Packaging line monitor could help save costs
Wonderware, a business unit of the global software supplier, Invensys, said that it has developed its Industry Application for Packaging to address the critical objectives of maintaining stringent product quality, adhering to safety and regulatory requirements and enforcing waste management practices.
Customer involvement
Kelly Kunkle, Wonderware marketing manager, told FoodProductionDaily.com said that the new application’s functionality and behaviour were informed by input from food and beverage customers as well as industry experts, and that the tool incorporates features of the company’s other products such as System Platform, InTouch, Historian and Performance Software.
A more efficient packaging line gives better returns on existing packaging assets, helping manufacturers to make the most of what they have, argues Kunkle.
“By the time products are packaged, most of the costs of manufacturing the product are sunk,” she said. “So it is imperative that packaging operations proceed smoothly or waste can skyrocket, especially in the case of perishable products or those that cannot be reworked.”
Reject tracking
Kunkle said that, in this regard, the Industry Application for Packaging was designed to help minimize material and energy consumption during product runs by monitoring and optimizing performance to keeps lines running more efficiently with fewer and shorter bottlenecks.
“The tool tracks rejects and the causes of those rejects, supporting root cause analysis to enabling a reduction in these rejects,” she said.
Kunkle claims the application also works as a continuous improvement tool, as it measures and analyzes packaging line events and, in addition, it enforces operational discipline for packaging operations manager: “The underlying application server ensures that all business logic is processed correctly and that procedures and processes are followed to the letter.”
Regulatory requirements are thus met by ensuring end users follow procedures, respond to events and store all data securely, she continued.
Safety adherence
According to Kunkle, the tool also increases safety as it forces operators to complete equipment setups before a packaging run, while it also gives real-time feedback regarding the status, state and yields of each piece of packaging equipment, thus enabling faster decision making by line supervisors, especially when there is a problem or bottleneck.
“The tool yields actionable information, enhancing performance. For example, a filler operating below its designed run rate will trigger a real-time alarm, immediately alerting the line operator to the problem,” she explained.
The combined capabilities of the new tool, stressed Kunkle, offers packaging line managers the ability to standardize on their development and operational best practice to save time and increase return on investment.
