As energy becomes more costly and product quality and food safety increasingly critical, integrating energy management, clean-in-place (CIP), process and environmental controls is becoming more practical and economical as digital controls provide the linking together of these systems—if not directly, then by making them available on the same device for operators and managers.
This article looks at the potential benefits of integrating energy management, process control and HVAC systems into a loosely or tightly coupled plant-wide system that improves product quality and saves energy as well. It provides some practical pointers on integrating these systems and what food or beverage facilities can expect from this linking together of systems.