Description
Some companies will go to great lengths to get the most out of their machine controls, even if they are antiquated, difficult to program and high on maintenance. But there comes a time when cost efficiencies mandate that new controls be put in place. Upgrading and optimizing the controls system on equipment that has been in operation for some time can yield considerable benefits, turning an older piece of equipment into a streamlined asset, increasing speed of production, reducing maintenance, and lowering cost of ownership.
Contact:
Zebra Communications
805-955-0009
www.zebracom.net
Bl ue Bel l Cr eamer i es St r eaml i nes
Sub-Zer o Aut omat ed St or age and Ret r i eval
Equi pment w i t h I nt egr at ed Cont r ol s
Syst em by Si emens
Optimizing performance of Blue Bell’s automated storage
and retrieval equipment, Siemens turns the ice cream producer’s breadboard PLC
controls into a showpiece of smoothly integrated controls technology within
the company’s minus 18 degree F warehouse.
Some companies will go to great lengths to get the most out of their machine controls,
even if they are antiquated, difficult to program and high on maintenance. But there
comes a time when cost efficiencies mandate that new controls be put in place.
Upgrading and optimizing the controls system on equipment that has been in operation
for some time can yield considerable benefits, turning an older piece of equipment into a
streamlined asset, increasing speed of production, reducing maintenance, and lowering
cost of ownership.
This was the case with Blue Bell Creameries (Blue Bell), when in spring 2006, the time
had come to upgrade the control systems on the three automated storage and retrieval
systems (ASRS) used in its main production facility warehouse in Brenham, Texas.
Although the 19-year-old breadboard PLCs, old keyboards and six-inch HMI screens
were still functional on the ASRS units, Blue Bell opted to completely upgrade the
controls systems to improve the equipment’s performance, speed and efficiency. The ice
cream producer went a step further, however, and had a seamlessly integrated controls
system put in place, with wireless Ethernet, PLCs, touch panels and drives from Siemens.
The controls gave Blue Bell’s ASRS the needed speed and capability to precisely
Page Two
position pallets within the company’s main warehouse, even in minus 18 degree F
temperature.
From the Farm to the Store Shelf
Blue Bell considers itself the “Little Creamery in Brenham” because of its 100-year
heritage in a small Texas town, even though the company distributes its products across
17 southern states. In reality, however, Blue Bell is the number three ice cream brand in
the United States, available in 20 percent of the nation’s supermarkets. Although the
privately-held company keeps its production volumes close to the vest, it is not shy in
saying that it takes approximately 60,000 dairy cows to produce enough milk to meet
Blue Bell’s ice cream production needs for just one day.
The creamery opened its doors in 1907 as the Brenham Creamery Company, originally
to make butter from the excess cream brought in by area farmers. A few years later the
creamery began making ice cream and delivered it to neighbors by horse and wagon. In
1930, the company changed its name to Blue Bell Creameries. Today, Blue Bell no
longer produces butter, but it does make about 50 different varieties of ice cream and
many frozen snack items.
Its product line-up includes approximately 20 year-round ice cream flavors, such as
Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, Banana Split and Moo-llennium Crunch. It also produces 25
to 30 “rotational” ice cream flavors, like Caramel Turtle Fudge, Strawberry Cheesecake
and Southern Blackberry Cobbler, which are released throughout the year. Also, a
variety of sherbets, frozen yogurts, low fat/low calorie and no-sugar-added products are
available. Blue Bell has a broad line of frozen snacks that come in cups, cones, on sticks
and in mini-sizes, available in 12- and 24-count packs. These products include Mooo
Bars, Mini Country Cones, Oatmeal Country Cookie and Dutch Chocolate and
Homemade Vanilla Cups.
Page Three
Aside from the main production facility, a smaller frozen snack plant is also located in
Brenham. In addition, Blue Bell has two other supporting production facilities, one in
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and one in Sylacauga, Alabama. The two plants provide
mainly half-gallon ice cream, in addition to other Blue Bell products such as pints, cups
and sherbet quarts, to the creamery’s northern and southeastern distribution areas.
