2015 Salary Survey: Manufacturing slump dims enthusiasm 37

The Manufacturing Revolution Starts Here

WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING

A recipe
for success
Finding the right mix for
a salad dressing line 50

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input #1 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 KAESER SUCCESS STORY
COMPRESSORS

Seize the Savings!

A fresh approach yields sweeping savings for a quick ROI

PROBLEM:
At a plant manufacturing turbines for hydro-electric power plants,
excess capacity had been a source of comfort for many years despite
recommendations for system updates. Four modulating, twenty-year
old compressors, two 75 hp, two 25 hp, supplied the systemwithout
central controlscausing excessively high energy costs. When a new
plant engineer came on board, he took a closer look at the energy
efficiency. Having attended a Kaeser Compressed Air Seminar, he knew
a systems approach could unlock significant savings.

SOLUTION:
Kaeser ran a KESS (Kaeser Energy Saving Simulation) using supply
side audit data and designed a complete system solution that would
dramatically reduce the specific power from 62.0 kW/100 cfm to 17.5
kW/100 cfm. New energy efficient compressors, an air receiver, as well
as a system master controller were installed. The new system has the
same number of compressors and total horsepower as before, but it
kaeser.com

provides even more flow.

RESULT:
The Sigma Air Manager (SAM) master controller monitors the four new
compressors and selects the most efficient combination of units to meet the
plant demand. With its built-in SAC Plus software, SAM continually tracks
energy consumption so the plant benefits from having an ongoing com-
pressed air energy audit. As a matter of fact, the specific power has been
reduced more than anticipatedall the way down to 16.7 kW/100 cfm.

Annual Energy Costs of Previous System: $59,780 per year

Reduction in Specific Power: 45.3 kW/100 cfm

Annual Energy Cost Savings: $22,680 per year

Additional Savings in Maintenance Costs: $7,240 per year
TOTAL ANNUAL SAVINGS: $29,920

Simple Payback Period: 14 months

Let us help you measure and manage your compressed air costs!

input #2 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Kaeser Compressors, Inc. 866-516-6888 us.kaeser.com/PE

Built for a lifetime is a trademark of Kaeser Compressors, Inc. 2016 Kaeser Compressors, Inc. customer.us@kaeser.com
COMBUSTIBLE MORE EXPERTISE.
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input #3 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 January/February 2016
Volume 70, No.1

Cover image courtesy: Pinnacle

201 5

Salary Survey
Despite the relative strength of the U.S. manufacturing market, the monthly PMI Index put out by the
Institute for Supply Management declined for seven straight months and fell into contraction for the first
time in three years in November.
These are nervous days.
Thats why it is not surprising that for the first time in a decade, the primary concern of plant managers is
the economy, according to the 2015 Plant Engineering Salary Survey. In past years, the top issue was the lack
of a skilled workforce, and that checks in as managers second-largest issue, but the economy was clearly a
bigger concern at the end of 2015.

Analyst Insights:
38 Who We Are 44 Andy Chatha, ARC Advisory Group
40 What We Earn 46 Michelle Drew Rodriguez, Deloitte
42 What We Think 48 Bob Parker, IDC
49 Alex West, IHS

PLANT ENGINEERING (ISSN 0032-082X, Vol. 70, No. 1, GST #123397457) is published 10x per year, monthly except in January and July, by CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523.
Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher /Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. PLANT ENGINEERING copyright 2016 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. PLANT ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used
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www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 3

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50
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71 64
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TRUDY KELLY, Executive Assistant
630-571-4070 x2205, TKelly@CFEMedia.com 50 A recipe for long-term growth
ELENA MOELLER-YOUNGER, Marketing Manager Pinnacle Foods invested a reported $50 million in its plant in St. Elmo, Ill., when it
773-815-3795, EMYounger@CFEMedia.com
acquired the Wish-Bone salad dressing brand, but the plants investment in equip-
KRISTEN NIMMO, Marketing Manager
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Please e-mail your opinions to BVavra@CFEMedia.com 61 The value of VSDs in improving efficiency
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e-mail Trudy Kelly at TKelly@CFEMedia.com and the energy savings of electric machines, hydraulics can add to the value propo-
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For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact:
Brett Petillo, Wrights Media
compared with only increasing motor efficiency.
281-419-5725, bpetillo@wrightsmedia.com

64 In hazardous areas, sensor safety rating is crucial

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Many times, equipment purchases can get bogged down in component details,
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the performance requirements affecting the machine or process skid end product,
and not the components running it, has advantages.

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 5

INSIGHT
Better production, not just better numbers
At the intersection between the stock market
decline in January and the PMI Index stabilization
in February, we have a lot of data coming at us
from all sides. Heres some more: Plant Engineer-
ings annual Salary Survey in this months issue.
They are just numbers, and yet they engender a
very real emotional reaction. We see the numbers
and feel joy or panic or worry. We measure and
manage the numbers, but better numbers dont
always make us feel better, because the numbers
always could be better.
The surge of interest in the Industrial Internet
of Things (IIoT) is based on the idea that we dont
effectively use the data we already collect. The
fundamental question around IIoT is, what do
Bob Vavra we do with all this data?
Content Manager The first thing we have to do is put it in some
sort of context, which is the other prevailing
benefit that IIoT is supposed to offer. We can see
trends and understand how things are changing.
The understanding of why things are changing
then becomes more of a focused search than a
wild-goose chase.
In this way, the numbers simply become
another tool, like a wrench or a welding gun or a
sensor. It is how we act on the data, not just that
we collect it at all, that determines whether and
how we understand our operation in its current
state and find ways to improve.
Numbers are simply points in time, and yet
this emotional reaction to that one point in time
creates other turmoil. The data we collect in
manufacturing, and the data we collect in our
INTERACTIVE www.plantengineering.com
Read this on your tablet 2016 Upcoming webcasts
2015 Salary Survey: Manufacturing slump dims enthusiasm 37
Register for educational webcasts at
The tablet and digital www.plantengineering.com/webcasts:
editions of this
February 25: Working as a Team
publication are greatly The Manufacturing Revolution Starts Here
enhanced for digital WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING
subscribers. They also A recipe Engineering eNewsletters
include interactive for success
tools such as videos,
Finding the right mix for
50
a salad dressing line Stay in touch with changes in the industry,
Web links, and other including news, articles, and product updates.
items. Update your NEW eNewsletters include: Education &
PlantEngineering.com
Training, IIoT Report, New Products for
subscription, and
receive the digital edition in your e-mail Engineers Showcase, Predictive & Preventive
in-box: Maintenance, and Product Focus.
Subscribe to one or more eNewsletters at:
www.plantengineering.com/subscribe
www.plantengineering.com/newsletters
6 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
Salary Survey, provide us with a snapshot, and a
historical reference point, but we can do little to
alter either one.
What our challenge is with all this data is not to
react to it, but to understand it. Our job is not to
deal with it as a single point of truth for everyone,
but to measure it against our own experience and
see how we stack up.
Im always excited to see the Salary Survey
data each January, but thats mostly because
I like understanding the numbers. If there are
trends to be found, its that while manufacturing
is sputtering today, it is a problem we have faced
and conquered in the recent past. We need to
respond with confidence in our plan, our plant
and our people. They will meet the challenge and
find ways to improve the operation and position
us for strong growth.
And about the picture
After many comments at this end about my
column photo in recent months, I decided to
change it. (Upgrade would be too strong a word.)
But rather than settle on just one choice, Ive
decided to take selfies at various stops during the
next year as use those for the column photo. This
one is at the Hannover Messe press preview in
Hannover, Germany, at the end of January.
Id offer one other challenge: Id like to see some
selfies from your plantsindividual, group shots,
whatever youd like to share. Send them along to
me at bvavra@cfemedia.com and well share what
manufacturings leaders look like in 2016.
Join the discussion
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/PlantEng
Google+:
http://google.com/+plantengineering
LinkedIn:
http://tinyurl.com/PlantEngineeringProfessionals
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/PlantEngMag
SlideShare:
www.slideshare.net/PlantEngineering
www.plantengineering.com
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input #5 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 CONVEY DUMP UNLOAD
FLEXI-DISC Tubular Cable

FLEXICON Manual

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Conveyors gently slide fragile Dumping Stations allow Bag Dischargers
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or long distances, dust-free. continuous, efficient Allows untying,
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input #6 at www.plantengineering.com/information
IN FOCUS

The Industrie 4.0 platform is a part of the Internet of Things world, including more embedded and collaborative intelligence
such as smart factories, smart services, smart devices, and smart products, which all bring about benefits in the new era of
connectivity. Image courtesy: Schneider Electric

IIoT offers economic, operational benefits

By Ralf Neubert
Schneider Electric

The benefits of the Industrial Internet
of Things (IIoT) are becoming more
apparent as industry experts debate
the opportunities at hand. Ushering a
new era of connectivity, where plants
and machines work together in a secure
and collaborative way to enable tech-
nology at the service of people, IIoT
is providing greater empowerment
and efficiency. While the potential for
data and efficiency gets most of the
attention, the smartest manufacturers
today are leveraging IIoT technologies
to uncover inefficiencies in processes
and turn them into working capital.
Therein lies the power and economic
benefits of the IIoT.
IIoT offers both new challenges
and opportunities for manufacturers
willing to push the boundaries of
machine and plant design. Included in
these new opportunities are benefits
such as connectivity, efficiency, and
reliability, but many features of IIoT
technology may bring great financial
benefits to manufacturers as well.
Increasing profitability with IIoT
In manufacturing, IIoT can deliver
improved traceability for better sup-
ply chain efficiency, which brings
about faster production and lower
costs. Additionally, when todays
existing Big Data technologies for
storage and analytics are combined
with machine-to-machine commu-
nication, smart machines are able to
consistently capture and communi-
cate data better and more efficiently.
Analyzing historical data allows
manufacturers to identify inefficien-
cies in production and other areas
of improvement for reducing time to
market. It also allows them to bet-
ter manage operating expenditure
(OPEX) and business intelligence
efforts for customers, as well as cre-
ate new business opportunities for
asset management, such as predic-
tive maintenance, that enable vast
cost savings.

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 9

IN FOCUS
IIoT offers both new challenges and opportunities
For example, the use of connected
devices and dynamic QR codes provide
fast and efficient customer service.
Information can be distributed more
quickly, and, in turn, operators are
able to solve production problems in a
more efficient manner, driving greater
customer satisfaction and continued
loyalty. In addition, operators can use
radio-frequency identification to track
and monitor production, inventory, and
logistics moving forward. With IIoT,
manufacturers are enabled with a more
consistent and continuous lifecycle
management process than ever before.
These are just a few examples of the
plethora of opportunities with smart,
connected devices at hand.
But when it comes to IIoT, the eco-
nomic benefits can differ greatly between
origial equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) and end users. OEMs need to
focus on providing new or enhanced ser-
vices to their customers while end users
need to put a greater focus on managing
OPEX. In general, the variances can be
broken up into two areas:
End users: With the increased
need for interoperability between
information technology and opera-
tions technology, transparent data,
and machine access, end users will
be able to update brownfields and
integrate smarter machines, lead-
ing to smarter factories. With these
changes, there is an opportunity
to provide a connection point that
delivers a holistic view of operations
from the shop floor to the top floor.
OEMs: On the other hand, OEMs
need to provide enhanced inter-
faces and features to reduce down-
times, improve machine perfor-
10 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
for manufacturers willing to push the boundaries of
machine and plant design.
mance (depending on
the production status
and demand), and pro-
vide remote monitoring,
predictive maintenance,
and safety. The behavior and data
of machines and components have
changed, so manufacturers need
to take advantage of the different
opportunities for growth as well.
It is also important to remember
that IIoT influences the manufacturing
enterprise from an engineering, supply
chain, and customer-relations manage-
ment perspective in regards to profit-
ability. With IIoT, manufacturers can
become a more customer-service-centric
provider rather than just a component
supplier. The data enabled by IIoT gives
manufacturers more flexibility to meet
customer needs. With this new ability,
manufacturers are able to generate fresh
business opportunities as customers are
brought to the forefront of attention in
the manufacturing operations landscape.
IIoT beyond automation
When it comes to identifying cost sav-
ings, many see the benefits of IIoT as
connected solely to industrial automa-
tion. Though industrial automation
is an important aspect of the IIoT,
there are major cost-effective benefits
through energy efficiency in smart
machines and factories, too.
Every machine or plant has an ener-
gy profile that should also be a part of
the description of an IIoT architecture.
Energy consumptionand managing
it efficientlyimplies that manufac-
turers know what is happening on the
shop floor. The IIoT now gives us the
ability to link and analyze information
from different sources that impact the
planteven information from outside
of the plant such as weather.
Weve connected smart factories to a
smart grid and vice versa, which leads
to smart, connected, comprehensive
ecosystems with IIoT at the center,
providing the interface that gives a
holistic view and brings about addi-
tional benefits of energy efficiency and
sustainability.
IIoT is transforming the industry,
and manufacturers aiming to stay
ahead of the trend are working to
address the changes while profiting
from the benefits. When implementing
IIoT technologies, manufacturers can
maximize profitability by improving
time to market and enhancing ser-
vices.
Another important consideration is
to start IIoT implementations selec-
tively and incrementally adding or
modernizing existing equipment and
infrastructures. This will allow IIoT
platforms to go toward research and
development spending rather than
investing in component development.
Additionally, manufacturers should
look at applications like operational
efficiency, asset utilization, data mon-
etization, and software-driven services
in order to drive economic benefits
and increase return on investment. As
manufacturers become more comfort-
able with IIoTs capabilities, long-term
applications can be achieved, includ-
ing structural changes, pay-per-out-
come models, connected ecosystems,
and a human-machine workforce.
With these future applications, the
economic benefits of IIoT will far out-
weigh the challenges it requires to get
there. The IIoT is here to stay; and to
the winner goes increased efficiency,
lower costs, and an improved com-
petitive position, ultimately providing
better chances to survive and prosper
in this new world. PE
Ralf Neubert is senior director of
innovation and technolog y in the
industry business sector of Schneider
Electric.
www.plantengineering.com
input #7 at www.plantengineering.com/information
IN fOCUS
Five ways to compete globally
without focusing on price
Build your supply chain and your relationship with customers.
By Nicole Snyder
JW Aluminum
For U.S. manufacturers, competing
with foreign counterparts on price has
always been a challenging obstacle. With
the continued drop in oil prices and the
subsequent reductions in shipping costs,
that challenge has become impossible.
To make matters worse, overseas-
manufactured materials have been
steadily rising in quality, creating a
situation that makes it difficult for
U.S. manufacturers to stay competitive
and win new business in an increas-
ingly price-driven industry. The Chi-
nese government spent more than $300
billion on subsidies to its state-owned
enterprises between 1985 and 2005, and
continues to heavily subsidize capital
improvements and materials.
American manufacturers, on the
other hand, are often stuck using
50-year-old equipment and planning
upgrade cycles over such a long period
that the initial round of improvements
is obsolete by the time the cycle fin-
ishes. The recent global slowdown and
the high value of the dollar are only
making this issue worse.
So how do American businesses
compete with a juggernaut that can out-
spend and out-price the competition?
More and more, the answer seems to be
in identifying the pain points that lurk
just underneath price consciousness
and finding innovative and creative new
solutions. In sitting down and talking
to supply-chain and plant managers, it
became obvious to us that a small hand-
ful of long-standing problems in the
manufacturing supply chain holds the
key to maintaining competitiveness in a
global materials manufacturing sector.
The five major problems identified in
this research should be familiar to any-
one who has to manage, or work with, a
large manufacturing supply chain:
12 January/February 2016 plant engineering
1. Lead times
2. Forecasting
3. Customer intimacy
4. Communication and response times
5. Competing software standards.
Its so familiar because these are chal-
lenges that the materials manufacturing
industry has needed to overcome for a
long time. Theyre also problems that
largely no longer exist in the consumer
sector, thanks to technology that made
just-in-time, Lean, and on-demand
common buzzwords.
Take forecasting, for example. It
wasnt so long ago when large depart-
ment stores would regularly hold mas-
sive sales events after major holidays
to eliminate unsold stock at severe
discounts.
A savvy shopper could often walk into
a large store the day after Christmas and
buy all the ornaments they would need
for next year at savings of 50 to 75% off.
Investment in forecasting technology has
largely eliminated these sales, or at least
reduced them to the point that they no
longer represent significant losses like
they once did.
So why is the manufacturing indus-
try so far behind the consumer goods
industry? The reason has a lot to do
with manufacturers being complacent
and slow to act against competition from
overseas. Twenty years ago, materials
from places like China were noticeably
subpar to materials produced in the U.S.
A few lower-end domestic producers
went out of business or were acquired,
but the industry as a whole didnt feel
a lot of pressure to change. When the
quality of imports suddenly increased,
most companies were caught completely
by surprise.
Another reason why manufacturing
is so far behind consumer goods has
to do with the very nature of materi-
als manufacturing. Many inside and
outside the industry see materials as
little more than commodities. Com-
modities differentiate themselves on
price and little else, or so conventional
thinking goes. Its only in recent years
that companies in intermediate steps
in the supply chainthe manufactur-
ers and processorshave embraced
the idea that theres more to selling
materials than low pricing.
When asked what the last major inno-
vation in materials sales and production
was, many of the company executives
we spoke to couldnt remember anything
more recent than the advent of digital
spreadsheets or online catalogs. The idea
of commoditization has largely frozen
progress in the industry, leaving it far
behind direct-to-consumer products.
With the recent upheaval in Chinas
economy, its not clear what the future
holds for domestic manufacturers. Its
possible that the current shake-up will
force imported goods and materials to
increase in cost, bringing them more
in line with U.S.-based manufactur-
ers. Its equally possible that prices
will continue to tumble even further
as the yuan drops in value and the dollar
rises. Either way, the only safe bet for
domestic companies is to pull them-
selves out of the torpor of complacency
and begin to push for new solutions for
old problems.
Technology, and the on-demand
mindset it produces, has already shown
itself capable of disrupting seemingly
safe industries. It will do the same to
materials manufacturing companies
that dont fully embrace the future.
Now, more than ever, the old maxim
holds true: if youre not evolving, youre
falling behind. PE
Nicole Snyder is the brand and mar-
keting manager for JW Aluminum, a
U.S.-based supplier of rolled aluminum
products.
www.plantengineering.com
 Control
Allied has the relay you need to keep it.

