A dollar in line saves nine… or maybe twelve
Exploring the total cost of tank automation systems
Chris Hoey, managing director of Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, delves into the potential of ‘smarter field connection technology’ to provide cost savings and greater efficiencies in winery operations.
W
e hear a lot about digital connectivity and how it is making our old hard-wired systems obsolete, but what value does it deliver to us in the field?
dairies and breweries; however, you will learn how the physical requirements of fermentation and storage tanks really lend themselves to a smarter connection technology.
In this article, we explore the significant savings that can be realised with smarter field connection methods and how these can deliver more flexibility for our everchanging environment.
The visible and hidden costs
We will look deeper into the overall cost in dollars, time and ease of maintenance in a real application. You may feel that this type of technology is suited to highly automated sites like
July – Issue 702
Too often, we rely on a project tender to source our components and then our install costs or we anchor our pricing against previous systems we have built. Of course, any engineer will consider newer technologies, but the challenge is determining whether these new technologies actually deliver value. Experienced project engineers understand that the actual component
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costs in an automation system amount to around 15% of the overall project cost. The 85% comprises additional hardware required, engineering, installation, cable runs, termination at both ends, commissioning, training, life-cycle, safety, servicing, and more. Newer technology hardware may cost a little more, however it can significantly reduce the hidden costs and complexity of a project, and most importantly the time it takes to deliver a working system. Winery installations in particular can save significant costs due to their inherent physical layout and the distances involved.
Grapegrower & Winemaker
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