Finlays Solutions
Finlays of Hull installed their first Cold Brew Coffee production facility with automation by inControl Systems using Siemens WinCC Unified SCADA system
The company
Finlays is a global B2B supplier of tea, coffee and botanical ingredients and solutions to many of the world’s best-loved beverage brands, retailers and foodservice operators, worldwide, Finlays exists to empower our customers to create a world where every sip brings joy.
For them, that means building trusted, long-term partnerships with their customers, partners, suppliers and the world at large. It means sharing the wisdom of 200 years of product expertise and technical know-how to help the whole world enjoy healthy, comforting and delicious beverages. And it means coupling local expertise with global scale to deliver excellence across our supply chain.
Their focus goes beyond today. They are committed to shaping a sustainable future for the whole beverage industry by ensuring every decision they take benefits not only their customers, but also the planet and the communities we serve.
Recently, at their Hull site in East Yorkshire – UK, Finlays completed a significant investment in a new Cold Brew Coffee production facility, to meet the demand of a developing new market in the UK and Europe.
The challenge
Finlays Solutions wanted full automation of the plant and were looking for a systems integrator to design, build, supply and commission a dedicated SCADA system, connected to an integrated control system and motor control centre (MCC) for their new production facility. They approached inControl Systems having conducted an Internet search for a suitable local systems integrator.
Finlays were investing to expand their beverage product range with a new Cold Brew Coffee production facility in Hull. This would be a new facility with new vessels, process equipment and mechanical installation for cold coffee production. Crucially, it was to be designed for easy expansion in the future.
The project required an automated control system to allow operators to manage recipes, batch reporting, alarms and trending and a clean-in-place (CIP) process.
Finlays chose Siemens control equipment and required a solution based around WinCC SCADA, Simatic S7 PLC coupled with the ET200 remote I/O and Siemens G120 drives.
What made this project unique was the requirement for the process to manage the coffee production, avoiding stagnant deadlegs within the process, and using a clean-in-place solution to maintain good levels of sterility. Additionally, the process keeps the product oxygen free to increase product quality, adding complexity to the process control system.
The Solution
inControl Systems were selected to supply a turnkey automation solution, encompassing project management, the development of the functional design specification, the software programming of the control system and SCADA system, including recipe handling, batch management and reporting.
This cold brew coffee production facility has a number of process elements That were sourced from different suppliers and needed to be integrated into a single automated manufacturing facility.
Most of the unit processes are controlled via Siemens ET200MP remote I/O, but some elements supplied are separate packaged equipment that are communicated with via Industrial Ethernet and monitored via the WinCC SCADA system.
In order to provide the most highly integrated system from a digitalisation perspective, inControl Systems proposed to move away from traditional SCADA in favour of Siemens WinCC Unified. This facilitates greater harmony between the different visualisation devices (Panel PCs and HMIs) and provides a scalable solution for increased production capability and in readiness for the longer-term digital transformation journey.
The WinCC Unified SCADA has a main workstation in the form of a Simatic Industrial PC 22” Touch Screen and two additional Simatic TP1200 Comfort Panels in the coffee unloader and the extract filler stations.
Most process instrumentation is connected via ASi (Actuator Sensor Interface) with over 100 valves connected on this interface. Beyond this, additional devices were connected via discrete analogue and digital signals to any one of the five ET200MP remote I/O units connected into the S7-1500
via Profinet.
To provide remote access via VPN and to aid cyber security, the industrial OT network was connected from a 1Gb managed switch to the Internet via a Router/Firewall.
To give the reader a feeling for the size of the project, it includes the main MCC and Control System housed in four bayed sections of 2-metre high control cubicles, stretching over 4 metres long. In addition, the 4 further remote I/O sections were distributed around the plant in their own stainless steel 1800mm high by 1000mm wide cabinets.
“A project is only as good as the people you interact with”
Robin Abram, Finlays Project Engineer
Finlays said:
On the subject of working with inControl Systems, Finlays Project Engineer – Robin Abram said “it’s only as good as the people you interact with… Gary is really approachable, calm and steady, he also has a good grasp of the process, understanding the ‘why’ and not ‘just’ an expert in PLC code. What could have been a painful process, has been really efficient and well understood…and also from Gary, you get a lot for your money”.
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What is Cold Brew Coffee?
Unlike traditional brewing methods that use hot water to extract the soluble components of the roasted bean, cold brew coffee is brewed using cold or room temperature water. The process extracts the flavour and caffeine from ground coffee beans, resulting in a smooth, less acidic, and naturally sweet beverage that can be enjoyed black over ice or mixed with milk.
Taking fresh ground coffee from its nearby site in West Yorkshire, and coupling this with a bespoke process, Finlays is able to create a range of premium products for this exciting new market.
The Finlays Hull plant was designed using learnings from being a leading supplier of cold brew coffee in the USA, with process enhancements to improve product quality and enable Finlays to be at the forefront of the quickly developing UK and European markets.
