On The Job with Interstates: Improving Safety, Flexibility & Efficiency at a Chemical and Agricultural Cooperative

Have you ever heard the phrase, “All publicity is good publicity?” Tell that to any company that has had to answer for chemical spills, food recalls, jobsite accidents and other consequences of dated, inefficient manufacturing processes. A better phrase for manufacturers might be, “No news is good news.”

Let’s go “On the Job” with Interstates, Rockwell Automation and Van Meter to learn how FactoryTalk Optix can improve safety, flexibility and efficiency for manufacturers and keep them out of the headlines.

The three companies partnered to help a Midwest chemical and agricultural cooperative improve safety, maximize production and reduce operational cost with Rockwell Automation hardware and software solutions.

CHALLENGE: ACHIEVING SAFETY WITHOUT SACRIFICING EFFICIENCY

When dealing with tanks holding dangerous chemicals, even the smallest accidents can be disastrous. That’s one of the reasons this cooperative needed to reduce the number of manual interactions with the chemicals. Without real-time tank level monitoring, they had to send someone to manually measure chemical levels, which heightened the potential for chemical spills. Plus, manual level measurements took additional time that affected their ability to manage inventory levels and meet customer deadlines. Lastly, they didn’t have the tote batching flexibility to accommodate customer orders.

Based on those challenges, Van Meter and systems integrator, Interstates, had three main goals:

1. Improve safety on the job
2. Maximize capacity and output
3. Reduce operational costs

For this phase of the project, they focused on two site locations before scaling a solution to the rest of the cooperative’s locations.

SOLUTION: AUTOMATING MANUAL PROCESSES WITH FACTORYTALK OPTIX

They accomplished those goals with a combination of Rockwell Automation hardware and software solutions, including FactoryTalk Optix. Optix is Rockwell Automation’s platform for Human Machine Interface (HMI) and data visualization. It can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and has built-in change tracking and versioning to make scalability and collaboration easier.

What made Optix the visualization solution of choice for this cooperative?

1. SIMPLICITY – Deploying a visualization platform can be complicated…without the right solution. Optix was simple enough to deploy and support that the cooperative did not need to use IT expertise to set up and maintain the system. Relying on other departments or outside resources can cause scheduling delays, so the ease of installation kept the project on schedule.

2. LOWER COST INFRASTRUCTURE – A competitive solution would have required on-site servers, but using Optix reduced infrastructure cost because it requires no servers. Optix is a distributed system within FactoryTalk Hub, Rockwell Automation’s cloud-based home for applications. While the first stage of the project only included two locations, using a distributed system like Optix would allow the cooperative to scale the solution to each of its 26 locations without investing in additional costly infrastructure. Plus, it is easier and more cost effective to maintain with no servers to patch.

3. INTEGRATED GRAPHIC TERMINALS – While Optix is a software solution, its associated hardware was another advantage. The cooperative used Rockwell Automation’s OptixPanel graphic terminals for machine-level visualization and control. OptixPanels offer a PC-like experience within a sealed HMI appliance, so they’re safe to use on the plant floor. The terminals are integrated with FactoryTalk Optix and Remote Access software, so there’s no programming required, and they could access the HMI system remotely.

OptixPanels are safe for the plant floor and offer a PC-like experience.

4. INCREASED BATCH FLEXIBILITY – In addition to safety and lower costs, the cooperative wanted to maximize capacity and output. Pairing the FactoryTalk solution with Allen-Bradley PLCs and hardware, it was able to increase production due to batch recipe flexibility and the capability to provide a more diverse product portfolio.

5. EXPERT SUPPORT – The final factor in Optix’s favor was the ongoing support from Van Meter, Rockwell Automation and Interstates the cooperative knew it could rely on. Van Meter and Interstates helped the cooperative with specification development, project scoping, walkdown collaboration and expertise. While Optix is a relatively simple system for the cooperative to maintain, it knew Van Meter could provide ongoing expertise and troubleshooting on the software or supporting hardware if it had any questions.

RESULT: SAFER CONDITIONS WITH MORE FLEXIBILITY & EFFICIENCY

The Rockwell Automation solution provided level indication and product inventory on 250 chemical tanks between the two sites, which helped the cooperative reach their goals from the start of the project.

1. Improve safety on the job: The cooperative digitized and automated a previously manual inventory tracking and reporting process with a system that provides full visibility of chemical tank levels and safety mechanisms to prevent chemical spills. The solution also included the infrastructure and capability to automate the tote loading and unloading process with digital transaction tickets. Automating manual interactions with the chemical tanks reduced the risk of chemical exposure to workers and the surrounding community, and there was a significant reduction in environmental impact and clean-up incidents.
2. Maximize capacity and output: Increased batch flexibility from using Allen-Bradley PLCs allowed the cooperative to provide a more diverse product portfolio.
3. Reduce operational costs: It also included inventory reports and additional reporting capability with historical data for tracking chemical inventory. With improved inventory management, the cooperative could plan and purchase more efficiently to complete customer orders in a timely manner.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FACTORYTALK OPTIX

Do you struggle with data visibility and inventory monitoring? Could FactoryTalk Optix help you maximize safety and productivity while minimizing cost and risk? Contact your Van Meter account manager or call 800-247-1410 to speak with a specialist who can help you learn more about smart manufacturing solutions.