Martin Lutz (1); (1) ProLeiT Corp., Lake Forest, IL, U.S.A.

World Class Manufacturing
Poster

Brewing operators work in a highly complex environment where a lot of tasks have to be performed in parallel. Nevertheless, fast and reliable reaction of operators is required if issues on specific processes occur. This increases the need for process automation systems to be designed in a way that enables the operators to come to the correct decisions in the shortest possible time. The automation system has to guide the operator to the point where their interference is required. The representation in the graphics gives decision support to assure the correct actions are taken. This concept of so called high-performance human machine interface (high-performance HMI) was developed in the chemical industry some years ago recognizing that a well-structured, yet simplified, way of creating graphics for process operation plays a key role in enabling correct and fast reactions. Also, for food processing, and here especially the brewing industry with its often completely automated plants, this change of the process visualization concept allows better control and faster corrective actions to process deviations. The lecture will provide insights into the base approaches for a high-performance HMI, the underlying lay-out philosophies compared to standard graphics, the application of the concept in brewing process automation, and the specific benefits resulting from this approach.

Martin Lutz has a long-term professional dedication to the brewing industry extending more than 30 years. Starting with an apprenticeship as a brewer and maltster, he then studied as a brewing engineer at Weihenstephan University, in Munich, Germany. There he also did his Ph.D. work in the field of soft-processing of wort. He joined ProLeiT in their business field of brewery automation and manufacturing data management in 1998 as a project manager. Since 2006 he has been responsible for the Department of Brewing Automation with worldwide projects in brewing process automation. In 2015 he moved to the United States to drive as CEO the U.S. operations of ProLeiT from their Northern Chicago subsidiary.