An Automation & Integration Solution for a New Blue Cheese Plant

A specialty blue cheese producer was building a new 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

This state-of-the-art blue cheese production facility utilized equipment supplied by various OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) builders from around the world, all of which needed to be integrated. A lack of transparency with proprietary information hampered support when some OEMs left the facility. The existing cheese plant had an obsolete and undocumented control system that needed to work with the new equipment.

Solution

Cybertrol’s project solutions included:

• Working diligently with OEMs to receive documentation of their systems
• Maintenance of a well-documented network and plant control system throughout the project
• Further research and meetings to cover the gaps in scope between the OEM and the end user
• Onsite support assistance during commissioning for OEMs
• Review of the plant control system upon completion and communication of corrective issues to the OEMs

The information was stored in a well-documented fashion using various software including Rockwell Automation's FactoryTalk AssetCentre. Undocumented code was studied and documented to a standard where maintenance could troubleshoot. The end user was given upgrade recommendations for obsolete control system equipment.

Results

While working with operations/plant maintenance/corporate engineering, OEM inefficiencies were overcome to hit their production goals while maintaining a high-quality product. Continual support and future additions have been easier to complete with the documented system.