In any company’s latest processes or when they are doing expansion of their existing operations, these improvements usually includes original equipment manufacturer or OEM skids. These skids are installed on the equipment that can give faster and more efficient implementation time comparing to the conventional process system building from the start.
This skid equipment can give faster deployment together with good quality and cost effective solutions for both main functions and utility processes. The combination of skid equipment can be made simple if there is a minimum interaction in the overall system processing. With this in mind, there are only one data collection that requires minimal interaction is required to work inside the main distribute control system or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. But, it is important to note that the integration of the skid equipment can be quite challenging for the engineers because the tight integration of skid equipment into processing activities requires deeper level of interaction. The batching operations integration is one example of this. However, the hard process will result to efficient operations and processes.
The main challenges faced by skid integration involving batching operations
The main challenge of combining a 3rd party system into this kind of process means that the upstream and downstream of the operations should be in a harmonious coordination and should share a holistic operating philosophy. Usually this system equipment skids can simply give the targeted functions using a design capacity. With this in mind, the OEM skid equipment that is combined together for it to act as a part of a bigger puzzle that requires additional coordination in larger process. This is because this process requires upstream and downstream units to finally get the most efficient equipment maximization and utilization.
Majority of the skid equipment can come completely with its dedicated processor or I/O that is designed to operate independently from others. This means that they can work without the anticipation of the upstream feeds or downstream demands. Usually, the operations of the overall system process is designed to work around the OEM characteristics and its function. In majority of the circumstances, the operating functions and characteristics of the OEM skids are a direct result of the programming of the entire system. And its not the hindrance of the equipment’s capabilities. This also means that the OEM skid is not designed to function as a true slave or servant to the whole process coordinator or the top master controller.