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Remote monitoring and assistance, and optimization via digital technology in the context of temperature control of agri-food processes
The containment and teleworking measures caused by the pandemic are making it difficult to maintain the usual production capacities of many players in the agri-food sector. The decision to impose telework on a machine operator or an industrial site operator has far-reaching consequences. Even when everything else is at a standstill, the manufacture of the products must continue.
Last year, the agri-food industry made progress in dematerialization, which would normally have taken several years. This development has had a major impact on temperature control. Systems operating 24 hours a day must record the main parameters of the entire production process in order to comply with hygiene and traceability regulations. Some examples: the temperature of crushers intended for the production of chocolate, that of baths or screws of extrusion plants for pasta or confectionery, that of double-walled tanks (often with agitators) for the tempering of fluids, that of pipes for the transport of various semi-finished or finished products and, increasingly, , that of large reactors used in a large number of processes, from sugar production to natural flavourings used for various foods.
Any deviation from the standard (temperature, alarms, etc.) must immediately trigger the necessary corrective actions, especially when no one is physically in the vicinity of the system. It is also necessary to take into account the need for remote assistance of maintenance technicians, and the continuous optimization of the entire production site.
To offer a better service to its customers in the context of this evolution, Regloplas AG offers various solutions for its temperature control devices and cooling systems (from -20 to 350 °C and from 3 to 80 kW of calorific power) that advance the dematerialization of temperature control in the food industry.
Regloplas RT200's new control system with an integrated OPC UA server provides flexibility for dematerialization in the context of production processes. The central concept of dematerialization is based on the exchange of data from all processes and machines on the network, and their transmission to higher-level computer systems (MES, ERP, PPS, etc.).
All the machines, equipment and systems at the periphery involved in the production process communicate with each other. This results in real-time optimization, leading to increased productivity, reduced downtime, better machine capacity and superior product quality.
Regloplas's modular range of temperature monitors offer other advantages:
– Reduction of costs compared to internal solutions (produced in small quantities),
– Continuous and trouble-free use in a new or modernized system,
– Technical improvement and increased reliability related to the use of a device manufactured by a temperature control specialist.
Reducing integration costs, Regloplas's high-performance and flexible temperature control solutions are as attractive to industrial site operators as they are to process operators. "Regloplas AG is constantly developing its offers and technical expertise for these users. In addition to economic considerations, the objective is to be able to contribute to the improvement of hygiene, quality and sustainability of agri-food processes," the company says.
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www.regloplas.com
