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Maintaining high standards of hygiene is a priority in all food and beverage factories, which means keeping machines, enclosures and systems spotlessly clean while maintaining production efficiency.

However, within food and beverage production and processing plants there are three categories of hygiene “zones”: high, medium and low hygiene spaces. Your choice of a suitable enclosure solution depends on the zone where it will be installed.

Rittal and EPLAN can help you identify the ideal solution for each area to keep processes moving forward, while reducing downtime, as Emma Ryde, Rittal’s product manager for Industrial & Outdoor Enclosures, explains.

ZONE 1: FOOD ZONE – High Hygiene Zone

Of all the zones, the food preparation zone is the most critical. Due to the high risk of contamination, it is essential that the enclosures within this space are designed according to very strict hygiene rules.

Solution: Hygienic Design cabinets

Hygienic Design guidelines state that materials must, among other things, be corrosion resistant and easy to clean, while all joints must be sealed, seamlessly welded or glued.

Unfortunately, many electrical enclosure systems fail to meet these requirements, and this can lead to water entering inside the control enclosures during the wash down and sanitation process.  Not surprisingly, water ingress across electrical components will cause considerable damage, leading to unnecessary maintenance and repair costs as well as production downtime.

Hygienic Design enclosures have become the standard housing for electrical controls in this environment because they allow rapid cleaning, they create a sealed environment for electrical systems, and they prevent the formation of pockets of dirt.

As a powerful and multifaceted CAE system, the EPLAN Platform offers comprehensive functional support in the creation and use of device and master data, enabling you to apply and comply with international codes & standards for documentation and manufacturing. (same applies to medium hygiene).

ZONE 2: SPRAY ZONE – Medium Hygiene Zone

The risk of contamination in this zone is lower than in the high hygiene zone.  Here, the food is already packaged or undergoing further sterilization treatment; so for example, products such as milk are enclosed in pipe systems and are therefore protected from the outside environment.

However, floors are cleaned with cleaning agents so any enclosures in this area should be resistant to both corrosion and airborne chemical particles from the cleaning products.

Solution: Stainless steel enclosures

Stainless steel enclosures are ideal for use in medium hygiene zones.  Cabinets constructed from this type of steel have a long life as they are resistant to water vapour, humidity and weak acids.

As always, adequate climate control for the equipment housed in the cabinets is essential.

Design flaws in air-conditioning and/or high ambient temperatures can lead to components overheating, resulting in repair costs and loss of revenue. With thermal design, this can be detected and remedied already in the design phase. Thermal Design Integration is a standard feature within EPLAN Pro Panel and provides engineers with the necessary visual assistance.

Once specified, climate control units (also made of stainless steel) will manage the temperatures within an enclosure, thereby reducing energy consumption and extending electrical component life.

ZONE 3: NON-FOOD ZONE – Basic Hygiene Zone

In low hygiene zones, the risk of contamination of food and beverage products is minimal, for example in the IT area or the offices withun a factory.  Needless to say, enclosures within these spaces do not have to comply with specific hygiene rules.

Solution: Edge IT Solutions

The ever-increasing amount of data gathered from processing equipment’s diagnostic and IoT devices means there is a rising demand for fast data processing, as close to the source as possible. Edge data centers can handle a wide variety of tasks, and will assist organisations with critical processes – such as data capture and monitoring production processes – while providing scalability and resilience benefits to users.

Edge data centre enclosures can be tailored to the specific industrial application if there is any risk to their internal electrical components.  For example, on a busy shop floor, the enclosure may need to have a high Ingress Protection (IP) rating to avoid dust particles fouling up the system.

Further information at www.rittal.co.uk

Yokogawa has announced the development and 1 July release of the PRM Commissioning Support Package R1.02, an OpreX Asset Management and Integrity family solution that is used to perform plant commissioning and periodic maintenance.

The PRM Commissioning Support Package R1.02 uses field digital technology to improve efficiency in commissioning and periodic maintenance. With this upgrade to PRM Commissioning Support Package R1.01, support for Windows 10 and a new function that improves work efficiency have been added.

Development Background

Field digital technology using open field digital communication protocols such as FOUNDATION Fieldbus and HART is increasingly being deployed in plants, enabling the sharing between field devices and control systems of device information other than measured values that can be used to maintain the plant equipment.

