Case Studies

Quality Information System for Batch Chemical Production

Posted in Chemical, Consumer Goods, HMI and SCADA, Manufacturing Automation and Intelligence

Summary

DMC's client, a chemical production company, hired DMC to implement a modern Quality Information System for their batch production process.

Wonderware

Solution

DMC implemented the Quality Information System on a batch chemical process line used to make numerous products.  The flexible system stores historical data per product which has numerous benefits to the client, ranging from improved immediate process control, to data that will enable future process improvements, to data that can be used as proof to end clients that their chemical batch was run through a perfect process.  The system is flexible, allowing data to be stored per each of the numerous products run on the process line.

The system continuously extracts, transfers and loads chemical test data from a SAP system into a SQL Server database. This data is then accessed by Wonderware's QI Analyst software to perform Statistical Process Control. This data is constantly evaluated and if the data is out of the control limits, the system will email users about the issue, allowing immediate correction.  The chemical process data is logged into Wonderware's InSQL historian. Using Wonderware's InTouch software, DMC developed a system to monitor and chart the process data. If the process is out of the specified control limits, the system will also alarm and notify the users.

Customer Benefits

  • Improved product quality through better data tracking
  • Reduced scrap and rework costs by allowing real time notification and correction of out of control processes
  • Improved customer service with ability to provide batch quality proof data to end clients 
  • Ability to make future process improvements based upon historical data analysis

Technologies

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2005
  • SQL Server Integration Services
  • Wonderware InTouch
  • Wonderware InSQL
  • Wonderware QI Analyst