FOOD & BEVERAGE A PIZZA CHALLENGE FOR CONTROL FREAKS


specialists had to conduct extensive reverse engineering to figure out what functions were controlled by the microcomputer, how they played a role in governing the process and re- write this code in the new infrastructure. Hamilton explained: “Not only were there no diagrams to help engineers understand what the code was controlling, but no member of the staff could help as the engineers who worked on the initial set-up were all retired.” Clint Johnson, director at Control Freaks


Mitsubishi Electric’s upgrades to the Bakkavor Pizza production line not only successfully addressed Control Freaks’ challenges, but exceeded expectations too [Source: Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.]


With the average Brit eating 731 pizzas in their lifetime, it’s no surprise that pizza-makers seek to optimise production. Control Freaks has applied PLC technology from Mitsubishi Electric to help Bakkavor do just that


A


ccredited automation ‘solutions provider’ Control Freaks has applied the latest Mitsubishi Electric PLC technology


to solve production challenges and increase competitiveness for Bakkavor’s Lincolnshire based pizza production facility. Bakkavor, a fresh prepared food producer


supplying leading UK retailers, is enjoying the benefits of having successfully improved pizza dough base quality and consistency, while also reducing production costs through less maintenance and downtime. The company’s pizza production is located


in two facilities, one being Bakkavor Pizza in Holbeach St. Marks, just 6 miles from Control Freaks, which is based near Spalding. There, a large, fully automated manufacturing line extending over two floors turns raw materials into finished products. The basic process mixes mainly flour and water to make pizza dough which then continues to be rolled, stretched, heat treated and proved. Once the dough is ready, pizza bases are produced. Each single process builds on the steps


before it, therefore any issue upstream in the sequence not only influences the end result but is also difficult to correct downstream. In such a highly synchronised system, effective inter-process control becomes crucial. When the project to make improvements started the incumbent control system on Bakkavor Pizza’s dough rolling section was over 20 years old. Simply as a result of its age and relative obsolescence any issues had become harder to fix over time and production was inefficient.


34 MAY 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL To address these issues, the food


manufacturer got in touch with Control Freaks that, in turn, contacted Mitsubishi Electric. David Hamilton, site engineering manager


for Bakkavor Pizza, said: “Control Freaks and Mitsubishi Electric have supported us with top- quality products and services on this latest project.” When looking at migrating the existing


control system to a new, modern set-up, Mitsubishi Electric and Control Freaks noted the presence of some programming code operating on a separate processor, or microcomputer, within the existing equipment. The 16-bit processor was not able to handle complex mathematical functions, therefore between 30-50% of the entire dough rolling process was handled by the microcomputer. To further complicate the upgrade project,


there was no way to extract this code to include it in the new control system. Therefore, the automation and system integration


added: “The absence of any documentation on the existing code within the control system made the reverse engineering operations particularly challenging. Mitsubishi Electric’s specialised teams provided extensive support, conducting crucial investigations. Their help was key to the successful completion of the project. This level of assistance provided is one of the many reasons why we are proud Mitsubishi Electric partners.” Once these challenges were solved, the


system migration was completed in a short timeframe and in stages, minimising equipment downtime. All the old PLCs were replaced with new


Mitsubishi Electric Q series controllers. These were equipped with QnUDV central processor unit to offer integrated Ethernet-based network communications. In this way, the PLCs could be easily connected to inverters and other pieces of equipment. In addition, the existing third party stand-


alone I/O components were replaced using the CC-Link IE Field Basic network system which is integrated within the new PLC modules. This would allow Bakkavor Pizza to save panel space that could be used to host the new system’s inverters and servos in the near future, optimising the plant’s overall equipment footprint. Paul Judge, Compact PLC & Visualisation


product manager at Mitsubishi Electric, said: “Our main goal was providing a solution that solved the immediate issues and met the main objectives for the project. This new, more reliable automation ‘backbone’ also provides Bakkavor Pizza with the right migration path for future developments. Partnering with skilled system integration specialists, such as Control Freaks, is vital to support our customers with implementing ideal, more future-proofed solutions.” The automation solution has achieved


The Q series controllers offer integrated Ethernet-based network communications [Source: Control Freaks Ltd.]


substantial increases in the uptime, speed and responsiveness of the bakery line, as well as higher product quality and consistency. Hamilton concluded: “The benefits of this new, automated control system were immediately noticeable. Not only did it manage to address the challenges we were facing but it exceeded our expectations. This is why we fully intend to rely on Mitsubishi Electric and Control Freaks for future upgrades.”


Mitsubishi Electric gb3a.mitsubishielectric.com


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