Blue Bell handles every aspect of its ice cream business in house, running tight product
control from manufacturing through distribution to the retailer’s shelf. The production
process starts out with fresh milk brought in daily, blended with cream and sugar to make
an ice cream mix. Next, the mix is then pasteurized by being heated to 180 degrees F for
25 seconds. It is then quickly cooled, brought down to 40 degrees F, and homogenized to
create a smooth and creamy uniform consistency. Flavors, like strawberry or peppermint
(liquid flavorings), are blended in as the mix runs through continuous freezers.
Ingredients are added, like nuts, berries, bananas, fudge and peaches, just as the ice cream
is filled into cartons, spinning them for uniform filling. The ice cream then travels into a
hardening tunnel where the product is brought down to zero degrees F core temperature.
The finished ice cream is then palletized, stretch wrapped and inventoried into its
125,000 square-foot, cold-storage main warehouse with 13,000 pallet locations, where it
is kept at minus 18 degrees F (85,000 square feet of the warehouse is used for finished
products). Approximately 24,000 square feet is serviced by ASRS units handling 8,000
pallet locations.
Its ice cream is delivered from cold storage direct to retailers in 17 states - direct store
delivery (DSD). The company transports its products with its own delivery trucks to
retailers. Some of the product is first sent to one of the company’s 46 sub-distribution
facilities, using a fleet of its own 18-wheelers, where it is then put onto its own local
trucks that provide store-to-store delivery.
Page Four
The Problem with Blue Bell’s ASRS Controls
Blue Bell wanted to improve its ASRS accuracy and tracking speed, but also wanted to
improve its controls operability. The controls system was quite outdated, still using the
original PLCs that came with the ASRS units 19 years earlier. Added to the system was a
hodgepodge of other PLCs handling different functions on the ASRS units. Although the
system was still functioning, it was difficult to work with, time consuming to maintain
and would occasionally shut down causing production delays.
In the old system, the operator would direct the controls system to move the crane to a
specific X/Y coordinate where a pallet would be located. It required several different
keystrokes to execute a motion of the crane. To arrive at the exact location, and then
perform the various motions of loading or unloading the pallets required a multitude of
keystrokes. Training an operator was time consuming because of all the different
combinations of keystrokes that had to be learned.
Also, when selecting a pallet location, if the wrong keystroke combination was put in
then the ASRS would arrive at the wrong location. Considering that the ASRS had 8,000
pallet locations to select from, spread out over 24,000 square feet of floor space, a simple
keystroke mistake would add unnecessary time into the production flow.
“The original crane systems were using breadboard PLCs,” says Keeter J enkins, Systems
Designer with Blue Bell. “We were using keyboards and little black and white six-inch
monitors. We had difficulty getting into and out of the PLCs, and sometimes they would
lock up requiring re-booting.”
“Additionally, we were having major problems with our infrared units because the units
were obsolete,” continues J enkins. “The infrared units are what we use to communicate
with the warehouse database, which tells the operator where to place incoming pallets of
ice cream and where to retrieve pallets to be shipped. So, the decision was made in
Page Five
spring, 2006 to do a complete controls retrofit before something died on us, and we
would need to scramble to get it fixed.”
Controls Solution to Fit a Sub-Zero Environment
The controls upgrade was complicated by the sub-zero, minus 18 degree F temperature of
the warehouse where the ASRS equipment operates. Blue Bell’s ASRS are semi-
automated, with an operator that rides in a heated cab in the crane. But outside of that
cab the temperatures are extreme. The warehouse wind chill factor, radiating cold air
from the concrete walls and the massive refrigeration fans on the ceiling create a cold
wind that can exceed the ambient 18 degrees below zero. In some sections of the
facility, like the ice cream hardening tunnels, the wind chill factor is 100 degrees F below
zero.
