Ahmad Iqtidar
Process & Analytics Engineer - Digital Transformation Engro Fertilizers
Karachi, Pakistan
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Enthusiastic and goal-oriented Process & Analytics Engineer with hands on experience on selection, designing and implementation of Digital Industrial applications to improve the predictivity, performance & reliability of industrial operations & assets. Working on Engro`s Digital transformation journey with the prime focus on Industrial Digital and Automation solutions.
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Transforming Safety: From Paper Trails to Digital Insights in Manufacturing Excellence
At our manufacturing facility, we have control systems— a mix of software and hardware— that play a crucial role in overseeing and optimizing our processes. Within these systems, certain instruments are classified as safety critical. These are devices designed to:
• Prevent major accidents in our operations.
• Minimize the impact in case of a loss of containment.
In the past, when a safety critical system needed to be bypassed for some reason, it was documented on paper. Unfortunately, this manual process lacked a comprehensive record, making it challenging to track how often a device was bypassed and why.
To enhance and modernize our approach, we've embraced the Microsoft Power Platform. We've employed Microsoft SharePoint Lists to create a robust database, Power Apps to develop a user-friendly application, Power Automate to automate our workflow, and Power BI to craft insightful dashboards.
Now, rather than relying on paper records, we've digitized our processes, making them more efficient and transparent. This not only ensures a more accurate tracking of safety critical system bypasses but also allows us to understand the reasons behind each instance.
By shifting from traditional paper-based methods to this digital transformation, we've introduced a level of sophistication that extends beyond the manufacturing floor. This approach is not just about replacing paper with screens; it's about embracing a dynamic system that not only records incidents but also provides valuable insights. Advantages of this digitization include:
• Efficiency: Streamlining the process has made it quicker and more reliable.
• Transparency: Now, anyone can easily comprehend the status and history of safety critical systems.
• Insights: The Power BI dashboard offers a visual representation, allowing us to analyze trends and make informed decisions.
• Accountability: With a clear record, we can pinpoint the reasons for bypasses, enabling better problem-solving.
• Proactive Measures: Armed with data, we can proactively address issues, preventing potential accidents.
In essence, we've moved from static paper records to a dynamic digital environment, bringing clarity, efficiency, and proactive safety measures to our manufacturing processes.
Databases Application for Control Valve and Motors: Streamlining Overhaul Processes
Introduction:
The I&E workshop at our manufacturing facility has been responsible for the overhaul of control valves and electric motors. However, the paper-based system for tracking the overhaul process and maintaining historical data created significant challenges that impacted efficiency and reliability. In this use case, we'll discuss how we leveraged Microsoft Power Platform to streamline the overhaul process and enhance visibility into the status of control valves and electric motors, ultimately improving productivity and decision-making.
Challenges:
The paper-based system had several drawbacks that impacted the facility's operations. Firstly, it lacked historical data for analysis, making it difficult to identify recurring issues or patterns. Secondly, the manual process of filling paper-based forms was time-consuming and inefficient. Thirdly, there was a lack of a reporting or analysis window available for the end-user to see the status of valves, particularly those that were frequently failing.
Solution:
To address these challenges, we developed the "I&E Databases for Control Valve and Motors" application using Microsoft Power Platform. The application provides a user-friendly interface that streamlines the paper-based form filling process and significantly improves efficiency. With the application, users can access historical data and identify recurring issues, leading to better visibility, and enhanced performance. Additionally, the application provides a dashboard that displays real-time data and analytics, enabling users to easily monitor the status of control valves and electric motors and improve visibility.
Platform Used:
To build the app, we utilized various components of Microsoft Power Platform:
Canvas Power Apps: Used for the front-end of the application, enabling us to design a user-friendly interface that enhances productivity and resulted in time saving for users.
SharePoint and Lists: Used for the back end of the application, providing a robust and reliable database that stores all the necessary information about control valves and electric motors, ultimately enhancing accessibility.
Power Automate: Used for workflows and approvals, allowing users to easily track the status of overhaul processes and streamline the approval process, leading to enhanced efficiency.
Power BI: Used for visualization, providing a dashboard that displays real-time data and analytics, enabling users to easily monitor the status of control valves and electric motors, leading to better visibility and data-driven decision-making.
Benefits:
The I&E Databases for Control Valve and Motors app has significantly improved the overhaul process at the I&E workshop, leading to enhanced reliability, efficiency, and productivity. By leveraging the capabilities of Microsoft Power Platform, we were able to streamline the process and significantly enhanced the user experience. The app has improved the visibility into the status of control valves and electric motors, helping to prevent future failures and ensuring smooth and continuous operations. Ultimately, the application has led to reliability enhancement, efficiency enhancement, productivity and time saving, enabling our facility to maintain its competitive edge.
In conclusion, the I&E Databases application developed using Microsoft Power Platform was a game-changer for our facility. It provided an innovative solution to a long-standing problem and delivered significant benefits in terms of performance and operation excellence. The application has enhanced productivity and time-saving, leading to better decision-making and robust controls. We are excited to continue exploring new use cases and applications for this powerful technology, and we look forward to sharing our experiences and insights with the wider community.
Revolutionizing Safety Management in Manufacturing Industry with Power Platform: A Case Study
As a member of the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) department at Engro Fertilizers Manufacturing Site in Daharki, Pakistan, I had the opportunity to work on a project that leveraged the power of Microsoft Power Platform to streamline safety audits during shutdowns or turnarounds at our facility. Prior to the implementation of our solution, our employees were filling out safety audits on paper cards, which made it difficult to consolidate and analyze the data, and hindered our ability to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
The HSE MSA application was developed using Microsoft Power Platform, which allowed us to create a custom solution that met our specific needs. Power Apps provided an easy-to-use interface for designing and deploying the app, while SharePoint was used to store and manage the data. Power Automate was also leveraged to automate certain tasks and streamline the MSA submission process.
One of the key benefits of the HSE MSA application was its ability to provide real-time data and analytics, which enabled us to quickly identify potential safety issues and take proactive measures to address them. The app's dashboard provided a comprehensive view of safety audit data, which could be filtered and analyzed in various ways. For example, we could view safety audit results by department or job type, or compare safety performance across different time periods. These insights helped us to identify trends and patterns, and take corrective actions where necessary.
In conclusion, the HSE MSA application developed using Microsoft Power Platform was a game-changer for our facility. It provided an innovative solution to a long-standing problem and delivered significant benefits in terms of safety compliance and performance. By leveraging the Power Platform, we were able to achieve a successful zero Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) during a 60-day-long turnaround, Zero TRIR is a critical objective for any manufacturing industry, as it represents our unwavering focus on the health and safety of our employees, and our relentless pursuit of operational excellence
As we look ahead to the future, we believe that there is great potential for further innovation and improvement using Microsoft Power Platform. We are excited to continue exploring new use cases and applications for this powerful technology, and we look forward to sharing our experiences and insights with the wider community.
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