|
|
Automatic Production Control of a Chicken Factory
Location: Switzerland
| | |
|
Everybody knows that Switzerland is a high-tech country where precision is an absolute must, but it is also famed for its mountains, farms and of course Swiss cheese. This application story will show you a good example of combining high technology with farming.
Switzerland has a population of approximately 7 million people. The national population yearly consumes 85,000 tons of chicken meat, which is roughly 12 kg per person per year. Nearly 50% of the chickens is imported from other countries; the other half is bred in Switzerland in special chicken farms.
In these farms, thousands of hens are breeding in a special area, the so-called breeding ground. The nests are located in a special temperature controlled environment. After the eggs have hatched, computers continuously control the weight and growth of the birds. It takes usually about 60 days for the chickens to fatten. Then they are considered to be ready for consumption.
| |
|
SEG-POULETS AG in Zell (Switzerland) receives hourly 6,000 chickens for food processing. Every day, a total of 70,000 chickens are handled. SEG-POULETS AG has 360 contract partners who deliver the chickens in a special logistic rhythm, in order to facilitate the 24-hours production. One can surely imagine what will happen if one of the computers does not work properly!
SEG-POULETS AG in Zell (Switzerland) receives hourly 6,000 chickens for food processing. Every day, a total of 70,000 chickens are handled. SEG-POULETS AG has 360 contract partners who deliver the chickens in a special logistic rhythm, in order to facilitate the 24-hours production. One can surely imagine what will happen if one of the computers does not work properly!
The chickens are processed in the following order: First, they are delivered by truck. Afterwards, they are hung on hooks and electrocuted. Then, they are cleaned in hot water, de-plumed, decapitated and disemboweled. Consequently, the chickens are processed for food. After that, they are handled, packed, labeled and either stocked at -25蚓 or shipped off to warehouses for fresh sales.
| |
|
The whole production line is controlled by a main computer, which connected is to many workstations via a network. The main computer is fed by data flows from chicken suppliers, customer orders, as well as product specific data such as quality, weight, etc, from many different workstations. Also specific customer demand is handled via the computerized production line, because not all customers want the whole chicken - some of them just want to have the legs, the breasts or other parts.
It may seem that the computer in this application is now located on all the wrong places and should be placed somewhere else. However, it precisely needs to be there since it handles part of the production line. The current operating system is Windows NT for WS.
At present, the Handling / Packing / Labeling is controlled by 18 independent PPC-102T units, which are connected to the main computer through a network. The touch screen PPC-102Ts allow handling of the I/O via RS-232 or Ethernet, manages data input, and enables visualization of the process.
We are proud to have taken part in upgrading the handling, packaging, and labeling of SEG-POULETS AG, making it one of Europe's most modern production lines.
Quantity
18 units PPC-102T with touch screenc
??????????10.4 " TFT display, with the resolution of 800 x 600
??????????SSD & Boot ROM on board
??????????Pentium 166 MMX CPU / 32 MB DRAM / 2.1 GB 2.5" HDD
??????????65 Watt Power supply
| |
|
 PPC-102T is a reliable human machine interface, which meets the requirements of any 24-hour production line. In the harsh environment of a chicken processing factory, the IP 65 front panel protection is water proof and the industrial specifications of the PPC-102T assure the system works properly under low temperatures.
| |