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1.800.433.5700

Allied Electronics, Inc 2015. Allied Electronics and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc. An Electrocomponents Company.

input #8 at www.plantengineering.com/information
IN FOCUS
Research, new initiatives are
highlights at MODEX
The biannual MODEX Show in Atlanta
on April 4-7 will gather the top mate-
rial handling experts from around the
world. It also will be the showcase for
2016 MHI Annual Industry Report,
produced in conjunction with Deloitte
during a MODEX keynote on April 6.
George Prest, CEO of MHI, the asso-
ciation for supply chain professionals,
discusses the upcoming trade event, the
2016 MHI Report and the impact of
the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
on supply chain operations:
CFE MEDIA: One of the key points
of emphasis at MODEX 2016 is the
future of supply chain. One area of
particular emphasis is finding and
training future workers. What is
the message MHI and the industry
need to send to the next generation
of workers?
PREST: Supply chain careers are some
of the most rewarding and highly
compensated jobs that are now being
seen as the new path to the C-suite.
We, as an industry, need to do a bet-
ter job of spreading the word that
supply chains are global enterprises
14 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
led by a diverse group of profession-
als that utilize innovation, creativity
and smart thinking to not only drive
operational efficiency but to keep the
economy going.
New and emerging manufacturing
and supply chain technologies are
requiring highly-sophisticated skill-
sets and an equally sophisticated,
well-trained and well-paid workforce
Even though more than 11 million
people work in the supply chain, 8.6%
of the nations workforce, a shortage of
skilled supply chain workers remains.
An estimated 600,000 manufacturing
positions in the U.S. are unfilled for a
lack of qualified workers. In addition,
the U.S. Roadmap for Material Han-
dling & Logistics predicts that by 2018,
there will be 1.4 million new jobs in
the logistics and supply chain field.
Because supply chains work behind the
scenes, you only hear about them when
there is a disruption. Through initia-
tives like the IWorkInTheSupplyChain.
com video campaign and the New
Generation Supply Chain Workforce
track at MODEX 2016, MHI is working
to increase awareness of the amazing
and rewarding career opportunities
available in supply chain.
CFE MEDIA: While the full industry
report will be presented at MODEX,
what are some of the key points of
emphasis in the new State of the
Industry report produced by MHI
and Deloitte?
We have seen some big shifts in adoption of some technologies that
just a year ago were seen as emerging. We are learning that they are
having a bigger impact much sooner than predicted.
PREST: Interestingly, we have seen
some big shifts in adoption of some
technologies that just a year ago were
seen as emerging. We are learning
that they are having a bigger impact
much sooner than predicted. This
is proof that the accelerated pace of
change in our industry is dramati-
cally changing the way supply chains
work and how they are managed.
A big emphasis of this years report
will be how this accelerated change
is only increasing the talent gap as
these technologies, and the new
generation supply chains they are
creating, require a new breed of sup-
ply chain professionals to run them.
The 2016 report will certainly be
required reading for manufactur-
ing and supply chain professionals
who want to get their arms around
these issues.
CFE MEDIA: Supply chain isnt top
of mind in the discussions around
IIoT, but what do you think are
some of the key opportunities with
this strategy for MHI members?
PREST: The IIoT has the potential
to deliver massive economic and
environmental rewards. It can boost
productivity, drive new markets,
encourage innovation and result
in exponential change for industry
and our society as a whole.
The data and analytics generated by
the IIoT will provide opportunities
to improve operational, resource
George Prest, CEO of MHI
www.plantengineering.com
 and energy efficiency. It also
promotes better predictive
maintenance and customer
service while creating sav-
ings and revenue opportu-
nities.
Accenture estimates that the
IIoT could add $14.2 trillion
to the global economy by 2030. Cisco
predicts the IIoT will provide savings
in the vicinity of $1.9 trillion over the
next decade from improving efficien-
cies in supply chain management and
logistics alone.
Next generation supply chains that
are connected into highly auto-
mated, integrated and digitized
networks will require the automa-
tion, sensor, software and system
solutions offered by MHI members.
As the IIoT grows into a must-have
for business survival, firms from
all walks of industry will seek the
best ways to harness it. As with all
change, the devil will be in
the details. Thats where
MHI members and their
solutions come in.
If the full potential of the
IIoT vision is achie ve d,
many people will have an
opportunity to better their
careers and standards of living as
a result of countless value creation
opportunities.
This is a topic that the 2015 MHI
Annual Industry Report will address.
It is also a topic of the MODEX key-
note by Jack Allan of Cisco on April
5 in Atlanta. PE

MODEX 2016
April 4-7, 2016 SHOW PREVIEW
Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
www.MODEXShow.com

The world of supply chain management will

come to Atlantas World Congress Center April
4 through April 7 for MODEX 2016. The biannual
event sponsored by MHI will bring together more
than 850 exhibitors and more than 100 educa-
tion sessions focused on the next generation of
supply chain management.
That next generation emphasis includes a
focus on workers, as MODEX 2016 will feature a
New Generation Supply Chain Workforce educa-
tional track among its sessions.
Another show highlight will be the presenta-
tion of MHIs 2016 Annual Industry Report,
featuring MHI CEO George W. Prest and Scott
Sopher, a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
MODEX also will feature three diverse keynote The MODEX 2016 trade show in Atlanta will feature more than 850
presentations. They include: supply chain exhibitors and will focus on the future of the supply
chain industry, from research to workers. Image courtesy: MHI
APRIL 4: How to Create a Culture of Innova-
tion Within Your Company, Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of X PRIZE Foundation
APRIL 5: The Connected Supply Chain, Jack Allen, senior director, logistics and manufacturing solutions,
supply chain operations, Cisco
APRIL 6: Lessons from a Dragon, Kevin OLeary, the Mr. Wonderful of ABC-TVs Shark Tank, and an
entrepreneur and investor.

The week will also feature MHIs Industry Night Celebration on April 6 with the Blues Brothers. Tickets to
this event are $50 and include beer, wine and hors doeuvres. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the
Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI).

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 15

IN FOCUS
Data is the new currency
Industry experts advise manufacturers to enrich their plants
with better data collection and management strategies.
By Bob Vavra
Content Manager, CFE Media

It is an era of rich data in

manufacturing, and the com-
panies that can harness that
data will enrich themselves
and their plants.
Data is the new currency,
said Jagannath Rao, president
of Siemens USAs customer
service division at the 30th
International Maintenance
Conference (IMC) in Bonita
Springs, Fla., in December.
This is the future of manu-
facturing: machines talking to
machines, robots working in
collaboration with each other,
machines knowing the state of
their own health. Its the next
level of asset analysis. This is
going to be the future, and
some companies already are
on board.
The ability to not just col- At the International Maintenance Conference in Florida in December, Bentley Systems CEO
lect data, but also to manage it Greg Bentley talked about the expanded use of data in manufacturing. We need to leverage
for the benefit of both opera- the digital engineering model, Bentley said. When we talk about digital engineering mod-
tions and end users is one of the els, were talking about things like schematics, 3-D models, network models. We need to go
transformative ideas discussed beyond IT and OT to engineering technology (ET). Image courtesy: CFE Media
by three industry experts at
the Reliability and Asset Performance We all want more productivity. want this to happen efficiently and,
(RAP) Talks, which were the keynote on We want our manufacturing to be more imp or tant, seamlessly, R ao
the second day of the IMC conference. more f lexible. And, of cours e, we told about 1,000 maintenance and
reliability professionals at the con-
ference. It all begins with data, and
STAIRWAY TO ASSET RELIABILITY more data. All of our factories are
Siemens Jagannath Rao cited three steps along the path to asset reliability. connected with sensors. We collect
They are: this data. We need to transmit this
data and either predict something
or have it tel l us t re nds or show
1. Transparency: Have relevant data at your fingertips us p atter ns ab out w hat we cou ld
2. Reliability: Predict problems before they occur; proactive and predictive change.
3. Intelligence: Business-enhancing; improve the business value of the assets. Greg Bentley, president and CEO
of Bentley Systems, showed examples
Its a journey, Rao said. When you start doing that, thats when youre really of how 3-D modeling in brownfield
creating value (from data). It takes time, it takes clear planning, and it takes operations could produce reliable
a lot of data gathering. models of the current state of a plant

16 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

 Take your
electrical
technician
training to a
We know the data is there. Do we start with data or higher level
start with what we want to learn?
Pete Karns,
vice president of offering management, IBM

and tie that data into operational
models.
Bentley sees the process going
beyond information technology (IT)
and operational technology (OT). We
need to leverage the digital engineering
model, Bentley said. When we talk
about digital engineering models, were
talking about things like schematics,
3-D models, network models. We need
to go beyond IT and OT to engineering
technology, or ET.
At IBM, the challenge is to make sure
the data is serving its highest purpose
for customers. Thats not always just
data for the sake of data, said Pete
Karns, vice president of offering man-
agement for IBM.
We know the data is there. Do we
start with data or start with what we
want to learn? he said. I see far too
many of our clients collecting the data
without understanding what it is they
want to learn.
Karns said the Internet of Things
(IoT) allows data to be viewed as an
FIVE KEY CHALLENGES FOR IIoT INNOVATORS
IBMs Pete Karns identified five ways the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
would impact both plant operations and data management. They include:
asset unto itselfsomething that needs
to be studied and understood, not sim-
ply collected. IoT is doing something
differently with data than youve done
before, he said. We can talk about
connectivity and millions of sensors,
but its just about doing something dif-
ferent with data. What were seeing first
is the types of data are there, but its
hard to work with.
We all have biases, and we immedi-
ately use our 30 years of experience to
say what we think is happening, Karns
added. Where were moving with ana-
lytics is removing the bias. Were evolv-
ing to a much more powerful way of
using the data to help us look beyond Offering 10 Certification Programs:
our own biases.
Rao said manufacturers need to u Substation Maintenance
prepare for this new era of data man- u Low Voltage Circuit Breaker
agementand warned that those who u Fiber Optics
dont will miss a huge competitive u Infrared Thermography Level I
opportunity. By 2025, 85% of manu- u Protective Relay Generation
facturing will be connected, Rao said. u Protective Relay Basic
If youre not on the bandwagon, you u Protective Relay Solid-State
will lose your competitive advantage. PE u Protective Relay Advanced
u Medium-Voltage Cable
u Industrial Electrical Safety Inspector
input #9 at www.plantengineering.com/information

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3. Unprecedented data volumes
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IN fOCUS
Getting operators involved
in equipment maintenance plan
By Michael W. Blanchard, CRE, PE
Life Cycle Engineering
The success of your equipment main-
tenance plan (EMP) will depend on how
involved operators were in its development
and implementation. Are operator expe-
rience and abilities underutilized in your
organization for the purposes of improv-
ing and sustaining asset reliability? Even
if you dont have an operator care (OC)
program in place, you should consider
operator cares mitigation capabilities when
a strategy is required to lower risk to the
value stream. EMPs are also a great way to
show the value that operators bring to the
reliability-centered maintenance (RCM)
team. Cross-functional collaboration is nec-
essary to develop effective operator inspec-
tions. Operators are in a perfect position
to develop, test and institutionalize routine
equipment care and inspection tasks.
Involving operators in RCM analysis
and generating solutions builds credibil-
ity for reliability improvement initiatives.
The actions and behaviors demonstrated
by an engaged operator will spread like
wildfire. Operators are the first line of
defense against the effects of unmitigated
risk. Training them to identify symptoms of
Figure 1: Equipment failure model including examples. Image courtesy: Life Cycle
Engineering
18 January/February 2016 plant engineering
equipment in distress, adverse conditions
and the actions to minimize their effects, is
essential to improving and sustaining asset
reliability. This paper explores how involv-
ing operators in EMP development and
implementation will improve the impact
on asset reliability.
Failure modes and effects analysis
(FMEA)
The effectiveness of the EMP devel-
oped using FMEA depends on the level
of understanding achieved through ana-
lyzing asset specifications, history and
process data. Operator input is impor-
tant when facilitating an FMEA. They
can provide further details when analyz-
ing the nature and root causes of failure.
They will also validate any current con-
trols, including any plant urban legends.
Undocumented inspections should be
treated with caution. They tend to be hit-
and-miss and executed with a high degree
of variability. However, if operator inspec-
tion procedures exist, they are subject
to the same PM optimization process as
maintenance inspections.
The equipment failure model used in
FMEA is a three-part event as seen in
Figure 1.
Cause: reason for the failure
Failure Mode: how the failure reveals
itself
Effect: impact of the failure
Understanding equipment failure
Unless the true nature of failure is under-
stood, it will be difficult to identify the
symptoms and root causes.
Approximately 89% of component failure
patterns are random. Scheduling a time-
based PM to address a random failure is
not only inappropriate, its a waste of money.
To effectively mitigate the risk of random
failure modes (infant mortality, random,
initial break-in), you need a hybrid strategy
that includes operators.
You can minimize the risk of infant mor-
tality and initial break-in failures by using
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
and acceptance testing to verify installa-
tions or repairs. Startup and shutdown
SOPs should be thoroughly reviewed for
content that may lead to equipment abuse
or failure. Acceptance testing criteria should
be evaluated for predominant failure modes
and repairs. Ask your operators to update
the SOPs and provide input to the accep-
tance testing policy.
You can minimize the risk of random fail-
ures by adding a layer of protection to asset
reliability. Figure 3 illustrates how opera-
tors can provide this protection. Through
routine equipment care and inspections,
operators identify symptoms of pending
asset failure and take appropriate actions.
The symptom, or signal of focus, must fol-
low a degradation process that operators
can monitor through inspection. Cross-
functional team brainstorming provides
probable symptoms that can be observed
or measured. Operators will play a key role
identifying possible distress signals, but
most will require training.
Operators are closest to the equipment
and know when its running in a stable
mode of operation. Besides on-line moni-
toring systems at their disposal, operators
use their senses (i.e. sight, hearing, smell,
touch) to detect abnormal signals usu-
ally associated with equipment in distress.
www.plantengineering.com

Figure 2: Failure patterns. Image courtesy: Life Cycle Engineering/John Moubray,
Nolan & Heap
The point of failure (PF) curve in Figure
4 shows how a symptom deteriorates over
time, or cycles, and where operators can
provide an additional line of detection
should failure initiate between predic-
tive maintenance (PdM) collection dates.
The earlier the operator can sense these
symptoms the more time the organiza-
tion has to plan and execute a repair. In
some instances, simple actions can resolve
the cause of distress and the PF curve is
extended. Operator inspections add a layer
of protection against equipment failure and
should be considered for every EMP.
Risk mitigation
Instead of planning only to identify
maintenance tasks for further develop-
ment, plan to identify cross-functional
activities that have the greatest impact on
risk, including operator care and inspec-
tion tasks. Routine equipment care and
inspection may not be enough to drive
the Risk Priority Number (RPN) to an
acceptable level, but the RPN will drop
even further when combined with a
maintenance PdM task. The list below
includes examples of operator-led tasks
you should consider when selecting miti-
gation strategies:
Identifying abnormal equipment sig-
nals and responding with appropriate
corrective action
Writing work requests to correct
problems that were identified dur-
ing equipment inspections
Lubricating equipment
Bolt tightening
Cleaning
www.plantengineering.com plant engineering
One Source for
Your Spring
Requirements!
Reducing sources of contamination
Solving or tagging problems
Adjustments
Replacing filters, wear parts
Collecting oil samples
Participating in team meetings
Providing improvement feedback.
Equipment Maintenance Plan (EMP)
The Equipment Maintenance Plan (EMP)
summarizes the tasks and resources
needed to effectively preserve asset reli-
ability. The EMP guides the development
of the required operations and mainte-
nance tasks by ensuring that its done 35,000 stock designs
consistently for all equipment. Routine
equipment care and inspection tasks are 300,000,000 springs
added to the EMP the same as mainte- in stock
nance. You may choose to separate the Custom & prototype
departments in the formatting to clearly
show ownership and provide a summary
spring design &
of workload. When building the EMP, manufacturing
operators can help refine their tasks. Prototype to full
Job plans
production
Job plans for routine equipment care ISO 9001:2008; Made
and inspection should be written with in the USA
the same quality as maintenance. The In stock products ship
job plans are documented and any data
collected can be trended. A feedback within 8 hours
loop is included in the job plans for
continuous improvement. Operator
inspection procedures should include
simple corrective actions the operator www.centuryspring.com
can complete during the inspection (800) 237-5225
along with the failure mode identifica-
tion tasks. Operators can write the job
Los Angeles, CA
plans as they execute the tasks. Provide
them with training, plenty of examples
and a template.
MADE IN THE USA
January/February 2016 19 input #10 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 IN fOCUS
Figure 3: Reliability layers of protection. Image courtesy: Life Cycle Engineering
Operator-led inspections are meant
to identify the symptom of equipment
failure with enough advance warning
that a maintenance technician can effec-
tively troubleshoot the problem and take
appropriate action. The criteria on the
inspection sheet, or procedure, helps the
operator to identify failure modes early
enough on a PF curve to allow successful
troubleshooting, planning and schedul-
ing corrective action before equipment
failure impacts the value stream.
Visual controls help operators immedi-
ately recognize work standards and other
important information, as well as devia-
tions from those standards. The goal is
to get the appropriate information or
standard as close to the point of action
as possible. Examples of visual controls
include:
Match marking torqued fasteners
Marking (high and low) reservoir
and tank levels
Figure 4: PF curve - Look for early
signs of failure. Image courtesy: Life
Cycle Engineering
input #11 at www.plantengineering.com/information
20 January/February 2016 plant engineering
Marking gauges with normal oper-
ating ranges
Marking piping flow direction
Color-coding content in piping and
vessels
Marking direction of rotation on
drive and driven equipment
Indicators to identify when filters
need to be replaced
Labeling each lube point and color-
coding it to identify lubrication.
Operators can make or break your
reliability program. Involving them in
EMP development and execution will
require time, training and continuous
improvement support. Building a strong
relationship with the process owner pro-
vides the opportunity to teach them the
building blocks of a reliability-centered
culture. Its imperative to gain their sup-
port before approaching operators and
support roles. Operators are the first
layer of protection against the effects
of adverse conditions. PE
Michael Blanchard is a Reliability
Engineering Subject Matter Expert with
Life Cycle Engineering
(LCE). He has more than
25 years of experience as
a reliability leader in a
variety of industries.
Blanchard is a licensed
Professional Engineer,
a Certified Reliability
Engineer, and a Certified
Lean-Six Sigma Master
Black Belt.
www.plantengineering.com
COMPRESSED
AIR WITH AN
EXPANSIVE
RESUME
Powering You With
Extraordinary Solutions
From responsible energy use and
predictive approaches to our vast
equipment portfolio, our focus is
always on you.
www.atlascopco.us 866-688-9611
input #12 at www.plantengineering.com/information
 T he voice of the engineering community
speaks loud and clear in the following pages
featuring corporate profiles of those companies
participating in the Executive Voice program
presented by Plant Engineering magazine.

Our thanks to the following participants:

Camfil APC
Flexicon
FLIR Camera
Kaeser Compressors Inc.
SPM Instrument
Tekleen Automatic Filters

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and to make the best collector in the
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We guarantee our collectors to meet
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We are a subsidiary of Camfil, the
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Our corporate headquarters
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Over the past six months,
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our flagship line of any other year in the
Farr Gold Series
cartridge dust and companys history.
fume collectors
as well as mist
collectors, wet The latest addition is the Handte
scrubbers and ancillary items all Vortex wet scrubber, which
designed to ensure a cleaner, combines high-performance wet
safer workplace. dust collection with easy plug and
play operation.
The new Handte EM Profi emulsion
coolant mist collector for machining Its ideal for capture of very sticky
centers offers very high collection dusts and fibers and highly explosive
efficiency and 24/7 performance. metallic, chemical and other dusts.
Benefits include increased Because it provides wetting of
productivity, exceptional service combustible dusts, it can eliminate
ease and lower operating costs. the need for costly ancillary
Service life is up to six years for the explosion protection devices.
primary filters.
The Handte Oil Expert handles
ultrafine, hard-to-capture oil mists
generated by machining processes
that use pure (undiluted) lubricant
filterman@camfil.com
oils. Both products come with a 1-800-479-6801
12-year limited warranty. www.camfilapc.com

F lexicon Corporation engineers
and manufactures bulk handling
equipment from stand-alone units
to automated systems that are
integrated with new or existing
process equipment and storage
vessels throughout the plant.
Virtually any bulk solid
material or blend
Flexicon equipment can handle
virtually any bulk material, from
large pellets to sub-micron powders
including friable materials, free- and
non-free-flowing products, and
materials that pack, cake, plug, smear,
fluidize or separate. After more than
20,000 installations, Flexicon is
knowledgeable about virtually all bulk
materials and blends that customers
are likely to encounter.
Lifetime Performance Guarantee
The Flexicon Lifetime Performance
Guarantee assures customers of a
successful result, regardless of whether
they purchase one piece of equipment
or an automated plant-wide system,
providing added assurance that
customers can trust their process,
and their reputation, to Flexicon.
Designed and constructed to
industry standards worldwide
All Flexicon equipment is available in
carbon steel with a variety of durable
industrial finishes, and stainless steel in
industrial and food, dairy and phar-
maceutical finishes, including designed
and constructed for 3-A certification
and USDA acceptance.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stand-alone equipment
The Flexicon line of stand-alone
equipment includes: Flexible Screw David Gill
Conveyors, Tubular Cable Conveyors, President
Pneumatic Conveying Systems, Bulk
Bag Unloaders, Bulk Bag Conditioners,
Bulk Bag Fillers, Bag Dump Stations,
Drum/Box/Container Dumpers and
Weigh Batching and Blending Systems.
Numerous model configurations Manufacturing on
are offered within each equipment four continents
category, as basic, low cost units up Flexicon manufactures equipment
to engineered, automated, high- in the US, UK, Australia and South
capacity machines. Africa, maintains dedicated factory
representation in Singapore,
Large-scale bulk Barcelona and Chile, and also markets
handling projects equipment and systems through an
Customers can alleviate the burden extensive network of authorized
and risk of designing large-scale bulk representatives worldwide.
handling systems, coordinating
multiple suppliers, integrating The company holds 36 patents in 13
components and trouble-shooting countries, and in 2015 doubled the
start-up, by relying on Flexicon for size of its US headquarters.
it all.
Flexicon can evaluate customer
material(s), plant layout, through-put
rates, cost, cycle times and other
parameters, and engineer the optimum
solution to individual bulk handling
problems in the form of CAD drawings
that integrate Flexicon and other
equipment with new or existing
equipment in the customers plant.
In addition, Flexicon can test
customer materials on full-size test
equipment, build the equipment,
supervise installation, validate the
Flexicon Corporation
project, and train customer personnel +1 610 814 2400 sales@flexicon.com
to operate it anywhere in the world. www.flexicon.com

T he start of a new year is a chance
to examine current processes,
look to the future, and plan for new
growth. At Kaeser, we continually
look for opportunities to improve our
operations so we can better serve our
customers, but never at the expense of
our heritage.
This heritage is built on nearly a
century of manufacturing excellence
and holds reliability, efficiency, and
quality at its core. This commitment
to excellence guides our engineering,
design, and customer service principles
and means we deliver solutions-based
systems of the highest quality.
Kaeser Compressors, Inc. Headquarters in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
With this system data, we can
simulate power requirements of
different system scenarios using our
Kaeser Energy Saving System (KESS)
in order to build the most energy
efficient system possible.
Compressors, Inc.
These compressed air audit tools
coupled with our unbeatable efficiency,
simple maintenance, and rugged
reliability, result in a built for a lifetime
system that is engineered to perform.
Kaeser is not intimidated by demand-
ing applications. Our commitment
to designing the best engineered
solutions results in compressed air
systems that remain
reliable even in
the toughest of
applications in
the harshest of
environments. Thats
why our customers
know us as the air
systems specialist.
ADVERTISEMENT
Frank
Mueller
President,
Kaeser
Kaeser Compressors is committed
to providing our customers with
engineering excellence, the highest
in manufacturing quality, and cutting
edge solutions.
Prompt and dependable customer
service and engineering support are
backed by extensive training and
our ISO 9001:2008 quality assurance
and ISO 14001:2004 environmental
compliance program. These all
contribute to the value our customers
have come to expect from the
Kaeser name.

