The automation-friendly portion of the industry acquires around $3
billion in equipment per year, applying it in large and small
facilities globally. The range and level of automation is, of course,
just as diverse as the industry, varying from extremely basic to highly
sophisticated.
Challenges: Materials, Energy CostsCritical challenges include the price of raw materials and the energy
to convert them into products, complicated by loss of intellectual
capital as the aging workforce retires. The result is increasing
scrutiny of every pound (or kilogram) of material and every calorie (or
joule) of heat.
Scrutiny and pressure lead to automation, so little wonder that new
devices, instrumentation, controls and integration architectures gain
attention. Increasing instrumentation offers better understanding of
energy use, while intelligent devices offer close management of both
utility and product flows.
Radios Close the GapsOn the device level, wireless holds great interest because it
dramatically increases the scope of instrumentation, particularly for
control of rotating equipment, mobile operations and, of course,
energy. Radio broadcasts span gaps that wires cannot, and there is an
additional benefit of lower installation cost versus wired devices.Operationally, there is a move away from run-to-failure modes for
equipment and its consequent unplanned downtime. Predictive maintenance
offers a window on equipment and processes, enabling timely repair
before something breaks, disrupting output.
Sophistication to Oversee Difficult ProcessesIn addition, some of the most sophisticated approaches involving neural
networks and fuzzy logic are at home in food and beverage, since many
of the processes are biological and/or more art than science. All of these trends are driving a growing need for automation project
and asset management services, both for greenfield installations and
retrofits. Food and beverage shares processes and approaches that
resonate with those in other industry areas, so Emerson’s
across-the-board, best practices expertise is relevant here.
We All Have to Eat…In the final analysis, food and beverage production continues to be a
fertile bed for both traditional and leading-edge automation. As
agricultural science expands in response to growing global food demand,
food and beverage will naturally follow along—and just as naturally,
benefit from ever-tighter, integrated control over processes.
Emerson Global Users Exchange
www.emersonexchange.org
