The new system reduces errors by removing hand calculations from the equation.
When 92-year-old beer manufacturer Spoetzl Brewery decided to expand its production facility in Shiner, Texas, it also decided to develop a PC-based HMI/SCADA system for the facility that incorporates National Instruments Lookout software. The new system is used for three areas of operations -- the facility's filter areas, expanded tank farm, and support areas, including utilities, ammonia, purified water, CO2 and water.
The company currently produces 11,200 cases of beer per day, and routinely tests its product in the lab for air, clarity and haze. Prior to the expansion, Spoetzl brewed beer through a process of hand calculation that left considerable room for error. Considering that it needed to control the temperature of the brew process as closely as 0.25 degrees F, Spoetzl needed a more efficient way to track its historical process and ensure it produced the best quality beer possible.