While others offer cookie cutter

scenarios or one-size fits all systems,
our consultative approach means
we work with our customers to
understand their application needs
and develop a tailored solution that
will continue to deliver the compressed
air they need year after year.
Using our comprehensive Air Demand
Analysis (ADA) program, our
engineers build a complete and
accurate air demand and consumption
profile to give a clear picture of the
systems compressed air requirements.
Our customers know us
as the air systems specialist.
Our turnkey, all-weather
compressed air packages integrate
our high quality compressed air
systems with rugged, weather-proof
containers. Remote operations are
supported by our Sigma Air Manager
2, which controls air production
and offers a variety of industrial
communications interfaces for
Kaeser Compressors, Inc.
seamless integration into remote customer.us@kaeser.com
monitoring and control systems. www.us.kaeser.com

P rocess water from a plants
cooling tower is often
contaminated with airborne dust,
pollen, algae, plastic fines, and pipe
scale. These contaminates circulate
through heat exchangers and
chillers and significantly reduce the
systems cooling ability. As a result,
extruders, molding machines,
molds, and compressors can heat
up and endanger the quality of the
product manufactured as well as
the machines.
This problem can result in
frequent maintenance shutdowns
which often cause considerable
production losses.
According to CEO, Gideon Brunn,
TEKLEEN self-cleaning water
filters provide the ultimate solution
where dirty cooling water is a
pe201602_execVhlf_tekleen.indd 1
F or many years, plant engineers
have used thermal imaging
in their preventive maintenance
programs to discover and measure
heat generation in mechanical and
electric installations, machines, and
compressors. Thermal imaging is an
effective technique to discover over-
heated components and to detect
and prevent creeping breakdowns.
By identifying problems before they
become serious issues, thermal
imaging helps plant engineers save a
lot of money.
FLIR Systems, Nashua, NH
problem. The filters operate on
line pressure alone. Self-cleaning is
triggered by a pressure differential
and is accomplished in seconds
without interrupting the flow.
The filters are compact in size and
designed to meet a wide variety of
industrial applications.
Tekleen Filters Increase Efficiency at
Hoffer Plastics
Hoffer Plastics Corporation in
South Elgin, IL is comprised of a
365,000 square foot climate-
controlled, self-powered facility.
Typical FLIR thermal imagers for
route-based preventive maintenance
programs include handheld or
point-and-shoot models. These
models help maintenance profes-
sionals see and report equipment
problems quickly, and have become
invaluable additions to the
maintenance engineers toolbox.
able thermal imaging technologies,
Although regular route-based
inspections, and spot checks for
troubleshooting are indispensable
for todays preventative maintenance
programs, many plant managers
need additional intelligence and
control over their equipment. These
managers are looking for real-time
data, 24/7, 365 days in a year.
In response to this growing need,
FLIR offers cost-effective thermal
sensors for continuous condition
monitoring of electrical and
There are eight focused factory
operations within the facility
to serve the companys primary
markets packaging, commercial
industrial, automotive and
appliance industries.
The company operates on the
Lean manufacturing principle,
maintaining high productivity
while fostering a valued-employee
atmosphere. The company also
focuses on environmental
responsibility and the goal of zero
waste through conscientious
material handling and overall
efficient plant management.
With the self-cleaning Tekleen
filters in place, these daily
checkups have been eliminated.
In addition to this labor and
downtime savings, the savings in
mechanical assets. Thermal sensors,
like the FLIR AX8, provide auto-
mated alarms when temperatures
exceed pre-set thresholds, as well as
temperature trend analysis.
With thermal imaging sensors like
the AX8, FLIR continues to find new
uses for its increasingly-more afford-
says Paul Czerepuszko, Director of
Automation Business Development.
These sensors are specifically
designed for easy integration in a
production environment, and have a
very small form factor, making them
easy to install in space-constrained
areas. The FLIR AX8, for example,
is the only thermal sensor on the
market to incorporate industrial
communication protocols, like
EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP/IP
for easy setup and installation in
water has also reduced the
ADVERTISEMENT
need for expensive water-
treating chemicals.
While precise savings
have not been
completely documented,
the reduction in the
need for maintenance
downtime is very
noticeable, according to
plant management.
Machinery can function
continuously, rather than
being constantly checked
due to the possibility of
contamination of the
cooling water that would
result in overheating.
Tel: 800-336-1942, 310-839-2828
info@tekleen.com
www.tekleen.com
1/4/2016 1:14:30 PM
ADVERTISEMENT
Paul A. Czerepuszko
Director, Automation
Business Development
new or existing installations.
Digital inputs/outputs
are available for alarms
and control of external
equipment and an image
masking function enables
selecting only the relevant
part of the image for analysis.
paul.czerepuszko@flir.com
Tel: +1-866-477-3687
www.flir.com

E stablished in 1970, SPM
Instrument rates as one of the
earliest pioneering companies in the
field of Predictive Maintenance.
In the 1960s, rotational
equipment monitoring consisted
of putting a wooden rod or
screwdriver to the ear and
listening to a machine. Often
when a sound was heard, it was
already too late. A.P. Moller, a
Danish ship owner, was not
happy with the overabundance
of cargo pump failures with no
forewarning throughout his
tanker fleet.
An inventor and enterprising
financier decided to address
the problem. In 1969, inventor
Eivind Sohoel patented the
first method for monitoring
rolling element bearings.
The Shock Pulse Method,
(where SPM Instrument gets its
name) was revolutionary to what
was then the early stages of
Vibration Analysis and Rotational
Equipment Monitoring. This
started a journey down a path
of developments in multiple
technologies used to perform
what is now generally referred to
as Predictive Maintenance.
From 1970 until today, there
have been many industrial
SPM Instrument Inc. North American
Corporate HQ in Eugene, OR
developments and technological
advancements: wide spread use
of computers throughout indus-
tries in the 80s, advancements
in lubrication technology, digital
signal processing, and micro
circuitry with noise reduction.
Dedicated efforts over the years
to continually develop simpler
and more efficient evaluation
methods has enabled SPM
to remain a top choice for
predictive maintenance, and
machinery monitoring solutions.
SPM recently released HD ENV
as proof to their continued
commitment to technological
advancement. Products range from
high-tech, lightweight, portable
instruments, as well as online
systems, and a comprehensive
CondmasterRuby software.
ADVERTISEMENT
Patrick Parvin
Managing Director,
SPM Instrument Inc.
With qualified service
and sales personnel
in over 50 countries,
we have the knowledge,
instrumentation and
solutions to support
all of your predictive
maintenance needs.
www.spminstrument.com
info@spminstrument.com
1-800-505-5636

pe201602_execV_halfSPM.indd 1 1/17/2016 4:48:54 PM

2015 Safety Study

Turning research into insights makes for better business decisions
The 2015 Safety study was conducted by Plant Engineering to better
understand workplace safety in manufacturing. The research also looked
at the idea of a safety culture, how far these efforts extend into the plant
and beyond, and safety trends and strategies.

On average each year, respondents reported receiving 22

hours of job-related safety training, 11 hours of ergonomics
training, and 15 hours of first-aid or personal safety training.
More than half of respondents have at least one safety
executive or manager on site.

Access the full Plant Engineering 2015 Safety report with

additional findings and insights.
www.plantengineering.com/2015Safety
 Industrie 4.0 or IIoT?
The challenges of connected industry are on the agenda
at Hannover Messe 2016.

Get ready. The changes brought on

by the Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT) and Industrie 4.0 will affect your
business if they havent already. As
industrial networks are enabled to sense
and control electronics and software,
opportunities are created, along with
concerns over cybersecurity.

Join Phoenix Contact and hear from

Get your all-show admission pass
FREE!
Hannover Messe, April 25-29, 2016.
world-leading experts on this and many
other topics during open forums at
Hannover Messe 2016: the worlds most
important industrial show, with more
than 6,500 exhibitors from 70 countries
representing the entire industrial
value chain.
www.phoenixcontact.com/GoMesse
input #13 at www.plantengineering.com/information

2016 PHOENIX CONTACT

THE ROAD TO
HANNOVER MESSE2016
American manufacturing
F
or nearly 70 years, Hannover Messe has been the worlds leading
on a global stage industrial trade show, bringing manufacturing innovation from
around the world to Hannover, Germany, each spring.
The United States takes center stage at Hannover Messe 2016 as
this years Partner Country. The event takes place April 25-29, providing an
opportunity to bring American manufacturing strategies to a global audience.
In the months leading up to this years show, well look at the key trends
in global manufacturing and offer insights as to how U.S. manufacturers
can benefit from attending Hannover Messe in 2016.

A perfect fit for

small businesses
Hannover Messe offers manufacturers
an entry into global markets.
By Bob Vavra, Content Manager, CFE Media

James Flaherty sees his companys first trip to Hannover Messe in Germany
as one giant step for his company, but also one major leap of faith for the
benefits this show might bring.
Flaherty is president and CEO of Adsorptech, a small manufacturer and
consulting company based in Middlesex, N.J. They make industrial-scale
oxygen-production equipment and provide gas-separation consulting services,
and until this year have never exhibited anywhere. Adsorptechs first foray to
Hannover Messe, the worlds largest industrial trade show, was facilitated by
the U.S. Commercial Service, a part of the Department of Commerce and a
partner in the companys expansion into Europe.
We look for distributors, and so heres a show where 25 countries will
attend, with a wide geographic spread, Flaherty said. Industrial-scale oxygen
is used in a multitude of industriesoil refineries, farms, and a lot of places
in between. If we went to shows in each industry, wed be doing nothing but
trade shows.
Adsorptechs relationship with the U.S. Commercial Service dates back 3
years to when the company first started to manufacture its products and was
looking at how to get started in the export market. So when the Commercial
Service suggested exhibiting at Hannover Messe as part of the United States
Partner Country status in 2016, Flaherty was interested in hearing more.
When weve worked with the U.S. Commercial Service, we had just decided
to export, and they helped us with the learning curve. They were the ones
who brought the show to our attention, said Flaherty. Its the first show I
saw that covered a lot of manufacturing, environment, and energy markets.
We can hit a group of our potential markets with one show. For a small busi-
ness, thats a perfect fit.
But with 6,000 exhibitors and more than 200,000 attendees at Hannover
each year, a significant concern was getting lost in the crowd. The Com-
mercial Service has helped with that. Were part of a bigger team, and thats
important, Flaherty said. Their value is, first, their advice. Being a newbie,
we have the greatest learning curve.
The company is working with the Commercial Service and the state of
New Jersey, which has provided some of the funding for the trip, to help make
connections to potential customers long before the show begins on April 23.
Theyre trying to determine which attendees are our would-be customers,

www.plantengineering.com plant engineering January/February 2016 29

THE ROAD TO
HANNOVER MESSE2016
Adsorptech President and CEO James Flaherty never has
been to Hannover Messe, but said the support his company
is receiving from state and federal economic development
groups means this first trip is likely to generate business.
Image courtesy: Adsorptech
and are helping set up pre-show meetings. Were not just hoping
someone stops by.
Commercial Service and its role
The U.S. Commercial Service is a global marketing and consult-
ing arm for small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers looking to
promote their products. There are more than 100 Commercial
Service offices in the U.S. and a network of trade representatives
worldwide.
Some of the key services we provide for U.S. manufacturers and
other exporters are our trade counseling services to help companies
understand the opportunities and value in exporting their goods
and services, said Daniel Gaines, senior international trade spe-
cialist for the U.S. Commercial Service. They also offer a program
called Business Matchmaking Services, which identifies qualified
overseas partners as well as an ongoing series of trade missions to
markets around the world.
Hannover Messe is a regular event for the Commercial Ser-
vice, but with the U.S. being Partner Country in 2016, it affords
the Service a starring role in this years show. The U.S. Pavilion
at Hannover will be an important hub for both U.S. states and
manufacturers looking to expand exports and attract foreign direct
investmentand a place for European and Asian businesses to
learn more about U.S. opportunities.
Gaines said the Commercial Service will offer U.S. exhibitors
at Hannover Messe support in four areas:
Preshow educational webinars to help companies prepare for
the event
Preshow company promotions to potential overseas partners,
helping U.S. exhibitors get maximum exposure to the potential
buyers, partners, and investors at the show
On-site executive marketing counseling with commercial
experts from U.S. embassies from across the globe, helping
U.S. exhibitors create custom strategies for approaching key
global markets
30 January/February 2016 plant engineering
Its the first show I saw that covered a lot of manu-
facturing, environment, and energy markets. We
can hit a group of our potential markets with one
show. For a small business, thats a perfect fit.
James Flaherty, Adsorptech
Postshow follow-up support to make sure U.S. exhibitors know
how to take the next step with the new connections they make
at the show.
Making a splash
That support is a major reason why Kathy Wyrofsky, president of
International Products Corp. in Burlington, N.J., will be attend-
ing her first Hannover Messe. The company has exports and
sales offices in London for its line of specialty industrial cleaning
products and specialty lubrication products.
I walked the show about 15 years ago, but this is the first
time weve been exhibiting, Wyrofsky said. The relationship
weve had with the Department of Commerce and their help
with networking has been wonderful, and they brought the show
to our attention.
Its a really big opportunity to have meetings and network with
potential partners, and thats a big reason to go, she added. One
good prospect from a show pays for the show for us, and that
happens often. Ill be looking to take advantage of what the show
is offering in terms of meetings. I see an opportunity to connect
with new customers as well as existing customers.
Jim Higgins is president of Stay Online, a Creedmoor, N.C.,
manufacturer of power cords and plug adapters. Their products
are manufactured to North American and European standards,
and the company recently opened its first sales office in Prague.
Stay Online has exhibited at vertical-market shows in Berlin,
Paris, and Amsterdam in the past, so this years foray to Hannover
is hardly a first step into Europe.
But Higgins appreciates the difference between American and
European trade events and business practices, which is why an
appearance at Hannover is important. In Europe, some relation-
ships are predicated on meeting the person, Higgins said. Over
the course of a month, Ive had two business meetings in airports.
For some people, its about, Im not going to do business with
you until I meet you.
They also respect a product that is well-made, Higgins added.
I love working with the Germans; with them, theres no gray
area. They will tell you, Heres what I need in order to do busi-
ness with you.
U.S. manufacturing in expansion mode
While the global manufacturing sector has slowed after a 4-year
advance, Commerce Department officials are bullish about the
U.S. leadership role in global manufacturing. U.S. manufacturing
is adding jobs at its fastest rate in decades, with nearly 900,000 new
manufacturing jobs created since February 2010; and manufactur-
ing production is up by almost one-third since the recession. The
number of factories across the United States is growing for the first
www.plantengineering.com
 Visit Beckhoff at Hannover Messe 2016
in Hall 9, Booth F06!

input #14 at www.plantengineering.com/information

THE ROAD TO
HANNOVER MESSE2016

The relationship weve had with the Department of Commerce and their
help with networking has been wonderful, and they brought the show to
our attention.
Kathy Wyfrosky, International Products Corp

time since the 1990s,
said Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Commerce
Antwaun Griffin.
For small and mid-
sized manufacturers,
there are many resourc-
es offered through state
and federal programs to
encourage expansion of manufacturing exports and the opening
of new markets. They include:
STEP Grants: The Small Business Administration (SBA)
awards state governments with federal money known as STEP
Grants, which act as a strategic investment to help small to
medium-sized companies expand their international reach.
These funds can be leveraged to help offset export-related
costs, such as trade shows, travel on a trade mission, or using
a U.S. Commercial Service fee-based service
Export Working Capital: SBA provides advances of up to $5
million to fund export transactions, from purchase order to
collections. The working capital can support foreign accounts
receivable during long payment cycles or can be used to finance
suppliers, inventory, or production of export goods or services.
This loan has a low guaranty fee and quick processing time.
Foreign Buyer Financing and Accounts Receivable Insurance:
The Export-Import Bank (EXIM) offers a variety of financial
tools that U.S. companies can leverage to support their export
operations. One example is their foreign buyer credit service
where EXIM will extend credit to a U.S. manufacturers overseas
buyer, which can unlock financing otherwise unavailable to a
foreign buyer seeking to purchase U.S. products. In addition,
EXIM offers other insurance and financing options to help
minimize the risk in doing business overseas.
The first step that any manufacturer interested in growth should
do is visit www.export.gov and contact their nearest U.S. Com-
mercial Service office, Gaines said. That office will be able to
meet with the company and walk them through the resources
across the U.S. government that will be of the most value to their
specific company.
Managing expectations
For first-time attendees at Hannover Messe, the chance to be part
of the U.S. delegation at the show, interact with global manufac-
turing partners, and expand their business all are compelling
drivers.
If we get one order, its worth it, said Flaherty. Our products
are high-capital expenditures products. One is not a very big num-
ber, but our expectation is thats the lowest number well have.
If that does happen, Flaherty said the Commercial Services
efforts to point them to Hannover Messe would get a good part
of the credit. If I saw this online, I would not have recognized
the value, Flaherty added. They said we think this fits you,
and heres why.
We feel really good about U.S. manufacturing, said Higgins.
If your product fills a niche and brings value, theres a market out
there. If you apply your imagination, there are opportunities. PE

Hannover Messe 2016

Integrated IndustryDiscover Solutions is the lead theme of Hannover Messe 2016. The digi-
talization of factories and energy systems is the foremost topic at the worlds leading trade fair for
industrial technology. In Hannover, visitors from the manufacturing industries learn step by step
how to convert their production plants into Industrie 4.0 factories. Visitors from the energy indus-
try discover technical solutions for intelligent energy systems.

LOCATION: For the first time, the United States will be the Partner Country at Hannover Messe
Hannover, Germany 2016, which will highlight the U.S. role as the worlds leading manufacturing econo-
my. The U.S.-based Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) will present itself at a special
DATES: display area. IIC promotes the development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
April 25-29, 2016
The show also will highlight the emphasis on Industrie 4.0, which focuses on
HOURS: concepts similar to IIoT. The focus is around data management, which will highlight
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. the use of predictive maintenance, machine and plant engineers embed sensors in
machinery so that it can independently indicate that it will soon require servicing.
WEBSITE: Using this data, the machinery manufacturer can build his after-sales business by
www.messe.de offering timely maintenance services to factory operators.

32 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

HANNOVER MESSE
25 29 April 2016
Hannover Germany
The USA will be highlighted at the worlds largest industrial
technology trade fair. To explore opportunities at HANNOVER
MESSE, call +1 (773) 796-4250 or visit www.hannovermesse.de.

