SILOS AND DOSING
Traceability levels 1. Automation level (ES-PLC) 2. SCADA level (Clarity/Es-Track) 3. MES level: MY-PLANT 4. ERP level: customer’s ERP
Traceability and recipe management It takes a great deal of synchronization to consistently follow recipes and dose ingredients with maximum accuracy. Automation not only guarantees precision and efficiency in weighing and dosing, but also brings the benefits of achieving complete traceability of the materials processed, in as much detail as each manufacturer wants.
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In recipe management, Shick Esteve’s silo and dosing systems, developed with expertise from staff at facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, USA and Rians, France and delivered worldwide, comprise the automation and PLC level, in production, and the monitoring and traceability level supported by its Clarity Process Management. The PLC acts like a local, safe data storage location as well, even if the network connection is temporarily lost for any reasons. “In this way, we can ensure that the customer will not lose any data, as it will upload what the system missed as soon as the connection is re-established,” explains Yann Weissgerber, director of International Sales & Marketing, Shick Esteve Rians. On top of this, the SCADA system within the Clarity Software Suite collects data and makes user-friendly information available for the user. From this database, information can be shared with other software used in the facility, as needed - even with multiple systems simultaneously (i.e., MES, ERP). The Clarity Software Suite converts the PLC data to a software database, which makes it ready for sharing with virtually any software on the market.
About Shick Esteve Shick Esteve is a complete ingredient automation provider. It designs, manufactures, installs and services ingredient automation systems for customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.shickesteve.com/fr.
www.bakingbiscuit.com 02/2021
Data accessing is streamlined The ERP will feed SCADA production orders (including order numbers), and the SCADA will prepare the production plan. Once the batch is produced, the SCADA updates the ERP: it will then upload recipes, production orders, as well as traceability, and ingredient information into the ERP. It should be noted that the SCADA will share real data from production (for example, if the recipe for a certain batch called for 200kg of flour, it will accurately report that 201kg were used if this is what actually happened). In addition to the recipe details, the ERP will add information for each batch the number, names, production lines, and delivery information. This communication between the two systems cross-referencing programmed data with real data begins from the moment flour arrives into the silo: the SCADA will measure and report to the ERP if the 20t of flour programmed to fill a silo were in fact 21.5t, for example. This is valuable information for inventory management, which is why the ERP should always be updated with real data regarding production. Managing dosing errors If dosing is fully automated, there are no mistakes regarding accuracy; the system is able to control its own operations to the extent that it will stop dosing if there is no incoming material in the buffer for the scale, for example – and an alarm will alert operators. The process is monitored at each step, to ensure the precise quantity of each ingredient in the
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