Customer Highlights Midwestern Chemical Plant Client

Midwestern Chemical Plant Client

Critical Automation Upgrade for Soybean Processing

Industry Chemicals

Product/Material Handled Soybeans, refined oils, animal feed stock

System Deliverables

Phased Automation Implementation

By rolling out ControlLogix and PlantPAx upgrades gradually through one annual shutdown at a time, the team minimized risk and provided operators with time to adapt to the new controls.

High-Availability SCADA and Network

Redundant Ethernet, VFDs, intrinsically safe I/O, and purged HMIs kept control solid across both classified and critical processing areas.

Comprehensive Project Management

Tight planning, budget discipline, and multi-year coordination kept multiple trades and a shifting project scope moving in the same direction.

Results in Action

Reduced Startup Time

Automation cut complex operation startup times by 33-50%-a change that added up quickly in savings of time and money.

Improved Process Visibility

SCADA and PlantPAx gave operators a clearer picture and improved control over key extraction and cooler zones.

Risk Mitigation and Future Scalability

Careful upfront planning and early hardware decisions kept disruption minimal, making phased upgrades and equipment integration far less painful.

This customer has been excellent to work with,” he says. “No doubt the overall scope has changed since we started this a few years ago, but the open lines of communication have allowed us to collaborate on desired changes and tackle the updates in a pragmatic way. There’s a mutual trust between our companies, and everyone is comfortable that all teammates on this are pushing to a common positive outcome.

— Ryan Muller, Project Manager, Controls & Process Automation Group
The end customer hoped to achieve better control and visibility of the overall process, which they have”, says Muller. “They’ve also reduced their overall startup time for the complex operation by 1/3 to 1/2, and that is a huge financial gain when you’re talking about products and materials as valuable as theirs included in an operation that spans multiple shifts to fully start.

— Ryan Muller, Project Manager, Controls & Process Automation Group

Read About Midwestern Chemical Plant Solution

Get Started