Overview
This facility has the ability to produce nearly a million candles per day of various sizes, shapes and fragrances. To keep production efficient and cost effective they had to make sure their process control systems could ensure the availability and quality of raw materials and utilities, and at the same time track production rates, cycle times and machine downtime. Their entire organization management, engineering and maintenance had to be able to gather information from a vast array of OEM production equipment, and present it in a consistent, easily understood format at multiple locations.

Piedmont Automation worked closely with CCA's engineering staff to conceptualize and implement a facility-wide SCADA system based on Wonderware's FactorySuite. The operator interface (InTouch), the "soft PLC" (InControl), and the industrial strength database (InSQL) are key components in the system design. Today, operators and floor supervisors keep close tabs on production and availability of raw materials, managers can view hourly, shift and daily production reports and maintenance and engineering people get troubleshooting information regarding the quantity and quality of utilities which helps reduce downtime.

Features/Benefits
• Process control, monitoring and data collection from plantwide production and utility areas with various PLC systems including Siemens S5 and S7 processors and Profibus slaves, Simatic (TI) 505 series processors, and Automation Direct (Koyo) DirectLogic 405 series processors.
• Utilizes fieldbus and Ethernet networking technologies. InControl nodes with Profibus fieldbus master adapters gather data from S5 95U, S7 300 and GE FieldControl slaves. Simatic (TI) and Automation Direct (Koyo) Ethernet modules provide communications to their respective controllers.
• The system allows for intelligent marshalling of plant utilities and raw materials from a single master InControl application by collecting information from other InControl nodes, I/O server applications and directly connected I/O.
• Network architecture is highly distributed and scalable. Approximately HMI 20 SCADA nodes throughout the facility running a common InTouch application, letting personnel view any system's status from anywhere in the facility. System control is restricted by location and operator security level.
• Detailed graphical representation of machine operations and process status.
• Custom production reporting with MS Access front-end tightly integrated with MS SQL 7.0 tables and stored procedures

Development Tools
• Wonderware FactorySuite (InTouch, FactoryFocusInControl & InSQL)
• MS SQL 7.0 & MS Access 97 & Access 2000
• KEPWare & Automation Direct I/O Servers
• Synergetics Micro Systems Syscon Fieldbus Configuration Software
• Simatic TISoft & Simatic STEP 5
• Simatic Ethernet & Profibus Configuration Software
• Automation Direct DirectSoft
• Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Server

Client Comments: "The project team worked hand in hand with our Engineering group to help us achieve our SCADA vision. Their technical knowledge and creativity enabled us to integrate many different OEM control systems to collect process data for analysis and increased productivity."

Senior Project Engineer