Intelligent building automation system and SCADA in Proton
https://ilokabenneth.blogspot.com/2013/11/intelligent-building-automation-system.html
Name of author (s): Iloka Benneth Chiemelie
Date published: 26 / 11/ 2013
Introduction
|
In the light of the above discussion, this research is designed to understand the recent information system adopted in Proton automobile Malaysia. Being a telecommunications company, one would expected that a number of information systems must have been adopted by the company and this paper is designed to conduct a review of these information systems as well as understand the level of success from such adoption with a measured recommendation to be provided at the end of the paper.
1. Background
of Proton
The foundation for establishing proton was conceived
by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who
also went on to launch the Perusahaan Otomobil National (Proton) in 1983.
Proton manufactures, assembles and sell motor vehicles and related products,
including accessories, spare parts and other components. By 1985, a history was
made in the Proton world as the auto-maker achieved its main objectives to
build a national car by launching the Proton Saga (MPI). It is the first
locally made vehicle in Malaysia, and is still available for sale in both
Malaysia and other parts of the world today (Proton, 2011).
Figure 1: First proton car (Proton Saga MPI) and Logo
Source as adapted from: Proton (2011)
Following the launch of Saga, Proton automobiles have been made available in over 50 countries, with the main markets as: the UK, Australia, Singapore and the Far East. Proton’s main and first plant, with 99,400 sq m, is located at Shah Alam a close proximity with Kuala Lumpur. This plan also houses the engine and transmission factory, a casting plant, R&D center and a semi-high speed test track (Proton 2010).
Proton presently houses over 6, 000 personnel in its workforce, and acquired 100% of Lotus share in 2003 – which is a measure steps towards upgrading its engineering. Since the acquisition, lotus engineers have been collaborating with Proton in its new product designs, under the Lotus team that is permanently based at the design and development center in Malaysia (Proton 2010). Its model line-up includes the Waja, Satria GTi, Wira, Iswara, Arena, Perdana V6 and Juara. The products offerings are as illustrated below
Figure 2: Proton’s products
1.1.
Proton’s overall mission statement
Proton’s mission is to strive towards excellence in
all aspects of proton’s operations. The company also conceives the importance
of promoting and protecting the health and safety of its employees and ensures
that the environment is unharmed (Proton 2011).
Proton’s latest achievements
1. Proton Exora Best MPV – Overall Value-for-Money CIMB Autoworld Car of
the Year Awards 2010
|
4. Proton Saga Best People’s Car Asian Auto – Auto Industry Awards 2011
|
2. Proton Inspira Best Value-for-Money Family Car Asian Auto – Auto
Industry Awards 2011
|
5. Gold Award for Car Category Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand 2011
|
3. Quality Management Excellence Award
MITI Industry Excellence
Awar
|
6. Proton Persona Value-for-Money Car of the Year (1.3L and above) Frost
& Sullivan Malaysia Excellence Awards 2011
|
2. Technological
system background
Considering the growing need for increased awareness
as a means of providing best automation technology, inCONTROL Tech Sdn. Bhd
(previously known as VA TECH SAT Sdn Bhd) has for long been a proven source of
leading technology automation across the world (iNcontrolTech, 2012). With
their previous background in providing solution to some of the top car brands
in Europe, the brand has now focused its attention in Malaysia’s own car
industry with Proton being the centre of attention at its Tanjung Plant in
Perak.
Proton has entrusted iTEC with the task of making available and also supporting the system for an integrated Building Automation System (BAS) and Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition System (SCADA), in the course of implementing the best product solution for increased quality delivery in the Proton automobile plant. The scope of the work is built around a system that features design, supply, installation, testing and actual commissioning of both the system as well as integrating the system to have a more precise and dual view of the plant form the completing flat TCP/IP-based architecture which forms the functionality of the designed system (iNcontrolTech, 2012). Together with other features, the system is built to comprise of process controllers with the peripheral I/O modules, a third part system (which is integrated with the BAS/SCADA) as featured above a high-level communication interface and Man Machine Interface (MMI) systems.
Basically, the system is designed to automate all activities in the firm from cooling room, to parking, operations management and monitoring operations. In order to reduce the associated time as well as energy waste of running such a big plant, the company implemented this system to oversee all operations within the plant and control all operations with the click of a button from the control room (iNcontrolTech, 2012). For instance, the system can detected where the air-conditioners are still on in the plant following closure and off the air-conditioner from the control room without having to go to the room and do such function automatically. It can also alert employees for any given program such as meeting once the time is up via a speaker unit that is also connected to all sections of the plant (both interior and exterior). The system can also present an analysis of energy consumption in the plant as well as the section that is consumer the most energy, together with the particular system that influences such energy consumption (such as water heater, air-conditioner, etc.) and use such analysis to determine how the energy consumption will be reduced.
