Ansotec implemented the Connected Oil Mill 4.0 project in Spain based on technologies of Rockwell Automation

2021: Digitalization of production based on technologies of Rockwell Automation

On January 25, 2021 it became known that technologies of Rockwell Automation are used for digitalization of production of olive oil on Conde de Benalúa.

Conde de Benalua

As it was explained, the region Andalusia located in the south of Spain is known thanks to record production of olive oil, the rich cultural and historical heritage, beaches and the hospitable population.

In the east, in mountains of the province Granada, in the town of Benalua - las-Vilyas, the San Sebastián — Conde de Benalúa Cooperative is located. For January, 2021 the cooperative includes about 1500 members, and its plant makes and sells olive oil of such trademarks as Amarga y Pica, Conde de Benalúa and Olivar del Sur.

All production is concentrated on one creamery which is separated into three sections: acceptance workshop where bring olives for cleaning and loading to bunkers, production workshop where olives turn into oil, and storage of finished goods where oil is stored before sending to members of cooperative.

Three sections of creamery worked under control of the automation system consisting of the separate zones developed by industry integrators on automation of creameries using own tools.

The problem was that when developing of systems such isolated, not completely integrated there was no purpose to provide proper working capacity or protection against short-term failures in power supply. It carried out to unplanned idle times and failures in operation of our expensive equipment. Marisa Garcia, the production director at the Conde de Benalúa plant told

Digitalization of production based on technologies of Rockwell Automation

The company began search of the alternative technological solutions capable to provide higher degree of reliability.

We decided to address the proved specialists with work experience in other industries, obviously much more difficult, than production of oil. These companies had to offer standard open technologies which would allow us to optimize control of production at our enterprises. Marisa Garcia, the production director at the Conde de Benalúa plant added

The choice fell on the Ansotec integrator founded by Louis Alberto Guzman in 2007.

According to Guzman, the first solution Ansotec was "begin preparation of the report on digitalization of the plant, including the two-stage project".

Together with Ansotec we booked system audit and developed the plan of automation and digitalization which would allow us to make a complex transfer of the plant on digital technologies for 2-3 years. Marisa Garcia, the production director at the Conde de Benalúa plant told

For this Ansotec suggested Conde de Benalúa to transfer all process to the equipment, systems and technologies of automation of Rockwell Automation.

The first stage included automation of production workshop where olives turn into oil. Here the platform of visualization ThinManager and distributed control system of PlantPAx for effective management of production process heart was unrolled. Also preliminary works on integration of the ERP system of Microsoft (Dynamics NAV) used in the company were carried out.

Ansotec implemented the Connected Oil Mill 4.0 project in Spain based on technologies of Rockwell Automation

The second stage consisted in implementation of the ThinManager platform on the rest of the plant and system deployment of PlantPAx on other sections — in acceptance workshop and in storage. At the same time the solution for enterprise management developed by Ansotec and which received Almazara Conectada name 4.0 — Connected Oil Mill 4.0 — for control of all processes and management of the plant was implemented. By means of EtherNet/networks IP several types of devices were integrated into process: tablets smartphones scanners RFID and cameras.

For management of all these data of Ansotec created control panels on the basis of the intelligent analytical systems.

Integration of all data generated by a management system provides data access in real time and also tracking of production and control of production lines of our business. And all this is carried out when preserving a convenient working environment for our employees. Marisa Garcia, the production director at the Conde de Benalúa plant told

Digitalization brought additional opportunities to Conde de Benalúa creamery. Implementing solution, the created Ansotec, allowed to optimize operability of the equipment and also to eliminate "narrow" places and, therefore, to optimize production efficiency and machines.

Thus, the manufacturing company of oil integrated all sections of production under a single system of management, and now all plant is integrated within a single system of control of processes and production management.

If to speak about business, the company can check production reports via the Internet or through the application for smartphones and get access to control panels for monitoring of production processes. Besides, the company achieved integration of laboratories, acceptance workshops, production workshops and storages: all sections of production are synchronized in real time within the ERP system.