There are a number of common problems in industry that can often be solved by simple automation rather than by major plant investment.
- Capacity Issues. Lack of a key resource or ingredient (water, steam etc.) is often not due to inherent under-capacity, but to possibly peak demand management, wastage/lack of recovery, lack of co-ordination etc.
If these are addressed then large investments may be avoided.
- Requirement/Priority Change. Plant was often designed or installed for very different scenarios than exist today. Priorities established 15 or 20 years ago might be very different to today. It may actually be profitable to operate plant “inefficiently” with respect to its original design. Good examples are changes in the relative costs of resources, energy, effluent, man-power etc. over time rendering initial design assumptions invalid.
- Knowledge Problems. Some Manual processes require considerable Knowledge and/or motivation to operate correctly. Automation can remove the Risk associated with losing key staff, or can combine the methods of a number of key individuals to optimise an activity.
- Control By Management. Surveying and standardising plant operation within a “Business Manual” as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) allows the production process to be controlled by the most effective staff. It then becomes much easier to contemplate where Automation might be cost-effective.
