Remote opportunity

Wireless devices may now be central to Western civilisation, but their use in industry lags some way behind. But the advantages they offer - such as more efficient remote monitoring, and the ability to gather data 'on the move'- are starting to be recognised. And the food industry is set to become one of the leading adopters.

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan puts the western European market for wireless devices at $18M for the food industry - growing to $25M by 2010. But, for now, industry will continue to introduce the technology cautiously. "Much of the reason for this is conservatism - and a fear that there are still security and reliability issues," says Frost & Sullivan's Khadambari Shanbagaraman.

However, the food industry is second only to the automotive in its willingness to use the technologies - driven largely by the need to gather real-time data, she says. "Applications involving continuous monitoring such as temperature, pressure, pH, humidity and yield have increased the need for wireless."

Another key benefit is the reduction of wiring cost. Frost estimates average savings of around 30%, but cites a US beverage company that cut its wiring costs from $6,000 to $1,000.

Emerson Process Management agrees that the food and beverage industry will become a major adopter. Aside from the Frost research, it points to a 2008 study on wireless sensor networks from Onworld - which puts global revenues from the sector above $550M.

Emerson helped a major brewer to convert.

"Breweries contain hundreds of potential monitoring points that can affect beer quality," says Nell Burdon, Emerson's food and beverage industry marketing manager.

One application is keeping the temperature of a set of fermentation tanks within tightly controlled limits, which is critical to the taste.

Six wireless temperature transmitters were installed, feeding information back to a wireless gateway. A trial established that the system worked well - despite early worries that steel tanks, pipes and walkways might obstruct the signals.

Other applications identified include: temperature monitoring of portable skids (which transport yeast between facilities); vibration monitoring (to improve predictive maintenance of fans, compressors and pumps); and tank clean-in-place validation.

"By picking up spray ball vibration through the different cleaning-in-place (CIP) phases, it shows there is flow through the spray ball - indicating that different CIP phases have taken place," says Burden.

While constant temperature can be critical to product quality, it can also be a legal requirement: many suppliers must prove to customers that their products have been prepared or stored correctly. Comark, which develops wireless temperature monitoring devices, says this is a common application.

"We gather information from sensor points and transmit the information wirelessly," says national sales manager Mark Hill. "Wireless does nothing different to hardwiring, but gives flexibility and ease of installation."

He cites a sauce firm that had to pass a British Retail Consortium audit, proving that its cooking cycles had been completed correctly.

"They used to do it manually with thermometers and pieces of paper," he says. "We introduced a static probe and sensor, which does it all automatically."

Despite the obvious advantages of wireless, there are ongoing hurdles to its adoption: a lack of awareness; perceived high investment costs; and confusion over the many standards. For Frost's Shanbagaraman, food processors are likely to invest when the time is right.

"Manufacturers need to see the benefits of these systems if they are to invest in them," she says. "Wireless is more likely to be used in a new application, rather than replacing existing equipment." FM

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**Having a plan**

Although wireless offers flexibility, there is one thing that hardwiring does better: transmit signals around corners. Just as mobile phones can cut out, so wireless signals can be blocked by large machinery in a factory. Design can overcome this.

A number of software programs are available to design factory floors and some - such as Siemens' Automation Designer - incorporate a 'wireless design' module.

"This tool will position your access points," says Jochen Koch of Siemens' industrial communications division. "You can upload drawings of the factory floor, and insert walls, windows and machines. It will calculate the signal strength."

Antennas are important for signal transmission - and can be positioned using the software. But another option is to fit a 'leaking' co-axial cable - which transmits the signal, but not from a single point.

KEY CONTACTS

Comark 0844 815 6599

Emerson 0870 240 1978

Frost & Sullivan 020 7343 8383

Siemens 0161 446 6400