Yokogawa’s PRM Commissioning Support Package makes use of field digital technology to improve efficiency with plant commissioning by automating loop checks and facilitating the checking of connections between devices. Manual loop checks are labor intensive as they require all installed field devices to be individually operated. Deployment of the PRM Commissioning Support Package reduces the time required to check communications between field devices and control systems, helps to prevents human error, speeds up commissioning, and improves the overall quality of commissioning and maintenance work.

With this latest upgrade to the PRM Commissioning Support Package, Yokogawa has enhanced its functionality to meet the need for further reductions in plant commissioning and periodic maintenance time, and the need for support of the latest operating systems.

Enhancements 

1.New function that improves work efficiency

A new function for the early detection of field device connection errors has been added. By automatically comparing the tag information defined in the control system/safety instrumented system engineering environment with the tag information set for each field device, this quickly and efficiently detects device connection errors.

2. Support for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016

Support for the latest operating systems has been added: For PCs, Windows 10 Enterprise 64-bit and Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB 64-bit are now supported; for servers, Windows Server 2016 Standard 64-bit and Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard 64-bit are now supported.

Using scientific findings as a basis, a global petition asks the World Health Organization (WHO) to prescribe a humidity level of 40-60 %RH to reduce respiratory infections. Rotronic has declared its support for this petition as persuasive scientific findings show that a medium air humidity benefits human health considerably.

In light of the Covid-19 crisis, Dr. Stephanie Taylor, one of the initiators of the petition and advisor on infection control at Harvard Medical School, believes it is more important than ever to listen to the latest evidence and to establish global guidelines for indoor air quality quickly and decisively with a clear recommendation on the upper and lower limits of humidity in public buildings. The measure would reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses in the air inside buildings and protect public health. This conviction is shared not only by Rotronic’s specialists but also by leading members of the global scientific community. The petition aims to raise global awareness of the crucial role of indoor climate quality for physical health and to demand that the WHO pushes for significant political changes.

Rotronic, the market leader in the monitoring of relative humidity (RH), supports this initiative for a humidity level of 40-60 %RH, especially in healthcare facilities. According to scientific evidence, this is considered the optimal level for the respiratory immune system and reduces the spread of seasonal respiratory diseases and their burden on society, especially in view of the current corona pandemic.

With the reliable continuous Rotronic Monitoring System (RMS), Rotronic provides the healthcare sector with all the necessary data for monitoring and maintaining the required humidity level. In addition we offer handhelds, data loggers and analog and digital transmitters to measure relative humidity and all other humidity parameters. These humidity measuring instruments measure both humidity and temperature, which is crucial for the correct measurement and interpretation of humidity. Because a fluctuation of 1 °C can already influence the humidity measurement by up to 6 %RH. Rotronic also offers solutions for monitoring the CO2 value, another important parameter for assessing indoor air quality.

You can find details on the petition at the website www.40to60rh.com.

For details on the monitoring system, see: www.rotronic.com/rms.

Since 2015, SKF has decreased its manufacturing carbon footprint by 36% and is already operating two carbon neutral factories. Today, SKF announces its aim to achieve a fully carbon neutral manufacturing footprint by 2030.

The 2030 target will cover SKF’s own manufacturing operations, i.e. SKF’s scope 1 and 2 emissions. It will be achieved by a combination of process improvements, energy efficient machinery, and procurement and generation of renewable energy. As a last resort, SKF may also purchase high quality carbon offsets.

Alrik Danielson, President and CEO, says: “Reducing emissions is necessary to combat the climate crisis and as a global company it is important that we show leadership. We strive to reduce the climate impact in the full value chain, from the raw material we buy, to the customer’s use, and beyond. The responsibility to act starts in our own operations – we will act with speed and purpose to achieve this goal. Carbon neutrality will further improve our competitiveness and aligns the interests of SKF, our customers and the environment.”

Patrick Tong, President, Industrial Sales, Asia, says: “Climate change presents the world with huge challenges but also opportunities which we will leverage by delivering both environmental and economic value to our customers and other stakeholders. This is key to SKF’s strategy, which is based on sustainable development.”

SKF offers a number of solutions and products that contribute to the circular economy. SKF’s AI-driven Rotating Equipment Performance offer is aimed at reducing waste by making assets run as long and as efficiently as possible. SKF offers remanufacturing of bearings, which reduces emissions in the production phase by up to 90% compared with a new bearing. SKF RecondOil’s innovative oil regeneration system enables circular use of oil, reducing waste and improving environmental performance.

