Rice Processing Plant

The Situation

A customer in Kentucky needed to automate a grain elevator and two rice mills to be more efficient and reduce downtime. They turned to Knobelsdorff for a wide range of needs, including replacing legacy systems with the latest technology.

The Solution

The work began with a site evaluation and discovery. KE worked with our customer to determine needs, map out the process flow and design the control system. From there, our UL 508A certified panel shop prefabricated the control panels and programmed the systems. After factory acceptance and testing was completed, we provided onsite installation.

The old control system was ripped out, and we installed two new PLC systems and updated with Ignition to improve their process. They have access to Ignition SCADA and can roll up data to central ERP system.

KE completed work at two locations:

Rice Mill Location 1 – grain elevator and mill feed application

• Completed an upgrade from an old PLC5 and Wonderware SCADA system to ControlLogix and Ignition SCADA.
• Tasked with taking the existing ControlLogix Processor and removing two old PLC5 racks, and two other remote IO racks, then installing all new ControlLogix racks that were connected via ethernet/IP.
• Rerouted all the code with standard AOIs for easier understanding for maintenance personnel and any upgrades created by the client in the future.
• Created universal graphics and UDTs for the SCADA system.

Rice Mill Location 2 – food mixing and packaging application

• Upgraded an old Wonderware system to a new Ignition project.
• Created universal graphics based on their old Wonderware system for an easy transition for all plant personnel.
• Meticulously reviewed PLC code, ensuring quality and confirmating that all functionality was replicated on the new Ignition SCADA system.

The Result

Start up and commissioning was completed (along with Hazmon) and our team trained their team on how to use the system. They, and their customers, now have less risk of downtime. This system is easier to run than outdated legacy systems, with better reporting. We continue to provide ongoing maintenance and support.

*Due to an NDA, we are unable to provide company details.