Sign up for free tickets: www.hannovermesse.events/cfemedia

Get new technology first

input #15 at www.plantengineering.com/information

 THE ROAD TO
HANNOVER MESSE2016
aMT, Hannover forge strong partnership
The Association for Manufacturing
Technology (AMT) has enjoyed a strong
partnership with Hannover Messe over
the past decade. Hannover Fairs USA will
produce the 2016 Industrial Automation
North American pavilion at the 2016 Inter-
national Manufacturing Technology Show
(IMTS) in Chicago on Sept. 12-16. AMT
will have a strong presence at Hannover
Messe 2016 on April 24-29 in Germany.
Peter Eelman, vice president of exhibi-
tions and communications for AMT, dis-
cusses the importance of Hannover Messe
to his organization and U.S. manufacturers
as a whole.
CFE MEdia: Why is Hannover Messe
important for U.S. manufacturers?
EElMan: Hannover Messe is the Worlds
largest gathering of industrial suppliers.
Hannover Messe encompasses many dif-
ferent lines in manufacturing and suppliers
of manufacturing. From AMTs perspec-
Our Heart Is Set On
Your Productivity!
FORCAM Never misses a Beat.
Hannover Fair 2016
April 25 29 I Hall 7 I Booth A11
Winner
2015
We Deliver Results In Productivity
www.forcam.com input #16 at www.plantengineering.com/information
tive Hannover Messe brings in aspects of
the manufacturing plant that go beyond
machinery and individual production areas.
CFE MEdia: What is the value of the
relationship between AMT and Han-
nover Messe, and with Hannover Fairs
USA?
EElMan: Hannover Fairs USA and AMT
have partnered over the last six years to bring
a variety of components from into IMTS.
Some of these areas include industrial auto-
mation and motion drives. Our relationship
benefits visitors at IMTS by expanding the
range of products they can shop for and
new technologies to learn about across the
manufacturing spectrum.
CFE MEdia: Hannover Messe is a com-
mitment of time and money. How do you
explain the value to your members looking
to explore a more global manufacturing
operation?
EElMan: Attendance at Hannover Messe
encompasses the entire continent of Europe,
and represents the future of manufacturing
worldwide. Attending Hannover Messe helps
establish and connect U.S. manufacturers to
the global community. Attendees and exhibi-
tors from around the world look for and rep-
resent the latest manufacturing advances.
CFE MEdia: What are the key issues you
see for manufacturing as we head into 2016?
How will events like Hannover Messe 2016
and IMTS 2016 help manufacturers address
these issues?
EElMan: The most talked about area for
the future is digital manufacturing. Both
IMTS and Hannover Messe offer a variety
of insights into how digital manufacturing
will proceed in the future as well as foresight
into what will be possible including software
development of digital manufacturing and
current developments in 3-D printing and
additive manufacturing. PE

President Obama to open
Hannover Messe on April 24
By Bob Vavra, Content Manager, CFE Media
President Barack Obama will lead
the United States delegation to Han-
nover Messe 2016 on April 24 to high-
light the U.S. role as Partner Country at
the global manufacturing trade show.
Hannover Messe 2016 is April 24-29
in Hannover, Germany.
The White House confirmed Presi-
dent Obamas participation in Han-
nover Messe in an announcement Dec.
30. The Presidents participationa
first for a sitting U.S. Presidentpres-
ents an unique opportunity to show-
case American innovation and ingenu-
ity and to highlight the United States
as a prime investment destination,
the White House press office said in a
release. While in Germany, the Presi-
dent will address efforts to advance
negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership.
Hannover Messe officials were
delighted by the announcement. Pres-
ident Obamas participation sends a
special signal about Hannover Messes
international appeal, said Dr. Jochen
Kckler, member of the managing
board at Deutsche Messe AG. And
the timing is perfect: in the midst of
its reindustrialization the United States
has become a very attractive business
partner for industry. For German
machinery and plant manufacturers,
the USA is once again the number one
market.
www.plantengineering.com
NEW
President Obama, LR3 480 V
seen with Germen
chancellor Angela
Merkel at a past
Line reactors
White House visit,
will open Hannover
Messe 2016 with a
speech and tour of
the U.S. pavilion on
April 24-25. Image
courtesy: The White
House
Make it smooth
Hannover Messe officials said that to
date, more than 250 U.S. manufactur-
ers have signed up to exhibit. The U.S.
Department of Commerce also is work-
o
ing with American manufacturers look-
ing to make contacts with prospective
partners in Germany and Europe.
The President will join German Chan-
cellor Angela Merkel at the opening cer-
emonies at Hannover Messe on Sunday,
April 24 at the Hannover Centrum. The
event traditionally features a cultural
presentation by the Partner Country. On
Monday, April 25, Obama and Merkel are
expected to tour the fairgrounds and visit
a number of trade show booths. PEAK AND INRUSH
This visit, which will be the Presi- CURRENT LIMITATION
dents fifth to Germany, underscores SPIKE PROTECTION
the enduring political and economic
ties between Americans and Germans HIGH RELIABILITY
and highlights the U.S. commitment to
trade and investment as drivers of job 480 V
creation and economic growth on both
sides of the Atlantic, the White House The new line reactor LR3 48 series
said in a statement. mitigates harmonics and smoothes up
The President will continue the tradi- your systems.
tion of heads of state attending the open-
ing ceremonies when their nations were
Hall 13
selected as Partner Country. In 2012,
Booth C34
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao opened
the event and in 2013, Russian president
Vladimir Putin addressed the opening
ceremonies. Indian prime minister Nar-
endra Modi appeared at the 2015 opening
ceremonies. PE
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 35 blockusa.com
input #17 at www.plantengineering.com/information
OVERACHIEVING,
ITS KIND OF OUR THING.
THE T1K HD THERMAL CAMERA
offers the highest fidelity imagery,
without compromises. FLIR designed
and built the T1Ks innovative
precision optics with remarkable
range and thermal sensitivity that is
unparalleled. The compact, ergonomic
design makes targeting easier and
takes the stress out of inspections.
Delivering the sharpest results, truest
temperatures and most flexibility,
the T1K takes the predictive, out of
predictive maintenance.

F L I R.c o m / T 1 K

input #18 at www.plantengineering.com/information

 201 5
Salary Survey
B
efore the calendar turned, 2016 already
had the makings of a pivotal year for
manufacturing and for the world.
There were the big events for the year,
including the United States as Partner
Country at Hannover Messe in April
and the 2016 International Manufacturing Tech-
nology Show (IMTS) in Chicago in September.
Theres also the matter of the U.S. presidential
election in November, which promises
to shape policy in manufacturing for
years to come.
But the year started with global
economic turmoil, as a slowdown
in Chinese manufacturing trig-
gered a worldwide stock hiccup
that sent values plummeting.
The continued plunge in
world oil prices has resulted
in a slowdown in exploration
and, by extension, the manufacture
of exploration equipment.
Despite the relative strength of the U.S.
manufacturing market, the monthly PMI Index
put out by the Institute for Supply Management
declined for seven straight months and fell into
contraction for the first time in three years in
November.
These are nervous days.
Thats why it is not surprising that for the first
time in a decade, the primary concern of plant
managers is the economy, according to the 2015
Plant Engineering Salary Survey. In past years, the
top issue was the lack of a skilled workforce, and
that checks in as managers second-largest issue,
but the economy was clearly a bigger concern at
the end of 2015.
www.plantengineering.com
Manufacturing is still seen as a secure career by
more than two-thirds of respondents; and 65% of
all respondents are over the age of 50, indicating
experience still is a key factor in manufacturing
management.
That experience is being rewarded. Average
base salaries climbed to more than $100,000 for
the first time in the Salary Survey, and 46% of
respondents said their base salary was higher
than that $100,000 threshold. There also
is optimism around salaries for 2016,
as 69% saw pay increasing this year.
Some respondents cited global
unrest as a concern for manufac-
turing. Others are anxious to see
government regulations relaxed,
both on their operations and in
heath care. Some still see barri-
ers to growth within their own
plants; thus, within their own
control. Everyone, it seems, is worried
about something.
In 2015, the year began with confidence and
optimism. In 2016, the year begins with uncer-
tainty. The issues that face manufacturing in the
short-term are complex and outside of the con-
trol of most individual plants. That makes it even
more important to focus on those areas of your
facility you can controlsafety and productivity,
training and employee development. If we dare to
look back at 2008 and what followed, we can be
reminded of those qualities that led U.S. manufac-
turing forward and brought the overall economy
from recession to prosperity.
Bob Vavra
Content Manager, Plant Engineering
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 37
 Who We Are
While the average age of respondents to the
Plant Engineering Salary Survey dipped in 2015
to 52, the experience level of plant management remains
very high. Of those responding, 58% have worked for their
current employer for at least 10 years, and 30% have been
with their current company for more than 20 years.
There was still some mobility in those jobs in 2015, how-
ever. More than one-quarter (26%) had been with their
current employer fewer than 5 years, the same total as
in 2014, and 5% had been in manufacturing fewer than 5
years. Thats still lower than the 20% of managers who have
been in the job at least 35 years and the 8% of managers
over the age of 65, indicating that the concern over who
will take over management of plants in the next few years
still is an issue.
The number of advanced degrees in manufacturing was up
sharply in 2015, with 23% on respondents holding a masters
degree. Overall, 48% own at least a bachelors degree, and
71% own a 4-year college degree.
These managers also have significant management respon-
sibilities. They manage staff, and 92% manage at least 20
employees. They manage energy, as 60% are responsible for
energy use and reduction. And they manage time, as 94%
work up to 45 hours a week and 59% work between 45 and
60 hours a week.
The Salary Survey respondents reflect the wide array of
manufacturing in the U.S., both in terms of industries served
and in terms of plant location. Their primary job, though, is
largely the same: managing the plants operational, mainte-
nance, and engineering functions.

YEARS WORKING IN A PLANT

CURRENT AGE OR ENGINEERING-RELATED POSITION
50 to 59 years 40 or more Less than 5
5% 5 to 9
42% 8%
40 to 49 years 8%
18%
60 and above 30 to 39 10 to 19
23% 28% 22%
39 and below
17% 20 to 29
29%

All graphics courtesy: Plant Engineering

HOURS WORKED PER WEEK

YEARS WITH
45 to 49 CURRENT EMPLOYER
32%
40 to 44
50 to 54 5 to 9 10 to 14
38% 16%
16% Less than 5 14%
26% 15 to 19
16%
30 and more 20 to 24
14% 25 to 29
7%
55 to 59 9%
Less than 35
60 or more 7%
4%
4%

38 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

 PRIMARY BUSINESSES AND PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED JOB TITLE
Utilities 12% Maintenance manager 12%
Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or biotech 10%
Plant engineer 11%
Food, beverage, or tobacco 8%
Engineering manager 10%
Industrial, commercial, or agriculteral machinery 8%
Project engineer 7%
Oil, gas, or petroleum refining 8%
Plastics or rubber 7% Electrical engineer 7%
Aircraft, aerospace, defense, or related manufacturing 7% Controls engineer 6%
Transportation or related manufacturing 7% Manager 5%
Primary metals or nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing 6%
Mechanical engineer 5%
Wood, paper, printing, or related products 6%
Plant manager 5%
Fabricated metals 5%
Instrumentation, control systems, or medical equipment 5% Process engineer 4%

Electrical equipment or appliances 4% Instrumentation technician 4%

Computers or electronic products 3% Senior engineer 4%
Miscellaneous manufacturing 9%
Other 21%
Non-manufacturing 14%

PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION

Engineering, maintenance, or supervisory 50%

Process, production, or manufacturing engineering 21%

General or corporate management 9%

System or product design, control, or instrument engineering 7%

System integration or consulting

HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION
5%

Purchasing or purchasing management 1%

Masters degree
Other engineering Bachelors degree 23%
3% College
48%
attendance
Other 4% 9%

Associates
degree
Trade/technical 8%
Doctoral
school diploma Dual bachelors degree
5%
High school degree 2%
diploma 3%
3%

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 39

 What We Earn
Plant management salaries climbed sharp-
ly in 2015, according to the Plant Engineering
Salary Survey. Base salaries were up 8% to an average of
$100,740, and bonus compensation increased 7.6% to an
average $12,599. Its the first time base salaries have finished
above the $100,000 threshold, and the second straight year
of bonus increases.
Both were primarily impacted by the plants performance
and the managers ability to improve productivity. More than
three-quarters of bonuses (76%) were based on company
profitability, and 58% were based on employee performance.
At least one-third of all bonuses are affected by safety metrics
(39%), plant productivity (34%), and reducing costs (33%).
Whether those compensation gains are sustainable will
depend on how long the current manufacturing slowdown
continues and how manufacturers choose to respond to a
longer slowdown. One hint from the past: Bonus compen-
sation skyrocketed in the years immediately after the 2008
recession, as manufacturers understood the need to drive
greater productivity out of their plants even given a reduc-
tion in staff. It was those productivity gains that helped fuel
the strong manufacturing recovery that helped pull the U.S.
economy out of recession.
For their part, plant managers are slightly more pessimis-
tic in 2016 about salary increases. While they dont expect
a decrease in salary, they are not expecting a big increase,
either. Of the survey respondents, 54% saw a salary increase
of between 1% and 3% in the coming year, while 30% expected
to stay the same. A year ago, 63% of respondents expected
an increase of between 1% and 3%, and 23% saw no increase.

AVERAGE BASE ANNUAL SALARY BY REGION

NORTHEAST
$105,167
$97,286
NORTH CENTRAL
PACIFIC MIDWEST
$85,186 $95,839 $90,806
$83,430
$108,700
$109,573 MOUNTAIN
$102,915
$93,623
2015 2014

2015 2014
2015 2014

2015 2014
2015 2014
SOUTHEAST
$93,577
$90,943

SOUTHWEST
$116,336
$105,161

2015 2014

2015 2014

2016 BASE ANNUAL COMPENSATION FORECAST 2016 NON-SALARY COMPENSATION FORECAST

Stay the same

Increase 1% to 3% 55%
54%
Stay the same
30% Decrease Increase 1% to 3%
17% 18%

Decrease
Increase 4% to 6%
2%
Increase more than 6% 10% Increase more than 6% Increase 4% to 6%
4% 3% 7%

40 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

 NON-SALARY
YEAR-OVER-YEAR AVERAGE COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION CRITERIA
Average base annual salary Average non-salary compensation
2015 2014 2013 2012
$15,162 $12,599
$11,678 $11,705
$14,548 $7,580
76%
$100,740
$95,446 $95,660 60%
$87,039
$92,178 $93,130
Company profitability 71%
64%

58%
Personal performance*

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

39%
Safety metrics 33%
39%
19%

AVERAGE COMPENSATION BY 34%

26%
MANUFACTURING SECTOR Plant or line productivity 33%
20%
Average base annual salary Average non-salary compensation
33%
$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 25%
Reducing plant costs 32%
Wood, paper, printing, or related products
15%
Utilities
28%
Oil, gas, or petroleum refining
Quality metrics 21%
32%
Food, beverage, or tobacco 17%
Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or biotech
28%
Transportation 24%
Product profitability 28%
Primary metals or nonmetallic mineral 18%
product manufacturing
Computers or electronic products
21%
16%
Plastics or rubber Uptime/downtime 25%
Industrial, commercial, or 11%
agricultural machinery
Instrumentation, control systems, or
14%
medical equipment
15%
Aircraft, aerospace, defense, or Energy efficiencies 16%
related manufacturing 7%
Fabricated metals
5%
Electrical equipment or appliances
5%
Other 24%
Miscellaneous manufacturing
24%

*Not included in 2012-2014 surveys

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 41

 What We Think
Its the economy. The challenge of operating
a manufacturing businesses in a global economy
means that when the global economy slumps, plant management
has to navigate through the slump.
With oil policy, currency policy, regulatory policy, and health
care policy all weighing on their minds, the Salary Survey respon-
dents put the economy at the top of their list of concerns for the
first time in the 11 years Plant Engineering has asked the question.
While most of those big issues are outside of their control, it doesnt
mean they dont have them at the top of mind.
It was two areas they can control that took the next two spots.
The continuing lack of skilled workers and challenges from their
competition both garnered a significant part of the concern. Gov-
ernment interference, burdensome regulations, and inadequate
company management held down the next three spots in the survey.
Comments from survey participants reflected frustration with
all of these areas:
On the economy: How the stock market is going to affect the
industry. We ship all of our manufacturing offshore and are not
bringing much back to take its place. (The) money people (are)
devaluing the need for maintenance on the factory floor.
On workforce development: My biggest concern is getting
lots of high-quality professional development so that I can add
CONSIDER MANUFACTURING TO
BE A SECURE CAREER
79%
75%
73% 71% 72%
64%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
42 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
as much value to my organization as possible. I am still a pretty
new engineer, and there is so much I need to know that they
didnt have time to teach in school. I have heard it takes 10 years
to make a good engineer, but I want to be able to add a lot of value
all the way along in my career. Another respondent expressed
concern that, Engineering manpower will be reduced arbitrarily
to increase short-term profits.
On competition: (There is a) lack of organic growth prospects
and lack of transformative new products for the product lines
we manufacture at this site.
On government and regulation: One respondent said there
was a lack of common-sense application of industry rules and
regulations leading to overregulation. Another expressed con-
cern about the survival of smaller food companies with the
advent of new FDA programs and Global Food Safety initiative.
On management: Poor management (is) continuing to push
older, more experienced people out in lieu of a younger person
with lower pay and no real experience in the job.
Bits of optimism: Yes, there were some of those as well. One
manager wrote, We are cramped for space and looking at plant
expansion options. And another added, This is a new plant.
Getting it started and making quality product is the biggest
concern.
RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING
OR REDUCING ENERGY USE
No
Yes
40%
60%
www.plantengineering.com
 BIGGEST THREATS TO MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
2015 2014

Economy* 23%

Lack of available skilled workers 19%

25%
Competition* 14%

Government/political interference 10%

12%
Regulations, codes, standards, etc. 10%
13%
Inadequate management 10%
8%
Outsourcing, offshoring
5%
10%
Downsizing 3%
6%
Lack of necessary materials 1%
2%
Taxes and tariffs on products 1%
3%
Union pressures, restrictions 0%
1%
Other 4%
9%
*Not included in 2014

SKILLS NEEDED TO GET AHEAD TODAY

Project management skills 72%
Engineering skills 68%
Communication/presentation skills 62%
Team-building skills 54%
Computer skills 50%
Finance/accounting skills 28%
Language skills 24%
Marketing/sales skills 14%
Other 3%

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 43

 What We Think: IIoT
WHAT IIoT WILL DO FOR OPERATIONS
Manage and organize data
Manage maintenance functions
Connect all of our facilities
Improve supply chain efficiency
Reduce raw materials costs 19%
Other 4%
Analyst outlook
Process manufacturing faces early challenges in 2016
As one of the leading consultancies around the Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT), ARC Advisory Group has been
helping its clients understand how and why to explore IIoT
and its value to process manufacturing. Andy Chatha,
president of ARC Advisory Group, discussed some of those
issues with CFE Media in advance of the ARCs annual
conference in Orlando in February:
CFE MEDIA: Whats your overall outlook for 2016? What
will be the key issues affecting manufacturing as we
begin the new year?
CHATHA: ARC is predicting another gloomy year for
manufacturing due to both the modest global growth
expected in light of the slowdown in China, Brazil, and
Russia and the continued depressed oil prices, which
will continue to reduce capital expenditures across a
number of key industrial sectors.
CFE MEDIA: Manufacturing was in a slump at the end of
2015. What are the driving factors for manufacturing
going forward that will pull out of that slump?
CHATHA: We expect the slowdown in manufacturing to
continue at least through the first half of 2016, especially
44 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
73%
52%
36%
35%
in upstream oil and gas and those manufacturing and
service sectors that depend on upstream oil and gas for
a significant portion of their business.
On the other hand, the lower oil and gas prices are driving
some large capital projects in downstream industries,
such as petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants,
where the reduced energy and feedstock prices help
improve profit margins. This is particularly the case in
North America, where several years ago chemical plants
and refineries were being closed down by the score.
The global automotive industry also saw good growth
in 2015 due in part to increased consumer confidence
and lower gas prices, which stimulates sales of less ener-
gy-efficient, but typically much more profitable larger
and luxury vehicles. Automotive manufacturing is also
going through a transformation through digitization and
robotics, which are increasing value for consumers and
reducing design and manufacturing costs and increasing
production flexibility.
Were also seeing a big focus on general manufacturing
innovation driven by new technologies such as IIoT,
additive manufacturing, robotics, and so on. Most manu-
www.plantengineering.com
 CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE
INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS (IIoT)

Heard of it; not sure

how it applies to us
44%
Have not heard of it;
Heard of it; we are looking no interest in IIoT
at how to incorporate IIoT into 14%
our operation
18%

Have not heard of it;

Familiar with it; we are interested in learning
incorporating IIoT into our 15%
manufacturing operation
9%

facturers now realize that they must transform their
operations through new information-driven technologies
and approaches to survive.
CFE MEDIA: Everyone is hearing about IIoT. Why should
IIoT be important to manufacturers?
CHATHA: ARC believes that the Industrial IoT, Industry
4.0, Smart Manufacturing and other initiatives will drive
a transformation in manufacturing. IIoT connects pre-
viously stranded data from smart sensors, equipment,
and other industrial assets with predictive analytics and
other advanced applications running both
in-plant on edge computing devices and
remotely in the cloud.
on the plant floor, throughout an industrial enterprise,
and across a global value chain.
CFE MEDIA: We talk a lot about IIoT, globalization,
safety and productivity. Whats the one big issue that
you think manufacturers should talk about that doesnt
get a lot of attention?
CHATHA: Due to the short-term, bottom-line mentality
of many manufacturing enterprises, I dont believe that
the need to invest in and exploit innovation gets nearly
as much attention as it deserves.