Years ago, self-service kiosks were pure imagination. Today, grabbing products and paying without human interaction is an everyday activity. Now, companies like McDonald’s are going further and investing in voice-based technologies to speed up the customer’s experience even more. Here Neil Ballinger, head of EMEA at industrial automation parts supplier EU Automation, explains what manufacturers can learn from large retailer kiosks, especially from the voice recognition systems.

In many shops, airports and other hospitality and retail businesses, people can easily avoid the receptionist or sales assistant. Self-service kiosks allow customers to simply type their request, tap their card and go. In 2018, the self-service market was valued at USD 24.06 billion and is expected to reach USD 58.41 billion by the end of 2024, predicting an annual growth rate of 16.43 per cent.

McDonald’s is already ahead of its competitors by implementing more sophisticated retail kiosks and complex artificial intelligence to its drive-thru service. The global fast food chain recently purchased Apprente, a start-up that specialises in voice-based and conversation technology. Like Siri and Alexa, customers will speak to an automated voice to take their order, helping the company to reduce long queues and serve more customers without spending more on resources.

Are kiosks used in manufacturing?

Kiosks are currently used exclusively in retail because they are designed to make customers’ experience easier and faster.

In manufacturing, self-service machines might appear useless because engineers have a wide variety of needs. Instead, engineers use human machine interface (HMI) systems with interactive touch screens that allow industrial operators and line supervisors to control various industrial processes in a plant environment. The dashboard provides feedback about performance, active functions, and other metrics to help engineers monitor productivity.

ATHENA is the future of HMI systems

In the manufacturing sector, HMIs are already very efficient and effective. However, the implementation of cutting-edge sensors like the ones McDonald’s is investing in, would make operators’ jobs easier. Instead of typing, engineers could ask questions without removing gloves, which sometimes slows down the production process because the touchscreen cannot register the user.

Start-up company, iTSpeeX is investing in voice technology to change how engineers interact with HMIs. ATHENA is the first universal, voice-operated assistant technology specifically designed for manufacturing.

“In developing ATHENA, iTSpeeX wanted to help manufacturers maintain our commitment to machinists,” explained Dan Bagley, chief architect at iTSpeeX. “ATHENA is representative of the kind of innovation our industry needs to attract a new generation of machinists and push manufacturing into a bright future.”

ATHENA will enable operators to interact with machine tools using simple voice commands. The technology also has built-in capabilities to control the machine, request status reports, calculate key measurements, and coach operators on a broad range of processes and activities. Engineers can use this information to improve productivity, monitor machine condition and plan maintenance as soon as issues are detected by the interface.

Thanks to voice recognition systems like ATHENA, using HMI machines could be as easy as buying a cheeseburger at McDonald’s.  Investing in voice-based technologies could improve how engineers interact with HMI machines, making an engineer’s work easier, faster and more efficient.

In this article, Dr Clive Hickman, CEO of the Manufacturing Technology Centre and head of the Midlands Manufacturing Resilience Commission, discusses resilience in the face of COVID-19 and calls on the manufacturing sector to build on its strengths, its skills, and its heritage…

“For centuries the Midlands has been at the heart of manufacturing in the UK. Household names such as Land Rover, Cadbury and Rolls Royce are synonymous with the region. It is renowned for its world class institutions and universities, with their enviable reputations for engineering, and famously is the birthplace of the industrial revolution. As a proportion of jobs, 12 per cent are employed in manufacturing in the East Midlands and 11 per cent in the West, comparing favourably with eight per cent in the UK overall and only two per cent in London.

“There is no doubt that manufacturing is in our DNA, but to thrive, the Midlands needs to develop a strategy that is both relevant and resilient for the long-term. The next phase in the life-cycle of Covid 19, even before ‘the recovery’ period, is a brief window where together we can generate the urgent, innovative thinking which will be needed to determine what this strategy should look like. So, to coin a phrase, there is an  opportunity to catapult the sector to where it should belong in terms of jobs, investment and growth – continuing to make its historic contribution to the nation’s economy, and more.

“As the chief executive of the MTC, an organisation which has demonstrated an ability to address problems which are often described as ‘wicked’, I am honoured to lead an ambitious Commission into Midlands Manufacturing Resilience (M2R), the launch of which was announced recently. I am also delighted that Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, will be its sponsor.

“Across the Midlands we share a common belief in the potential for manufacturing, not just for our region, but for the nation as a whole to create skills, attract investment, and act as a base for the advanced research that will lead to the jobs of tomorrow. Strong relationships are crucial to our success, whether through our links to our network of SMEs, and their crucial role in the Midlands’ manufacturing landscape, or established collaborations with our excellent universities.

