Process and Data Automation is an industrial controls and industrial controls-related data integration firm. We specialize in systems that are designed to help manufacturers improve the efficiency, productivity, and (ultimately) profitability within their systems and organizations.

We partner with end customers, A&E and Design-Build firms, and equipment OEMs to enhance the operation of their equipment and organizations.

Take a moment to reflect upon how things are done in or surrounding your operation. We can help you improve any situation where strict process control is a must or where process control systems meet other information systems in your manufacturing process.

Effective storage and management of equipment/process setup data is an integral part of the manufacturing process. Many organizations have centralized systems that hold tolerance and standards information. Many organizations have tightly controlled processing systems and equipment. Process and Data Automation has extensive experience in making the connections between these worlds. Whether this type of setup information is already available or you need a solution that provides this function, Process and Data Automation can help. Our experience in this field includes:

• Infrastructure development/linking of processing lines and equipment to enable mass setup of related devices.
• Automatic recipe/profile loading of process equipment based on event, operator input, or barcode scan.
• Local and remote recipe/profile data storage.

Industrial control systems are the core of our business at Process and Data Automation. We combine our technical training/skills, our general understanding of manufacturing, and our field experience to link our customers with real, productive solutions. Typical Process and Data Automation projects and customers take advantage of the following:

• Extensive PLC experience with Allen Bradley, Modicon, Koyo/PLC Direct, GE, Bristol Babcock, Idec, Mitsubishi and Siemens controllers.
• PC based control with AB Softlogix, National Instrument’s LabView, and SoftPLC.
• Local or plant wide Human Machine Interface (HMI): RSView, Iconics Genesis, Intellution iFix and Fix32, Wonderware, Citect and National Instrument’s LabView.
• Factory floor networking (DeviceNet, Interbus S, industrial Ethernet, and more).
• Motion control system programming (stand-alone and as part of larger systems).
• Turnkey UL control panel design and fabrication.

Collection of real plant data is a vital step in managing a modern manufacturing organization. Whether data is collected for use in internal monitoring and process improvement or if it's required by your customers, a link to floor equipment is a must. We provide solutions that give you accurate data from the same sources that dictate decisions within your process: from your production equipment. Since this collection can be done automatically, operators are not burdened to gather, input, and/or transcribe data to your repository. Furthermore, information is available immediately so problems can be identified and corrected when a problem exists, not when it is realized after a full day of incorrect production. Typical activities in this project area include:

• Automated collection of process data via direct interface to factory floor control equipment: single station or plant-wide.
• Standard collection tools including HMI tools, Visual Basic, VBA, MS Access, and more. Storage to MS SQL, Oracle, MS Access or any ODBC compliant database.
• Save and search records by operator, date, batch ID, customer ID, and more.
• Retrieval systems that allow for supplemental entry fields connected to automatically collected information.
• Network infrastructure development for plant-wide collection systems.

Decision makers on every level use tools to make business decisions. These decisions can be as minor as a set point adjustment on a piece of floor equipment or as major as deciding to double plant capacity based on production requirements. Today, these decisions are made with the assistance of powerful software tools. Process and Data Automation helps decision makers extract the right data in the proper format for individuals on all levels. Project work in this area can include:

• Analysis packages to constantly monitor plant metrics:
  • Factory floor efficiencies
  • Equipment utilization information
  • Inventory disappearance/finished goods information
  • Predictive maintenance information
  • SPC
• WIP tracking.
• Web-internet-intranet solutions:
  • Data warehousing and retrieval
  • Remote monitoring and control
  • MES interface

Manufacturing organizations are constantly evolving, continually adapting to the needs of customers, skills and talents of internal staff, environmental considerations, and more. Change often comes as a result of a long-term, concerted group effort rather than a quick, massive capital change. While Process and Data Automation specializes in the implementation of capital improvement projects, we are also effective partners to companies who need technical augmentation to achieve their desired improvements.

We can help you prepare, plan for, implement, and maintain your own automated systems with the following services:

• Long-term automation planning.
  • Site surveys and equipment/system identification.
  • Purchasing and/or project specification development.
  • Instrumentation specification/index development and maintenance.
• Operator and maintenance training programs (University level instructors on-staff).
• 24-7 availability for support and emergency troubleshooting.

670 West 36th Street
Erie, PA 16508
United States

Phone: 814-866-9600
Fax: 814-866-9700