Whey more unified at greenfield cheese plant

A large bulk cheese manufacturer and supplier of whey ingredient has turned to Tri Tech Automation to implemented automation and controls with an integrated architecture for unified process and power at its greenfield plant

Greenfield projects present unique opportunities for innovation and exploration of new possibilities but often come with significant challenges that require knowledge and expertise in diverse areas.

The food manufacturer relied on multiple vendors to manage critical aspects of its large-scale greenfield project, including construction, project management, front-end engineering, automation and controls, and instrumentation. The company’s goal was to have a world-class manufacturing facility with modern technology and standards, which would start on time and under budget.

Given that milk is an essential ingredient in cheese production, the cheese manufacturer coordinated with local dairy farmers to make sure that milk deliveries to the greenfield facility occurred on a predetermined date. 

Despite supply chain issues, late changes to project scope and complex documentation, the company met its scheduled startup date.

True integrated automation 

Tri Tech Automation, a platinum system integrator member of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork Program, oversaw the automation and controls budgeting, implementation, and standards and methodologies aspect of the greenfield project.

During the project scope, Tri Tech Automation identified critical engineering gaps that needed to be addressed to achieve true innovation within the plant. A significant opportunity presented itself to implement an integrated architecture with unified process and power control capabilities, including CENTERLINE 2100 motor control centres (MCCs), PowerFlex variable frequency drives (VFDs) and ControlLogix controllers. This integrated architecture solution avoids having islands of automation and unifies process control systems and devices, safety, energy management, electrical and other systems.

Faced with budget constraints, tight construction deadlines and supply chain challenges, Tri Tech Automation decided to order the equipment before the engineering phase was fully complete. To maintain the standard delivery schedule, the company purchased 45 configured-to-order (CTO) low-voltage MCCs equipped with 1200 and 800 A bus systems. These MCCs supported 643 connected loads, including VFDs, starters, feeder breakers and other components, totalling 19,500 connected HP (27,500 A).

The customisation of the CTO MCCs took place at Tri Tech Automation’s St. Louis facility, where the company built out its network and integrated the MCCs. The process involved networking and modifying individual MCC units as needed, powering them on and setting device parameters, and creating custom tags for each device to include both manufacturer-specific and network information. The final step was conducting a comprehensive factory acceptance test (FAT) to achieve optimal performance and compliance.

Ryan Williams, Managing Director – Sales and Marketing, Tri Tech Automation, said, “We felt very comfortable ordering [configured-to-order] solutions from Rockwell and getting those on order early with a percentage of spares across the board and then rolling with changes after the fact.”

Tri Tech Automation’s expertise covers many other areas. The company used the Rockwell Automation ControlLogix control system for the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and worked with Rockwell Automation Technology Partner Endress+Hauser to consolidate and streamline instrumentation to improve supportability.

Tri Tech Automation also identified gaps in the manufacturer’s operational technology (OT) network design, which serves as the backbone of the facility. The company implemented a comprehensive OT network design, spanning from core switches to the plant floor. According to Williams, Tri Tech Automation set up and configured every switch, backed them up on SD cards, created backup files for them, and wrote manuals on how to replace them.

A unified, data-driven facility

All MCCs, VFDs, I/O and process gateways were on the same physical network and segmented out through virtual local area networks (VLANs) and IP schemes. The cheesemaker’s operators and maintenance personnel benefited from this integrated architecture that combines unified process and power, providing real-time, data-driven insights to enhance performance and achieve optimised production processes across the plant. Additionally, the modern instrumentation and automated control systems improved sustainability by minimising water and energy consumption.

The original design had a lot of instrumentation (for example, flowmeters and Coriolis meters) that the company was familiar with and had used at other plants. Consolidating and streamlining much of this instrumentation helped improve supportability, including optimised management of spares, stock and user support.

The greenfield plant is now fully operational, producing cheese, while Tri Tech Automation is offering remote support to enhance processes, optimise the facility and address various tasks, including establishing new setpoints and implementing additional interlocks.

Image credit: iStock.com/RossHelen