Blue Bell brought in AWC Corp. to help configure a controls package, who then selected
a Siemens controls solution that was fitted to the sub-freezing environment and Blue
Bell’s application needs. “The solution encompassed a Siemens PLC and HMI that
would be located within the operator cabs, and a wireless remote and drives on the sub-
zero cab exterior,” says Brad Rosenhagen, Regional Director of AWC, responsible for
managing the company’s Engineering Success Assurance Team for the ASRS controls
installation. “The temperature was a concern, but not an insurmountable problem
because we knew we could put small heaters in the crane cabs.”
“Our engineering staff decided on a Siemens SIMATIC®S7-300 modular PLC
platform,” continues Rosenhagen. “The unit facilitates an integrated system solution in
both centralized and distributed architectures, and has the ability to integrate powerful
CPUs with industrial Ethernet/PROFINET interface. Siemens SCALANCE®industrial
Ethernet network components are also being utilized, which provide rugged connectivity,
reliable data communications and comprehensive diagnostics. This system is particularly
adapted to operating in Blue Bell’s harsh, sub-zero environment.”
Page Six
The system is also outfitted with a Siemens SCD 1297 operator HMI, based on the
Windows CE operating system. It has a fully graphics-capable 12-inch LCD display with
256 colors. Resolution is 320 x 240 pixels. Integrated MPI/DP interface and Ethernet
interface for operation at PROFINET and PROFIBUS. A multi media card slot enables
memory expansions for archives, recipes and backup and restore functions.
Improved Operability
Several significant improvements have come about from retrofitting the ASRS controls.
One is the reduced the time it takes to position and move the crane, and manipulate
pallets into and out of the storage racks.
Additionally, the speed of the touch screens over the old keyboard system has cut the
time considerably for each location decision executed by the crane operator. The time
has reduced by 66 percent, from 15 seconds to 5 seconds per decision. Considering the
cranes are running daily from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., this saves 90 minutes in command
efficiency per crane each day.
Training time on ASRS handling has also been diminished. Because the new system is
much more intuitive than the old one, Blue Bell operators can train a new person in one-
third the time. In just three days an operator can be trained and ready to run the crane on
his or her own, whereas before it would take two weeks of training. The new controls
have made their jobs much easier, less stressful, and much more efficient.
The new Siemens controls system not only enables optimized speed and precision with
Blue Bell’s ASRS positioning, it also provides a seamless integration of wireless
Ethernet, PLCs, touch panels and drives connected by a common functionality and
control capability. Even the inventory control program now talks directly to the Siemens
PLCs through wireless Ethernet. The once antiquated ASRS controls equipment with its
Page Seven
limited capabilities has now enabled the cranes to take on a new role as a highly
streamlined production asset for Blue Bell Creameries.
About Siemens
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens’ operating companies in the U.S.
Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation,
Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world’s broadest ranges of electrical and
electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market
customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management
systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation
solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and
turnkey industrial systems.
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is a global powerhouse in electrical engineering and electronics,
focusing on the three key sectors of healthcare, industry and energy. Founded 160 years
ago in Germany, Siemens AG reported sales of $96.6 billion in fiscal year 2007 (ended
September 30). Siemens today employs more than 470,000 people in some 190
countries. In the United States alone, Siemens had sales of over $25 billion (including
export sales), fueled largely by infrastructure projects and innovative solutions in the
industry areas of medical, automation and control, power, transportation and lighting.
Headquartered in New York City, Siemens in the U.S. employs nearly 72,000 people in
all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The U.S. is also home to the global headquarters of nine
of Siemens’ worldwide businesses. For more information on Siemens in the United
States, go to www.usa.siemens.com.
For more information on Siemens automation solutions please contact Siemens Energy &
Automation, Inc.; 5300 Triangle Parkway, Norcross, GA 30092; Phone 800-964-4114; or
visit their website at www.sea.siemens.com.
Page Eight
Blue Bell Creameries, which last year celebrated its 100
th
year anniversary, can be
reached by contacting J enny Anderson, Public Relations Coordinator; P.O. Box 1807,
Brenham, TX 77834; Phone 979-830-2180; email [email protected]; or visit
their website at www.bluebell.com.
