Implementing a modern MES to reduce the number of interfaces and overall project risks

Manufacturing coatings for the automotive industry

BASF Coatings, located in Würzburg, Germany, manufactures coatings and solvent-borne basecoats for the automotive industry for more than 50 million vehicles globally. BASF Coatings aims to offer sustainable and technologically advanced surface solutions to drive future mobility. The company was looking to improve process transparency and eliminate potential sources of error while identifying the vessels where coatings are mixed and conditioned. To achieve this, BASF Coatings started using Opcenter™ software, which is part of the Siemens business platform of software, hardware and services.

The company decided to collect and handle process and batch data as automatically and digitally as possible instead of using printed orders. As part of this extensive project, BASF Coatings modernized its process control with Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7, implemented a modern manufacturing execution system (MES) and installed a real-time locating system to precisely locate the different process vessels. The locating system had to accurately determine the position of the vessels in real-time, even though they are made from metal with a highly reflective surface, which makes locating in this environment quite challenging.

Leveraging a real-time locating system

BASF Coatings evaluated different locating systems and chose a real-time locating system that met the requirements to precisely localize the vessels and have a high range with little wiring effort. Siemens Digital Industries Software provided the process control system (PCS), MES and locating system to reduce the number of interfaces and overall project risks.

The BASF Coatings team identified and located each process vessel with a SIMATIC RTLS4030T transponder. For this, the team installed 36 SIMATIC RTLS4030G gateways in the production area, which were connected to the location manager via SCALANCE Industrial Ethernet switches and integrated into the primary MES. The gateways have a range of up to 30 meters, which allowed them to locate the transponders via the ultra-wideband standard
(UWB) standard with Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4-2015 HRP with an accuracy of up to 30 centimeters (cm).

“Siemens planned and installed the whole system,” says Jan Bass, electrical engineering and process control manager for BASF. This was one of the key factors for a successful implementation. “At this point, network technology had been uncharted territory for me. The support from Siemens, including a guideline for technical design, was quite helpful,” says Bass.

Identifying and locating process vessels in real-time

This locating system was easy to install and flexible to fit the team’s needs. For Bass, the advantages of the locating system were the flexibility and easy installation. ”With the chosen locating system, we are able to keep the gateways and wiring out of the hazardous areas,” says Bass. The BASF Coatings team used Opcenter to identify and locate each process vessel in real-time, providing BASF Coatings with improved real position detection and safer processes. The team can collect corresponding data that is automatically documented, so that BASF Coatings can evaluate batch data from the MES much easier, saving additional checks.

“We chose to use Siemens solutions for the technical aspects, but also for the fact that we only needed to have one supplier for the whole project, including for our process control system, MES and locating system,” says Bass. “This reduced the number of interfaces and overall the risks of the project – which was important because we wanted to take on a pioneering role with the locating system in the process area of BASF.”

The next steps for the locating system

Currently, the BASF Coatings team is planning to use Siemens solutions to help them with the next extensions of the locating system. “We want to use Siemens solutions to expand the position detection to two further buildings: the cleansing of the process vessels and the area where the vessels get filled with the base mixture,” says Bass. With the locating system, employees now receive current and exact data about the position of each vessel and know at any time, if the right mixer is placed correctly without being on-site. The MES system visualizes the tracking and runs a plausibility check. Corresponding data is collected automatically and documented so that BASF Coatings can evaluate batch data from the MES much easier to save additional checks.

The locating system fits in seamlessly with the existing environments and processes. The gateways are discreetly installed beneath the ceiling and the transponders are accessible at the vessels’ sides thanks to their good range. The system is now easily adjustable to meet new requirements. “If I modify a parking lot, I simply have to reprogram the locating system and I do not have to buy and install new hardware or rewire anything,” says Bass.

The automatic position detection, which is transparent, precise and flexible, supports the operators with their everyday tasks and creates a base for further digitalization of processes at BASF. “We can now use the improved process transparency and process documentation for further measures in terms of quality assurance and process optimization,” says Bass.