· Modicon M580 ePAC solution to help improve water, wastewater and flood control services
· New controllers speed project execution, produce better plant operations
· Migration from Moore APACS to M580 minimizes risk, systems downtime and costs
Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, has been selected to complete a critical systems upgrade for the Vallejo, Calif., Sanitation & Flood Control District. Under the terms of the agreement, Schneider Electric will implement its Modicon M580 programmable automation controller (ePAC) platform to help the VSFCD continue to improve the quality wastewater and flood control services it provides to the people of the district.“We knew we only had a few short months to complete this vital systems migration, as well as successfully recreate our current control programming, before the rainy season begins in November,” said Frank Silveira, electrical and IT supervisor, VSFCD. “Schneider Electric took the time to understand our requirements and used out-of-the box thinking to ensure lower CapEx costs while allowing us to be up and running sooner. I believe the Modicon M580 ePAC solution will allow us to more effectively and securely control our plant performance while reducing employee training costs. We will be able to improve how we manage the District’s sanitary sewer and flood control systems, while ensuring the continued ability to protect the environment, along with our public’s health and safety.”A unique offering for the industrial market, the Modicon M580 ePAC has industry-leading processing speed and memory, as well as stronger embedded cybersecurity (including Achilles Level 2 and ISA certifications). Ethernet-enabled for seamless, faster, enterprise-wide access to operating data, it also offers redundant CPUs, along with common programming and I/O platforms. These and other features give executives, managers and plant personnel more visibility and insight into their industrial operations so they can make faster, better performance decisions. It is proven to enhance maintenance, asset management and asset reliability, as well as workforce effectiveness and safety, all while reducing engineering, operating and inventory costs and slashing unscheduled downtime.Faster, better access to real-time operating data enables things like remote monitoring, preventative maintenance and other functions, which allow plant operators to identify and address incidents before they occur and reduce trips to the plant floor. This not only improves plant safety, it reduces unscheduled downtime and time spent on site addressing emergency situations.Redundancy ensures critical applications continue to run in the event of failures, even further reducing downtime and trips to floor, while stronger embedded cybersecurity prevents and mitigates malicious incursions and breaches, further protecting plant assets and investments and improving the safety of plant personnel.Common programming and I/O platforms enable a consistent, system-wide approach to project engineering, operations and maintenance, as well as asset management. This helps to reduce inventory, downtime and, ultimately, time to market while increasing throughput.Along with the Modicon M580 ePAC controllers, Schneider Electric will also provide a suite of conversion services from its migration engineering centers in North America and Europe. Working closely with the VSFCD, Schneider Electric will implement a unique programming approach to ease the process of recreating and validating the control logic. In essence, the solution will automatically translate and directly port existing engineering code from multiple VSFCD systems, seamlessly providing superior control and significantly minimizing downtime, while substantially reducing project risks and costs.VSFCD has the important and complex job of preventing pollution from flowing through the city’s storm drains into San Pablo Bay, home to many endangered species and a National Wildlife Refuge.“Maintaining our partnership with the greater community, in public health and environmental protection, is what VSFCD is all about,” said Silveira. “We have provided quality wastewater and flood control services to the greater community for more than 60 years. This conversion project will allow us to continue to do that even better.”“Our relationship with VSFCD exemplifies how Schneider Electric is able to innovate on every level of an enterprise to help our customers meet their unique challenges,” said Jose Bonomo, vice president, hybrid systems offer management, Schneider Electric. “The Modicon M580 is a perfect fit for hybrid manufacturers who need to get more from their capital investments and their production process. Our purpose-built solution will help the VSFCD avoid time-consuming and costly validation checks during the control process upgrade. Not only does this reduce project risks, we think it will save months in installation time and thousands in engineering costs. And once it is in operation, it has the ability to reduce time to market and even process energy consumption, all while improving plant safety, reliability and efficiency. We are extremely pleased to be working with the VSFCD on this capital upgrade, and we are confident we will equip them with a control platform that is truly built for the future.”Visit our Modicon M580 ePAC webpage to learn more about our high-availability control solutions for hybrid process operations.About Schneider ElectricSchneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of ~€27 billion in FY2015, our 160,000+ employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On.
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