###
Jim McMahon writes on industrial automation.
doc_910904737.pdf
Some companies will go to great lengths to get the most out of their machine controls, even if they are antiquated, difficult to program and high on maintenance. But there comes a time when cost efficiencies mandate that new controls be put in place. Upgrading and optimizing the controls system on equipment that has been in operation for some time can yield considerable benefits, turning an older piece of equipment into a streamlined asset, increasing speed of production, reducing maintenance, and lowering cost of ownership.
Contact:
Zebra Communications
805-955-0009
www.zebracom.net
Bl ue Bel l Cr eamer i es St r eaml i nes
Sub-Zer o Aut omat ed St or age and Ret r i eval
Equi pment w i t h I nt egr at ed Cont r ol s
Syst em by Si emens
Optimizing performance of Blue Bell’s automated storage
and retrieval equipment, Siemens turns the ice cream producer’s breadboard PLC
controls into a showpiece of smoothly integrated controls technology within
the company’s minus 18 degree F warehouse.
Some companies will go to great lengths to get the most out of their machine controls,
even if they are antiquated, difficult to program and high on maintenance. But there
comes a time when cost efficiencies mandate that new controls be put in place.
Upgrading and optimizing the controls system on equipment that has been in operation
for some time can yield considerable benefits, turning an older piece of equipment into a
streamlined asset, increasing speed of production, reducing maintenance, and lowering
cost of ownership.
This was the case with Blue Bell Creameries (Blue Bell), when in spring 2006, the time
had come to upgrade the control systems on the three automated storage and retrieval
systems (ASRS) used in its main production facility warehouse in Brenham, Texas.
Although the 19-year-old breadboard PLCs, old keyboards and six-inch HMI screens
were still functional on the ASRS units, Blue Bell opted to completely upgrade the
controls systems to improve the equipment’s performance, speed and efficiency. The ice
cream producer went a step further, however, and had a seamlessly integrated controls
system put in place, with wireless Ethernet, PLCs, touch panels and drives from Siemens.
The controls gave Blue Bell’s ASRS the needed speed and capability to precisely
Page Two
position pallets within the company’s main warehouse, even in minus 18 degree F
temperature.
From the Farm to the Store Shelf
Blue Bell considers itself the “Little Creamery in Brenham” because of its 100-year
heritage in a small Texas town, even though the company distributes its products across
17 southern states. In reality, however, Blue Bell is the number three ice cream brand in
the United States, available in 20 percent of the nation’s supermarkets. Although the
privately-held company keeps its production volumes close to the vest, it is not shy in
saying that it takes approximately 60,000 dairy cows to produce enough milk to meet
Blue Bell’s ice cream production needs for just one day.
The creamery opened its doors in 1907 as the Brenham Creamery Company, originally
to make butter from the excess cream brought in by area farmers. A few years later the
creamery began making ice cream and delivered it to neighbors by horse and wagon. In
1930, the company changed its name to Blue Bell Creameries. Today, Blue Bell no
longer produces butter, but it does make about 50 different varieties of ice cream and
many frozen snack items.
Its product line-up includes approximately 20 year-round ice cream flavors, such as
Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, Banana Split and Moo-llennium Crunch. It also produces 25
to 30 “rotational” ice cream flavors, like Caramel Turtle Fudge, Strawberry Cheesecake
and Southern Blackberry Cobbler, which are released throughout the year. Also, a
variety of sherbets, frozen yogurts, low fat/low calorie and no-sugar-added products are
available. Blue Bell has a broad line of frozen snacks that come in cups, cones, on sticks
and in mini-sizes, available in 12- and 24-count packs. These products include Mooo
Bars, Mini Country Cones, Oatmeal Country Cookie and Dutch Chocolate and
Homemade Vanilla Cups.
Page Three
Aside from the main production facility, a smaller frozen snack plant is also located in
Brenham. In addition, Blue Bell has two other supporting production facilities, one in
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and one in Sylacauga, Alabama. The two plants provide
mainly half-gallon ice cream, in addition to other Blue Bell products such as pints, cups
and sherbet quarts, to the creamery’s northern and southeastern distribution areas.
