Maximizing Return On Investment by Capitalizing on Existing Infrastructure

Costs were to be partially controlled by capitalizing on the existing plant floor programmable controller hardware; taking advantage of available space in the programmable controller would allow Systems Interface to upgrade the data network to Ethernet and thus easily manage the anticipated high data volumes associated with RFID architectures.  (As RFID product offerings become more advanced, support for Ethernet capability is becoming more common.)  The selected RFID products were compatible with Modbus TCP/IP Ethernet protocol.

For cost-effectiveness reasons, the preference was to have the new Ethernet network also facilitate linking the upgraded Operator Workstations.  While the Rockwell products were Ethernet/IP (and not Modbus, as the RFID products), the task of establishing and blending the two protocols onto one network was managed handily by Systems Interface’s engineers.  (By specification, a separate, third Ethernet network then also positioned an upgraded programmable controller onto the client’s company-wide Ethernet, thus introducing the work cells to the business enterprise.)

Combining these two new application networks onto a single topology helped to maximize the client's Return On Investment by minimizing the Production Control and Component Tracking system price.