From Switchgears to a Plant Floor Modernization Project
COMPANY PROFILE
An agricultural business that operates a regional railroad and farms sugarcane, citrus products and vegetables.
TECHNICAL SITUATION
The company had purchased an older refinery and needed to modernize the plant floor to bring it up to current standards for production, maintenance and safe operations. As part of this modernization project, the company was planning to install a new process line. This would include putting in new centrifuges and upgrading a substation with two 4,000-amp switchboards. When company representatives asked for an initial quote on just the switchboards, they sent the technical drawings to their McNaughton-McKay account manager. McNaughton-McKay’s Services and Solutions team identified more products that McNaughton-McKay could supply, including MV switches, LV switchboards and several Motor Control Centers (MCCs).
BUSINESS SITUATION
The company would be upgrading and redoing 30% of the plant. This modernization would expand the refinery’s production capabilities and make the operations compliant with current safety standards. Communication challenges emerged while planning the installation of the new equipment. The company had commissioned equipment from overseas, which delayed and changed some of the technical information. However, the refinery still needed the new equipment to be installed in a very strict timeframe to enable further expansion.
SOLUTION
McNaughton-McKay leveraged strong communication and partner relationships to provide timely solutions specific to the installation. Rockwell Automation’s short turnaround time on the MCCs and a local partner’s ability to custom-build the switchboards to exactly fit the new specifications and then deliver the switchboards directly to the facility helped get the new process line installed on time. Additionally, the customer commissioned McNaughton-McKay for a SCADA migration (Wonderware to FactoryTalk® Optix™) and safety relay update to optimize their industrial control system. These results meant that the installation met the demands of the situation, was completed within the timeframe, and solidly established McNaughton-McKay as a reliable solutions provider.
BENEFITS
The initial stage of the upgrade was completed within the given timeline. The ROI for this company was having the new equipment in place in time to prepare for the next stage of the plant expansion. While the overall modernization is still in progress, it has already led to more opportunities for McNaughton-McKay to provide needed services and solutions. The company is currently considering a similar SCADA development at another refinery.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES USED
- McNaughton-McKay’s Service and Solutions Team
- MV switches
- Low-voltage switchboards
- Rockwell Automation® MCCs
- FactoryTalk® Optix™