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From Lab to Full Manufacturing…<br>in the Middle of a Pandemic

From Lab to Full Manufacturing…
in the Middle of a Pandemic

Our global single-use, flexible manufacturing client was ready to scale their process to a new, larger facility and we were just getting ready to start installation and commissioning – all when the pandemic hit. A large number of skids, from all over the world, were standing by, ready to be integrated with DeltaV. Proconex reorganized its process to provide a single automation/validation team, including project management, engineering, and commissioning to get the job done, on time and within budget, despite a nearly impossible logistics challenge.

Typically, the skids do not get integrated until they physically get to the manufacturing site, where factory acceptance testing would normally occur in person. Due to COVID, we created an open VPN to connect everything together, while leaving the skids in their various global locations. Proconex custom-built a secure network to simulate the manufacturing process and test everything in a live setting. To our knowledge, this was the first time something like this was done, ever!
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Over the past year or so, a lot of very smart people and organizations have been working hard at accelerating the use of technology in manufacturing—not just Proconex and Emerson, but also NIIMBL, The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing; NAMUR, the User Association of Automation Technology in Process Industries; and BioPhorum, a global collaboration of biopharmaceutical industry leaders—to name a few. They all came together about two years ago, culminating in a ‘proof of concept’ that included an open VPN and point-to-point router, put together by a team that included Proconex. When the challenge of our client became clear, we immediately thought to put what was originally a demonstration to the test—and it worked, beautifully!
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Virtual Becomes the New ‘FAT’ Normal

Virtual Becomes the New ‘FAT’ Normal

The client and the vendors were very appreciative of our creativity and fortitude to get the job done. From the Proconex perspective, it helped us keep the project on schedule and perform Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) virtually. From now on, we will make our virtual VPN an option on every project we undertake. There were huge savings by practically eliminating the travel. Furthermore, this approach reduced the risk of something not working and therefore delaying the schedule. The sooner you find any issues, the less time and cost to fix it. According to one skid manufacturer, “Thank you to the Proconex superheroes for making this happen.” 

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