Despite initial concerns, many companies

now realize that, when properly imple-
mented, Internet-based technologies can
provide appropriate security and availabil-
ity. This further increases collaboration

Despite initial concerns, many companies now realize that, when properly
implemented, Internet-based technologies can provide appropriate security
and availability. This further increases collaboration on the plant floor.
Andy Chatha, ARC Advisory Group

Image courtesy: ARC Advisory Group

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 45

 What We Think:
Asset Management
ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Mature Developing
Maintenance program
Management program
Safety program
Analyst outlook
Talent-driven innovation could be a key differentiator
The United States is expected to become the most competi-
tive manufacturing nation over the next five years, with the
current leader China sliding into second position, accord-
ing to the 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness
Index report from the U.S. Council on Competitiveness
and Deloittes Global Consumer & Industrial Products
Industry group.
The 2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index
shows the importance of policy, investment, and innova-
tion for company and country-level competitiveness, said
Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the U.S.
Council on Competitiveness. Its findings help companies
shape their business strategies in order to compete success-
fully, and create jobs.
Michelle Drew Rodriguez, manufacturing leader for Deloitte
Services LPs Center for Industry Insights, discussed the find-
ings of the Advanced Technologies Initiative: Manufacturing
& Innovation report and Deloittes view of manufacturing
heading into 2016.
46 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
Under way Non-existent
43% 38% 14% 4%
37% 38% 12% 13%
59% 26% 14% 1%
CFE MEDIA: Its a long time until 2020. What could keep
the U.S. from achieving this top competitiveness ranking
between now and then?
RODRIGUEZ: A new global competitive environment is pre-
senting Americas leadership with fresh and persistent chal-
lenges. While we are seeing positive movements like strong
demand from global markets, more cost-competitive energy
prices, a fading labor rate arbitrage, and significant growth
through innovation, there are still a number of areas that
executives cite as challenges. Things like a significant talent
shortage, the widening skills gap, as well as the high cost and
complexity of compliance in an uncertain U.S. regulatory sys-
tem all present unique hurdles in achieving the top ranking.
CFE MEDIA: In a global manufacturing economy, where should
the U.S. focus its attention as it looks to continue to grow?
RODRIGUEZ: Its simple: Talent and innovation. Talent-driven
innovation could be a key differentiator going forward as
manufacturers shift to higher-value advanced manufactur-
ing. This could aid in creating premium products, processes,
 ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PRESENCE

Yes, we have fully implemented

an asset management program
55%
Not yet, but we will implement an
asset management program this year
Dont know 9%
14%

No, but we plan to study an

asset management program
8%
No, we dont know how an No, we have no plans to study an
asset management program asset management program
could help our operation 11%
3%

As a nation, we should raise awareness and visibility that this is no longer

your grandfathers factory. We need to help students understand the breadth
of high-tech, high-skill, and high-paying jobs manufacturing offers.

Michelle Drew Rodriguez, Deloitte

and services that capture higher margins and help sustain a open their doors and
competitive advantage. And to continuously innovate and showcase innovative
grow, companies will likely need to compete for the best and approaches to push-
brightest minds around the globe. ing scientific advances
like self-driving cars,
CFE MEDIA: While technology is a huge driver for com- renewable energ y Image courtesy: Deliotte
petitiveness, so is talent. What should the U.S. be doing sources, and molecular-
to bring more manufacturing talent into the pipeline? level products. We should open the eyes of up-and-coming
talent to the wealth of amazing possibilities within manu-
RODRIGUEZ: A strong manufacturing industry is fundamen- facturing.
tally vital to the prosperity of a nation. Therefore, we should
do more to attract, recruit, and retain the highest caliber of CFE MEDIA: Given the globalization of manufacturing, is
talent to work in manufacturing. But in the U.S., manufac- Made in the USA still a viable idea?
turing still faces a perception issue.
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. Now, probably more than ever, the
As a nation, we should raise awareness and visibility that strength and vitality of our U.S. manufacturing industry,
this is no longer your grandfathers factory. We need to help coupled with our innovative ecosystem and entrepreneurial
students understand the breadth of high-tech, high-skill, drive, positions us well to design and build the next genera-
and high-paying jobs manufacturing offers. For the past tion of products here in America; products that will serve
several years, Deloitte has been a key sponsor of efforts such the global market. Its truly an exciting time and place to be
as Manufacturing Day, a standing date when manufacturers in manufacturing.

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 47

 What We Think
Analyst outlook
A tepid start, but with a focus on quality
As group vice president, Bob Parker is responsible for the
research direction for IDC Energy Insights, IDC Manu-
facturing Insights, and IDC Retail Insights, three of IDCs
industry business units that provide global, fact-based
research and analysis on best practices. He discussed his
outlook and some of the key trends for 2016 with CFE
Media:
CFE MEDIA: Manufacturing was in a slump at the end of
2015. What are the driving factors for manufacturing
going forward that will pull out of that slump?
PARKER: For mature economies, especially the U.S., Western
Europe, and Japan, the major factor will be capital goods
exports. With lower commodity prices (oil, metals, food)
some of the major capital goods categories remain weak.
There is a major shift in those areas from capacity (need
more equipment to extract more product) to capabilities (I
need to extract more efficiently) and major manufacturers
will have to respond. Other capital goods have very healthy
order backlogs (e.g. aerospace) and a major driver will be the
ability for those companies will be to increase the cadence
of production rates.
CFE MEDIA: Whats your overall outlook for 2016? What
will be the key issues affecting manufacturing as we begin
the new year?
PARKER: Financially, I think the industry remains relatively
tepid, not a tremendous slow down but not a lot of growth
either. Companies will maintain profitability but free cash
will continue to go into dividends, stock buy backs, or
acquisitions rather than new plant and
equipment. Key issues will continue
to revolve around the regulatory envi-
Companies will maintain profitability but free cash will
continue to go into dividends, stock buy-backs, or
acquisitions rather than new plant and equipment.
Image courtesy: IDC
48 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
ronment and aging workforces while governments continue
to support boosting the industry.
CFE MEDIA: Everyone is hearing about the Industrial
Internet of Things. Why should IIoT be important to
manufacturers?
PARKER: We see its impact on several levels. There is the obvi-
ous opportunity to improve factory throughput by improving
yields and increasing asset availability. Secondly, it will be
critical to dealing with the explosion in the number of end
items a factory is asked to produce. Growing revenue will be
dependent on tailoring or even personalizing products and
this can be done more profitably by applying IIoT.
The third dimension is really a culmination of the first two;
what we are calling Re-Lean. This means a new generation of
process improvements based on Lean Six Sigma principles
(with the Re for resilient), but with the help of advanced
technologies to make Lean improvements more resilient
to changes.
CFE MEDIA: We talk a lot about IIoT, globalization, safety
and productivity. Whats the one big issue that you think
manufacturers should talk about that doesnt get a lot of
attention?
PARKER: Our survey workwhether talking to supply chain
executives, IT, or factory leadershipindicates that qual-
ity is a top priority. With a peanut processing CEO getting
a long prison term, automotive CEOs getting dragged in
front of Congress, and customers with a low tolerance for
failure, enterprise quality is the primary issue and emphasis
before all else.
This priority compels compa-
nies to take a holistic view of
product quality from design
efficacy to supplier performance
to production quality and on to
aftermarket activities. The inte-
gration of the Operations Tech-
Bob Parker, IDC nology (OT) and Information
Technology (IT) organizations
is an issue as well.
 Manufacturing facing headwinds into 2016
Alex West is a principal
analyst for the Manufactur-
ing Technology Group at
IHS. Based in London, hes
Companies that are able to evolve, integrating these new
techniques, will be well placed as the market recovers.
responsible for IHSs coverage Conversely there is a strong likelihood that some manu-
on smart manufacturing and
industrial communications
and oversees research on a
facturers will fall by the wayside as they fail to adapt.
Alex West, IHS
range of transformational
manufacturing technologies including the Industrial Internet of recovery in the manufacturing sector
Things (IIoT). He discusses the global outlook for manufacturing will be more gradual, as many regions
and its impact on the United States with CFE Media: will feel the effects of both Chinas slow-
ing growth, and its slow transition to a Image courtesy: IHS
CFE MEDIA: Whats your overall outlook for 2016? What will more developed, service-based economy.
be the key issues affecting manufacturing as we begin the New
Year? CFE MEDIA: Everyone is hearing about the IIoT. Why should
IIoT be important to manufacturers?
WEST: Headwinds will continue to buffet most industries, result-
ing in a challenging 2016. Many companies will be concentrating WEST: The evolution of IIoT is set to change not just manufactur-
on survival rather than expansion. The dominant themes of a ing processes, but also the competitive landscape itself.
struggling Chinese economy and depressed commodity indus-
tries that dogged the second half of last year will continue to be Although many of the technologies have been available for some
at the forefront in this. years, to varying degrees, its the confluence of factors such as
greater plant connectivity, closer integration between factory and
In 2015, several major currencies weakened notably against the the enterprise, and improvements in data recording and analysis,
dollar; they included the Yen and the Euro, more than 10% and that is bringing us to this shift in manufacturing.
15% respectively. In 2016, the reduction in the cost of imports
to, and the increase in the cost of exports from, the United States, Allowing manufacturers to mass produce customized products;
will be exacerbated should the Federal Reserve continue to raise or adjusting manufacturing real time, based on demand; or mini-
interest rates in 2016, as they intend. There is also the potential mizing costs through better visibility of the supply chain and
for Chinese RMB depreciation further reducing U.S. competi- energy consumption; the IIoT concept will revitalize flagging
tiveness in exports, and damaging countries in both Europe and productivity growth rates.
North America. Competitive devaluation would be generally
disruptive and damaging. CFE MEDIA: We talk a lot about IIoT, globalization, safety, and
productivity. Whats the one big issue that you think manu-
CFE MEDIA: Manufacturing was in a slump at the end of 2015. facturers should talk about that doesnt get a lot of attention?
What are the driving factors for manufacturing going forward
that will pull out of that slump? WEST: One area manufacturers will need to monitor closely is
training. With a large proportion of the engineering workforce
WEST: As mentioned, 2016 is forecast to be another difficult year, approaching retirement over the next decade, and difficulties in
and there are no simple remedies. This year many, manufacturing getting students to focus on engineering degrees, there is a serious
companies that can, will reduce their exposure to more volatile threat of a skills shortage in much of the developed world. Part
and depressed markets and spread their focus on others, such of the challenge is the need to ensure existing skills and expertise
as water, and food and beverage. However, other than technolo- are transferred to the next generation of engineers. However, this
gies with growing underlying demand, like robotics, there are is only a part of the problem.
no specific industrial sectors that are expected to outperform.
Companies must also change how they manufacture to remain
Although industries related to commodity markets will struggle competitive. The more difficult task may be training and convinc-
with continued reductions in capital expenditure through 2016, ing experienced engineers to standardize on new workflows and
the cutbacks have been so severe that significant reinvestment techniques, from collaboration between the IT and OT depart-
will be needed to meet long-term commodity demand, as the ments to the implementation of new maintenance schedules based
market bounces back, currently predicted for 2017. However, the on asset monitoring. PE

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 49

COVERSTORY: WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING
A recipe for
long-term growth
In the middle of America, a salad dressing plant mixes automation
and people in just the right amounts.
T
By Bob Vavra he aroma of more than 200 ingre-
Content Manager, CFE Media dients comes at you as soon as you
enter the storage area at the Pinnacle
Foods plant in St. Elmo, Ill. The indi-
vidual spices, herbs, and oils cannot
be identified as you take that first
breath. They will be combined soon into one of
19 different formulas of Wish-Bone salad dress-
ing on the new processing line at Pinnacle.
A separate area of the plant manages the aller-
gens that also go into salad dressing production
eggs, dairy products, and the like. They must be
handled differently, and kept separate from the
other ingredients until its time for production.
Its all about following the recipespecific
ingredients in precisely the right amounts mov-
ing through the stainless steel system to ensure
quality and purity.
Its a complicated batching business, said
Thomas Perkins, plant manager at the Pinnacle
Plant in St. Elmo. Hes talking about the combina-
tion of both process and people that led Pinnacle
Foods to locate the Wish-Bone production in
St. Elmo after the company acquired the brands
from Unilever in 2013. Weve significantly
invested in the process. But it also depends on the
organizationhow we hire people, train people,
the value of formal training, how we conduct
daily business. We use exacting amounts.
He paused, then added, Theres a lot to be
said about using exacting amounts in the salad
dressing business.
A central location
St. Elmo is a blip on Interstate 70 through
central Illinois. Just 1,400 people call it home,
yet it has not been completely overlooked
in history. An oil boom hit the area in 1938,
and the number of residents and oil wells
both reached nearly 2,000, earning the town
50 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
the nickname Little Tulsa of Illinois. In
the 1920s, Charles Lindbergh became close
friends with a St. Elmo resident, and a house
was constructed there in Lindberghs honor
in 1927 after his famous trans-Atlantic flight.
After Lindberghs return to the U.S., he made
St. Elmo one of the stops on his national pro-
motional tour.
Today St. Elmo is a rural enclave, and the Pin-
nacle plant is both its largest employer and its
most prominent landmarkso much so that a
sign reading Plant Entrance is on the signpost
that greets you as you exit I-70.
It is a central location, with I-70 and I-65
crisscrossing in nearby Effingham, allowing for
easy distribution of the products in all direc-
tions. It also has proven to be an efficient plant
for Pinnacle, which manufactured Open Pit
barbecue sauce and Mrs. Butterworth and Log
Cabin syrups before the Wish-Bone acquisition.
Pinnacle Foods invested a reported $50 mil-
lion in the St. Elmo plant, but for Perkins and
his team, the investment in people was just as
crucial to the quick success the Wish-Bone
line has generated in less than a year of formal
operation.
The company bought this brand because
they expected to grow it, and this plant was
built with the idea to grow it, Perkins said. We
have a very solid continuous improvement pro-
gram. We started at 60% of capacity, and we
can grow the other 40% without expansion. We
have room within the facility and within the
currently installed equipment.
To bring on additional staffthe plant grew
from 85 workers at the time of the acquisition
to more than 200 todayPerkins said he relied
on a strong community base within 30 miles of
the plant and a strong combination of people
and process.
www.plantengineering.com
 This was a fantastic challenge, and we built
a great team to take it on, Perkins said. We
doubled the size of the workforce by selecting
good people and finding cohesive fits. We now
have a staff that works hard and works hard
together. Weve got all the employees moving
in the same direction.
People know they are here for a particular
purpose, he added. Theres a pride in manu-
facturing.
In finding those good people, Perkins also
needed them to be ready to accept the challeng-
es of a world-class manufacturing facility. That
included adherence to a Lean/Six Sigma strategy
and to adopt the latest technology throughout
the plant. We need people who are ready to
accept a technical responsibility, Perkins said.
Forklift drivers have computers on their fork-
lifts. We need people who understand the value
of that computer to the business.
Finding the right formula
That intersection between people and process
is essential to the success of any food-process-
www.plantengineering.com
ing operation. By creating a highly process- Thomas Perkins, on the
driven operation, operators and maintenance challenge of building a
staff can keep the focus on quality, mainte- world-class manufacturing
nance, and regulatory compliance and let the team: This was a fantastic
system manage the exacting process of how challenge, and we built a
much distilled vinegar, sugar and red bell great team to take it on.
peppers need to be in each batch of the Italian We doubled the size of
salad dressing. the workforce by selecting
We definitely dont work in silos, said Per- good people and finding
kins. We rely upon our production scheduler. cohesive fits. We now have
We add one flavor after another progressively, a staff that works hard and
and then we add the allergens. works hard together. All
Our kitchens run 24/7. Because were run- images courtesy: CFE Media
ning continuously, we need to make sure our
maintenance is ahead of packaging lines, Per-
kins said. Our process is heavy with engineer-
ing, but our engineering team knows the value
of maintenance. Start-ups and shutdowns cost
money.
Maintenance will always be required for
process automation systems. When hard-
ware fails, someone must be able to replace
it. However, a great deal of maintenance labor
is expended on evaluating a problem or deter-
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 51
CoverStory: World-class manufacturing
mining a solution, This requires more than just operations,
said Randy Otto, vice Otto added. Collaboration across engineering,
president of ECS Solu- production, information technology, and even
tions in Evansville, the business personnel is required to strike the
Ind., which provided right balance. An understanding of the long-
the system integra- term objectives of each group is necessary.
tion services for the
St. Elmo plant. With A focus on the future
technologies such as Pinnacles plans to expand and grow the St.
the Industrial Inter- Elmo plant to full capacity will require con-
net of Things (IIoT), stant attention to both system and person-
determining a prob- nel changes. Conditions frequently change
lem and solution can before the process automation can be placed
often be automated, in production, Otto said. To maintain an
substantially reduc- optimal balance, the process automation must
ing the maintenance be agile. Historically, process automation has
e f for t and of te n been staticjust install the automation and
reducing production refrain from changing it until it is worn-out
downtime. or obsolete. Technology today allows us to
They also must install process automation systems that are
balance the mar- extremely agile.
ket demands, both That kind of operational system frees Perkins
seasonal and sales- to focus on future opportunities to improve
driven. We dont operations and enables his staff to focus on
want to over-deliver improving productivity. People throughout
to our sales force, the plant collaborate with one another, Perkins
Perkins said. The said. There doesnt need to be an umbrella
value of the software of management. We have to foster creative
is to put emphasis on thought. Everybody has creative ability. Our
engineering, so its not job is to vet out all the ideas, take them to the
In building the Pinnacle heaped on the shoulder of operators. engineers, and see if can we do this.
Foods plant, the company Striking this balance may seem simple on Automation is removing subjectivity and
integrated systems from the surface, but we see manufacturers every creating objectivity, or as it might be said, turn-
around the world, such as day out of balance, Otto said. Balance only ing art into science, Otto said. With all of the
this unique bottle conveyor can be achieved with a thorough understanding right information, decisions become objective
system. of the manufacturernot just the immediate and process automation can be applied. When
requirements, but also the long-term goalsand there is insufficient information, subjective
delivering process automation to meet or exceed decisions must be made.
their long-term needs. The process automation must present key
information in a filtered view to the operator to
enable the operator to make a quick, informed
decision, he added. We like to talk about this
World-ClAss MAnufACturing: progression: data to information to knowledge
Does your plant fit the name? to action.
Turning employee ideas into action is the
impetus behind the Help Yourself program at
Plant Engineering will devote 2016 to looking at manufacturing the St. Elmo plant. The program recognizes
facilities that are combining process, technology and people those ideas that produce improvement in safety,
quality, or other plant improvements. A plant
to create world-class manufacturing operations. Our focus is committee weighs the value of the idea, and
on facilities in the U.S. and around the world that lead the way the employee receives a letter of recognition.
toward greater safety, productivity and quality. Sometimes, when youre trying to convince
people to move in a different direction, you
want to celebrate those people who help you get
If you would like your plant to be featured in this series, contact there, Perkins said. Positive recognition pro-
Plant Engineering editor Bob Vavra at bvavra@cfemedia.com. duces five times more benefit than discipline,
and it creates a positive work environment. PE

52 January/February 2016 plant engineering www.plantengineering.com

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input #19 at www.plantengineering.com/information 2016 Wolseley Industrial Group 0116 98893
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input #20 at www.plantengineering.com/information

ELECTRICALSOLUTIONS
Protecting the smarts
in industrial smart meters
Circuit protection is crucial for the new wave of value-added devices.

