Mozzarella Cheese Plant Expansion Provides an Automation Opportunity
A specialty mozzarella cheese producer was expanding capacity at an existing facility for increased demand and needed an advanced state-of-the-art solution for automation and information systems.
The image above is for illustrative purposes only and may not accurately represent the appearance of the client's facility.
Challenge
Process changes were made throughout the plant, from intake to packaging, all while needing to minimize plant shutdowns. The existing facility had a mix of legacy hardware from Rockwell Automation, PLC-5s, SLCs, and RSView32 HMIs that needed to work with new equipment. The facility lacked PLC and HMI standards on current platforms. Shutdowns required many engineers to support equipment cut-ins and production support.
Solution
Cybertrol’s project solutions included:
- Establishment of plant standards on Rockwell Automation ControlLogix/FactoryTalk® View SE
- Coordination with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) on plant standards and integration of OEM screens into the plant application
- Work with the customer's internal IT team on SCADA server system requirements and installation/configuration of Rockwell Automation SCADA software (FactoryTalk View HMI Software, FactoryTalk Historian Software, FactoryTalk VantagePoint, FactoryTalk Transaction Manager)
- Configuration of electronic reports, including CIP (Clean-in-place), daily intake, and various production reports
- Flexible automation solutions to maintain legacy processes, temporary process configurations, and final expanded configuration throughout the project
Results
In addition to planned capacity improvements, the customer has greater visibility into the plant with electronic reports. The automation equipment and software has all been upgraded and is all current and supportable. Production impacts were minimized through the many phases and equipment cut-ins.
