December 17, 2012

Every enterprise wants to improve.

It can do this by understanding where it is today and mapping out a clear path to achieving better results for tomorrow. Undertaking this journey demands technologies and manufacturing intelligence that provides accurate, actionable information. More often than not, facilities have a mix of legacy systems from a variety of vendors that make accessing the data needed for improvements more difficult than ever. However, there is a solution.

A Canadian water/wastewater operation that encompasses six separate treatment plants recognized its need to not only increase visibility into existing systems, but spot trends that would help them better predict their production needs. Because a range of issues might diminish a plant’s ability to deliver water supply – from flow issues and spiking electrical usage to greater-than-average demands by one water user on the network – the operation needed real-time visibility into factors that affect flow. Gaining this information would allow the facility to react to specific issues affecting the fluctuation in demand, without having to risk inaccuracy by “guessing.”

Grantek Manufacturing IT division recently completed this project using Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk VantagePoint platform, read the case study to find out more.