“I grew up in the Black Country, an area so influenced by the Industrial Revolution, and manufacturing is in my blood. But now, more than ever, my passion for manufacturing is growing – the opportunities that it has to offer, and its place in our Midlands’ story, not just in the past, but in the future too.

“Through the recent crisis we have seen the manufacturing sector perform at its best, including initiatives such as the Ventilator Challenge and the production of much needed PPE. We have solved all the problems that were presented to us, but acknowledge there are lessons to be learnt. How can we in the Midlands work together to maximise its impact, and develop a strategy that will put our region on the map, not only nationally, but also internationally?

“How do we best embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital manufacturing, new processes such as additive manufacturing, advanced laser processing or quantum manufacture, and what will transport look like as the day of the autonomous vehicle gets ever closer? In societal terms, what will all this mean for the ‘Future of Work’ and what that future will look like to you, your children and even your children’s children? We have a responsibility to shape this future.

“My Commission will respond to these issues, but also to the increasingly competitive environment, both at home and abroad, with manufacturing at its core. It will focus on three objectives: reviewing the Midlands manufacturing landscape post-Covid; contributing to the creation of a wider Midlands Manufacturing Strategy, and developing recommendations to help build the Midlands’ manufacturing resilience and its subsequent positive and sustainable economic impact.

“Over the next couple of months, we plan to investigate the barriers to rapid market ‘pivots’, and we will respond to a review of skills, R&D, investment, commercialisation – how to convert innovation into production, and other current initiatives such as the application of digital manufacturing technologies to improve productivity and wealth for our region.

“Structural changes will be needed to ensure the long-term resilience of Midlands manufacturing, including our attractiveness and capacity to re-shore  and the adoption of new technologies, which is why I am asking for as much participation as possible to produce the best outcome we can for the Midlands.

“I am inviting contributions from across the region, to make the Commission as comprehensive and inclusive as possible; asking representatives from industry, academia and local government to put forward their suggestions, to meet virtually or physically when it is safe to do so, to discuss their views on the diverse range of issues driving our future.

“If you wish to respond to this commission, please send your thoughts and views to M2RCommission@the-mtc.org. I look forward to leading this exciting but demanding process and delivering an ambitious Commission that will make a real and lasting difference.

“In these challenging times, we must build on our strengths, our skills, and our heritage. Throughout my career, periods of change have created opportunities for the most agile. We need to respond in a similar way to the extraordinary challenges we are experiencing today. Let us in the Midlands be prepared to lead the way forward into that dynamic future.”

Phoenix Contact, Quectel and Ericsson have worked together to develop and deploy the first industrial 5G router for local industrial applications in a private 5G network.

With the help of the newly developed 5G Router, industrial applications, such as machines, controls and other equipment, can now be connected to a private 5G network and thus be orchestrated in their resource usage, priority and behavior. They therefore offer a decisive advantage compared to previous mobile radio solutions, which can only use all – mostly license-free – radio bands with a best effort principle and which have to accept performance losses in equal measure when the radio spectrum is heavily occupied.

To achieve this, all three companies brought their strengths together:Phoenix Contact as the first choice supplier of WLAN, Bluetooth and mobile radio routers for industrial applications, Quectel as the leading global supplier of cellular and GNSS modules and Ericsson supporting the product development as a network supplier and a leading force of the 5G technology development. By starting to interact at an early stage, the three companies have been able to rapidly develop a solution that provides industrial-grade performance over private 5G networks. The collaboration between Quectel, Phoenix Contact and Ericsson has seen extensive interoperability testing at the Ericsson lab to ensure the reliable commercial performance of the 5G router. The experience made is highly important for Ericsson following the strategic approach offering 5G solutions jointly with mobile network operators towards the industry. In addition, all three companies cooperated closely to enable Industry 4.0 applications with this 5G standalone private network.

ABB’s new I/O solution will enable agile and immediate expansion of brownfield sites and pave the way for greater digital connectivity in greenfield operations.

Digitalization in the oil and gas industry means that reliable connectivity sits at the heart of successful operations. Wellheads often need to achieve extended connectivity rapidly to meet unforeseen expansion opportunities, but until now many brownfield sites have been hampered by a lack of agility in existing systems. The launch of ABB’s XIO unlocks them from past technology choices by providing immediate connectivity expansion, which avoids the need for costly system upgrades.

