Although significant value is added to the entire production line from raw material batching to final packaging, pelleting and distribution, the implementation of a supervisory control and data acquisition (scada) system is seldom undertaken as one complete project encompassing all the production phases simultaneously. For many companies, the process of upgrading to a scada system is undertaken over an extended period of time and completed in phases associated to each stage of the production process. The Rockland's Animal Feed project just outside Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape is no exception.
Coming under the holding company, Sovereign Foods, this company is the biggest producer of poultry in the Eastern Cape, James Leslie, the technical operations manager at the mill says: "We decided to implement the new Adroit scada system in a project split between the different feed manufacturing processes. This has assisted us greatly in that we have become increasingly efficient through the experience of implementing the first stage and believe that the next phase will be significantly easier. Using the set-up wizards to design the different user interfaces became so simple that we even designed the screens for the next few phases well ahead of implementation."
The extruder plant
The project consists of three main parts: first the raw material batching section, secondly, the mixing and pelleting process and thirdly, the incoming 'raws' and distribution of the final product.
Panels
During the first phase it was decided to have the user interfaces not just in the main control room but also in the project office. The true value of the project office link is that the easy accessibility has assisted the engineers in becoming familiar with the systems flexible design wizards that assist them to produce high-quality three dimensional user interfaces, and gave them the advantage of being able to make changes to the system while it was live and running full production. The batching phase consists of approximately 150 tags mainly assigned to control screw conveyors and a 3-ton batching scale, attached to an LG programmable logic controller (PLC) unit via Ethernet cabling. The Adroit scada system Version 5.0 runs on a Windows XP Professional platform and the data is recorded in an Access database.
The boiler
Implementation of the first phase alone has enabled the company to increase accuracy on the recipes of products it produces, which has a significantly large impact on their farms which has a total of 2 million birds at any given time. The future phases involve an upgrade which will consume a further 600 tags and will also mean the implementation of further user interfaces on the weighbridges that are currently in service to measure the approximately 7000 tons of finished product and all incoming raw materials. Alarms, redundancy and interfaces into an ERP system are all planned for the future phases. The pictures are all Screen grabs from the Rockland's scada system.
Smarter motor technology for high-performance industrial automation Adroit Technologies
Motion Control & Drives
Adroit Technologies is bringing Mitsubishi Electric’s EM-A series permanent magnet motors to Africa, offering servo-like speed and position control at a lower cost by combining patented sensorless control with the FR-E800 inverter to eliminate encoders while achieving IE5 efficiency.
Read more...Software-defined automation is overcoming hardware interoperability limits Schneider Electric South Africa
SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Kobus Vermeulen and Sydney Higgo explain how open communication standards and software-defined architectures are enabling industrial operators to integrate legacy equipment, new control systems, and cloud platforms without disrupting operations.
Read more...Cybersecurity must become part of the next era of industrial automation Adroit Technologies
IT in Manufacturing
The EU’s Cyber Resilience Act is setting a global benchmark for connected products, making cybersecurity a core engineering requirement in industrial automation. Adroit Technologies and Mitsubishi Electric explain how building security into controllers, PLCs and drives from the outset helps South African manufacturers protect production and meet international expectations.
Read more...Siemens modernises WinCC Unified engineering
SCADA/HMI
Siemens has launched SIMATIC AX WinCC Unified Elements, an IT-style engineering application for the WinCC Unified system that lets automation engineers build and deploy visualisation projects using code-based workflows, Git integration and AI-generated configuration
Read more...The control room used to run one plant, now it runs the world
SCADA/HMI
Industrial control rooms are evolving from single-site interfaces into network-wide command centres. Modern SCADA and HMI platforms now deliver real-time visibility, dynamic forecasting and cross-facility coordination, fundamentally reshaping how industrial operations achieve resilience.
Read more...Effective alarm management for safer, more productive operations Adroit Technologies
SCADA/HMI
Adroit Technologies addresses alarm flooding and nuisance alarms with its Adroit Alarm Management solution.The platform combines performance dashboards, mobile escalation via Adroit AIR, and an integrated digital logbook to turn alarms into actionable operational intelligence.
Read more...What you need is a nerve centre for your building Schneider Electric South Africa
SCADA/HMI
Schneider Electric’s Anoop Hariparsad explains how a building management system acts as a single nerve centre, cutting energy use and improving safety and guest experience.
Read more...How a digital foundation can overcome the LNG trilemma Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing SCADA/HMI
The LNG sector is racing to add capacity, but without a digital backbone, growth creates complexity rather than capability. Christophe Begat of Schneider Electric explains how connecting data, systems and analytics across the LNG value chain can resolve the trilemma of secure supply, lower emissions and tighter costs.
Read more...Building efficiency into cement production with SCADA and IIoT Adroit Technologies
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
For decades, Adroit Technologies has worked alongside leading cement producers, helping them gain greater visibility into their operations through advanced SCADA and IIoT solutions.
Read more...How integrated EMS platforms are redefining risk management in mining Adroit Technologies
IT in Manufacturing
As mining operations become deeper, more mechanised and increasingly data-driven, the role of technology in safeguarding workers has never been more critical. For Adroit Technologies, this shift has driven the evolution of its environmental management and safety system into a fully integrated, enterprise-level platform that supports both real-time safety and long-term occupational health.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version