Blue Bell handles every aspect of its ice cream business in house, running tight product
control from manufacturing through distribution to the retailer’s shelf. The production
process starts out with fresh milk brought in daily, blended with cream and sugar to make
an ice cream mix. Next, the mix is then pasteurized by being heated to 180 degrees F for
25 seconds. It is then quickly cooled, brought down to 40 degrees F, and homogenized to
create a smooth and creamy uniform consistency. Flavors, like strawberry or peppermint
(liquid flavorings), are blended in as the mix runs through continuous freezers.
Ingredients are added, like nuts, berries, bananas, fudge and peaches, just as the ice cream
is filled into cartons, spinning them for uniform filling. The ice cream then travels into a
hardening tunnel where the product is brought down to zero degrees F core temperature.
The finished ice cream is then palletized, stretch wrapped and inventoried into its
125,000 square-foot, cold-storage main warehouse with 13,000 pallet locations, where it
is kept at minus 18 degrees F (85,000 square feet of the warehouse is used for finished
products). Approximately 24,000 square feet is serviced by ASRS units handling 8,000
pallet locations.
Its ice cream is delivered from cold storage direct to retailers in 17 states - direct store
delivery (DSD). The company transports its products with its own delivery trucks to
retailers. Some of the product is first sent to one of the company’s 46 sub-distribution
facilities, using a fleet of its own 18-wheelers, where it is then put onto its own local
trucks that provide store-to-store delivery.
Page Four
The Problem with Blue Bell’s ASRS Controls
Blue Bell wanted to improve its ASRS accuracy and tracking speed, but also wanted to
improve its controls operability. The controls system was quite outdated, still using the
original PLCs that came with the ASRS units 19 years earlier. Added to the system was a
hodgepodge of other PLCs handling different functions on the ASRS units. Although the
system was still functioning, it was difficult to work with, time consuming to maintain
and would occasionally shut down causing production delays.
In the old system, the operator would direct the controls system to move the crane to a
specific X/Y coordinate where a pallet would be located. It required several different
keystrokes to execute a motion of the crane. To arrive at the exact location, and then
perform the various motions of loading or unloading the pallets required a multitude of
keystrokes. Training an operator was time consuming because of all the different
combinations of keystrokes that had to be learned.
Also, when selecting a pallet location, if the wrong keystroke combination was put in
then the ASRS would arrive at the wrong location. Considering that the ASRS had 8,000
pallet locations to select from, spread out over 24,000 square feet of floor space, a simple
keystroke mistake would add unnecessary time into the production flow.
“The original crane systems were using breadboard PLCs,” says Keeter J enkins, Systems
Designer with Blue Bell. “We were using keyboards and little black and white six-inch
monitors. We had difficulty getting into and out of the PLCs, and sometimes they would
lock up requiring re-booting.”
“Additionally, we were having major problems with our infrared units because the units
were obsolete,” continues J enkins. “The infrared units are what we use to communicate
with the warehouse database, which tells the operator where to place incoming pallets of
ice cream and where to retrieve pallets to be shipped. So, the decision was made in
Page Five
spring, 2006 to do a complete controls retrofit before something died on us, and we
would need to scramble to get it fixed.”
Controls Solution to Fit a Sub-Zero Environment
The controls upgrade was complicated by the sub-zero, minus 18 degree F temperature of
the warehouse where the ASRS equipment operates. Blue Bell’s ASRS are semi-
automated, with an operator that rides in a heated cab in the crane. But outside of that
cab the temperatures are extreme. The warehouse wind chill factor, radiating cold air
from the concrete walls and the massive refrigeration fans on the ceiling create a cold
wind that can exceed the ambient 18 degrees below zero. In some sections of the
facility, like the ice cream hardening tunnels, the wind chill factor is 100 degrees F below
zero.
Blue Bell brought in AWC Corp. to help configure a controls package, who then selected
a Siemens controls solution that was fitted to the sub-freezing environment and Blue
Bell’s application needs. “The solution encompassed a Siemens PLC and HMI that
would be located within the operator cabs, and a wireless remote and drives on the sub-
zero cab exterior,” says Brad Rosenhagen, Regional Director of AWC, responsible for
managing the company’s Engineering Success Assurance Team for the ASRS controls
installation. “The temperature was a concern, but not an insurmountable problem
because we knew we could put small heaters in the crane cabs.”
