The implementation of InBatch at Appletiser`s juice preparation plant is an excellent example of flexible batch processing within a multiple recipe environment.
The Juice Preparation Plant at Appletiser used to be a complex system of rubber hoses, mobile pumps and buckets where the "art of juice making" was practiced by a team of talented artisans.
The challenge facing APV Solutions and Services (a Division of Invensys SA) and Chaswill Process Technology (APV`s automation partner) was to capture the best practices in juice making in an automated solution, while still leaving enough flexibility to reconcile raw material variances with finished product consistency.
`While batch processing was the order of the day and S88 was a hot topic in the automation world, the only application that came to mind was WonderWare`s InBatch package,` says Deon Barnard, APV Engineering Director. `Combined with the power of InTouch and InSQL, the solution soon began to take shape.`
Combining the 31 units, 128 connections and more than 800 phases, provided APV with a physical model that could move any product from point A to point B. Once combined with the 85 master recipes, it provided a complete solution.
`Juice making was transformed from seemingly an esoteric art into a set of documented procedures within controlled processes,` continues Barnard. `The management of recipes, control of material and the total repeatability of quality was enhanced to a point where tolerance of final product acceptance could be reduced to a very narrow margin.`
Within each process class, operators can drill down to unit level and then to equipment and control module level as well as phase level. Any InBatch display can also be displayed within the InTouch environment.
The InTouch development tools allow users to display any screen or function in any of six positions. This was put to good use by always displaying the same functional screen such as the phase screen in the same position which makes it easier for operators.
Apart from providing control and flexibility, the system also has some unique fault finding capability. It not only tells operators why a phase would be on hold, but it will also find the specific device that caused the problem by automatically navigating to the screen where the devices are shown. The device then indicates the fault as per the display standard.
Traceability was also a very important factor in the implementation. Together with the web-based InBatch reports, which were available from the very first test commissioning batch, an Active Factory trending system running on the InSQL server was linked to the desktop computers of the management. This allowed office-based managers to have access to a Sensor to Boardroom information pipeline that showed them the same real-time trends as were being monitored by the operators.
`The upgrade of the Juice Preparation Plant at Appletiser SA (Pty) Ltd. has not only decreased raw material losses and increased productivity but it has also changed the working environment and educational content of the juice makers within Appletiser,` says Deon Barnard. `This improved not only the product and company`s bottom line but also changed peoples` lives for the better.`
On 15th April 2003, APV and Appletiser won Futuristix-Wonderware`s X-CHANGE 2003 Open Award in the category Best Batching Application for their implementation of this world-class batch management solution.
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