Manufacturers are increasingly looking to improve the energy efficiency of their equipment, whether to meet regulatory requirements, reduce their costs or align with corporate green initiatives. An energy measurement system can go a long way toward meeting goals — yet finding one that is easy to implement can be difficult.
Traditionally, energy measurement systems come with some integration and data management challenges. First, due to the varied nature of the processes that must be measured, the system must be tailored to the application, requiring extensive, time-consuming programming to funnel all the incoming data from the different devices into a single system. Second, even once the system is up and running, manufacturers must figure out how to effectively process and analyze the large volumes of incoming energy data.
A new energy measurement system from WAGO and Pearse Bertram+ offers a simpler solution. Handling both the integration and data management challenges associated with traditional setups, it consists of hardware for electrical energy measurement and makes the signals from these sensors available for data visualization and analysis via easy-to-use software. In one use case, this energy measurement solution enabled an end-user to advance its sustainability efforts with minimal time, engineering effort and downtime.
A Flexible, Open Energy Measurement System
A leading technology company contacted WAGO, an automation and electrical interconnection technology specialist, to implement a system that could monitor and measure power on a per-machine basis at one of its plants. In particular, the end-user wanted to monitor the machines that use a lot of power, like heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, air compressors and ovens. This project was part of the company’s broader sustainability efforts to use energy more efficiently.
Slated for a plant in North America, this solution would need to seamlessly integrate with the cloud-based platform already in place in the end-user’s European facilities. The new power-monitoring system would, therefore, need to be flexible — able to gather the data and communicate it to the existing cloud system via the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) communication protocol.
WAGO’s Energy Data Management (EDM) system fit the bill for this application. This package combines software with a modular control system to record measurement data from different media for energy-monitoring purposes. It then processes this information for further analysis, archiving and reporting. It utilizes an open architecture, allowing it to communicate with multiple devices regardless of the manufacturer, and supports many fieldbuses and standardized communication protocols.
The EDM system overcomes the challenges of implementing a traditional measurement system, which requires time-consuming programming. For example, addressing the complexity of integrating diverse energy data sources into a single system, it combines modular hardware with user-friendly software to provide seamless integration and easy parameterization without the need for programming. It also makes the data collection process much more manageable by automatically detecting connected devices, offering visualization tools and supporting real-time data processing. These features help users identify energy inefficiencies and take actionable steps to reduce the energy consumption of their equipment.
Calling in an Expert in Contract Manufacturing
To handle the engineering work and provide onsite commissioning for the EDM system, WAGO called on Pearse Bertram — an end-to-end manufacturing company and distributor of WAGO electrical products. Pearse Bertram’s contract manufacturing and assembly expertise extends to a wide range of technologies, including robotics, hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical systems and more, making it a perfect fit for WAGO’s power-monitoring application.
“This kind of work — selecting and assembling electrical components and panels — is our bread and butter,” says David Plis, Engineering Manager, Pearse Bertram. “Even projects with standard products like the EDM involve a lot of engineering work. We need to know how many points to monitor, the maximum size of the panels, things like that. We specify and package all the parts together to meet the needs of the specific application.”
Due to the size and location of the end-user’s facility, the Pearse Bertram team implemented the WAGO EDM system as five separate panels for three-phase power measurement — a solution consisting of hardware like current transformers and voltage taps.
According to David Plis, because the hardware consists of “modules,” engineers can easily add analog or digital inputs to accommodate a variety of devices, expanding a company’s view of its energy usage. In addition to energy-specific values like electrical currents or voltages, for example, the system can record and measure gas, heat, water, compressed air and temperature, bringing all these measurements into one system. “There’s really no limit,” he adds.
To this point, the Pearse Bertram engineers left space on the panels to accommodate any future expansion efforts. “Once you connect a sensor to the WAGO controller, it can be parameterized quickly and easily without any programming,” explains Mark Joseph, Regional Manager, WAGO. “The system’s software, therefore, makes it possible to increase the depth of measurement regardless of whether or not a user has extensive automation expertise.”
The Advantages of Easy Energy Monitoring
The EDM system’s ease of use, coupled with Pearse Bertram’s expertise in electrical contract manufacturing, made the installation and commissioning process quick and painless. According to David Plis, these applications typically involve a lot of PLC programming and coding, which drives a lot of engineering time and effort. “The EDM system software already has the coding built in, which made the commissioning process on our part much smoother,” he says. “It also saved the end-user a lot of downtime. We were able to commission the equipment in under a day.”
The plant only recently came online, and the WAGO and Pearse Bertram engineers are excited to see how the EDM system benefits the end user. For example, according to Mark Joseph, having this kind of measurement system in place can help users understand whether or not a machine is performing as it should. “If you see that one machine is drawing much power compared to the others, then you know something is wrong.” This kind of machine data makes it easy for companies to transition from preventive to predictive maintenance practices, enabling end-users to identify defects before they occur versus reacting to faults after the fact.
The EDM system is also an excellent complement to corporate sustainability initiatives. “Many companies are ramping up their green efforts,” says Joseph. “Systems like the EDM can provide a picture of a plant’s exact carbon footprint. This data provides a helpful baseline for ongoing energy-saving endeavors.”
What’s Next
According to Joseph, the recently commissioned North American facility has been a success so far, and the end-user is in talks with WAGO to potentially outfit additional facilities with the EDM solution. “This application represents an important pilot program,” he says. “This company has lots of other plants, and the success of this one will show them — and other companies as well — the benefits of installing this kind of energy measurement system.”
“We’re very excited to see where their success leads,” David Plis adds. “It’s our goal to make the commissioning process for these kinds of systems quicker and easier for customers.
Pearse Bertram’s Contract Manufacturing Capabilities
As an end-to-end provider of automation and process control solutions, Pearse Bertram serves a variety of industries, including medical, life sciences, food and beverage, defense, industrial equipment, test and measurement, automotive and more. Capabilities include:
- Turnkey machines — whether large, small, simple or complex.
- Pneumatic and hydraulic assemblies.
- Electrical control panels.
- Process systems.
- Robotics.
- Testing — and more.
Pearse Bertram’s technical capabilities and role as both a supplier and contract manufacturer unlock many benefits. In this unique role, the company can offload many direct and indirect costs associated with assembly, purchasing, engineering and testing, enabling customers to lower their total cost of ownership and get to market faster. Because Pearse Bertram is both a distributor and contract manufacturer, the same assembly typically costs 20-30 percent less versus other contract manufacturers.
WAGO Energy Data Management Features at a Glance
- The EDM combines web-based application software with a modular automation control system, enabling easy energy data evaluation.
- Intuitive commissioning via a PC, mobile devices or web-based browser (HTML5) — no special software or programming knowledge required.
- Easy connection to both existing and new sensors.
- Integrated functions — like OpenVPN, Ipsec or a firewall — create a secure transmission path and enable secure data storage in the cloud.
- The right module for any signal:
- Digital input modules — e.g., for detecting the effective power pulse from the power provider.
- Analog input modules — e.g., for recording temperature, pressure and flow meters.
- Three-phase power measurement modules — e.g., for connected current signal conditioning modules.
- Communication modules — e.g., for reading measured values of a counter via a bus system.
- Counter modules for recording S0 counters.
To learn more about WAGO, visit: wago.com. To learn more about Pearse Bertram, visit: pearsebertram.com.