Software maker Copa-Data has demonstrated new solutions for smart breweries, comprehensive energy data management, flexible batch production and efficient filling lines.
Copa-Data also says the system has interoperability with the Weihenstephan and OMAC PackML standards, as a result of which machines and equipment can be more quickly integrated into existing manufacturing infrastructures.
Emilian Axinia, industry manager for food and beverage at Copa-Data, says: “Our software innovations for the smart production of beer and other drinks… demonstrate flexible batch production using an equipment model controlled by zenon. These are smart and field-tested software solutions from soft PLC, through ISA-88 Batch Control to mobile technologies.”
Software as a key to networking
The latest automation solutions for the smart factory will be at the centre of the Copa-Data trade fair presence going forward. A smart factory logs data from its environment using sensors and employs this data for subsequent processes. The key to this networking is software.
Manufacturers can gain valuable knowledge about the production landscape by using zenon as a process control system, says Copa-Data. This can ensure competitiveness and increase the efficiency of resource and energy usage.
With more than 300 native communication protocols in zenon, companies can also quickly and safely network heterogeneous landscapes. This also means production plants can be more easily adapted to changing market conditions, says the company.
Flexible batch production
Brew masters can manage their recipes flexibly with the zenon Batch Control module. Brewing processes are, in accordance with the ISA-88 standard, monitored and controlled centrally in real time.
Complete reports can then be obtained for analysis and documentation.
The technology can be extended to mobile devices and guarantees secure exchange of data in pre-existing, heterogeneous infrastructures. zenon aids with the adherence to a company’s own standards and industry laws and regulations.
The software also supports the efficient manufacture of various types of beer. This allows beer brewers and other drinks producers to manage the delicate balance between brand promises and individual customer demands.
Resource management throughout sites
Copa-Data also demonstrated how filling lines can work more efficiently with zenon. Comprehensive monitoring of machines ensures a precise overview of resource consumption and costs.
These features also allow manufacturers to continually improve quality parameters and key figures such as the overall equipment effectiveness. It is also possible to only analyse and optimise selected partial areas.
zenon also meets the defined requirements for monitoring, measurement and analysis as set out in ISO 50001 and can thus be used as an energy data management system.
Due to a connection to higher-level management systems and cloud technologies, comparisons and data analyses are also possible throughout sites. In doing so, data can be displayed in tailor-made dashboards on different devices – mobile and stationary.
