Retrofitting older plants requires customization of system to need

For older plants looking to retrofit their systems for a more modern, efficient production environment, the process begins with an assessment of the current system’s capabilities and shortfalls. This process often involves answering a set of questions.

• Having trouble meeting quality specs? Look into improvements in QA-related monitoring and process analytics.
• Experiencing difficulty with downtime caused by manual process-related problems? Investigate general automation of manual processes.
• Issues with traceability and mysterious product losses from inventory? Consider automation of measuring and inventory systems. 
• Troubles with data management and process information retrieval? Think about implementing historical data logging systems or ERP systems. 

All of these systems need to be designed on a fundamental automation platform to allow for growth over time, as no single automation project can solve 100% of a plant’s problems in one fell swoop. This is where working with a qualified process engineering company is so important. Effective automation retrofitting requires defining and installing a base platform that will solve mission-critical problems first and then be expandable to address future needs with regard to efficiency, traceability, repeatability, high availability/uptime, and data tracking. Contact Wright Process Systems to learn more about how these cutting-edge, flexible automation solutions can work for you.