Even in the absence of the system operator, the control unit can be automated via a time function to one any of the appliance in the plant at any given time or turn such appliance off once the set time has been reached. Thus, it automates all process of running the company with the view of reducing energy consumption (eco-friendly) and overall operations cost of the company.
3. Implementation
process
The back-borne of this system communication is the
high-sped fibre optics network that it functions with. There is a virtual LAN
which is configured to a communication between the PLC unit within each of the
building and the control located in the Energy Centre (iNcontrolTech, 2012).
These features are very important especially when the end client is in demand
of an uninterrupted and high-speed communication in order to maintain the full
management of the whole plant form the control network. The control and
monitoring function is performed in the operations and control room with the
aid of four different workstations.
Out of these four work stations, two of them act as the BAS server and the electrical server for providing needed energy supply to the system. The other two workstations serve as the clients for the respective servers. In any case, under the right authorization, both of the functions can actually be accessed at any of the given workstation.
The system also boosts a distributed control function with two PLC units that are placed at each end of the main building. The first of such PLC unit is used as the controller for both the mechanical functions while the second PLC server as the substation for providing electricity needed for the functioning of the SCADA.
The system is designed with a seamless integration of
equipment over differing sets of protocols which are implemented by the PLC
without any need for a third party protocol converter (iNcontrolTech, 2012).
The systems own proprietary protocols are sued for the communicating
functionalities via the numerous relays for the electrical network. Most of the
other subsystems like the lightning system and wastewater management are also
integrated into the system communication via the MODBUS as shown in the figure
below.
Figure 3: system typology
Source as adapted from: iNcontrolTech (2012).
An extended remote I/O module is placed in each of the building. The remote I/O modules are then extended to the reach of the entire PLC unit. Each of the PLC units are then supported with up to extended 16 remote I/O module and each of these modules handle up to 150 hardware signals (in the form of digital input and output, and also analog input and output) (iNcontrolTech, 2012). The configuration is used for the purpose of reducing hardware that are needed to automate the whole building.
In the view of the functions that the system is designed to perform as it related to analysing all activities in the plant, coordinating processes and securing the entire environment, the base typology design is based on the view of how the entire plant can be control within a specific location without the need for numerous hardware that can come with higher maintenance cost as well as prone to attacks or mishandling form the staffs (iNcontrolTech, 2012). The streamline and sleek design is basically a clear demonstration of what the system environment looks like and how efficiency and effective is enhanced in the client’s based view. The fact that the entire plant can be controlled from a specific unit is the key design that Proton envisaged in order to have full authority over how activities and processes as undertaken in the plant as well as control operations that comes with negative features to the plant.
4.
Impact of the system on the plant
Impact of the system on the plant
Authorization and automation is the main feature that
the system is designed to perform and it combines this feature with security
and backup settings that allows the company to handle issues while they are
still at the infancy stage. Since installation, the system has been able to
provide the company with a number of beneficial features as discussed below.
4.1 Full control of the plant operation – the system monitors all activities within the plant, both on and off work period, reporting real-life data that are hosted in cloud and that can be accessed outside of the control room with the right password. Such a comprehensive approach to management ensure that the company is able to control the activities within its plants, preventing potential dangers before they occur and ensure that the workforce as protected. By automation, the system has provided needed freer when it comes to integrated management as it reduced employment need with a subsequent reduction in employment expenses, which yield increase in profitability of the company (iNcontrolTech, 2012). Full automation means that efficiency and effectiveness is also ensured as the workforce will now focus on their job undertaking while knowing that the system will handle other side activities that will influence their overall productivity such as heating and cooling of systems in the course of their job undertaking or alerting them on what to do and what to avoid. Thus, this automation process has been a huge success in the way that the company goes about undertaking its business process.
4.2 Reduced operation cost – from the control room, the client can manage all the systems in all the rooms by powering on or off any given system at the desired time or even setting the time when the system will be powered on or off automatically (iNcontrolTech, 2012). On that accord, the systems are turned on only when they are needed and it reduced the cost associated with situation that can arise with some of these systems (e.g. lightning or air-conditioners) being turned on even when the workers have gone as is obtainable in a manual setting. This is possible in the manual setting because the plant is huge and becomes very difficult to actually control all the system by moving around the building to turn them off individually (iNcontrolTech, 2012). Thus, the new automated building system provides the company with opportunity to manage the functionality of its system while reducing operations costs in the process. This is very effective as it can be because the automation still functions even when the controller is not in the control room. For instance, the controller can set a timer for a given appliance in a given location within the plant. This means that once the time set has been reached, the machine will automatically turn on or off without requiring further attention of the controller.
