W


hile the view conjured up by thoughts of smart factories is often one of pristine greenfield sites with the latest technologies in place, the reality for many confectionery manufacturers will be very different. Legacy equipment and unconnected lines are more often the norm, along with a wide variety of technologies and


differing levels of capability. When we refer to digitalisation capability, we are really talking about the ability to interface data at line level – typically from machine level devices – and escalate it into the IT world. Many confectionery manufacturing sites will consist of a wide variety of legacy machines that perform their function well, and in many cases efficiently, but do not offer any digitalisation capability. The challenge this creates is that when these legacy production


lines were commissioned, the benefits of collecting data at line level or integrating it with the IT level wasn’t understood, and many systems were designed with basic logic functions, using simple analogue I/O. This creates challenges for those looking to start their smart factory


journey. In addition, some companies may find it hard to justify the investment in technology, where short-term contracts make long-term investment a risk. Further, most manufacturers are reluctant to disrupt a machine or line if it is working well. Of course, the most straightforward solution is to retrofit a new


control system architecture and place the automation technologies onto it. This would maintain a machine’s mechanical structure and update everything else around it. The downside to this is that many factories are not able to justify the production line downtime required to undertake a retrofit. For this reason, an incremental approach may be more suitable; looking at explicit parts of a machine and establishing what can be achieved with individual improvements.


Defining digitalisation objectives


The starting point of any digitalisation journey should be to define a clear set of objectives. Usually, the desire to develop digitalisation capabilities will be triggered by challenges or opportunities which have already been identified. For example, is the business operating over its capacity? Are production issues causing missed deadlines? Are there product quality issues? Having a clear, prioritised list of objectives is important to understand what needs to be solved before trying to solve it. This will often involve identifying where the greatest return on investment (ROI) can be made, as this is where the quickest digitalisation wins can be found. This might mean replacing repetitive manual tasks with automated capabilities such as robotics, enabling device condition monitoring for prescriptive maintenance function or understanding the causes of quality issues and updating processes and procedures to eliminate them.


Understanding the baseline


Next, it is important to undertake a technology assessment of plant and capital equipment to establish a baseline of what can already be achieved. In simple terms, this means looking at whether there is any intelligence within the equipment and its wider systems, whether it is connected, and whether it can escalate data into the IT domain. For example, some manufacturers will have their equipment connected to an ERP system, which will provide some degree of connected infrastructure.


This stage should identify the types of machines, automation architecture and capabilities that are present to provide a holistic view of the status of the plant. Many confectionery manufacturers have relatively simple sites, so this need not be an overly complex process. Typically, manufacturers with legacy equipment will not have


the necessary intelligence within their lines. They may know basic information about how many items they produce, but generally, there is no deterministic information such as how productive the line is, how long it is idle or stops for, or how long one part of the machine is waiting for another to finish a process. Deterministic information allows manufacturers to build a level of intelligence that can tell them what to change, or what needs to be added to a machine. And the answer may be simple.


If the baseline analysis identifies insufficient system capability to run the required sensors and capture the data they produce, then a secondary data collection layer and field level deterministic sensors, can be added. This can work independently to the machine and should not interfere with it in any way. This is a particular advantage with legacy equipment as if something were to go wrong, the original equipment may not be able to be replaced. Depending on the machine’s scale, this data collection layer could be a system controller with fieldbus communication that allows I/O to be deployed remotely. Alternatively, a central PLC could be used to collect information. The installation will be relatively straightforward, requiring a modest investment, because it is not actually controlling anything on the machine; it is simply collecting data. In addition, some or all of this investment could be redeployed further along the journey, when the project moves from identifying problems to managing them. Essentially, manufacturers can benefit from secondary architecture to which other sensors or automation technology can be added in the future. The results from the baseline assessment – in terms of scale


and investment required to get a facility modernised – could be overwhelming. But remember that an entire site does not need to be tackled in one project. It is far more practical to prioritise the elements which will give the greatest return, in terms of productivity and efficiency.


Conclusion


Reaping the rewards of a smart factory is definitely not limited to greenfield sites. With the right approach, all manufacturing operations – regardless of the age of the equipment in use – can benefit from developing a digital capability, providing they take the right steps. Namely, to identify the business challenges; define the technology baseline; prioritise the areas for improvement; then engage with a technology vendor, systems integrator or support initiative and create a compelling business case.


KennedysConfection.com Kennedy’s Confection December 2021 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40