As part of its ongoing efforts to drive greater flexibility in food and beverage manufacturing, all new filling machines from SIG now come with industry-standard OPC Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) connectivity built in. This enables horizontal machine-to-machine and vertical communication within the entire production plant – from shop floor to top floor. OPC-UA is the data exchange standard for secure, reliable and platform-independent industrial communications, helping to drive smart, connected and fully integrated systems.
In addition to this built-in offering, all existing SIG filling machines can also now be retrofitted with a simple plug-and-play installation providing OPC-UA connectivity. It is delivered through the Connector Module of SIG’s Plant 360 Controller solution. This advanced monitoring and control solution was designed to optimise every part of food and beverage production by gradually integrating all plant processes and systems into one platform, no matter what equipment, supplier or PLC is used.
Stefan Mergel, Senior Product Manager Equipment at SIG: “SIG is committed to driving maximum connectivity and integration within our customers’ digital factories. And to enable this, all our new filling machines, as well as automatic magazines and downstream solutions, are using industry-standard OPC Unified Architecture, meaning that connectivity is simply built in from the start.”
Having OPC-UA connectivity either built in or retrofitted on SIG systems gives food and beverage manufacturers the greatest possible freedom and flexibility when choosing their other manufacturing components and technology partners. This ultimately means that an SIG customer can configure a digital factory based precisely on their needs and demands.
For manufacturers, flexibility in their operations has become an increasingly critical issue. With growing industry demands, rapidly changing consumer trends, and the ongoing challenge of COVID-19, manufacturers are seeking to make their production lines more flexible, individualised and agile to handle periods of higher outputs and faster product changes, while also driving down costs. As a result of this, many are looking to IoT-enabled systems, data and automation solutions to turn their filling plants into intelligent and connected factories.
Stefan Mergel: “Food and beverage production is rapidly changing and becoming more demanding than ever. Filling plants are operating on an unprecedented level with higher demands, growing competition, and ever-shorter production cycles – even more so due to COVID-19. Now is the time for companies to step up their digital transformation and ensure they can be more resilient, productive and agile in their future operations.”
Enabling OPC-UA connectivity within its filling machines, systems and components is another aspect of SIG’s solution-driven Smart Factory platform – a drive to deliver IoT-enabled systems and technical services that transform filling plants into connected factories that secure the highest possible efficiency, flexibility and quality for customers.
About SIG
SIG is a leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic carton packaging. We work in partnership with our customers to bring food and beverage products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable and affordable way. Our unique technology and outstanding innovation capacity enable us to provide our customers with end-to-end solutions for differentiated products, smarter factories and connected packs, all to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. Sustainability is integral to our business and we are going Way Beyond Good to create a net positive food packaging system.
Founded in 1853, SIG is headquartered in Neuhausen, Switzerland. The skills and experience of our approximately 5,500 employees worldwide enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our customers in over 60 countries. In 2019, SIG produced 38 billion carton packs and generated €1.8 billion in revenue. SIG has an AA ESG rating by MSCI, an 18.8 (low risk) score by Sustainalytics and a Platinum CSR rating by EcoVadis. For more information, visit www.sig.biz
forrás: sig.biz 2020.12.08
