See Your Modernization Project’s Big Picture

By Nick Creath, global product manager, Field Labor, Rockwell Automation

When you replace older plant technologies with their smarter, more capable modern counterparts, you create opportunities to improve productivity, throughput, visibility and more. But to realize these enhancements, you need to think about not only what you’re replacing, but also how.

Modernization projects that focus on like-for-like replacements of legacy technologies may help mitigate obsolescence risks. But if you’re not thinking bigger, then all the potential innovative technologies that offer to help improve your operations go unused. And that’s something you can hardly afford to do in a time of skills shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising costs.

That’s why it’s time to start thinking more comprehensively about modernization projects.

Importance of the Big Picture

Modern technologies lay the foundation for smart manufacturing, because data can be accessed and shared to support better decision-making. And they can connect people, processes and technologies to make your operations more efficient, collaborative and flexible.

Smart sensors, for example, can give workers richer insights into both process parameters and device health. This can help staff better monitor operations and more quickly respond to sensor issues before they evolve into downtime events.

Similarly, smart devices with built-in predictive algorithms can help technicians identify maintenance needs earlier, well before devices fail.

New technology can also reduce knowledge gaps in your operations, using diagnostic data and digitalized, in-context work instructions to reduce reliance on acquired, on-the-job learning of technologies. Also, the next generation of workers coming into your plants will more likely be familiar with modern technologies than legacy technologies introduced decades ago.

Put simply, each new technology you deploy as part of a modernization project can propel you further on your smart manufacturing journey. But for this to happen, you must make sure projects address the specific needs of your plants.

Assess Your Current State

A thorough assessment can provide an understanding of the current state of your operations so you can decide where to take your operations in the future. At a minimum, assess your installed base to identify what technologies you have in place. You might have a general awareness of what technologies are “older,” but few manufacturers know the life-cycle status of every piece of technology.

Ideally, you’ll also assess other aspects of your operations affected by your modernization projects — factors such as plant network capabilities, data needs, staff skillsets and cybersecurity. This can help further guide your projects by identifying issues they can address, like skills gaps, reporting processes that can be automated, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

With an understanding of where your operations are today, you can plan your projects. This involves first identifying the specific problems you want to solve or performance improvements you want to make, whether that’s throughput, security or something else. Then, you can set the scope, budget and timelines to achieve those goals.

Real-World Examples

Recently, modernization projects have helped manufacturers keep production systems up to date and realize significantly better business outcomes.

In one case, a canned good producer needed to replace an aging control system that couldn’t keep up with higher demand. One pain point of the control system was that it didn’t provide real-time information, and the producer suspected they were wasting considerable resources in production.

Upgrading the control and information architecture helped the producer meet increased demand. It also helped cut natural gas consumption by 38%, CO₂ production by 3,000 metric tons and water use by more than 100 million gallons per year.

In another case, an agricultural product producer decided to upgrade its legacy distributed control system (DCS) as part of a product line expansion at one of its plants. The legacy human-machine interface (HMI) system gave plant staff limited-to-no visibility into key production data.

HMI screens were also overly complex and colorful, which made it difficult for staff to quickly interpret and respond to abnormal conditions. And more than 4,000 alarms programmed into the system made it almost impossible for staff to quickly recognize and respond to legitimate issues.

The modern DCS implemented in the facility gave operators clear-cut benchmarks for desirable data ranges, so they could quickly identify if equipment and processes were abnormal. A simplified presentation and more strategic use of colors also helped important data stand out.

And better alarm design reduced the facility’s alarms by 50%, helping operators see legitimate threats without the distraction of nuisance alarms.

And then there are digital twins, which are becoming a key part of many manufacturers’ conversations as they plan and implement digital transformation initiatives. These living digital replicas of a physical object or system are redefining what’s possible in manufacturing and offering possibilities that include:

• Optimizing the machine’s design and refining its performance before you order parts or cut steel.
• Testing and debugging a machine’s controls before you connect the physical controller and machine at a customer’s site.
• Reimagine training, maintenance and other activities by bringing them into a virtual-reality or augmented-reality (VR/AR) environment.

Evolving with the Times

During the pandemic, some manufacturers used remote access and AR to support projects when travel and in-person meetings were restricted. This helped keep projects moving. And it has the potential to make modernization projects more efficient and less costly in the future by reducing travel requirements and simplifying logistics.

Regardless of how modernization projects evolve, one principle will remain true: Those focused on innovation have the most to gain.

Like this article? Sign up for the digital magazine from The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork and get articles like this delivered right to your inbox.

^{The Journal From Rockwell Automation and Our PartnerNetwork™ is published by Endeavor Business Media.}