GLASSOLUTIONS

Overview

The Project

Task

To design and implement a new control system for the warehouse crane at GLASSOLUTIONS including all existing functionalities and adding a few extra. The main requirements for the new system were a fast implementation time on site as well as a system based on standard software enabling easy maintenance and expansion.

Solution

Based on a thorough investigation of the existing system combined with experience from similar projects, Eltronic A/S designed and implemented a new control system. Based on a Siemens TIA portal, GLASSOLUTIONS can maintain and expand the system quickly and easily. With an implementation time on site of only three days, crane downtime was reduced to an absolute minimum.

Results

• A flexible and easily expandable system based on standard software
• Automatic order execution system reducing errors and releasing operators for other tasks
• Database enabling generation of reports to spot potential improvement areas
• Transparent system making it possible to see reasons for downtime
• User-friendly interface with the possibility to switch user language “on the fly”
• The entire system was implemented on-site in only 3 days thanks to thorough preparational work by Eltronic A/S

A side benefit to the new control system is a reduction of the overall power consumption at GLASSOLUTIONS due to updated hardware solutions.

United with GLASSOLUTIONS

Up-date of existing system adding additional features

The new warehouse crane control system was to have all the same features as the existing solution, but it had to be based on a standard platform to ensure future support and expansion options. An automatic order system and a warehouse database were extra features to be added.

A final but main requirement was to reduce the implementation time of the new system as much as possible to prevent production downtime.

A new system based on standard Siemens TIA portal

To make sure that all existing features were included in the new warehouse crane control system, Eltronic A/S started out the project by thoroughly going over the existing system and preparing a requirement specification in cooperation with GLASSOLUTIONS. A Siemens TIA portal was selected to replace the existing PLC Siemens S5 solution, and a warehouse database and order execution system was designed to complement the new solution.

A transparent system with expansion possibilities

With the new warehouse crane control system designed by Eltronic A/S, GLASSOLUTIONS has received a flexible and easily expandable solution. The standard software makes it easy for GLASSOLUTIONS to get support for the system and add additional features and functionalities if required.

The integrated warehouse database and automatic order execution system mean that errors are reduced to an absolute minimum. In addition, operators previously occupied with order execution tasks can now be released for other assignments.

The new system allows GLASSOLUTIONS to generate reports and analyze data and thus spot potential improvement areas and reasons for crane downtime. In this way, warehouse operations have become more transparent.

Implementation in record time

When GLASSOLUTIONS first came to Eltronic A/S with the project, they expected an implementation time of about two weeks. Eltronic A/S initially estimated an implementation time of one week, but thanks to thorough preparational work and the ability to spot potential errors already in the design phase, Eltronic A/S was able to implement and test the new control system on-site in only three days.