packaging, labelling & logistics 47
Change management software
cuts production downtime
By introducing change management and
just one production line goes down because a PLC has
version control software for all industrial
fallen over due to poor software version control, the
plant is faced with downtime costs of around £1,000
programmable devices in a manufacturing
per minute. Therefore, a reliable, easy-to-use change
plant, a soft drinks giant has minimised
management software suite was critical.
production downtime, therefore avoiding
The CCE Wakefield plant uses a range of
programmable control devices, including 93 Siemens S5
costly delays and disrupting delivery schedules.
PLCs, 11 Siemens S7 PLCs, 20 Allen Bradley (Rockwell
Automation) ControlLogix PLCs, 31 Allen Bradley
he Wakefield manufacturing plant of Coca SLC500 PLCs, and 26 universal Devices (SCADA InTouch
T
Cola Enterprises (CCE) was built in 1989 and others).
as a manufacturing and distribution centre These PLCs are located on several networks across
for CCE in the North of England. The plant the site, including a legacy Siemens S5 H1 network, with
is the largest soft drinks factory in Europe, covering an some PLCs and devices being standalone without any
area of 41 acres and has 72 000 square metres under connection to a network.
of buildings. The warehouse has grown from a bulk Mass AutoSave (from US-based software supplier
storage facility housing only Wakefield-produced drinks, MDT Software) is an enterprise source management
to a regional service centre for handling product from solution that provides a full suite of tools to protect,
regions across the UK. save, restore, discover and track changes for industrial
High-tech machinery at Wakefield enables cans to programmable devices and documents. The system
be produced faster than the eye can see. The plant is unifies plant automation software under one common
capable of producing up to 4 000 cans per minute and user interface, resulting in a secure, well documented,
3 280 bottles of soft drinks per minute across nine lines controlled environment that significantly reduces the
(two canning and seven PET). The factory also boasts the time and effort needed to manage a manual backup
fastest two-litre bottle production line in the world. system.
In 2004, UK-based control and automation specialist Mass AutoSave’s ‘Scheduled Compare’ facility enables
M A C Solutions (UK) Ltd was initially asked by CCE administrators to automatically schedule compare
Wakefield to recommend how the plant could improve procedures.
its existing change management and version control Automatically comparing the program in the device
process for industrial programmable control devices. with a program stored in the AutoSave library can detect
At that time, policing changes to PLC code at the and identify changes between the program that may have
plant was proving to be problematic. The original been unknown or unauthorised. This therefore protects
procedure included using two separate back-up systems: that company’s process, people and equipment.
a ‘master’ and a ‘working’ system based on floppy disks. When a change is made to a PLC program, the
Technicians would change PLC code locally and then software can be set up so that designated users are
follow a set of procedures to ensure the change was immediately notified via email.
recorded and backed-up. Detailed, logic-to-logic and selected data table value
In production plants, changes to PLC code are comparison reports are generated and users are notified
necessary for a variety of operational reasons. New of differences via email. These mailed results, generated
control and automation equipment may be purchased for schedule, program, or demand compares, are viewed
that requires changes to the software code within the via a web browser that features hypertext links to detailed
PLC. A new inverter drive, for example, may need to logic and documentation differences.
be fitted to a production line, in order to improve The system now polices itself on the networked PLCs
productivity or operational efficiency. using the software’s ‘Scheduled Compare’ facility within
A new electronic pressure control device may need MDT Software’s ‘Mass AutoSave’ software suite. Reports
to replace the existing mechanical version or the timing detailing discrepancies between archived PLC code and
of a bottling conveyor line may need minor adjustments. actual PLC programs are produced, which can be viewed
These would all require this type of PLC code change. and checked by an administrator and discrepancies
If a change was unauthorised or the engineer was emailed to the appropriate individual at CCE. p
simply so busy that he forgot to save the change to the
main back-up file, version control issues would arise. If For more information, visit www.mac-solutions.co.uk
www.scientistlive.com
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