on their terms—before a catastrophic system breakdown leaves them no choice.

Challenges in the Mountains

Peak Materials is headquartered in Silverthorne, Co., in the mountains just west of Denver. The town sits at 9,000-plus feet of elevation. As soon as the QSI representatives arrived, they saw that the challenge with upgrading Peak’s PLCs wasn’t going to be working in the thinner air of the Rockies, but rather working around the manmade mountains of rock and sand integral to Peak’s business.

The outdated GE PLCs used a couple of remote racks located in different parts of the quarry-like complex. In order to complete this conversion, QSI needed to communicate with those racks from the main hub. In a typical conversion, the engineers would simply connect via hardwired Ethernet/IP communications, but it was clear from the outset that the distance between points was too far for Ethernet. Therefore, the original proposal called for the use of radio communication using wireless Ethernet radios. But now that QSI was on the ground, their engineers’ concern grew that the heaps of rock and dirt dotting the landscape—some as tall as 50 feet—might obstruct the antenna communications.

Finished with time to spare

Once the old cable had been ripped up, there was no going back. Peak was going to be shut down until the new fiber had been pulled and the new PLC was up and running. Knowing that time was of the essence and that every minute of shut-down had financial impact on Peak, the QSI engineers worked 12-hour days, trudging through the mud and snow to see the job through. They had arrived on a Sunday with a goal of being completed with the conversion and having everything fully functioning by the following Friday. But thanks to their thorough preparation and quick troubleshooting, the engineers had the new Allen-Bradley system installed and ready for testing by the end of Tuesday.

On Wednesday, QSI engineers observed as each system began running smoothly and sequentially under the new Allen-Bradley PLC. The engineers walked through and tested each point of input and output. Along the way, they were able to explain the new systems to the Peak employees that would go on to run and monitor them. By Thursday, the rock crushing and mountain building had commenced.

An extra day and a bonus job

Even though the task was complete, the QSI engineers stuck around for that Friday to take in the beautiful mountain scenery, double check the new installation, and, as it turns out, help Peak with an unexpected and completely unrelated issue.
While onsite, the Peak main control room suddenly lost communications with one of the outlying offices. Since they were there anyway, QSI engineers teamed up with the Peak IT team to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

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The Client

Wicked Weed Brewing is a craft brewery located in Asheville, North Carolina. Since 2011, they’ve been developing signature flavors and stylish names like Bedeviled Golden, El Paraiso, and Lieutenant Dank. In 2017, they entered into a partnership with the Anheuser-Busch (A-B) family of craft brewers, giving them access to marketing, distribution, and capital support while maintaining freedom and control over their own operations.

Wicked Weed had plenty of beer knowledge, style, and skill. What they needed, though, was a greater presence across the country, in order to capitalize on their new partnership with A-B.

The Problem

Wicked Weed therefore began an expansion of their production operations. However, this proved to be challenging almost immediately. With the current single-can production process, they were maxed out and could not meet their targets.

Wicked Weed would need not only to expand their beer-making facilities, but also their packaging process. Their current setup included systems that worked okay yet were inadequate for ramping up to meet the wider production demands.

Thus, it became obvious quickly that the production operations would need to be automated. Which often presents an additional challenge.

David McWain, project manager for A-B, said that it’s quite difficult to implement an automation that works quickly. “Most integration companies and automation companies don’t pass the first performance test the first time.” Usually that test is a requirement of line efficiency, or what percentage of its full capacity the line is running at.

For example, if a line has a capacity of 250 cans per minute, and because of problems that cause stoppage of the line the overall production is only 200 cans per minute, that’s an 80% efficiency. For the record, Wicked Weed did not have a good handle on their line efficiency, because the line itself was not automated. This led to an additional opportunity for enhancement. Automating the line would allow Wicked Weed to know exactly how efficient they were, be able to diagnose future problems faster, and develop solutions more efficiently.

But, as McWain pointed out, that’s not always a given.

The Solution

A-B partnered with a contractor to design, build, and program the new automated production lines. The goals included increasing capacity and swift resolution of alarms, all of which would lead to more efficient use of the line.

As in any automation project, multiple steps were involved. QSI got engaged right from the start, consulting on electrical design. Engineers from QSI were able to provide guidance on all aspects, including the HMI (human/machine interface) layouts, alarms, and trigger systems.

An interesting twist to the standard automation process also arose early in the project. Because of Wicked Weed’s production layout, one of the steps involves a right-angle pusher. Cans filled and packaged into either 4-packs, 6-packs, or cases wait at the end of a conveyor. When the appropriate quota has been met, they are then pushed off at a right angle for the next step. An additional challenge is that this quota varies by the brew and the packaging requirements, so flexibility in design and action are a must.

This became a problem, because slight irregularities in the alignment of the varying packs or cases mean that sometimes those bundles getting pushed to the side would bump against a fixed barrier and alarm the line to stop. Stopping the line means cans and packs weren’t moving through the process fast enough, that the line was experiencing down time, and that overall the facility was not running as efficiently as it could.

In order to overcome this bottleneck, QSI consulted on a solution that involved a variable mechanical stopper to align the various cases or packs before pushing. QSI brought engineering experience and combined it with a real-world solution to the problem. The stopper could be adjusted for the number of packs necessary in each push, it could appear or disappear as necessary (depending on the packaging requirements), and it would help to ensure proper alignment at each push, meaning that there would be less blockage and less down time.

Once the mechanical designs were in place, electrical design and programming were necessary. QSI engineers worked to customize not only the software underneath, but the external interface as well. They designed and programmed the HMI system, developed a series of alarms and triggers, and programmed everything to interact seamlessly.

The Results

David McWain, the project manager from A-B overseeing the Wicked Weed can line expansion, said that QSI passed all their benchmarks with spectacular margins. “98% line efficiency, they passed on the first try,” he said. This is unusual, he said. Remember, most automation projects don’t pass with the first implementation. For QSI to hit that benchmark meant faster completion of the project, at a lower cost, with higher satisfaction.

What was most special, though, about working with QSI was the people. McWain said that QSI’s ability to create real-time solutions to open questions was unparalleled in the industry. Often, responses from other engineers could take up to a week, delaying projects and adding significant barriers. But from QSI, solutions usually came back quickly, sometimes even the same day. “Really, very timely solutions to open items,” he said.

And overall, the expansion and automation project has gone well. A-B has continued the relationship with QSI, too, including them in multiple projects since the first. These investments have helped Wicked Weed increase production from 30,000 barrels a year to 150,000 now, with a target for more. And McWain has decided to work with QSI directly, rather than going through other contractors. Why? “It’s their ability for real-time solutions. Which is pretty big in the automation world. … And all their solutions were cost-efficient.”

What a great combination.

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