Miller Magazine Issue: 116 August 2019

54 COVER STORY MILLER / AUGUST 2019 -Safety is increased by keeping operations out of harms way -Availability historical data, as well as real-time operational data In many countries, medium or small-scale facilities continue to operate manually. Is every plant suitable for automation? What can you tell us about the costs of automation systems? What is the payback period of these systems? In my view, even in the third world and developing coun- tries where labor costs are low, automation is needed to increase safety, improve production, and plant optimization. However, the level of automation could differ. In America and other developed countries , we have achieved a “lights out” fully automated operations that only require a minimum amount of maintenance personnel. The cost for automa- tion control systems varies from 18-25% of the total budget based on size and sophistication. In today’s connected world, with VNP, one can control and support the plant an- ywhere 24/7. Kice Automation has installed systems to many lead- ing milling plants. What feedback have you received from your costumers? We continue to see growth in our business and contin- ue to grow our team. Customers are key to our progress, and I take their comments very seriously. Overall, we have received positive feedback from our customers, and some of them even refer us to other clients. Having a better un- derstanding of the milling process and operations than other providers, better service, and support structure are the ena- blers that have driven our growth. Automation is a technology-driven business, and we stra- tegically align our business to keep up with new develop- ments and deliver systems that meet our customer needs, while utilizing the technology that makes them efficient and nimble. What are the qualities and characteristics that make you different from your rivals? How do your solutions put forward your customers in the milling industry where there is strong competition? - Listening to our customer needs, understanding the business model and striving to exceed their expectations - Paying attention to detail - Designing a solution and deploying technologies that make our customer efficient - User-friendly interface - Pre-startup simulation with the customer to iron out any issues - 24/7 remote support with 30 min. return call - Our belief in relationship building and connecting with our customers - Last but not least, Kice has over a sixty-year history in the milling industry, and our “in house” Process Group are the key to us better understanding the milling process. What can you say about the innovations and solu- tions that you have brought to the milling industry? There are a number of new technologies that we have implemented in this industry in the past year or so, such as: - Ethernet-enabled (Smart) MCC’s, which has these ad- vantages: a) Increased Safety – An operator can clear faults and monitor statuses without going into the MCC room. b) Reduced Installation costs. c) More diagnostic and performance data available. d) Reduced downtime with replacing units. - Enhanced production reporting and data to measure plant performance quickly and precisely. - Tracking of products throughout the process. - Implementation of “Thin” HMI Clients – Allows quick and easy replacement of units. - Migration of legacy automation systems to the newer and updated control systems. Could you tell us about any recent technological in- vestments you made? They say there is no “I” in the word team. So, I’ll start by saying, my team has developed software that tracks prod- uct through production. We have also developed a way to better present plant KPI data quickly and accurately in re- al-time. We are training our engineers on networking tech- niques so we can deploy ethernet enabled systems with the highest availability. With the development of technology, the era of self-determining and self-assessing production facili- ties, in which all components of machinery communi- cate with each other, is starting. Global digitalization is progressing rapidly. What do you think about future mills? How will new technologies and innovations affect production processes in the future? The convergence of IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) opens a great opportunity for every- one involved. The convergence of business systems with plant-wide / site-wide automation systems provides for more tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs), regulatory compliance (e.g., genealogy and track and trace), as well as supply chain management if needed. The industrial automa- tion and IT groups, who previously had little interaction, are now collaborating to share standards, best practices, inno- vations, security policies, procedures, and technology. Do you think that the milling sector will be able to