That advice comes from Scott Reeves, president of systems simulation and integration specialist Molins ITCM SSI (http://www.molinsitcm.com/).
Because deadline-oriented business objectives drive capital spending, says Reeves, new packaging lines are often purchased before the controls architecture or the line's information exchange capabilities are planned out. That doesn't necessarily prevent the business objectives from being achieved, he observes, but it's certainly not the ideal way to go about things.
"It often results in having to backtrack after you've already reached the detailed design stage," says Reeves. "That's beats waiting until machine installation is underway to start thinking about controls, but it still is less than ideal."
Reeves' firm is often called upon to help packagers do the "backtracking" that becomes necessary when project implementation reaches the point where it becomes clear that questions about controls that should have been answered haven't even been addressed. Part of this process, says Reeves, is helping packaged goods manufacturers develop a project planning and implementation process that ensures that controls issues won't be treated after the fact the next time capital becomes available.