4.3 Enhance waste management system – the new system is capable of monitoring the inflow and outflow of water within the plant, controlling the water settings in whatever way the company deems to be more efficient. Additionally, the system comes with inbuilt water treatment plants that corrects all used water in their right settings and treats some of them as necessary, then resupply them for usage in the company. Such a setting is ensuring reduced operations costs because re-using the water will reduce the overall cost of making use fresh water at every point in time (iNcontrolTech, 2012). Additionally, this is an eco-friendly feature that needs to be applauded because the world is currently facing huge climate change, thus creating the needs for companies to adopt sustainable production process that doesn’t put raw materials into danger of extinction in supply. Thus, reusing water means that the company is working directly towards creating sustainable environment for the future generation.
4.4 Allows for direct monitoring of employees performance and protecting the employees across the plant – the system is fitted with CCTVs in all nukes and cranes of the plant, offering the system control the needed opportunity for real-life control of all activities that are taking place within the system and this is significant because it offers the company needed autonomy to manage how employees are performing by monitoring them via the CCTV, identifying issues faced by the employees in the process of undertaking their job setting as well as providing needed solutions to handle these issues (iNcontrolTech, 2012). Additionally, it protects employees from potential dangers such as sexual harassment and other assaults that can take place within the plant as CCTVs allows the system control to have a diagonal view of all activities taking place in the plant, reporting those that pose danger and thus protecting the employees in the process by offering much needed handle when they face issues within the plant.
4.5 Offers management support – the system is capable of generating a real-life and comprehensive report of energy usage and source of waste in the plant, thus providing the management with information that can aid their decision making process in the company. For instance, the manager can actually determine where the energy usage is coming from, filter usage based on volume and then understand issue that might be significantly causing high energy usage within a specific location, and finally draft a plan for reducing such usage level in order to offer the company higher energy efficiency and reduced production cost. On that ground, it can be seen that the plant has been made much easier to manage with the system (iNcontrolTech, 2012).
Basically, the above understanding is of the ideology that the system has been designed to support operations management within the plant. This function is what the system has performed at ease as it has automated all processes within the company. Thus, it has benefits in the course of reducing the lead time, increasing productivity, enhancing management process, and providing the employees with needed support in the course of their job undertaking as also security within their job environment.
5. Assessment
of the system implementation
Figure 4: MMI electrical system
Source as adapted from: iNcontrolTech (2012).
Figure 5: MMI mechanical system
Source as adapted from: iNcontrolTech (2012).
From the above figures (2 and 3), it can be seen that the system has been successfully implemented in such a way that every element within the system coupling and setting can easily be identified by locating the element with set identifiers. On that ground, it becomes clear that the successful implementation is the main factor behind the recorded benefits discussed above.
The system is controlled from the control room but while the system also function under automated timer setting, Proton did employ workers in the control room that are designated with the task of controlling the whole plant 24/7, thus demonstrating the company’s desire of not taking any risk when it comes to its plant management and system functionality. This has also added more efficiency and security to the system because the controllers are always there and ready to take necessary actions as required in the view of providing quality functionality.
Thus, the system can be evaluated as success based on successful implementation which has given the company full control of the plant especially in times of danger and this has a significant positive impact when considering the huge cost that the company might if uncontrollable disasters has occurred in the absence of the system. The success of the implementation can also be linked to well established policies of does and don’ts that exist within the company as to the people permitted to enter the control room. Such control means that only professionals with the desired skills and needed expertise can actually manipulate the functionality of the plant and it reduces human error on that angle.
6. Proposed
future IT strategy
Since the above system is focused on increasing process
management while reducing disaster within the company, a system that is capable
of increasing its CRM is proposed in order to ensure quality product deliver
and increased consumers’ satisfaction. The system is as desc4ibed below.
6.1.SUGAR-CRM IN Proton
iZeno, A SugarCRM Gold Partner located in Singapore,
implements Sugar professional CRM in it companies with the purpose of enhancing
their CRM and increasing sales in the process. iZeno can bread down key
processes that are needed improve and develop an implementation plan with Sugar
Professional in the process of automating core processes in CRM (SugarCRM.com, 2013) as listed below:
1.
Leads
identification and tracking
2.
Proposal
Generation
3.
Accounts
validation
4.
Approval
matrix
5.
Contract
Generation
6.
Order
fulfilment tracking
7.
Billing
system integration
8.
Reporting
The new system will usher in a full integration of the company’s order and fulfilment system, and billing system in order to reduce the task of manually entering data and allow sales representatives to spend more time on sales. iZeno tailored workflow rules that would automatically route leads to sales team based on specific attributes, such as lead source. Sugar Professional also incorporated delivery information in one system to allow sales person to ensure delivery of equipment and activation of lines on time.
For the management; the system’s user-friendly reporting tools allow executives to create charts and customized reports which provide management a 360°view of accounts, sales targets and business line performance (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.Benefits
of Implementing Sugar-CRM in Proton
Figure 6: Sugar-CRM typology
Basically, the purpose of the new information system is designed to automate processes that required manual operations in the past and the automation process is designed to increase the speed of delivery for operations in the company. Thus, the main purpose of the new system design is to increase operations speed in the company. The implementations of the Sugar-CRM are based on the identified needs and they are as discussed below.
