Process Control Systems PCS – The Next Generation.

A planned interruption of production due to an extension and new installation of a packaging system was taken as an opportunity by a customer with a chocolate factory to completely update the process control system (PCS). One week was not much time for this task – considering the extensive work – but sufficient for the ESCAD specialists.

The new implemented system brings many improvements. On the one hand, it uses and analyzes more data, e.g., also energy consumption for optimized control. On the other hand, modern systems work much better regarding interfaces with higher-level or subordinate systems, such as order management and the ordering system. As a rule: more up-to-date systems bring with them a significant boost in efficiency.

This is also evident at another customer of the ESCAD colleagues, an Austrian dairy factory. At the time a relatively small company, the dairy factory was unusually early to fully rely on state-of-the-art process automation. An investment that has already paid off several times in terms of efficiency and growth options. A new system for the sterilization of products by means of UHT (ultra-high temperature) has recently been integrated into the plant, which is also capable of working “vegan” – seamlessly integrated into the process control system, of course.