The new smart remote I/O expansion unit works in conjunction with ABB’s RMC-100 Controller to offer easy expansion of up to 22 I/O modules, automating and enhancing production. It brings together individual islands of automation and enables the remote data connection for real-time analytics across field and enterprise.

A unique combination of features is brought together in the XIO. These include easy instalment thanks to the XIO’s auto-detection configuration with pre-configured I/O. The smart remote expansion unit’s I/O modules include hot swappable features which have the added advantage of being backwards compatible. Along with 22 I/O modules, the XIO provides four Ethernet and eight Serial Ports with essential wireless and Bluetooth capabilities.

Bringing together these features in one unique digital solution means that the XIO helps oil and gas producers meet some of their key challenges. It addresses skills shortages because it is simple to install and offers one central point to monitor, reducing the number of tools to be learned and run. It also ensures greater safety across all areas of multiple sites by helping to increase the monitoring of process variables. As well as extending ABB’s RMC-100 controller and XSeries controllers, the XIO is compatible with a wide range of controllers across the market, underlining ABB’s industry commitment to open architecture across all areas of industrial automation.

Connectivity is what also ties devices, edge and the cloud together across standards into one homogenous system. By offering scalable digitalization, the XIO also opens up the digital future for greenfield operations.

SensoPart‘s VISOR Robotic vision sensor has been recognised among the best in machine vision by the judges of the Vision Systems Design 2020 Innovators Awards program. The judging panel consisted of esteemed experts from system integrator and end-user companies.

“With the new features of the VISOR Robotic like the 2D or 3D localisation in robot coordinates or the simplified installation through 3D grip point transformation SensoPart is helping our customers to solve their robotic application problems. Available in several versions with up to 5 megapixels, VISOR Robotic offers the perfect solution for a variety of automation tasks”, said Mark Hintze, Vice President of SensoPart Inc.

“The Vision Systems Design team would like to congratulate SensoPart for their score in the 2020 Innovators Awards program,” says John Lewis, Editor in Chief. “Each year this unbiased and increasingly competitive program aims to celebrate the most innovative products and systems in machine vision. The SensoPart team should be very proud.”

Due to positive business trends and the increasing demand for its existing and new sensors, Sensirion is expanding its production capabilities by establishing a production site in Debrecen, Hungary. The site is being built and financed by a local “build-to-suit” partner. Sensirion has signed a long-term lease agreement. This new production facility is an expansion, which means that no existing jobs in Switzerland are affected.

Sensirion selected Debrecen to handle the growing demand for sensors after a comprehensive evaluation of potential locations throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Decisive factors in selecting a location were proximity to our customers in Europe, the education level of potential employees and support from local partners. The Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) and the Debrecen Urban and Economic Development Center (EDC) have strongly supported Sensirion with detailed site evaluation and planning, and the identification of local implementation partners.

“Debrecen’s excellent infrastructure, especially education facilities such as the University of Debrecen and the vocational training institutions, combined with an established industrial base, was the decisive factor in Sensirion choosing to establish a new production site there,” says Patrick Good, Director Maintenance & Infrastructure at Sensirion.

“I am very pleased to be taking on this opportunity for Sensirion in my new position as General Manager and am extremely motivated to lead the new site in Hungary to success,” says Laszlo Abraham, General Manager at Sensirion Hungary Kft.

The new site will be built over the next 12 months, starting with the groundbreaking event on 30 June 2020. Completion of construction and the subsequent start of production are anticipated by the third quarter of 2021.

Initially, about 50 new jobs will be created. Starting in 2022, the Debrecen Sensirion team will add newly engineered products and production technologies to its portfolio. It is expected that by 2025, the number of jobs will have increased approximately fourfold. As the Debrecen site serves to expand production capacity, it will not affect any jobs at the existing Sensirion production sites in Switzerland, China and South Korea.

“I’m very excited that we’ve found an ideal location for our new production site to expand our production capabilities and respond to the increasing demand for sensors in various markets. Our existing production sites and employees at our current sites are not affected by this,” says Johannes Bleuel, VP Operations.

Talented people from a variety of technical disciplines including process engineering, material science, chemical and electrical engineering, automation and mechanical engineering are key for the long-term development of Sensirion globally and in Debrecen. Sensirion is at the forefront of innovation and continues to invest strongly in research and development (24% of revenue in 2019). As a result, new products and solutions are constantly being developed and the new site in Debrecen will be active in a highly dynamic and technologically challenging business environment.

For more information about Sensirion, please visit: www.sensirion.com