6.2.1 Leads identification and tracking – lead time is very crucial for the success of any company as it involves the delivery of needed raw materials for production and the distribution of the finished goods. Thus, is the raw materials are not delivered on time, the finished goods will not be delivered on time and it will influence the overall performance of the company negatively. In the view of that, the lead identification and tracking is adopted in the company for the management of its production process (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.2 Proposal Generation – instead of the conventional approach to generating proposal where the company have to do it manually, the system allows it to automatically generate proposal (SugarCRM.com, 2013). Additionally, such proposal can be personalized because the system keeps track of customers and suppliers based on services and products ordered in the past. Thus, the proposal generation can be personalized based on the customers’ information.
6.2.3 Accounts validation – compared to the manual approach, the system allows companies to update customers and suppliers information instantly without having to go through the normal hustle of locating such customers are identification is made easy with the system design (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.4 Approval matrix – the company maintains business operations with numerous resellers and partners and this function is designed to manage all business approvals between the company and its vast business network (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.5 Contract Generation – the system also allows for automatic generation of business contrast between the company and its suppliers, staffs, customers (SugarCRM.com, 2013). For instance, new customers that desire to register for new SIM must have noticed that there is a printed form at the counter of registration and this is made possible because resellers of the brand can actually print all contract registration forms from any location in Malaysia.
6.2.6 Order fulfilment tracking - once orders have been placed by business partners, it is important that the brand tracks this orders in order to ensure that they are fulfilled both on time and within specification. The system is implemented to do so as every new order are automatically recorded and can be tracked at the users’ convenience (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.7 Billing system integration – the system also supports the billing system by integrating it to analyse where each sales have been made, who made the sales and volume of concludes sales (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
6.2.8 Reporting – finally, the system has been designed to represent a report of all of the above discussed functions by analysing them based on their actual outcome against the company’s desired outcome (SugarCRM.com, 2013).
The most significant aspect of the system implementation process is that it is based on cloud operations, which allows the company to manage its operations from any part of the world as well as monitor business processes that are going on in any part of the country. The system documents every aspect of the operations management process, offering the company the opportunity to manage all of its operations in the view of delivering quality customer relationship management that will effectively increase product delivery and revenue generation.
7. References
Alavi, M.
and Leaidner, D.E. (2002), ‘‘Knowledge management systems: issues, challenges
and benefits’’, in Barnes, S. (Ed.), Knowledge Management Systems Theory and
Practice, Thompson Learning, Oxford, pp. 15-32.
Barth, S.
(2000), “KM horror Stories”, Knowledge Management, Vol. 3 No. 10, October, pp.
37-40.
Bierly,
P.E., Kessler, E.H. and Christensen, E.W. (2000), ‘‘Organizational learning,
knowledge and wisdom’’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 13
No. 6, pp. 595-618.
Braganza,
A. (2004), ‘‘Rethinking the data–information–knowledge hierarchy: towards a
case based model’’, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 24,
pp. 347-56.
Davenport,
T.H. and Prusak, L. (1998), Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What
They Know, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.
Digi
Telecommunications Sdh Bhd (2013), “About Us: Corporation Information.”
Available at: http://www.digi.com.my/aboutus/corporate_overview/information.do [Accessed on: 11/11/2013].
Gladstone
B. (2000), From Know-How to Knowledge: Essential Guide to Understanding and
Implementing Knowledge Management, The Industrial Society, London.
Gold, A.,
Malhotra, A. and Segars, A. (2001), ‘‘KM: an organizational capabilities
perspective’’, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp.
185-214.
Grant, R.M.
(1996), ‘‘Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm’’, Strategic Management
Journal, Vol. 17, p. 109.
iNcontrolTech
(2012), Proton Plant - Tanjung Malim: The Gateway for Intelligent Building
Automation and SCADA System. Available at: http://www.psi-incontrol.com/v2/documents/2004_12_PROTON_Writeup.pdf
[Accesed on: 20/11/2013].
Proton
(2010), “Press pack: Satria NEO and Sports”. Available at: http://www.proton.co.uk/press/docs/SatriaNeo_presspack.pdf
[Accessed on: 15 – 03 – 2012].
Proton
(2011), “PROTON Holdings Berhad (623177-A) Annual Report”. Available at:
http://www.proton.com/pdf/AnnualReports/AnnualReport2011.pdf [Accessed on: 15 –
03 – 2012].
SugaeCRM.com
(2013), “Digi telecommunication.” Available at: http://media.sugarcrm.com/case_studies/Digi.pdf [Accessed on: 07/03/2013].
Posts
