NovaTech Automation Upgrades DAK Americas 20-Year-Old Control System in a Week

PUBLISHED ON Dec 21, 2015

QUAKERTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA — NovaTech Automation International, LLC has completed a major automation upgrade at the DAK Americas (DAK) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin plant in Cosoleacaque, Mexico. The existing process automation system, also supplied by NovaTech Automation, had operated reliably since 1996 but had grown obsolete. The upgrade to the latest version of D/3® hardware and software will ensure that the facility can continue meeting the growing global demand for its resins for the next 20 years.

The DAK plant produces 150,000-metric-tons-per-year of PET which is a completely recyclable plastic used for packaging foods, beverages and other consumer products.

DAK chose NovaTech Automation as the Main Automation Contractor after a competitive bidding process and an evaluation of several control system vendors. DAK Project Manager, Emilio Paramo, commented, “NovaTech Automation was the only company that could commit to completing the installation in less than a week while meeting all of our technical and operational requirements.”

DAK set a schedule of less than one week for the entire onsite installation which included upgrading over 2700 I/O points in 33 cabinets. By designing custom panels for the new I/O and shipping them to the job site, NovaTech Automation engineers were able to utilize much of the existing field terminations and cabinet wiring, thereby reducing the installation time.

“Considering the scope of the project and the timeline involved, the NovaTech Automation installation went very smoothly,” continued Paramo, “and allowed us to bring the plant back online within a relatively short timeframe.”

“Our work with DAK is an excellent example of our ability to respond to challenging requirements and to future-proof our customers’ investments,” said NovaTech Automation CEO Volker Oakey. “This successful collaboration reinforces NovaTech Automation’s commitment to support our customers’ growth both domestically and internationally.”

The migration will allow DAK to optimize the control system structure and usage. Immediate benefits include a 25% increase in I/O capacity and HART communications with field instrumentation. Looking forward, DAK plans to leverage newer technologies such as state based control, advanced alarming and control loop optimization.

Click here to watch a time-lapse video of the DAK installation.

About NovaTech Automation

NovaTech Automation is a producer of automation solutions for the process and electric power industries. Our products and services simplify complexity, reduce risk and extend the capabilities of the engineers and organizations making the world’s power grids and essential process industries more reliable, efficient, sustainable and secure.

Our industry-leading power measurement, substation automation and process control solutions are used by hundreds of U.S. utilities and numerous Fortune 100 process manufacturers worldwide.

In applications ranging from power generation to agriculture, biofuels, brewing, specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals, our solutions emphasize open standards, ease of deployment and the integration of existing assets.

About DAK Americas LLC
DAK Americas (www.dakamericas.com), headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is wholly owned by Alpek, S.A.B. de C.V. of Monterrey, Mexico. DAK Americas is comprised of five business units: Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET), Polyesters Staple Fibers (PSF), Monomers/ ingredients (TPA/PTA), Specialty Polymers and Green Polyester. DAK is one of the largest integrated producers of PET resins in the world and the main producer of polyester staple fibers in the Americas. DAK is focused on the future with numerous Sustainability initiatives across its businesses.

For additional information on NovaTech Automation please visit https://novatechwebdev.wpengine.com/process-control/.