S
By Navneet Vinaik mart meters are integral to a growing the measurement of power (or gas or water)
Littelfuse Inc. number of industrial utilities applica- consumption as well as for handling the
tions, including gas and water meters, communication and other smart functions
energy management, and others. required. As their complexity increases, so
Smart meters offer a wide variety of advan- does their vulnerability to circuit threats
tages for both utility companies and their like transients, electrostatic discharges,
customers, including support for real-time power quality disturbances, etc. To ensure
billing, fault identification and management, these meters continue to work, even in hos-
load-side demand monitoring and manage- tile operating conditions, robust circuit-
ment, theft/tamper detection, and demand protection technologies are essential.
analysis. Different types of smart meters will face
The in-depth data these meters provide various threats. For example, the biggest
allow utility companies to monitor energy threats to electricity meters are input tran-
usage, control demand usage by remote con- sients and power line disturbances. Howev-
nect/disconnect, identify tampering and er, water and gas meters need protection for
raise alarms, etc. Utility companies also can their batteries. Similarly, energy-monitoring
give users advance warning of upcoming/ devices that have a human-machine inter-
unscheduled power outages and restorations, face (HMI) need to be protected against
and diagnose and correct problems before electrostatic discharges (ESDs). All of these
meters fail. In addition, smart meters provide systems employ different communication
customers much of the information needed to interfaces, and many of them also need cir-
perform real-time usage analysis so that they cuit protection.
can begin controlling their usage in a timely The following section investigates the
way, understand power quality, and protect specific protection requirements for each
the connected loads in case of overvoltages block of the smart meter solution shown
or overloads. in Figure 1.
Input power supply section: If its an elec-
Complex circuits require protection tricity meter, then it is powered by input
Table 1: Communications Smart meters are bidirectional, commu- mains, which are highly prone to high
port protection. All graphics nication-based devices that incorporate energy transients arising from lightning
courtesy: Littelfuse complex electronic circuits for controlling or grid disturbances. Metal oxide varistors
(MOVs) are used to pro-
tect against these transient
SIGNAL SPEED SIGNAL LEVEL DEVICE TYPE
surge events. To protect the
Asymmetrical, mid-high wiring from fire hazards in
RS-232/RS-485 Low 2-channel: -7V to +12V
capacitance device can work case catastrophic damage
Low capacitance, 2- or 4- in the power supply causes
Ethernet High 2/4 Channel: 5V a short circuit, a fuse is also
channel low voltage device used at the power supplys
Low capacitance, 4- or 5- input front end.
GSM/GPRS High 4/5 Channel: 3.3V/1.8V channel device for SIM card Mete r ing e ng ine sec-
protection tion: A microcontroller or
digital signal processor is
Power Line Low-mid capacitance device, typically used for energy
Variable 1- or 2- channel: +
15V
Communication depends on actual speed measurement and process-
ing purposes. Although

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 55

eLeCTRICALSOLUTIONS
Figure 1: Smart meter block the power supply to this microcontroller
diagram. is protected from transient surges, the ana-
log signal-sensing pins of the microcon-
troller are still connected to the input supply
for measurement of voltage and current.
Although these signal pins normally have
a high value of resistances and capacitors
connected for filtering purposes, some fast-
rising transients can pass these filter stages
and reach the microcontroller, which is very
sensitive to transients. To prevent damage
to the microcontroller, very small transient-
protection diodes are used on the signal
pins to clamp any incoming transients to
safe levels.
Communication ports: Depending upon
the meter application, a number of com-
Figure 2: TMOV and iTMOV munication ports might be used, includ-
circuit protection. ing RS-232/RS-485/Ethernet/GSM-GPRS,
Line
Line Fuse
2
Thermal
Fuse
Element
i TMOV
Monitor
3 Lead
MOV
3
1 2
1
Neutral
56 January/February 2016 plant engineering
power line communication (PLC) or optical
ports. Because each of these port types has
different operating speeds and specifica-
tions, they will need different protection
schemes.
Tamper detection: Utility companies use
smart meters to track usage so they can
charge users for their consumption. How-
ever, this causes some users to try to tamper
with the meter and manipulate the read-
ings. As a result, these meters are typically
designed with a host of tamper-detection
techniques.
The simplest, most common tampering
technique is to open the meter cover and
damage it. By using a reed switch with a
magnet or microswitch in the design, this
sensor detects when the cover is opened
and sends a trigger to the microcontroller.
To Protected Circuit
Diode
Normally ON
LED
R
www.plantengineering.com

After recognizing the tamper attempt, the
microcontroller notifies monitoring support
staff at the utility company who, in turn,
can impose a tampering penalty on the user.
Another method of meter tampering
involves bringing a magnet close to the
meters body, which can either cause the
magnetic transformer to saturate or affect
other components. When a Hall effect sen-
sor is employed in the design, it detects the
field of the magnet and gives a trigger to the
microcontroller to record the tamper event
and inform the utility company.
Another severe tampering technique
involves causing an ESD discharge to the
meter body using a spark plug or CRT-EHT
generator. In this case, the meter enclosure
is made using plastic to fully isolate the elec-
tronics circuit from the external world and
minimize the impact of this ESD discharge.
The microcontrollers power supply and sig-
nal-sensing pins will have ESD protection
diodes to protect the microcontroller from
any ESD discharge that still gets coupled to
it. With the first two tampering techniques,
the microcontroller can send details on the
tampering attempt to a control/monitor-
ing station for assessing a penalty or just
to protect the meter from getting damaged.
Auxiliary power supply section: Smart
meters sometimes have an extension unit
that goes into the users home while the
main meter is installed at a centralized
location in the building. For these appli-
cations, the home extension unit may have
a Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapter. This
communication cable requires additional
protection because it can be susceptible to
induced surges in the building.
www.plantengineering.com
Reed Switch acts when
N S the turbine rotates according
Magnet to the water flow.
mounted
on a turbine
Outlet
N S
Water
Inlet Flow
Specific protection requirements Figure 3: Meter application
Electrical power meters are susceptible to using a magnetized encoder
input transients and surges generated either and reed-switch sensor.
by lightning events or power quality distur-
bances. These transients, which can reach
30 kV in magnitude, depend on a variety
of factors including geographical location,
types of loads connected in the vicinity, etc.
MOVs are primary devices used for protect-
ing against these surges. The required level
of surge immunity dictates the rating and
size of the MOV. For basic surge protection
between 2 kV and 4 kV, a 14-mm MOV
might work. However, for protection levels
of 30 kV, a larger 32 or 34-mm MOV might
be needed.
Because they are passive devices with lim-
ited lifetimes, MOVs have several inherent
problems associated with their end-of-life
stage. For example, once they reach their end
of life, they can cause damage to themselves
and pose a threat to their electronic circuit.
The MOV can withstand only so many surge
strikes before failing, and this surge strike
capability depends on the MOV disc size
and the magnitude of the surges the MOV
is designed to absorb.
So, while selecting an MOV, along with
considering the peak surge immunity needed,
its also important to take into account the
systems expected lifetime. For example, con-
sider a system thats meant to last 5 years
and requires 6 V protection. Even if a 20-mm
MOV might meet a 6-kV/3-kA, 15-strike cri-
teria, a 25-mm or larger MOV would be used
to provide the ability to withstand more surge
strikes over the lifetime of the meter. Ade-
quate derating of the MOVs used is needed to
ensure the system lasts for its desired lifetime.
plant engineering January/February 2016 57
eLeCTRICALSOLUTIONS
Power Supply
FUSE SMPS
220AC/3.3V
20mm/25mm
MOV
Current
Sensing
Surge
Protection
Voltage Microcontroller
Sensing
NL
Cover Open Detect:
Hall Effect Sensor
Use Reed or
for Magnet Tamper
Micro Switch
Figure 4: Tamper detection Some of the newer specifications also
for when a cover is opened. require that these MOVs are protected against
end-of-life failures. For these applications,
thermally protected MOVs (TMOVs) are
used (Figure 2) to continue protecting the
circuit during their lifetime. Once they reach
the end-of-life stage, they disconnect them-
selves from the circuit to prevent catastrophic
damage. TMOVs can also have an indication
feature to alert the meter that the protector
has failed and needs replacement.
TMOVs have an integrated thermal fuse
TMOVs ensure that the MOV is discon-
nected from the supply when it reaches
end-of-life stage.
Indicating TMOVs (iTMOVs) also indi-
cate when replacement is required.
In designs where fast-rising transients can
also damage the power supply section, tran-
sient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes are
often used in conjunction with MOVs. These
devices clamp the fast-rising transients while
the front-end MOVs absorb the bulk of the
high energy in those transients.
Meters used in water and gas utility appli-
cations normally have a fixed internal bat-
tery that is sized to last for 5 to 10 years. The
most commonly used battery chemistry is
58 January/February 2016 plant engineering
SIM Card
GPRS ESD
Protection
ESD and
PLC Surge
Protection
ESD and
RS-485 Surge
Protection
lithium-ion (Li-ion). Because these batter-
ies have significant capacities, a normal or
a resettable fuse is used to protect against
short-circuit failures caused by faults in the
circuit.
The most critical resource in these meters
is the battery life, which must be preserved
and protected to extend the life of the meter.
These meters derive their sensing signal
from a magnetized encoder and by using a
reed-switch sensor; the signal is fed to the
microcontroller (Figure 3). The smart meter
can be designed so that the microcontroller
turns on only when the reed switch senses a
pulse. After it records the pulse count, it goes
back into sleep mode, which helps extend the
battery life so that the meter can last longer.
Designing a smart electrical power meter
To illustrate the process involved in design-
ing a single-phase smart electrical meter,
consider an example using the following
specifications:
Input surge protection
Combination wave: Differential mode 15
strikes of open-circuit voltage (1.2 S/50
S) 10 kV with short-circuit current (8 S/2
0S) 5 kA
www.plantengineering.com
 Ringwave: 100 kHz, 0.5 S, 6 kV/0.5 kA
In this example, MOVs will be used to
protect against surges. Because the com-
bination wave has more energy than the
ringwave, the design must consider its
requirements. For protection against 15
strikes of a 10-kV/5-kA surge, a 20-mm
MOV can be used. However, if the meter
is expected to withstand many more surges
than that over its lifetime, then an MOV
with a 25-mm or larger disc size would be
preferred.
A TMOV should be selected if end-of-
life protection is also needed. Because its
a single-phase design, the input voltage
would be 220 Vac nominal and a maximum
of either 265 Vac or 277 VAC. Therefore,
a 275 V or 320 Vac MOV can be used. If
the meter is expected to withstand twice
the input voltage (up to 440 Vac), then a
higher-voltage 460 Vac MOV should be
used so that the TMOV does not activate
or fail during test conditions.
To detect the opening of the meters
cover, either a reed switch or a microswitch
can be used. To detect if a high power mag-
www.plantengineering.com
net is being brought close to the meter, a Figure 5: An example of PLC
Hall effect sensor can be used. or power line networking.
GPRS, PLC, and RS-485 communication
interfaces require different types of protec-
tion devices. For example:
A SIM card requires a 4- or 5-channel
device
An RS-485 interface requires a dual-
channel device with a higher operating
voltage.
Considering the advantages of their
detailed monitoring and management func-
tions, smart meters seem destined to play a
significant role in everyday life. The level of
investment required to install these meters
is significantly higher than for conventional
meters, so its critical that they offer longer
lifetimes and greater reliability. That means
building in robust circuit protection will
be essential. PE
Navneet Vinaik is the field applications
manager for the India & South Africa busi-
ness unit at Littelfuse. He can be reached at
nvinaik@littelfuse.com.
plant engineering January/February 2016 59
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MECHANICALSOLUTIONS
The value of VSDs in
improving efficiency
The injection molding industry shows how useful variable speed drives
can be in reducing costs and meeting environment standards.
I
By Lyle Meyer n todays manufacturing landscape, com-
Eaton panies and their facilities face enormous
pressures to increase operating efficiency
while reducing their carbon footprint.
Feeling the heat from both increasingly
stringent government energy regulations and
customers seeking lower operating expenses,
manufacturing facilities across every industry
demand increasingly energy-efficient power-
management solutions.
Regulations have impacted facilities down
to the motor level, and variable speed drive
(VSD) technology has been applied over the
years to help power systems like injection
molding machines operate more efficiently.
The injection molding industry has served
as a starting point for applying VSD solu-
tions in combination with traditional fixed
and variable-displacement hydraulic pumps,
which allow customers to gain more control
throughout the duty cycle.
Hydraulic and electrical integration
Electric servo drive technology has been
making inroads for some time, penetrating
into factory automation because of per-
ceived energy efficiency, faster response,
and better precision and repeatability. How-
ever, costs for electric injection molding
machines were substantially higher than
hydraulic injection molding machines,
Looking at complete machine design, rather than
individual components, allows machinery across
the manufacturing industry to benefit from the
new solutions.
www.plantengineering.com
starting at about 40% more for the initial
purchase of an electric machine as com-
pared with similar hydraulic injection
molding machines.
By combining the affordability and util-
ity of hydraulic injection molding machines
and the energy savings of electric machines,
hydraulics can add to the value proposition
of electronic technologies. Adding a VSD
provides a bigger advantage, as compared
with only increasing motor efficiency, and
opens possibilities on the hydraulic system
side through less expensive, fixed-speed
pumps that operate more efficiently.
VSDs smooth incoming electric-line
power to further increase motor efficiency.
VSD systems regulate flow by changing the
shaft speed, so no valve throttling is required
in most applications. Reduction in throttling
loss is the major reason for VSD systems
higher efficiency. A small portion of ener-
gy savings also comes from the efficiency
improvement of the electric motor.
Overall, energy savings of up to 70%
(depending on the duty cycle) can be
achieved with VSD pumps as compared
with conventional pumps. VSD pumps also
provide a significant reduction in sound,
because the motor and pump speeds change
throughout the duty cycle instead of main-
taining constant speed.
With a VSD, a proven, fixed-displacement
vane pump is made significantly more effi-
cient, allowing manufacturers to buy a less
expensive pump to achieve the same results.
VSD technology in some applications
uses servo-performance electrical motors
to control the hydraulic instantaneous flow-
rate throughout motor-pump shaft speeds.
The result is a power-on-demand pump unit
thats free of the throttling losses that typi-
cally account for significant loss of power.
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 61
mechanicalSOLUTIONS
The variable speed drive
integrated with a servo
motor and pump provides
manufacturers a closed-loop
dynamic motion control
capability that operates
as a cost-effective, high-
performance solution. Image
courtesy: Eaton
62 January/February 2016 plant engineering
Servomotor dynamics also enable closed-
loop hydraulic motion control, thereby sim-
plifying system architecture design.
Driving manufacturing efficiency
Manufacturing is facing changes, and com-
panies need to adapt to new government
regulations.
With new energy standards initiated in
Europe and implemented worldwide over
the past few years, its not only more cost-
effective to increase motor efficiency, its
also frequently required by law. Government
regulations are requiring higher efficiencies
at the electric motor level, and sometimes
a more efficient electric motor is just not
enough. A new motor must be 2% more
efficient than previous models. While that
sounds small, consider this: If every electric
motor can be 2% more efficient, this may
eliminate the long-term need for creating
more energy-producing facilities.
Throughout the manufacturing process,
energy is wasted due to inefficient equip-
ment and mechanical and thermal limita-
tions. Optimizing the efficiency of these
systems can result in significant energy and
cost savings.
Embracing the market pressure
Manufacturers are seeking to retrofit exist-
ing machines for improved efficiency to
both meet regulations and lower costs, leav-
ing factory owners and operators with two
options:
Retrofit systems with more efficient elec-
tric motors or install new machines with
improved motors
www.plantengineering.com
 Retrofit with a VSD solution to make the
existing motor more efficient.
Combining these two by adding a VSD to
an improved electric motor offers a bigger
advantage and really opens up the possibili-
ties for the hydraulic system Now it is pos-
sible to do things that could never be done
before with a fixed-speed pump.
VSDs combined with hydraulic pumps
present a control solution that draws on
the best of electrical and hydraulic control
technology. VSD pump solutions provide
power on demand that yields substantial
energy savings while providing the capacity
needed for the most demanding processes.
VSD enhancements have made less expen-
sive hydraulic pumps more attractive for the
injection molding industry. Hydraulics has
long provided superior speed, but can now
provide substantial energy savings, too.
VSDs allow pump systems to run faster
than the typical 1,500 rpm (rotations per
minute) or 1,800 rpm. The result is more
efficient service, potentially reduced pump
displacement, and shrinkage of the overall
system footprint. Increasing efficiency is
especially important given the European
motor-efficiency regulations taking effect
in 2015.
According to the European Commission
Regulation No. 640/2009 implementing
Directive 2005/32/EC, with regard to eco-
design requirements for electric motors, all
motors rated with an output of 0.75 to 375
kW must meet international efficiency three
(IE3) levelsor at least meet IE2 efficiency
levels when equipped with a VSD. In fact, for
those needing a constant-speed motor, the
VSD running an EC2 (IE2-efficiency) motor
may prove to be an excellent alternative to a
higher-efficiency but more expensive EC3
(IE3-efficiency) motor.
Applying the success
Injection molding equipment has found
success with the VSD model, but other man-
ufacturing processes that experience dwell
time during manufacturing could benefit
as well. Machine tooling, press equipment,
and die casting are just a few examples.
This VSD model can add up to a $1 billion
market for machines that could use such
technology.
The search today is for synergies between
hydraulics and electrical across a range of
industries, and embracing the changing
www.plantengineering.com
K EY WORDS:
Here are some of the articles at www.plantengineering.com, KEYWORD:
DRIVES that further discuss this topic:
10 BENEFITS OF USING ADJUSTABLE SPEED DRIVES
Adjustable speed drives can be used in most applications where motors power
mechanical equipment. Drives provide precise electrical motor control, enabling
motor speeds to be ramped up and down or maintained at a required speed. The
obvious benefit is the motor and drive use only the require amount of energy, rather
than having a motor run at a fixed speed.
VFD TRENDS AND SOLUTIONS FOR DRIVE SYSTEMS
The increase in variable frequency drive (VFD) installations across the globe has
meant that drives are being applied in more challenging system environments. Not
only is the environment challenging, but drives also have a few inherited issues that
can limit the overall system performance.
STILL RELEVANT: DC DRIVES IMPORTANT IN AN AC AGE
For brute force speed control applications where positioning or extremely precise
control are not required, its hard to beat a dc motor and drive. While the basic design
of the brushed dc motor has not changed much, the technology used to control the
dc motors speed has evolved over the years.
technologies that bring efficiency. Look-
ing at complete machine design, rather than
individual components, allows machinery
across the manufacturing industry to benefit
from the new solutions. Manufacturers are
frequently looking for retrofit solutions to
help older equipment run more efficiently,
and a variable speed drive is one way to
improve that. PE
Lyle Meyer is product manager for Eatons
Industrial Drives business unit.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Variable speed drive technology has been
applied over the years to help power systems
like injection molding machines operate more
efficiently.
With new energy standards initiated in Europe
and implemented worldwide over the past
few years, its not only more cost-effective to
increase motor efficiency, its also frequently
required by law.
Manufacturers are seeking to retrofit existing
machines for improved efficiency to both meet
regulations and lower costs.
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 63
MECHANICALSOLUTIONS
In hazardous areas
where electrical sys-
tems can interact
with flammable or
explosive gases and
vapors, its important
to consider the sen-
sor safety rating when
doing a functional
safety assessment.
Image courtesy: MTS
Sensors

In hazardous areas
sensor safety rating is crucial
Appropriate selection is critical to proper position-sensing-system deployment.

A
By Matt Hankinson significant proportion of industrial
MTS Sensors equipment will be deployed in hazard-
ous areas, or possibly applications that
require a functional safety assessment.
Hazardous areas include locations where there
is the risk of exposure to flammable or even
explosive substances. In such circumstances,
ensuring ongoing operation can prove to be
challenging. It is, therefore, critical that the
component parts that make up such items of
equipment are suitably constructed to function
in these uncompromising environments.
Functional safety applications are ones in
which safe operation must be ensured due to the
risk of equipment damage or personal injury.
Linear-position sensors are widely used in all
manners of industrial systems. In many cases,
the potential for hazardous events occurring
needs to be taken into account; otherwise, the
consequences could be seriouswith expensive
equipment being severely damaged or even lives
being put in danger.
In hazardous areas, the presence of flamma-
ble gas, vapor, liquid, or dust can bring major
risk to the activity of an electrical device, as
there is the prospect that the device could ignite
the flammable substance. For equipment incor-
porating position-sensing technology, the con-
stituent sensor device (or devices) should have
appropriate features to address these issues.
Before performing an in-depth study, it
must be made clear that hazardous-area-rated
devices are designed to operate in a potentially
explosive environment while functional safety
products are designed for applications where
there is risk to equipment or people. These two
parameters are not necessarily interrelated. An
application might require either a functional
safety or a hazardous-area rating without neces-
sarily requiring the other.

64 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

Defining the hazardous area
There is a multitude of hazardous areas.
Among the most commonplace are
oil-exploration rigs, gas-utility plants,
chemical/pharmaceutical-fabrication
facilities, sewage-treatment sites, and
large-scale dry-cleaning operations, as
well as places where industrial chemi-
cals are processed/produced, powders
(such as magnesium and aluminum)
are stored, or chemically active products
(such as fertilizers) are manufactured.
For any electrical device that will be
situated in potentially flammable or
explosive surroundings, compliance
with stringent industry standards is
mandated. The most prominent of these
standards are the International Elec-
trotechnical Commissions IECEx, the
European Unions ATEX (as described in
directives 99/92/EC and 94/9/EC), and
the NFPA 70: National Electrical Code
(NEC) used in the United States. For
devices being used anywhere in North
America, testing should be carried out
by a nationally recognized testing labo-
ratory and labeling prerequisites should
be followed.
Ratings are categorized by class and
division to denote the type of hazard.
These can run from the unlikely pres-
ence of an explosive substance right
up to a continuous presence. Different
protection methodologies are employed
to attain the necessary approval rating.
These are dependent on the type, con-
dition, and nature of the environment
involved.
IEC 61508 functional safety
The concept of functional safety is that,
having detected a potentially hazard-
ous situation, measures can be taken
to avert a hazardous event from occur-
ring or to ensure that, if it does occur,
its effect is mitigated to an acceptable
degreeso that the welfare of opera-
tives are not put at risk and damage is
not done to valuable pieces of equip-
ment.
IEC 61508 provides a standard to
assess that a safety function performs
to the required level, including failure
modes. Adherence to the IEC 61508
standard makes it possible to lower the
risk of failure for a particular hazard via
safety functions that enable its detection.
In addition, it allows an assessment of
the probability of failure.
Devices are categorized in accordance
with a specific safety integrity level
(SIL), which relates to the probability of
failure occurring. A SIL 1-rated device
has a probability of failure between
0.01 and 0.1 for low-demand opera-
tion, which translates into a probability
of failure lower than 0.00001/hour for
high-demand operation.
A SIL 2-rated device has a failure
probability between 0.001 and 0.01 for
low-demand operation, equating a prob-
ability of failure that is within the con-
fines of 0.000001/hour for high-demand
operation. Failures are classified as
either safe or dangerous and they can
either be detected or undetected. The
safe-failure fraction defines the ratio of
failures that are either safe or detect-

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mechanicalSOLUTIONS
able over the total number of failures.
From this, it is possible to determine
the likelihood of dangerous, undetect-
able failures.
Even in the best-case scenario, failure
of equipment and/or instrumentation
will lead to operational downtime. This
will reduce productivity and result in
repair costs and the expense of replacing
component parts.
Through functional safety, it is pos-
sible to quantify the probability of a
hazardous event taking place and what
the consequences would be. When
developing industrial systems that will
be situated in hazardous areas, engineers
need to include functional safety aspects
into their thought process. This cannot
be left until that last minute; it should
be a key consideration throughout the
development cycle.
Key protection methods
There is a wide array of methods that can
be employed to mitigate the impact of
hazardous environments. Shielding can
be put in place to offer basic protection.
The system design takes into account
the need to keep delicate components
away from places where the conditions
are most severe. There is great value
in system redundancy, so that if a fail-
ure happens there is provision for the
required function to continue.
When there is a constant threat from
explosive substances, housing electronic/
electrical equipment inside an explosion-
proof enclosure may be deemed neces-
sary. Through this, it will be possible
to contain an internal explosion so that
the external environment is not affected.
Position sensing in hazardous areas
Sensing equipment is deployed in many
applications so that positioning feed-
back can be delivered. This often has to
be done in hazardous scenarios. Exam-
ples include the gas/steam turbines
found inside power generation plants,
oil/gas-drilling apparatus, steel/wood
presses, the equipment in fuel-servicing
depots, and oil-drilling rigs, but the
list goes way beyond this. A variety
of sensing mechanisms can be used to
accomplish position measurement in
such settings. Among these are:
1. Potentiometers: These act as volt-
age dividers with position measurement
being established via a voltage signal
that is proportional to the point in
which a wiper resides on a linear trans-
ducer element. This method has been
very popular in the past, but it does
have shortfalls that are becoming more
apparent in modern-day implementa-
tions. The most notable of these is that
potentiometers are prone to mechanical
wear and tear. This is due to the contact
between the transducer and the wiper.
2. Encoders: These employ a read-
er head to scan a marked scale and,
thereby, indicate incremental changes
in position. Long-term operation of this
kind of mechanism is subject to failure
because of the presence of vibrational
movement and high temperatures.

