Plant IT

Avantages

Well integrated process software. It runs brewery production very well and is a market leader

Inconvénients

The complexity/flexibility is an asset and as we have grown increasingly dependent on it for daily operations has spurred on staff training needs. In short, powerful and requires intelligent support

Avantages

Add-on profiles. Most of the system works off prebuilt object add-on profiles. When programmed correctly most of the field objects can be easily configured from the HMI. Once set up, changes can be made quickly to objects, recipes, and batches.

PLC to PLC communication. ProLeit makes activation of objects in multiple PLCs easy using their object control matrix(OCM) Each matrix can contain automation objects from different PLCs that are easily activated from a single activation with minimal PLC-PLC communication.

Historical data. The Order Archive records every batch that occurs. Each step is recorded with all parameters. There is a trend view for each batch. Each message for the batch is recorded. This makes optimizations fairly straightforward
There is a “playback function” where you can watch what happened on the HMI during a production run. There is also an event log that shows each button click and parameter change that occurs. This makes root cause analysis fairly straightforward.

Visualizations. It is extremely easy to build visualizations

Support. We have a 24/7 SLA with a 6-month maintenance report. Both have been helpful in spotting configuration issues.

Inconvénients

Learning curve. The software has a steep learning curve for engineers. There are multiple layers that need to be understood before an employee can be functional at configuring the system. I highly suggest having a dedicated person(s) to managing the software.

PLC Cycle Time. The add-on profiles make the PLC cycle time 200-300ms. We have 2 Rockwell PLCs that when we added to our tank farm the cycle time increased to 500-600ms. This causes some of the sequence timers to be off by 10-15%. We are going to correct this by upgrading our PLCs. Make sure the PLC has enough processing power for any major additions down the road. This does not seem to be an issue for Siemens PLCs.

Avantages

Integration with other Proleit applications, older version worked very well.

Inconvénients

Introducting and configuration.
It takes a lot of time to configure this product (new version). Not realy designed for BatchIT

Avantages

Proleit knows how to program breweries. Proleit helped us make the move from no automation to fully automated manufacturing successfully. They applied their vast knowledge throughout the entire process to make a versatile yet robust program for controlling our brewery. There is a tremendous amount of data collected by the Plant iT program which helps us make better process decisions all the time. The program is extremely robust and we do not have to worry about it not working.

Inconvénients

The main program worked from day one however there are a tremendous amount of settings and features in the program that can be tweaked. It has taken quite a while to learn how to apply them when needed for our processes and data collection.

Avantages

The graphic displays and the ease of usability is pretty simple once you get used to it. It is very straightforward and powerful to fulfill the tasks that we need it to accomplish

Inconvénients

We have learned over time how to actually go in and modify programs. It is pretty easy once you get into it but we need to send someone to Plant iT school to really understand the inter workings of the processes. That being said we have very little problems with the programs and it is a great tool for our process.

Avantages

Customization to specific process, ability to analyze historical trends, local support for improvements, remote support option, modification options for new projects or equipment.

Inconvénients

"back end" of software is complex and requires much experience with PLC code and specific parameterization of Proleit objects.

Avantages

it is very flexible and give the power to end user to drive the brewing process and help the user to do trouble shooting of their beer process

Inconvénients

Require a new training for programmer compare to the previous control systems.

Avantages

Easy to use the interface. The video mode is great.

Inconvénients

The learning curve of the system is a bit steep.

Avantages

1. Adaptability and Flexibility
2. MES and SCADA all in one
3. Trending and Reporting

Inconvénients

Resource intensive if you want it to be highly secure

Avantages

The customization, implementation, on going use, and support are all great.

Inconvénients

No cons on the brewhouse side of the software. However, on the fermentation notices we receive if there is an alarm the alarms are to general and vague, more detail would be nice.