Ciba Specialty Chemicals chooses GE Fanuc’s batch execution software

Each of the manufacturing units has its own central operator area, with twin-head displays for batch execution running on Proficy HMI/SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) – managing 10 process lines, each with its own batch server, and 15 iFix client displays on the shop floor. “The legacy recipe system was developed in-house and the control system used commercial software that was no longer supported... GE Fanuc’s Proficy batch execution ensures the repeatable recipe consistency, with a multiple batch server front end enabling us to control the individual operations all from a central control room,” says Alan Sanderson, control engineering manager at the plant. “It offered us flexibility and, by working in a graphical environment, ensured ease of development,” he adds. “It also minimised our database as we can interrogate the current readings of any piece of process hardware by clicking on its icon: the software automatically accesses the real-time data via a remote OPC server, without it being captured on the database.”