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input #23 at www.plantengineering.com/information
Furthermore, oil, grease, and other
substances often found in heavy indus-
trial environments mean that they will
require cleaning and maintenance work
on a regular basis (all of which adds to
the running costs).
3. Linear variable differential trans-
former (LVDT) devices: LVDTs rely
on the movement of a ferromagnetic
core that varies the magnetic coupling
between primary and secondary coils.
Thanks to their high temperature rat-
ing, these devices have seen fairly wide-
spread deployment in hazardous areas.
However, they exhibit an intrinsically
poor linearity. Also, they need to be
recalibrated periodically.
4. Magnetostrictive linear sensor
devices: Using the principles of mag-
netostriction, where a magnetic field
can alter the physical properties of a
ferromagnetic material, magnetostric-
tive sensors have shown themselves to
be highly effective at delivering accurate
input #24 at www.plantengineering.com/information
KEY WORDS:
Here are some of the articles at www.plantengineering.com,
KEYWORD: SENSORS that further discuss this topic:
MOTION TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2016
Technology trends today are all about connectivity and the gains to be had from infor-
mation gleaned from an increasingly connected world. Staying ahead of the techno-
logical curve is more important that ever. Trends that manufacturers should be taking
a close look at in 2016 include big data, predictive maintenance, the Industrial Inter-
net of Things (IIoT), and smart energy monitoring for transparent factory operations.
WIRELESS INTRUSION DETECTION AND PROTECTION SYSTEMS
Wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS) and wireless intrusion protection sys-
tems (WIPS) are used to continuously protect a wireless network and in some cases,
a wired network, from unauthorized users. There are some basic differences between
the two systems.
FIVE TIPS FOR IMPROVING HYDRAULIC CONTROL IN A MECHATRONIC SYSTEM
Modern hydraulic drives are an integral link in the mechatronics chain and a vital
element in overall Industrie 4.0 machine concepts. However, working with hydraulics
poses a number of challenges, based on physical properties and limitations that need
to be addressed. Be sure to consider these important tips to improve functionality and
performance when incorporating hydraulic drives into a machine design.
EIG-034 PlantEngine Industrial 1/22/16 1:37 PM Page 1
Power Quality Metering
& Energy Management
Nexus
1500+
Power Quality
Metering
Measure and record harmful
power quality events
Conduct harmonic studies
Understand feeder
efficiency & load balance
Create automated power quality reports
1-877-EIMETER | www.electroind.com
input #25 at www.plantengineering.com/information
input #26 at www.plantengineering.com/information
mechanicalSOLUTIONS
position measurement in hazardous applications. Since
Energy
Management
Log energy usage at each circuit
Calculate cost allocation
to different processes
Control loads to reduce demand
Generate automated
energy reports for executives
68 January/February 2016
these devices give an absolute position figure, rather than
a relative one, they eliminate the need for recalibration
work. In addition, as they dispense with the need for reader
heads, the time allocated and costs relating to cleaning
and maintenance work can be taken out of the equation.
It is also worth mentioning that they have much stron-
ger resilience to shock and vibration, as well as far greater
immunity to electromagnetic interference than other mea-
surement options. Finally (and most important, in this
context), it is relatively straightforward to integrate func-
tional safety mechanisms into these devices.
Magnetostriction and magnetostrictive sensing
When a ferromagnetic material is placed within a mag-
netic field, microscopic changes to its structure are brought
about. As a result of this, its dimensions will be altered
this is known as magnetostriction. The magnitude of the
dimensional change correlates directly with the strength
of the magnetic field applied. This phenomenon furnishes
a highly effective noncontact sensing method. As there
are no moving parts involved, magnetostrictive sensors
offer heightened reliability and a prolonged operational
lifespan.
The increasing need for functional safety to be addressed
in hazardous applications is bringing about a steady migra-
tion away from traditional LVDT position sensing and
toward a more sophisticated approach based on magneto-
striction. As well as disadvantages in terms of performance
and operational longevity, LVDTs and the other position
sensors mentioned above are not able to offer the same
degree of functional safety that magnetostrictive devices
can. Appropriate sensor selection is critical to position-
sensing-system deployment. There are many different fac-
tors that must be given serious contemplation if a suitable
device is to be specified. It is clearly worthwhile to engage
with a sensor manufacturer that offers a comprehensive
sensor portfolio and has a strong understanding of func-
tional safety issues. PE
Based in Cary, N.C., Matt Hankinson is global business
intelligence manager for MTS Sensors.
The BoTTom line:
Linear-position sensors are widely used in all manners of
industrial systems. In many cases, the potential for hazardous
events occurring needs to be taken into account.
For any electrical device that will be situated in potentially
flammable or explosive surroundings, compliance with strin-
gent international industry standards is mandated.
A variety of sensing mechanisms can be used to accomplish
position measurement in such hazardous settings.
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input #28 at www.plantengineering.com/information

MAINTENANCESOLUTIONS
Figures dont lie
Why you should be brutally honest
about your OEE score.
I
By Frederic Baudart ts a statistic. Its a useful benchmark. But
Fluke Corp. overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is
best used as a baseline for improvement,
not merely a bragging point to show how
well your manufacturing line, machine, or
plant is running.
When managers initially calculate an OEE
score on individual production lines, they
are often shocked at how low the OEE score
really is, and then they keep it quiet. How-
ever, production lines in the 30% range arent
uncommon.
An outgrowth of the Lean manufacturing
movement, Seiichi Nakajima of the Japan
Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) first
described OEE in 1982 as part of the total
productive maintenance (TPM) methodol-
ogy, according to the OEE Foundation. By the
mid-1990s, OEE had become a best practice
www.plantengineering.com
Preventive maintenance can go a long way in
identifying barriers to availability, one of the
three criteria in calculating overall equipment
effectiveness (OEE). All graphics courtesy: Fluke
management tool and a key performance indi-
cator (KPI) to evaluate plant floor productivity.
The metric empowers companies to improve
their processes, compare themselves against
a world-class standard, and, in turn, ensure
the quality and consistency of products.
Beyond the numbers
OEE is a fairly simple formula:
OEE = Availability * Performance * Quality
The percentage of each top-level variable
is multiplied to determine the OEE score.
Thus, an OEE score of 100% represents
perfect production, while 40% to 60% is
considered typical and 85% is world-class.
Lower scores are often found when OEE
programs are just getting started.
Yet, as it is with all high-level analyses, the
complete story includes a number of impor-
tant inputs. Those inputs go into each one
of the top-level categories used in the OEE
score, revealing losses and pain points that
negatively impact how well your plant is run-
ning and the quality of products.
People dont like to advertise that this
line is a 42%, or this line is at 49%, said
Ken Bannister, a Toronto-area manufactur-
ing consultant who works with companies
to improve maintenance practices and OEE
scores. They dont talk about it because
someone is going to ask, Why are we so
bad and inefficient?
But its important for managers in manu-
facturing, chemical processing, oil and gas,
and other factories to know that while an
OEE score is a key top-line metric to reveal
how well your operation is running at a given
time, the score is just a data point fixed in
time. Its a benchmark that can swing.
To be sure, each manufacturing team
knows the critical equipment and process-
es used to create products. Its that critical
equipmenttypically the most expensive to
replacethat draws the most attention and
maintenance. But the OEE metric provides
a more holistic view of your operation, a
way to monitor and improve efficiency in
your manufacturing process by going beyond
simple uptime measurements.
PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 71
mAINTENANCESOLUTIONS
Breaking down the oee metric
Breaking down each metric gives us a picture of
just how valuable the full picture of the OEE metric
truly is to your process.
availaBility: Availability answers the question: Is
the machine running or not? Availability also takes
into account downtime losses. It is a percentage of
the amount of product time the machine is running
in proportion to the amount of time the machine
is available.
Availability = Run Time / Total Time
A key input into the run time, of course, is unplanned
downtime, which cuts into the availability.
Performance: By definition, performance is
a percentage of the total parts produced by the
machine to the production rate of the machine. Or,
in other words, how well the machine is running
when it is running.
Performance = Total Count / Target Count
Quality: Quality is a percentage of the parts pro-
duced that meet specifications out of the total parts
produced on a machine or process. Simply put, how
many good parts versus bad parts a machine or
process has produced.
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input #29 at www.plantengineering.com/information
loss event oee metric examPle
Machine failure, tooling damage, unplanned
Breakdowns Availability
maintenance
Planned downtime/ Process warm-up, machine changeovers,
Availability
setup and adjustments material shortage
Minor stops Performance Product misfeeds, jams, low stoppage
Operator skills/training, equipment age,
Reduce speeds Performance
tooling wear
Tolerance adjustments, warm-up process,
Rejects on start-up Quality
damage
Production rejects Quality Assembled incorrectly, rejects, rework
Different events within a plant should be assigned to different parts within the OEE
calculation.
If a company has a brand-new line specific downtime occurrences the line
and its sister company has a line thats is experiencing. And if maintenance-
30 years old, and they both make the related downtime can be prevented or
same product, the OEE will truly be predicted that improves OEE.
different, said Bannister You then Uptime of equipment is essential to
need to come up with some way of all industries. Unplanned shutdowns
harmonizing them so its an apples- not only impact your OEE, but they
to-apples comparison. One way to do also can cost thousands of dollars in
that is to look at specific problems and repair or replacement of critical equip-
 ment and, of course, the associated
labor costs.
There is a reason that availability is
the first variable in the equation, said
Bannister. If you dont have availability,
and thats tied to maintenance, qual-
ity and throughput dont matter. As far
as OEE is concerned, when machines
get out of adjustment and experience
trouble, you have potential failure and
you not only lose throughput but you
can put quality at risk.
It depends on the industry, he
added. If youre looking at a company
that makes a frozen food like frozen
pizza, you can use an infrared camera
to determine whether its frozen cor-
rectly or if there are leaks in refrigera-
tion. That directly effects quality, by the
failure to cure the frozen food properly.
Thermal imaging at a substation
One example was recently seen at an elec-
trical substation, which has many com-
plex electrical systems and equipment
that handle very high voltage current. To
New Filtration Technology Keeps Cooling Tower Water Clean
Typical
Full
Flow Cooling
Tower
filtration
using
existing
pump.
Typical
Side
Cooling
Stream Tower
filtration
using a
booster
pump.
www.orival.com filters@orival.com
E very cooling tower has its unique dirt
conditions, space constraints and
other special characteristics. Filtration
systems must take these into account in
order to maintain particle free water.
Orival filters are versatile enough to
meet these criteria. They remove a wide
range of dirt down to micron size, of any
help ensure safe and consistent perfor-
mance, more utilities are using infrared
cameras to run proactive maintenance
inspections on equipment ranging from
oil-filled transformers to lightning arres-
tors to high-voltage transmission lines
coming in and out of the substation.
A thermographer scanned the substa-
tion with an infrared camera and discov-
ered the knife switches showed abnormal
temperature. Because there appeared to
be high resistance a short distance from
the switch, that overheating could have
led to a failure. Finding this situation in
a routine inspection could potentially
save the utility company and its custom-
ers a major power outage. Without the
inspection, a switch knife failure could
have occurred and caused unplanned
downtime. This would have directly
impacted the availability of equipment,
thus the OEE matrix.
Six big losses
The major goal in any OEE program
is to minimize or reduce the causes
Advertisement
FILTRATION TRENDS
ORIVAL
Cooling
Tower
L
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IV
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specific gravity, even lighter than water.
Typical examples include: airborne par-
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Line pressure powered, they permit use
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input #30 at www.plantengineering.com/information
of inefficiencies. To determine what
events contribute the greatest loss,
thus what should be targeted by
countermeasures to improve perfor-
mance, loss events associated with
availability, performance, and qual-
ity are identified and quantified.
These can be calculated manually or
through a number of free calculators
available online.
As can be seen in Figure 1, preven-
tive maintenance strategies to avoid
equipment failure, slowdowns, and
rejected parts are important to an
OEE calculation.
When determining your OEE, dont
get caught up in the initial metric and
how it compares to the rest of your
industry. Instead, use the OEE met-
ric as a baseline from which you can
achieve and celebrate success. PE
Frederic Baudart is a product applica-
tion specialist with Fluke Corp., based
in Everett, Wash. He can be reached at
frederic.baudart@fluke.com.
Typical Side
ORIVAL Stream
filtration
of basin
using a
recirculating
pump.
Typical
L
A
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R
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filtration
using
existing
pump.
seconds and does not interrupt flow.
Reclaim units recirculate rinse water
making filtration a zero discharge opera-
tion. For more information and system design
assistance, contact: Orival, Automatic Self-
Cleaning Filters, 213 S. Van Brunt St.,
Englewood, NJ 07631. (201) 568-3311,
(800) 567-9767, Fax: (201) 568-1916.
MAINTENANCESOLUTIONS
FIRST OF THREE PARTS
PART 1:
Why preventive maintenance
fails and how to fix it
Part 2: Six steps to design a preventive maintenance program
Part 3: Best practices in preventive maintenance: How one company did it
By Ken Staller, Daniel Penn Associates
P
reventive maintenance (PM) should not be confused
with predictive maintenance (PdM), which is a series
of dynamic inspections of machine components while
the machines are operating in their normal produc-
tion modes.
Heres what great preventive maintenance programs
should include:
Scheduled inspections and lubrication samplings that
determine the physical state of machine components
The lubrications, adjustments, and documentation of
needed repairs identified during inspections, which
prevent unnecessary wear and failure of machine com-
ponents
Inspections and repairs during scheduled plant shut-
downs when all machines are safely locked out, to ensure
safety and maximize production uptime.
If developing a PM program is such a no-brainer, why
doesnt every company have one in place?
Reason 1:
We didnt lay the groundwork/have the right systems.
Designing and implementing a PM program requires a very
different mindset than operating and managing a normal
maintenance department. PM begins with understanding
your facilitys goals, setting performance standards for
equipment, documenting preventive maintenance pro-
cedures and schedules, and then uploading it all to your
computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
If the companys in-house experts can initiate and manage
these tasks, great. If not, find a qualified PM manager or
contract with a capable PM consulting firm that can get
(and keep) the ball rolling.
Reason 2:
Other things got in the way, and we never finished.
Companies delay or stall their PM program for a variety of
reasons: A big order comes in, and its all hands on deck.
Raw materials are delayed, and we have to play catch-up
when they arrive. We cant seem to find a week when all
74 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
our key maintenance employees dont have other priorities.
But the main reason companies fail at PM is because they
havent included a profit motive: They havent incorporated
a way to benchmark and track the savings that their PM
program generates.
Reason 3:
We didnt roll it out correctly.
Companies that fail quickest simply hand over PM imple-
mentation to their maintenance staff without the proper
training and oversight/management.
Your companys biggest return on investment may come
from an investment in consultants who can help you focus
your objectives, create PM tasks correctly the first time
around, train your team, oversee all the implementation
details, and ensure you are left with a management program
that will be effective. Make sure they have the hands-on,
real-world experiences to ensure your PM programs suc-
cess, and they dont simply leave the property after they
pile a ton of documents onto your desk.
Reason 4:
Our PM activities arent correctly weighted because we
dont understand why breakdowns occur.
When PM task details are not written to address the root
causes of breakdowns, you may be focusing on things that
dont really impact productivity. If your company has a
good work order system in place, measurements can easily
be made using basic CMMS reports to measure the effec-
tiveness of your program over time.
To minimize unplanned machine downtime, a well-
designed PM program typically allocates 80% to 90% of
its time to machine component inspections and 10% to
20% to lubrications. PE
Ken Staller has more than 30 years of project engineering,
project management, and maintenance management experi-
ence in machine manufacturing, pulp and paper, pharma-
ceutical, and automotive industries. Daniel Penn Associates
is a CFE Media content partner.
www.plantengineering.com
eNewsletters
Plant Engineerings electronic newsletters deliver news and information on
the latest trends in manufacturing in every corner of the plant floor.

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AUTOMATIONSOLUTIONS
Skid building:
Focus on performance
Plant managers can get more out of the end process
by looking at the whole, and not the components.
I
By Cindy Green ndustrial plants and facilities often buy
AutomationDirect machines and process skids for use in
their production, packaging, and logis-
tics operations. As an owner, director,
or manager of a manufacturing plant, its
important to purchase equipment that
meets plant needs and can be easily inte-
grated into existing production processes.
Many times, equipment purchases can get
bogged down in component details, instead
of focusing on performance requirements
and specifications. Focusing on the perfor-
mance requirements affecting the machine
or process skid end product, and not the
components running it, has advantages.
This focus allows the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) machine or process
skid builder to offer their lowest price,
shortest delivery time, and best support.
This confers a number of benefits to pur-
chasers. They include:
More bidders
Lower cost
Quicker lead time
Faster start-up
More reliable operation
Better support.
Specifying performance requirements
such as machine cycle rate; process flow
rates and pressures; output configurations;
finished product specifications; environ-
mental, power, facility, safety, and dimen-
sional requirements; and user interface
requirements will go a long way toward
realizing these benefits.
Understanding what to look for when it
comes to specifying, installing, integrat-
ing, and maintaining OEM machines and
process skidswith a particular focus on
automation systemscan improve every
step of the process.
76 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
Performance-requirement advantages
Focusing on performance requirements
instead of specifying components allows
OEMs to stay in their comfort zone, pro-
viding benefits to the OEM and the pur-
chaser. Perhaps the biggest advantage of
focusing on performance is more bidders
will come to the party, giving purchas-
ers leverage in negotiations. OEMs know
their standard equipment and its capabili-
ties, so they can quickly ascertain if they
meet the performance requirements. This
will allow each OEM to provide a quota-
tion that clearly confirms conformance to
the performance requirements.
Focusing on performance requirements
instead of component specifications also
allows each bidder to build the equipment
the way they normally do, using their stan-
dard components and designs. It allows
them to use their standard pricing, which is
typically well-established and competitive.
By contrast, changes due to a purchas-
ers detailed component specifications
will force the OEM to develop a custom
quotation, which is often just an educated
guess with a fudge factor. Uncertainties are
created for the OEM by hardware changes
and required additional engineering and
technician labor, inflating quoted prices,
and lengthening lead times.
Providing detailed component specifi-
cations may require the OEM to redesign
the automation system and other major
assemblies. In the best case, the OEM will
have in-house resources available to do
this work, allowing them to price addi-
tions accurately.
Many OEMs wont have the required
in-house engineering resources available
for custom designs. In this case, the OEM
will typically hire a system integrator for
control design and programming tasks,
www.plantengineering.com
 Figure 1: Commissioning and start-up for an item of equipment such as this process skid will proceed much more quickly if the
OEM is allowed to use their standard design. Image courtesy: InduSoft
and a mechanical engineering firm for
mechanical changes.
For example, instead of just releasing
their standard drawings to build a control
or electrical panel, OEMs will send design
changes to an integrator. The integrator must
then provide a quote for the design changes
to the OEM, and a purchase order must be
issued. Drawings also need to be updated
and approved before parts can be ordered
and the panel built. In parallel, similar activ-
ities may be taking place on the mechanical
side of the machine design.
Having tight, rigid specifications for com-
ponents will add cost and extend the sched-
ule. Required additional design, approval,
and purchasing will add weeks if not months
to the schedule. Not only will the chang-
es extend the schedule, but risk will also
increase; as with major design changes, there
is always the chance for rework, additional
changes, and related delays.
www.plantengineering.com
Once a machine or process skid is pur-
chased, it must be installed and commis-
sioned.
Ease of installation and start-up
E q u i p m e nt d e l i v e r e d b a s e d o n t h e
OEMs standard design will result in
quicker installation and start-up. The
OEMs technicians will be familiar with
the automation system and other com-
ponents, instead of trying to figure out
how the customer-specified components
operate. Any required changes can be
performed quickly, as the OEMs com-
missioning and start-up personnel will
b e ver y fami li ar w it h t heir st and ard
designs (Figure 1).
This is particularly true when it comes to
the automation system. Specifying a par-
ticular brand for an AC induction motor
or a level switch might add cost and lead
time, but it will have minimal impact on
plant engineering January/February 2016 77
aUTOMaTIONSOLUTIONS
commissioning and start-up. But
specif ying a completely different
automation system than the OEMs
standard, especially in terms of the
operator interface and controller, will
almost always result in issues.
Perhaps the biggest impact to the
OEM, aside from changing their stan-
dard automation system, is in the area
of software. Theres no easy way to
simply port software programs writ-
ten for one suppliers controller to
another, so most programs must be
rewritten. This introduces bugs, which
are often not found until the software
is tested. A similar sequence of events
takes place with respect to operator-
interface software, which inevitably
delays start-up.
Using a performance instead of a
component specification provides
many advantages, but there are also
legitimate concerns, chief among
them integration with existing equip-
ment and systems.

