No matter what recipe is being followed, batch manufacturing can always use a helpful boost. Most recently, increasingly digitalized devices and software are seeking to lend a hand, and enable more autonomous operations, but they require visualization into their processes, more detailed information, and some likely process upgrades before they can work their magic.
“Today’s emphasis is on better asset utilization, higher quality products and demonstrated regulatory compliance. However, their common theme is data that’s generated along with regular manufacturing information,” said Sivakumar Sunderarajan, life sciences and specialty chemicals consultant at Honeywell. “This information becomes almost more important than the products being manufactured because it’s used to comply with the complex documentation required for pharmaceuticals and increasingly for food, beverage and other products. Manufacturers must prove they’re doing what they said they would, but producing this information and documentation is traditionally cumbersome and prone to errors. Plus, enterprise and business users want this data, so they can further optimize these processes.”
Sunderarajan presented “Digital plant maturity in batch manufacturing” at the 2024 Honeywell Users Group meeting in Dallas.
Freedom to collaborate
While it might seem like these self-directed functions would operate independent of people, Sundararajan reported that autonomous manufacturing will completely support human activities, once it settles on the right data model for providing that support. Honeywell’s vision for autonomous manufacturing includes leveraging advanced process operations, integrating safety, establishing predictive maintenance, monitoring remote operations, and improving operational efficiency and asset utilization. It also envisions closer integration with the enterprise by sharing production and consumption data in real time and optimizing inventory and logistics management.
“Using software to analyze run-time data and achieve autonomous operations just means people don’t need to be there all the time,” explained Sundararjan. “Experion PKS already leverages existing knowledge from different sites and allows remote monitoring for users seeking efficient asset utilization. Either way, autonomous or not, users must learn and understand everything about their processes. The key to making them better is knowing them as they are. Plus, because no plant operates in isolation, this production data and knowledge must also be shared with the business, laboratories, training and other sites.”
Despite these present and expected advances, Sundararajan lamented that many manual steps persist in most batch applications, such as orders for materials and equipment that haven’t been automated or digitalized yet. These manual tasks lead to disconnected data that can be costly, hinder communication and collaboration, delay decisions and dissatisfy users.
“We walk users through the steps for gathering data, and gain efficiency by bringing more steps together. This leads to increased productivity and savings, especially when we improve visualization into operations and the impact on them,” added Sundararajan. “Everyone wants to reach Level 6 of the Industry 4.0 model, which is autonomous operations. Unfortunately, most users aren’t even at Level 4, which is intelligent, remote operations.”
Moving up the digitalization slope
To migrate from regular automation to smarter, more autonomous operations, Sundararajan reported that users can:
- Start by making sure their basic automation and controls are in place and running on time;
- Identify potential operational improvements, and implement suitable batch automation functions and a manufacturing execution system (MES);
- Increase overall flexibility by preparing for multi-product production or out-of-patent products; and
- Optimize these and related batch operations by adopting a strategy like the digital plant maturity model. Its five levels advocate progressing from 1) pre-digital plants with manual, paper-based processes and 2) digital silos with islands of automation; moving up through 3) connected plants with standardized and integrated automation; and eventually reaching 4) predictive plants with integrated systems and real-time analytics and 5) autonomous plants with end-to-end, value-chain integration.
“Going up in the digital plant maturity model is essentially integrating process controls closer and closer with the ERP system,” explained Sundararajan. “The MES, ERP, laboratory information management system (LIMS) and automation implemented by connected plants at Level 3 digitize data and enable onsite analytics, so the ERP always knows what’s happening.”
Sundararajan added Honeywell’s Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) provides many similar functions, and serves as a co-pilot for its process control and safety users. It’s also being integrated with elements of Honeywell’s Manufacturing Excellent Platform (MXP), including its MES for batch records, electronic logs, work instructions, and weighing and dispensing; Visualization for SCADA and unit timeframes; and Batch Historian for reporting, production portals, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and AI-based analytics.
“We’re still developing these capabilities on the batch side, so any feedback will help,” said Sundararajan.
In an overview previewing Experion Batch software, Sundararajan added the new application will include:
- Batch application software embedded in Experion controllers, such as UOC, VUOC and C300,
- Controller redundancy that supports batch applications,
- Common batch application development by using Control Builder software,
- Batch HMI pre-built into Experion Station, so no separate client will be needed,
- Common, embedded version control for HMI, batch and control components,
- No centralized batch database,
- Simpler-to-implement changes in only affected areas,
- Support for the Module Type Package (MTP) standard, orchestration and skid integration,
- Unique features, such as Unit Timeline for more effective operations,
- Quick identification of batch delays,
- Informing operators of upcoming batch steps and instructions, and
- Replacing Total Plant Batch (TPB) software, though all phases can be retained as needed.
“Today, we have batch applications and control room operations that are situationally aware, with maps that show how to get from A to B,” added Sundararjan. “Soon, we’re going to have future-ready operations, control rooms and personnel, which will be even more closely linked to their data sources and hubs of information, and benefit from AI telling them more about upcoming batch developments.”
