Automating a Potato Processing Plant From Truck to Freezer
Automating a Potato Processing Plant From Truck to Freezer
Full Plant Automation for a New Food Processing Facility
A potato processing joint venture was building a new plant to receive, clean, peel, cut, sort, cook, freeze, inspect, and package potatoes for export. The overseas partner could not supply all the raw potatoes it needed for a new potato snack.
This plant filled that gap. It processed the potatoes and packed them in bulk cases, which were then shipped overseas for specialty frying and final packaging. The plant needed one control system to run every step, from raw receiving to finished boxes in the freezer.
Project Summary
The Client Challenge
This was a brand new plant with a lot of moving parts. Every step had to work together, and the plant had to run at full speed from the start.
Many Steps, One System
Potatoes came in by truck and loaded into raw receiving bins. On the way to the main line, they passed through a destoner and washer. From there they went through peeling, cutting, sorting, cooking, freezing, x-ray inspection, packaging, and cold storage.
Equipment From Other Suppliers
The sorters, x-ray, individual packaging equipment, and boiler burner controls came with their own control systems from outside suppliers. DSI tied all of them together with the systems DSI programmed.
A Big Scope
The automation alone was over $1 million. It was one of the largest and most technical automation jobs DSI had taken on at the time.
Our Approach
DSI was involved from the very beginning, starting with helping the owner pick the general contractor.
Design
DSI handled the facility concept design, the equipment design, and the electrical and control design for the plant.
Build
We designed and built the control panels, including three large 6 foot by 6 foot panels. The panels talked to each other over Ethernet, and the MCCs ran on DeviceNet.
Program
DSI wrote the PLC and SCADA code for the plant. Much of it was done before the team got on site, so startup could move faster.
Procure and Start Up
We bought the instruments and electrical gear, then started up the whole facility.
How the Plant Runs
Operators can see the whole plant from any of seven HMI screens. In auto mode, one button starts raw receiving, and one button starts the entire production line from peeling to packaging.
- Operators pick which storage bin to pull from
- The system removes rocks and floating debris, washes the potatoes, and sends them to the main line bin
- The operator sets the line rate and presses start
- The bin feeds a weigh conveyor, then peeling and inspection
- A water knife cuts the product, and an optical sorter checks 100% of it, kicking out rejects with puffs of air
- Product goes through the cooker and spiral freezer
- An x-ray system inspects the product before it is packed into bulk cases
- Conveyors move the finished cases to palletizing, and the pallets are shrink wrapped and stored cold until they ship overseas
DSI wrote the code for raw receiving, peeling, cutting, cooking, the spiral freezer, case packaging, and the case conveyors into cold storage. We also programmed the ammonia compressor room, boiler room, and waste room.
Results and Outcomes
Full Capacity on Day One
After a year and a half of work, the plant started up running at full capacity on its very first day.
Runs With a Smaller Crew
Automation lets the plant run with fewer people, which saves money every shift.
Simple to Run
In auto mode, one button starts raw receiving and one button starts the whole production line.
Praised by the Owner
The owner, who ran several potato plants, said it was the best automated plant he had ever seen.
Where DSI Stood Out
- Involved from day one, from picking the general contractor to startup
- Detailed, easy to follow control drawings
- One team for design, panels, programming, procurement, and startup
- Outside equipment and DSI systems working together as one plant
Big plants have a lot of moving parts. We work hard to make them run as one system, start up strong, and stay easy to support.
More DSI Projects
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Planning a New Plant or Line?
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