Crane Safety & SCADA Monitoring System

Crane Safety & SCADA Monitoring System

Overview

An aerospace company was looking to upgrade their existing safety systems with programmable logic controllers (PLC) and the installation of SCADA monitoring systems to reduce the risk of operational hazard. It was critical that no single point of failure was present at all safety-related features with reduced production downtime, even on the enterprise level.

Challenges

The lack of an existing safety system was identified as the primary challenge. To reduce the risk of operational hazard, the company was looking to implement a new system that would provide a safe environment with no downtime.

Solutions

Stratus’ ftServer was part of the solution implemented by the aerospace company’s appointed partner HoST, that fully addresses the customers’ needs. The Stratus ftServer provides 99.999% uptime and runs in Active-Active mode whereby any switchover would be unnoticeable. Best of all, no data will be lost during any switchover. With data-driven features and zero downtime on the monitoring system, it helps reduce risk and future proof processes.

The solution implemented by HoST also included a safety latching system with the use of Rockwell Automation’s Safety Controllers that are designed for the existing cranes. Each crane operates with its own controller that comes with safety interlocks.

A centralized common SCADA monitoring system was also installed for the customer to check on the health of all these safety devices in real-time and to ensure that the new safety system runs smoothly throughout its operations.

To ensure that all data runs smoothly from the PLCs to the SCADA monitoring system, Stratus’ fault-tolerant servers came into play. Stratus’ ftServer complements the execution of the safety and monitoring system, prevents the downtime of all critical business applications and ensures continuous availability. Integrating seamlessly as part of the solution, the ftServer also managed all web access to users in the working environment.

Impact

This newly implemented system ensures the reduction of operational hazard and possible downtime that could arise from a hazardous working environment. In today’s always-on global economy, seconds matter. Downtime in critical business applications can have far-reaching economic, security and legal consequences. Recovering from a failure, no matter how fast, is simply no longer an option.

With its self-monitoring and self-diagnosing system, the customer will be alerted to any compromised safety aspects during operations, greatly increasing productivity. The customer obtained peace of mind with added confidence that all data is reflected in a safe and resilient environment.

The solution addressed both operational challenges and provided the flexibility to meet future expectations or expansions.