“Our engineering staff decided on a Siemens SIMATIC®S7-300 modular PLC
platform,” continues Rosenhagen. “The unit facilitates an integrated system solution in
both centralized and distributed architectures, and has the ability to integrate powerful
CPUs with industrial Ethernet/PROFINET interface. Siemens SCALANCE®industrial
Ethernet network components are also being utilized, which provide rugged connectivity,
reliable data communications and comprehensive diagnostics. This system is particularly
adapted to operating in Blue Bell’s harsh, sub-zero environment.”
Page Six
The system is also outfitted with a Siemens SCD 1297 operator HMI, based on the
Windows CE operating system. It has a fully graphics-capable 12-inch LCD display with
256 colors. Resolution is 320 x 240 pixels. Integrated MPI/DP interface and Ethernet
interface for operation at PROFINET and PROFIBUS. A multi media card slot enables
memory expansions for archives, recipes and backup and restore functions.
Improved Operability
Several significant improvements have come about from retrofitting the ASRS controls.
One is the reduced the time it takes to position and move the crane, and manipulate
pallets into and out of the storage racks.
Additionally, the speed of the touch screens over the old keyboard system has cut the
time considerably for each location decision executed by the crane operator. The time
has reduced by 66 percent, from 15 seconds to 5 seconds per decision. Considering the
cranes are running daily from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., this saves 90 minutes in command
efficiency per crane each day.
Training time on ASRS handling has also been diminished. Because the new system is
much more intuitive than the old one, Blue Bell operators can train a new person in one-
third the time. In just three days an operator can be trained and ready to run the crane on
his or her own, whereas before it would take two weeks of training. The new controls
have made their jobs much easier, less stressful, and much more efficient.
The new Siemens controls system not only enables optimized speed and precision with
Blue Bell’s ASRS positioning, it also provides a seamless integration of wireless
Ethernet, PLCs, touch panels and drives connected by a common functionality and
control capability. Even the inventory control program now talks directly to the Siemens
PLCs through wireless Ethernet. The once antiquated ASRS controls equipment with its
Page Seven
limited capabilities has now enabled the cranes to take on a new role as a highly
streamlined production asset for Blue Bell Creameries.
About Siemens
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens’ operating companies in the U.S.
Headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga., Siemens Energy & Automation,
Inc. manufactures and markets one of the world’s broadest ranges of electrical and
electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market
customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management
systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation
solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and
turnkey industrial systems.
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is a global powerhouse in electrical engineering and electronics,
focusing on the three key sectors of healthcare, industry and energy. Founded 160 years
ago in Germany, Siemens AG reported sales of $96.6 billion in fiscal year 2007 (ended
September 30). Siemens today employs more than 470,000 people in some 190
countries. In the United States alone, Siemens had sales of over $25 billion (including
export sales), fueled largely by infrastructure projects and innovative solutions in the
industry areas of medical, automation and control, power, transportation and lighting.
Headquartered in New York City, Siemens in the U.S. employs nearly 72,000 people in
all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The U.S. is also home to the global headquarters of nine
of Siemens’ worldwide businesses. For more information on Siemens in the United
States, go to www.usa.siemens.com.
For more information on Siemens automation solutions please contact Siemens Energy &
Automation, Inc.; 5300 Triangle Parkway, Norcross, GA 30092; Phone 800-964-4114; or
visit their website at www.sea.siemens.com.
Page Eight
Blue Bell Creameries, which last year celebrated its 100
th
year anniversary, can be
reached by contacting J enny Anderson, Public Relations Coordinator; P.O. Box 1807,
Brenham, TX 77834; Phone 979-830-2180; email [email protected]; or visit
their website at www.bluebell.com.
###
Jim McMahon writes on industrial automation.
doc_910904737.pdf