Industrial automation: 12 common mistakes plant managers make

In the rush to complete their industrial automation projects, plant managers make the same mistakes over and over again. When these mistakes happen, they inevitably cause major headaches, cost overruns and schedule delays that result in reduced business productivity.

In this sense, we have prepared this document with 12 of the most common mistakes that plant managers make in their industrial automation projects, so that you can try to avoid them at all costs:

• 1. Limit the participation of the entire company. The most common mistake is to limit participation in the project. Not giving access to a diversity of people within the organisation can be counterproductive. In fact, plant managers who have allowed input from across the company have been surprised at the quality of the ideas that some operators can contribute. This makes implementation much easier and less costly, because this project planning information can be developed from the outset.
• 2. Never take on anything without first considering different scenarios. The mistakes most frequently made in industrial automation projects occur during the definition phase, just when you think everything will be easy to do, for example, that the motors just need to move from point A to B with synchronised speed, and then, during the installation phase, when you route the signal cables along with the power cables and shielding, you simply forget. This causes all sorts of strange equipment behaviour later on, when it is difficult to locate the source of the problem.
• 3. Leave the integrator aside. You should not select or purchase equipment based on the recommendations of a specific supplier before contracting an industrial automation systems integrator to make them work. Instead, hire the integrator to do the design and programme and start the system. In the end, it won't cost any more. The time you spend in the field getting a combination of components to work together is extremely inefficient compared to implementing a system with devices designed to work together. An experienced systems integrator inherently designs a system to meet a customer's requirements, while minimising the time it takes the integrator to deliver it.
• 4. Do not copy and paste. People do not make mistakes when planning industrial automation projects, but mistakes are planned. This is because most machines are sold before they are fully developed and rely on the experience of previous projects using a copy-and-paste approach to complete them on time. The consequence of this common strategy is that you automatically abandon the perfect solution for one that is good enough. The tragedy is that, with careful accounting, the difference between a white sheet design (starting with a new platform that commonly comes with an "App Store") is much faster than the copy/paste/act strategy. It also retains more customers because the adoption curve is much faster for machines with more "canned" features.
• 5. Lack of communication. One of the most common mistakes in industrial automation projects is the lack of communication with both the end user and the technical staff. If a machine doesn't make your job easier, you will find a way to make your system do what you want it to do, even if it causes other problems. If you don't consider the technical staff, repairs or adjustments will be met with resentment and most likely extended downtime.
• 6. Ignoring the signs. Not paying attention to the signals and incorrect use of I/O peripheral handling can cause serious damage to the equipment and ultimately cause more downtime. When two machines need to work together, it is essential to use proper signals to avoid damage to the cell or machine. Circumventing safety is another cause of problems. Design cells so that workers cannot bypass safety measures.
• 7. Experts on the inside. In-house expertise is essential to the success of any industrial automation project. Integrators build good machines and systems, but when implemented in the plant environment, it is in-house expertise that turns a good system into a great system.
• 8. Have a plan for change. When designing or budgeting for industrial automation projects, there is usually a clear objective or list of things that need to happen. But you also need to plan for the unexpected. Something will always come up later that needs to be added. To cover this, always add a 20% to the overall project budget. Also, additional checks or sensors may be needed later, so make sure you have additional I/O peripherals or at least the flexibility to expand the I/O if needed.
• 9. Make a list of facts. After initial implementation, get agreement from everyone on the list of items to be updated. That includes operators, technicians and production management. People may disagree on what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.
• 10. Can a machine do the job? If the industrial automation project is based on replacing labour, you will first need to understand the totality of what is being done manually. You may need to go back to the drawing board if a machine cannot do what an operator has been doing.
• 11. Limit access to the programme. You can always conduct a briefing after commissioning to familiarise all personnel who may be involved with setpoint changes, principles of operation, etc., but you should use password protection to allow setpoint changes only within a specific range. Never allow full access to program changes.
• 12. Ban encryption from day 1. Automation engineers love to solve the problems on their desk. So, what you should do is prohibit the use of coding software until the entire scope is clear and locked down, the deliverable has been broken down into manageable chunks (Work Breakdown Structure) and everyone knows what tasks and objectives are ahead of them.

If you are interested in starting up industrial automation projects, we invite you to find out which are the most important ones. 15 strategies for proper energy management in industrial plants, as well as to subscribe to our NewsletterThe newsletter will provide you with the best practices to achieve positive results within your plant.