Handling integration

Superior Suction Many plants feel the need to specify

automation components to ease inte-

Meets Sustainability.
gration with existing plant automation
systems. This was a very serious issue
in the past, as many automation sup-

Guaranteed. pliers used proprietary protocols for

communications, making integration
with automation systems from other
Engineered for 100% more suction power, the 1040PD out- suppliers extremely difficult.
performs any compact industrial vacuum cleaner of its kind
and supports up to 3 operators at one time. With a flexible
But the advent of open systems has
design optimized for indoor installation, longer vacuuming addressed these issues, because all
times and filter life, and a performance guarantee, its more modern automation systems can now
than a cleaning system; its a business asset. communicate with each other through
standard networks, primarily Ethernet-
based. Plant requirements can now
VAC-U-MAX Model 1040PD
Central Vacuum Cleaning System
focus on defining an open-system
10HP and 15HP Versions architecture, which will simplify the
Quiet Positive Displacement Pump Never integration of new equipment with the
Runs Out of Vacuum
1 to 3 Operators at One Time
Pulse Filter Cleaning and HEPA Filtration
Plug-and-Play Design with Full UL-Certified
Control Panel Focusing on performance
Compact Footprint Fits in Crowded Factories
Made in the USA with 5-year Warranty
requirements instead of
specifying components
Let us solve your industrial
vacuum cleaning challenges. allows OEMs to stay in
Visit vac-u-max.com/vacuum
or call 800-VAC-U-MAX. their comfort zone,
providing benefits to the
OEM and the purchaser.
Perhaps the biggest
advantage of focusing
on performance is more
bidders will come to
the party, giving
purchasers leverage
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INTERCEPT HOPPERS & PRE-SEPARATORS HSE / INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE SOLUTIONS

input #31 at www.plantengineering.com/information

78 January/February 2016 plant engineering
overall plant automation
system (Figure 2).
Its not uncommon for
the OEM to interface its
equipment to other exist-
ing e quipment and to
plant automation systems.
It is a requirement that the
OEMs are familiar with,
and have been meeting for
years. In many instances,
well-defined discrete and
analog I/O signals are suf-
ficient. However, using
open digital-communica-
tion standards such as Eth-
ernet is often a superior
interface method, as the
amount of data which can
be exchanged over such a
link is vast.
Therefore, purchasers
should require each OEM
to provide an Ethernet connection Figure 2: Most modern controllers and operator interface components come with
at the controller, the operator-inter- built-in Ethernet ports, easing integration into existing plant automation systems.
face device, or both. The purchaser Image courtesy: AutomationDirect

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aUTOMaTIONSOLUTIONS

Figure 3: Remote access allows most machine automation system and other issues should also specify compliance with
to be quickly resolved by the OEM from their home office, saving time and money the plants existing Ethernet protocol.
for both the OEM and the purchaser. Image courtesy: InduSoft Common protocols include Ether-
Net/IP, Modbus TCP/IP, and Profi-
net. All of these Ethernet protocols
provide the ability to transmit and
receive large amounts of discrete,
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PREVENT CORROSION IN ONE SHOT! datajust what the plant needs now
and in the future for integrating
machines, process skids, and other
production equipment.
The last piece of the communication
puzzle is the communication schema,
which defines the language used when
different automation components talk
to each other. With the purchased
OEM equipment installed, integrated,
and started up, maintenance and sup-
port come to the forefront.
RAM-PRO-XL
A better solution for your chiller tubes OEM support
Although it may be more difficult for
the plant to support and maintain
machines and process skids with dif-
ferent automation systems, its still
feasibleespecially when the OEM is
involved, which the plant should speci-
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CALL 888-364-7736 equipment through warranties, support
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input #32 at www.plantengineering.com/information 80 January/February 2016 plant engineering

 The plant should specify that the
OEM and the automaton supplier offer
a full range of support, both on-site and
remote. These support options will be
more easily offered at a lower cost with
the OEMs standard design, and can
include:
OEM warranty
Remote access by OEM
OEM support contract
Automation supplier support.
Once the OEM equipment is accepted
at the plant, remote access is important.
Free on-site support for the first year
is common under equipment warran-
ty, and many OEMs now offer free or
low-cost support thereafter via remote
access.
With proper remote access, almost all
problems can be resolved quicklyand
with todays control systems, remote
access should not be an add-on option,
but instead built into the control system
(Figure 3).
OEMs started with modems more than
20 years ago to gain remote access to
the controller program. Over the years,
remote access has been greatly improved
by open standards such as Ethernet, and
by the Internet. Whether its via a VPN
allowing local-network access remotely,
or an Internet-based program, remote
access should be a specified requirement
for the OEM.
Although the plant and the OEM will
be the main sources of support for many
items of equipment, the suppliers of the
automation and other components often
have a role to play. In some instances,
plant personnel will be able to pinpoint
problems to a specific component. In
these cases, the most expeditious way to
resolve the issue is often by contacting
the supplier directly.
Some suppliers offer free or low-cost
support, while others require expensive
support contracts or a purchase order for
time and material services before render-
ing assistance. For complex components
like the operator interface and controller
hardware and software, the plants pur-
chasing team should ask the OEM what
automation suppliers they are using, and
ascertain the support offered by these
suppliers. This information can then be
used to make informed judgments prior
to purchase.
When purchasing machines and pro-
cess skids, its often best to only specify
performance. Specifications beyond this
level, particularly in terms of detailed
component requirements, often create
issues in terms of cost, delivery, start-
up, and support. These issues negatively
impact the OEM and, by extension, the
purchaser. PE
Cindy Green is an industrial engineer
at AutomationDirect where she provides
assistance to a variety of product groups.
She holds an M.S. in Manufacturing Sys-
tems Engineering from the University of
Pittsburgh and a B.S. in Industrial Engi-
neering from the University of Tennessee,
and has more than 10 years of experience
in manufacturing.

On-demand Webcasts
Earn continuing education credits by attending our 1-hour-long webcasts.

Register and view today, from anywhere at

www.plantengineering.com/ondemandwebcasts
IN NOVATIONS
Spread bearings
VL heavy-duty spread-bearing designs all have specific features and advantages based
on the specific mixing and agitating application requirements. The VL2 offers reinforced
output shaft bearings with increased bearing distance. This spread-bearing design
accommodates for high, overhung thrust loads and allows for longer bearing service
life. The VL3 dry-cavity design provides additional oil-leak protective measures to the
VL2 design. The VL4 heavy-duty drop-bearing/drywell design provides the high-capacity
bearing design of the VL2/VL3 with the addition of a drywell. Additionally, there is a seal-
ing O-ring at the top of the oil dam for maximum protection.
Nord Gear Corp. USA
www.nord.com
Input #200 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Connectors
Squich spring-terminal, rectangular connectors offer
ease of use and cost savings on any harsh manufactur-
ing floor and rugged industrial environment by providing
quick-connect solutions for a variety of production machin-
ery. Each of the spring terminals has an actuator button
incorporated in the cavity. When this button is pressed
with a finger, it triggers the closure of the spring device of
the corresponding terminal, safely and reliably connecting
the conductor to its respective electric contact in the con-
nector. To reopen the terminals, simply insert the tip of a
common flat-blade screwdriver in the pocket on the actua-
tor; using a levering motion, gently press the screwdriver
downward. This will lift up the actuator back to the open
terminal position. The connectors are available in 6-, 10-,
16-, 24-, 32-, and 48-pole configurations.
Mencom Corp. Drive couplings
www.mencom.com SureMotion drive couplings are available in four styles:
Input #201 at www.plantengineering.com/information
jaw/spider, double-loop, Oldham, and beam-style
servo; bore reducers are also offered to fit a coupling
when the exact bore is not available. The SureMotion
jaw/spider coupling is a clamp-style coupling with 14
to 65 mm aluminum hubs and bore diameters ranging
from 4.7 to 32 mm. Polyurethane center spiders are
available in different durometers for different degrees
of shock and vibration reduction.
AutomationDirect
www.automationdirect.com/motion-control
Input #202 at www.plantengineering.com/information

82 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING www.plantengineering.com

 Send new product releases to: peproducts@cfemedia.com

Safety relay
The G9SE Safety Relay Unit is a slim-size safety relay
unit that significantly reduces installation and trouble-
shooting time/costs for machine builders. The units
screw-less, push-in terminal allows fast and easy
installation, and with one of the slimmest profiles on
the market it requires significantly less panel space.
The troubleshooting process is vastly simplified by
the design and usage of intuitive diagnostic LEDs. The
G9SE is ideal for a wide range of safety input devices,
such as emergency stop switches, door switches, and
light curtains.
Omron Corp.
www.omron247.com
Input #203 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Portable
magnetic drills
The power-feed HMD927
portable, magnetic drill
has the power to drill holes
up to 1-5/8 in. (41 mm)
in diameter. It offers great
power-to-weight ratio by
giving steel fabricators
Electromechanical
more strength and torque cylinder
while still maintaining the The second-generation EMC electro-
small, lightweight foot- mechanical cylinder features a hygienic
print. The drills LED pilot design and IP65 protection class. It is
light is built into the base suitable for applications with frequent
of the magnet and allows cleaning cycles in the food industry.
the operator to more effi- The new size EMC100-XC-2 increases
ciently and quickly line up the power density for feeding forces of
the pilot with the holes up to 56 kN, for applications in forming
center location in low-light technology. An optional force sensor
or no-light conditions. allows decentralized process controls
The drill is powered by a two-speed motor to maximize tool life and without a higher-level control system.
increase torque with larger-diameter cutters. Rexroth
Hougen www.boschrexroth.com/emc
www.hougen.com Input #205 at www.plantengineering.com/information
Input #204 at www.plantengineering.com/information

www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 83

MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS
Your place for new products, literature, Apps, Videos, Case Studies and White Papers.

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own rubber manufactures superior moldedrubber hand-
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Month 2014 P2016 LANT ENGINEERING
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 6
ry 201

Remove at
rua

Line
ry/Feb
Janua

For more information on how to advertise in Plant EnginEErings
Internet Connection, call Jim Langhenry at 630-571-4070 x2203
aitkenproducts.com
Aitken Products manufacturers and distributes high-qual-
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Allied Electronics is a small order, high service level dis-
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MHIA is the leading non-profit trade association represent- Yaskawa is the worlds largest manufacturer of ac inverter
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Orival is a leading manufacturer of self-cleaning water
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86 January/February 2016 plant engineering www.plantengineering.com

CONTACTS Advertiser Contacts for plant engineers
Request more information about products and advertisers in this issue by using the http://plantengineering.hotims.com
link and reader service number located near each. If youre reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a
company directly, please let them know you read about them in Plant Engineering.

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Advertiser Number Number Info Advertiser Number Number Info

Aitken Products, Inc 67 24 HANNOVER MESSE 33 15

800-569-9341 www.aitkenproducts.com www.hannovermesse.events/cfemedia

Allied Electronics 13 8 Kaeser Compressors, Inc 1 2

800-433-5700 www.alliedelec.com 866-516-6888 www.us.kaeser.com/PE

Atlas Copco Compressors 21 12 Keysight Technologies, Inc 69 27

866-688-9611 www.atlascopco.us 800-829-4444 www.keysight.com/find/dropit

AutomationDirect C-2 1 Lubriplate Lubricants Co 70 28

800-633-0405 www.automationdirect.com 800-733-4755 www.lubriplate.com

AVO Training Institute 17 9 MODEX 2016 60 21

877-594-3156 WWW.AVOTRAINING.COM www.MODEXSHOW.COM

Baldor Electric Company C-4 34 Orival, Inc 73 30

800-828-4920 www.baldor.com 800-567-9767 www.orival.com

Beckhoff Automation LLC 31 14 Phoenix Contact 28 13

952-890-0000 www.beckhoff.com www.phoenixcontact.com/GoMesse

BLOCK USA, Inc 35 17 Plant Engineering Electronic Newsletters 75

847-260-9050 www.blockusa.com 630-571-4070 www.plantengineering.com/newsletters

Camfil APC 4 4 Plant Engineering On-demand Webcasts 81

800-479-6801 www.camfilapc.com 630-571-4070 www.plantengineering.com/ondemandwebcasts

CEMA 66 23 Plant Engineering Safety Research Studies 27

239-514-3441 www.cemanet.org 630-571-4070 www.plantengineering.com/2015Safety

CENTURY SPRING CORP 19 10 PROTO INDUSTRIAL TOOLS 20 11

800-237-5225 www.centuryspring.com 800-800-8665 www.PROTOINDUSTRIAL.COM/STORAGE

CFE Media LLC 79 Rittal Corporation 7 5

630-571-4070 www.cfemedia.com 800-477-4000 www.RittalEnclosures.com

Donaldson Co., Inc 2 3 Rogers Machinery 68 26

800-365-1331 www.DonaldsonTorit.com 800-394-6151 www.knw-series.com

Electro Industies/GaugeTech 68 25 SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc. 54 20

877-EIMETER www.electroind.com 864-439-7537 www.seweurodrive.com

ErectAStep C-1, 11 7 SPM Instrument 65 22

888-878-1839 www.ErectAStep.com 800-505-5636 www.spminstrument.us

Flexicon Corp 8 6 ue SYSTEMS INC 72 29

888-353-9426 www.flexicon.com 800-223-1325 www.uesystems.com

FLIR 36 18 Vac-U-Max 78 31
800-GO-INFRA www.flir.com 973-759-4600 www.vac-u-max.com

FORCAM 34 16 WOLSELEY INDUSTRIAL GROUP 53 19

513-878-2780 www.forcam.com www.WOLSELEYINDUSTRIALGROUP.COM

GOODWAY 80 32 Yaskawa America, Inc C-3 33

888-364-7736 www.goodway.com 800-927-5292 www.yaskawa.com

Need More Info? FAX this page to: 630-214-4504

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www.plantengineering.com PLANT ENGINEERING January/February 2016 87

INCONCLUSION
Q&A: Managing data, security at the server
Emersons Steve Hassell discusses how to protect your
system and better utilize use your data.
A recent technology report issued
by Emerson Network Power, a divi-
sion of Emerson, discussed four
emerging models that will manage
data centers around such issues as
computing capacity, sustainabil-
ity, and cyber security. According
to Emerson, those four models are:
The Data Fortress: Taking a security-first
approach to data center design, deploying
off-network data center pods for sensitive
information.
The Cloud of Many Drops: The Emerson
report notes, Despite virtualization-driven
improvements, too many servers remain
underutilized. Some studies indicate serv-
ers use just 5% to 15% of their computing
capacity.
Fog Computing: Introduced by Cisco,
fog computing connects multiple small
networks into a single large network, with
application services distributed across
smart devices and edge-computing systems
to improve efficiency and concentrate data
processing closer to devices and networks.
The Corporate Social-Responsibility-
Compliant Data Center: The effort to
reduce carbon footprints Are pushing the
focus toward sustainability and corporate
responsibility.
Steve Hassell, president of data center
solutions for Emerson Network Power,
discussed with CFE Media the report and
its implications for manufacturing at a
time when cloud computing and cyber
security are two of the most pressing top-
ics as manufacturers move into the era of
the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT):
CFE MEDIA: What are the security
challenges of bring-your-own-device
(BYOD) users that are different from
deliberate attacks from hackers. How
should manufacturers address this
BYOD security issue?
88 January/February 2016 PLANT ENGINEERING
Technology is doing a very good job dealing
with the raw storage capacity of data, but tools
that allow someone to search, correlate, and
access all of that data will be a critical element
to turning all that data into useful information.
Steve Hassell, Emerson Network Power
HASSELL: When you look at BYOD and
users, there are two different issues than
what you see with an internal hacker: the
ability to directly load information, and
viruses or malware on the device.
The first issue revolves around both the
intent of the BYOD user and the ability of
their device to remove information from the
enterprise. The copies of this information
create a number of issues, especially from an
IP-protection and legal-compliance stand-
point. The most effective way to prevent this
type of information leakage is by using some
form of virtual client on the BYOD device
to eliminate the accidental transfer of data
and make purposeful removal more difficult.
The second issue involves the spread of mal-
ware when an infected BYOD is connected
to the network. The use of a virtual client can
help because you can allow complete access
to corporate information without allowing
direct connectivity to the protected network.
CFE MEDIA: Underutilized servers are one
issue. Underutilized data is another. How
do you view the data-management issue
in manufacturing, and how can cloud
computing help?
HASSELL: There are two main sources of
underutilized data: access to the data and
the ability to find the data. The cloud can help
the first issue by providing ubiquitous access
to data no matter where a user is located.
The second problem is much harder. While
a lot of articles have been written about the
ability to use large, unstructured lakes
of information (e.g., Big Data), the vast
majority of
users will still need some way to be able to
search for the data they need and will access
it through what is called a direct query.
Techniques like master data management
overlay a certain amount of structure across
an organizations data so that it can be found
through conventional tools.
CFE MEDIA: What are some circumstances
that might lead a company to retain an
on-site data center as opposed to using
the cloud?
HASSELL: There are a number of reasons why
a company may choose to retain some or all
of its data on-site. Security and regulatory
concerns are two reasons that are most often
cited, but application types or architectures
and personal preference also play into the mix.
Its important to recognize that this isnt an
either-or discussion. Hybrid approaches
including owned, co-location, and cloud
are increasingly popular and will probably
dominate for at least the near term.
CFE MEDIA: Whats your assessment of
current data capacity? Are we keeping
pace with the growth of data?
Hassell: From what I have read, there are
about 8 zettabytes (or 8 trillion gigabytes) of
data today, and that number is expected to
grow to about 35 zettabytes by 2020. I think
that technology is doing a very good job
of dealing with the raw storage capacity of
data, but having tools that allow someone to
search, correlate, and access all of that data
will be a critical element to turning all that
data into useful information. PE
www.plantengineering.com
 20 MILLION INVERTERS
10 MILLION SERVOS
300,000 ROBOTS
Yaskawa. Proven. Worldwide.

Nobody enjoys a larger installed base of inverters,

servos and robots around the world than Yaskawa.
Our experienced engineers, proven technology and
unsurpassed quality can
all be combined to give proven solutions in which
you can have total confidence.

In a recent internal study of 100,000 servo motors

shipped, Yaskawa found that only 7 were returned
for warranty repair. To put that in perspective, a
typical out-of-box failure rate goal for manufacturers
of brushless servo motors is 0.5% (or 500 failures
per 100,000 motors shipped).

No matter how you add it up, nobody equals Yaskawa.

Call us today.

YA S K A W A A M E R I C A , I N C .
DRIVES & MOTION DIVISION
1 - 8 0 0 - YA S K A W A | YA S K A W A . C O M

For more info:

2016 Yaskawa America Inc. http://Ez.com/yai868
input #33 at www.plantengineering.com/information
Direct Drive

The Ultimate
Cooling Solution
Direct drive cooling tower systems from Baldor eliminate
the need for mechanical components such as gearboxes,
jack shafts and couplings greatly reducing cooling tower
maintenance and power consumption while increasing
system reliability. The field-proven, high torque Baldor AC
laminated motor is controlled by a purpose built ABB matched
performance adjustable speed drive to provide optimal speed,
quieter operation and lower energy use.

For new projects or retrofit applications, you can count on

Baldor for the ultimate cooling solution.

baldor.com 479-646-4711

2015 Baldor Electric Company

Download a QR reader app

and scan this code for
more information.
http://esp.to/wjOcA6

input #34 at www.plantengineering.com/information