A Solution Beyond MES

January 13, 2020 by Christian Sommerhoff

When gas companies look for so-called truck loading solutions, they often have primarily software in mind, which manages aspects like loading procedures and access to premises. And yes, there should be a variety of interfaces, for instance, to a distributed control system (DCS), and the company’s resource planning system (ERP). That said, guaranteed overall quality assurance is critical. How about scalability? Well, missing functionality in this scenario might be somehow developed by somebody at a later stage. While this certainly can work out, it’s more a trial and error approach due to unclear outcome and most likely expensive. What might sound like a flexible approach, supports, in reality, more the likelihood of a push-out of CAPEX. New investments might be required at a later stage.

A solution is, by definition, the answer to a problem, not a query of new questions. It doesn’t leave room for doubts but leaves variables in the equation for scalability on a solid foundation. First and foremost, it addresses and solves the given requirements right away. If you approach a software developer, his expertise is programming, not the study of overall feasibility, or interplay of machinery. Following this rationality, one can, of course, strictly separate project management, from execution, and engineering from the software folks, but will this smoothen the path towards a desired modernization? At IWB, we combine all critical project elements for a cost-effective and flawlessly executed automation project. We offer the unique combination of in-house engineering, continuous in-house software development based on feedback and requirements of all key players in the gas industry, plus in-house project management.

Every single project that we executed over the past three decades added vice versa value to our internal processes, a more robust product offering, and a faster time-to-market. All relevant factors are the ingredients of one scalable solution: CRYO.TAS.

We never start from scratch. We don’t anticipate, we don’t begin to program core functionalities, and we always have the broader picture in mind. We think in the context of industry standards around quality assurance, such as FDA, GMP, GAMP 5 or ISBT, simple system scalability, the avoidance of any downtime at our clients’ facilities, and cost savings.

What we deliver is true turnkey — Ready out of the box, and typically pre-assembled inside a container. Whenever we talk software, we talk MES. CRYO.TAS is an optimized manufacturing execution system, a process-oriented level of a multi-layered manufacturing system. It’s by default connected to the distributed systems of process automation and interfaces with any ERP system. CRYO.TAS is object-based and therefore allows simple integration of various components. Lots of libraries offer access to predefined procedures, such as multiple loading types. To sum it up: our clients always benefit from the combination of both: in-house expertise across disciplines and a continues solution enhancement based on overall industry input.