posted on 12/27/2011 4:12:34 PM
Warwick Chemicals will replace its aging DCS with Rockwell’s PlantPAx Process Automation System, which includes batch and sequencing production software, and manufacturing operations and asset management applications.
Warwick Chemicals Ltd, a manufacturer of bleach activators for cleaning products, has selected Rockwell Automation to provide the U.K.-based company with a new process control architecture.
Rockwell’s PlantPAx Process Automation System will replace a 17-year-old distributed control system. The new, standardized plant-wide system will help lower total cost of ownership and provide better integration with enterprise software systems, Rockwell said in a statement announcing the contract.
The $1.9 million order includes products and services, as Rockwell’s Global Solutions team will work with Warwick to implement the multi-phase project.
The PlantPAx system is composed of servers and control technology, as well as a suite of software, including batch and sequence manager applications, manufacturing operations management, and asset management.
“Our current DCS was installed in 1994, extended in 1998, and then extended again in 2001,” said Colin Ainsworth, an engineer at Warwick Chemicals Ltd., in the statement “By replacing our 17-year-old DCS infrastructure, Rockwell will help us meet productivity goals and aggressive process improvement plans,” he said. “It will also help us migrate to a single, plant-wide control platform that will be easier for our engineering staff to operate and maintain.”
According ARC Advisory Group, process manufacturers lose approximately $20 billion annually, or about 5% of annual production, due to unscheduled downtime from aging DCS systems.
As many manufacturers look to upgrade these systems, they have a choice of providers, including Invensys, Honeywell, and ABB, to name a few. Rockwell Automation is a relative newcomer in the process automation market, having evolved from a supplier of components to a full-fledged process automation systems supplier.
“This win is significant because it demonstrates Warwick Chemicals’ increasing trust in Rockwell Automation as their process control supplier,” stated John Genovesi, vice president and general manager of Rockwell’s Information Software and Process Business. “The PlantPAx process automation system provides Warwick with a single, integrated control platform based on standard communication protocols.”