P R OJ E C T M A N AG E M E N T
New Frontier Materials Updates Controls for Quality
Mike Raasch, the controls engineer and project manager at WEM Automation, double-checks the cold feed sensors. All photos courtesy of WEM FROM WEM AUTOMATION
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ou’ll know when the time has come to update plant controls. For any number of reasons, you may have put it off as long as you could, but now it must be done. The question becomes, how much of the system do you update? Do you update your entire operation with “full plant” controls, or do you update a portion of your plant and keep its overall existing architecture? This is a common query facing many asphalt producers, and one that deserves significant analysis and planning. After all, you will be working with and using this system for many years to come. Moving to a modern plant control system will require a move from the manual style push button controls to a new paradigm. The on-screen, human machine interface (HMI)/graphical user interface (GUI), full plant type of automation control takes away the multiple panels of buttons and toggles. James Keene, the general manager of as20 | JULY 2022
phalt operations, and his crew at New Frontier Materials, Fort Belle, Missouri, started with that idea. The New Frontier Materials team was operating with a plant control system that dated back to 2004. They were experiencing many technical issues and running the risk of product replacement availability and obsolescence. Keene noted, “the lack of online and technical support to keep up with an older system was definitely a push to make the upgrade.” Keene and his co-workers were looking for a new system that was not only suitable for their current needs, but one with the necessary support service and flexibility that would carry them for years to come. The decision to shift from push-button to on-screen full plant automation seemed like a natural and wise progression for New Frontier Materials, especially since they already had familiarity with this style of controls at other plant sites. Regarding any fears or hesitations with making the move, Keene mentioned, “There was no hesitation
