Plascon Paints a Brighter Production Picture with Help from Invensys Operations Management Solutions
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- Africa
Country
- South Africa
Product
- Wonderware InBatch
- Wonderware InTouch HMI
- Wonderware Historian
- Wonderware System Platform
Tech Stack
- SCADA technology
- PLC
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Cost Savings
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Chemicals
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Predictive Quality Analytics
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Plascon is a successful paint and coatings company that manufactures paint in a specific color palette, with batch consistency and uniformity being critical to their operations. Strict recipe control, traceable batch parameters, and consistent product quality are the hallmarks of this company. Plascon first implemented Wonderware InBatch software in 1995 and as they expanded their line of paint supplies to include premium decorative and road marking paint, they realized the need to upgrade the technology. The company is designed as a flexible manufacturing facility to address challenging production schedules and chose to upgrade to the latest version of Wonderware InTouch HMI. The company's goal for the upgrade strategy was to focus on producing products of the highest quality, while maintaining and meeting tight production schedules.
The Challenge
Plascon, a successful paint and coatings company, was facing challenges in maintaining batch consistency and uniformity in their manufacturing process. The company had initially implemented Wonderware InBatch software in 1995, but as they expanded their product line, they realized the need for an upgrade. The existing technology infrastructure could not keep up with Plascon’s expanding business operations, leading to poor production efficiency, lack of detailed traceability, and a multitude of errors inherent in manual processes. Production scheduling became more difficult, and automated batch reports detailing the productivity process could no longer be produced for plant management. The new software infrastructure had to address key operational issues such as clearly defined batch recipes, detailed displays of batch status, and a reliable, semi-automatic mode of batching.
The Solution
Plascon chose to upgrade their existing Wonderware InBatch software and also implement the latest version of Wonderware InTouch HMI. These new Invensys software components were integrated with Wonderware System Platform, enabling Plascon to establish a single scalable SCADA technology platform that would allow the company to perform system upgrades more quickly and easily throughout the entire manufacturing operation. Wonderware InBatch enables plant operators and managers to accurately identify the proper recipes and observe the paint mixing process in real-time on a display screen to ensure successful batch execution and completion. It also provides material genealogy data and Web-based reporting to simplify monitoring and measurement of the overall manufacturing process. Wonderware System Platform provides industrial manufacturing processes with a single, scalable platform for all SCADA, supervisory HMI and MES requirements, enabling Plascon to more easily maintain and manage all of the functional capabilities required within its manufacturing operation.
Operational Impact
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