By leveraging the AG Advantage subscription, a baked goods distributor swiftly overcame a critical equipment failure with rapid support and strategic solutions, minimizing downtime and ensuring uninterrupted operations.
Challenge
A major distributor of baked goods faced a critical issue when a power outage caused their bun seeder processor to fail early one morning. As AG Advantage customers, they promptly contacted our 24/7 support line for assistance. The AG Advantage plan offers a monthly subscription granting continuous access to our seasoned engineering team for automation support, ensuring a guaranteed response time within four hours. In less than 90 minutes, our service engineer arrived on-site, only to discover an irreversible failure in a legacy PLC. The absence of a direct spare ruled out a simple hardware replacement. The immediate response from the AG Advantage support team was crucial in initiating the troubleshooting process.
Solution
The service and procurement departments at Automation Group, an E Tech Group company, collaborated swiftly with local suppliers to identify a more reliable replacement PLC. Their objective was to seamlessly integrate new hardware with the legacy machinery and ensure effective communication with existing devices. The project involved sourcing an upgraded PLC, similar in nature but equipped with specialty options to ensure compatibility with the existing setup. Upgrading the Micrologix 1400 PLC was part of this process, establishing an RS232 connection to the existing legacy HMI and using RS485 to interface with the existing legacy VFD. This effort facilitated a smooth transition to the new hardware, enabling improved system compatibility and functionality.
Results
The AG Advantage subscription was leveraged by the customer, enabling our senior service engineer to rapidly specify, procure, install, and reprogram the new hardware within an impressive 8-hour window from the initial trouble call. Automation Group’s profound expertise in both legacy and new hardware solutions facilitated the swift identification and implementation of a resolution. A comprehensive site survey conducted previously ensured backups of all operational code were readily available. This thorough preparation significantly minimized downtime caused by the legacy PLC failure, swiftly restoring the production line and minimizing its impact on the client’s operations. The rapid response, strategic sourcing, and preparedness from the customer’s AG Advantage subscription were critical in navigating their unexpected challenges and finding a swift solution.
