PostedApril 8, 2016

http://www.controleng.com/single-article/mathematical-models-help-find-process-s...

More accurate material deliveries are obtained when the control system compensates for lag in the control and other effects by instructing a delivery to shut down just prior to reaching the target amount. The difficult question is, "How early?" This value is sometimes called a "pre-act value" or a "spill value."

PostedMarch 23, 2016

http://bit.ly/1MChbh2

The idea of remote support for industrial manufacturing systems is not new. The IIoT and the convergence of IT and OT are providing better platform technology than has ever before been at our disposal. How might we exploit today’s technology more fully?

PostedFebruary 17, 2016

http://www.automationworld.com/case-embedding-standards-and-best-practices

Why should we keep industry standards, best practices, and experience in the hands of control system engineers? Why can’t we give a much wider group of practitioners the tools they need to do the job, while guiding them with embedded engineering experience?

PostedFebruary 17, 2016

http://www.controleng.com/single-article/ecs-solutions-inc-evansville-ind/fd49c3...

ECS Solutions was selected by the editors of Control Engineering and Plant Engineering magazines as Integrator of the Year in the below $10M gross revenue category. President Timothy S. Matheny states, "We are both proud and humbled by this award. Proud, for the recognition of our repeated success and humble as we assume the challenge of continuing to live up to this prestigious award, being one of the best of the best."

PostedDecember 15, 2015

http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2015/batch-blasts-off/

One especially useful part of S88 is its decoupling of device control models from recipe control models, which makes it simpler and easier to reuse programming code and templates, adjust applications and build new systems.

PostedDecember 15, 2015

http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2013/otto-matheny-modular-batch/

One of the key benefits of a control system based on the ISA-88 standard is modularity. Modularity begets flexibility. A flexible process control system brings unforeseen benefits throughout its useful lifetime. Even simple systems can benefit from a modular, flexible control system.

PostedDecember 15, 2015

http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/94515-solutions-for-improving-yield-a...

You add up the mass of raw materials your facility consumes each day, look at the products it's made, and the numbers just don't balance—until you look at skids of rework and a dumpster topped off with the day's malformed products and/or damaged packages. What went wrong and how do you get a handle on it?

PostedDecember 15, 2015

http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/94774-plant-automation-finding-the-ri...

Do what makes sense when installing automation in your facility, considering your budget and business goals.

PostedNovember 13, 2015

http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/94652-ergonomics-creating-a-culture-o...

Machine guarding and other types of safeguards won’t protect plant workers if they circumvent them or place themselves in harm’s way.

PostedNovember 13, 2015

http://info.ecssolutions.com/hubfs/Case_Studies/Pinnacle_Foods_Full_Case_Study_....

Pinnacle Foods’ plan to reinvigorate the iconic Wish-Bone® brand of salad dressings acquired from food giant Unilever included deploying a fully automated, paperless manufacturing process.

Getting a new process up and running in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible presented a great enough challenge. ECS Solutions worked with Pinnacle to raise the bar even further— delivering a highly automated solution agile enough to produce new products Pinnacle could only imagine and agile enough to enable Pinnacle to increase process effectiveness over the long term.

ECS’ approach to total process automation (TPA), with its focus on delivering value at every stage of the process-system lifecycle, made it possible to realize the full vision of a facility that would consistently deliver the highest-quality products at the lowest possible cost.

PostedNovember 13, 2015

http://info.ecssolutions.com/6-principles-of-total-process-automation-white-pape...

Delivering comprehensive value – across the organization and throughout the manufacturing system lifecycle – is what determines the plant’s success. Total Process Automation (TPA) is a comprehensive approach to the design, deployment and operation of process control systems that automates at all levels of the manufacturing enterprise.

Using a Total Process Automation approach provides the standardization, reliability and agility to adapt to industry changes and help build that success over the long term.

In this white paper we cover:

- The 6 principles to Total Process Automation
- How these principles are applied to deliver value at every point in the manufacturing system lifecycle