ENCO: An ArchestrA Certified Solution Provider

Enginyeria i Control S.L., enco, is a system integration (SI) company from Spain specializing in the implementation of global engineering, industrial control and production management solutions. With its headquarters in Montmeló, Barcelona, enco has been developing advanced infrastructures since 2002 for the automation and information management of plant production processes. enco works with companies in the following industries: Food Processing, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Paper and Facility Management. Some of its customers include Aersa, Bimbo (Sara Lee), Deloitte, Ikusi and Purac.

Since its inception, enco has used Wonderware products to offer highly competitive industrial optimization solutions. The ArchestrA Certified system integrator first collaborated with Wonderware when defining requirements for Purac, a well-recognized company in the Chemical sector. Purac needed a plant-monitoring SCADA system that would be open to any standard and offer high expansion possibilities in the future.

"We analyzed the customer's specific requirements and saw numerous possibilities for using Wonderware automation and control products. We specifically chose Wonderware software for this project. We use Wonderware technology as a standard in our service offerings as it enables us to offer solutions at all levels, from the plant level to ERP," stated Manuel Guil, Partner-Director of enco.

Only four years have passed since enco first utilized Wonderware software solutions. Today, enco is the only company in Spain to achieve ArchestrA Certification through the Wonderware System Integrator Program — the highest level of certification that Wonderware offers system integrators. enco's Application Developers have been successfully certified on the Wonderware Industrial Application Server, InTouch HMI, IndustrialSQL Server historian, and ActiveFactory, DT Analyst, QI Analyst, InBatch, InControl and SCADAlarm software.

Continuous Training as Corporate Philosophy

Commitment to detail is key to this system integrator's corporate philosophy, which is "enco: knowledge." In order to remain competitive, enco has established a strict training policy for its entire team. When new employees join the company, they spend the first six months dedicated exclusively to training, generally initiated by obtaining certification on Wonderware's InControl software.

According to Manuel Guil, InControl software "is a good product [for familiarizing new employees with] Wonderware technology. It provides a good foundation and an understanding for the possibilities of automation."

After InControl certification is achieved, new employees are instructed to acquire certification on InTouch software. Only then are they permitted to participate in company projects. enco initiates a new training phase every six (6) months. Wonderware product certification is part of the SI's global knowledge management strategy. enco employees are also encouraged to earn a Master's Degree in Automation, which complements the knowledge acquired during Wonderware product certification.

For enco, its value is based on providing global offerings that cover every aspect of advanced automation systems.

"A technology solution alone is not always enough. The combination of our automation engineers' broad knowledge and Wonderware software solutions maximizes the potential offered by technology. In this sense, it is a priority for enco to increase the level of services offered to become what some people call a 'one-stop shop,'" Guil remarked.

This commitment to continuous training is the differential factor that positions enco as the Wonderware SI with the greatest number of product certifications worldwide.

Although there are many determining factors for why a company selects an engineering company, the high level of knowledge that enco offers potential customers represents a fundamental value when it comes to executing an automation project.

"In the traditional dilemma between the 'sale by price' versus 'sale by value' approach to new business proposals, enco shows a clear commitment to the second option — and we are aware that our knowledge of Wonderware systems will help us implement our projects optimally," explained Josep Francesc Plensa, Sales Manager of enco.

Wonderware Technology Enables Flexible Solutions Independent of Infrastructure and Industry

enco's investment in training its employees on Wonderware software through the Wonderware Certification Program as well as its flexible approach to projects enables them to resolve the diverse challenges presented by a variety of infrastructures as well as industries as disparate as Food Processing and Chemicals. enco is committed to organic growth on a regional level.

"The standardization of the Wonderware technology gives us project independence. As the professionals executing the projects, we have found that the software's capacity to re-use objects gives us a working methodology that is suitable for any sector. It provides us with unique versatility, which we use to our customers' advantage, and to achieve new business objectives for ourselves," concluded Guil.

The Value of Plant Data Analysis

According to Manuel Guil and Josep Francesc Plensa, Spanish industrial companies have been making enormous efforts over the past several years because they have to compete with companies in other countries that have notably lower labor costs. To balance the scales, these companies have become more organized, computerized their management areas, and optimized their supply chains and production processes.

enco has found that, while the introduction of powerful ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems are not normally preceded by profitability analyses, the implementation of computer systems for the supervision and management of production operations (MES) typically undergo ROI analysis. Even though a company's Purchasing, Marketing or Finance department may perform comprehensive data analysis, the plant rarely finds people dedicated to analyzing information. This trend indicates to enco that many companies attribute little value to plant information — even though that information can give them complete visibility into operations and thus empower personnel to make the right decisions and advance continuous process improvement efforts.

Plan, Execute, Control, Analyze, Act

enco implements projects using the following methodology: plan, execute, control, analyze and then act. The Wonderware software facilitates a proactive approach to project implementation. The InTouch HMI helps enco personnel react to deviations in processes in real time, and ActiveFactory and DT Analyst software gives them tools to analyze historical data.

"In today's competitive environment, optimizing an MES system is a strategic investment in a manufacturing company's survival because doing so can provide visibility into issues that were not previously detectable. It is undeniable that one cannot resolve something that is unknown," both enco managers stressed.

enco has executed projects that incorporate practically every Wonderware product available on the market. In fact, in 2005, enco was one of the top Wonderware System Integrators on a worldwide level — in terms of revenue, in addition to being the engineering company with most Wonderware certifications worldwide.

Category Winner in the Wonderware Open

Currently, enco employs a team of 22 professionals that operate from the offices in Montmeló. Some of its immediate growth plans are based on a policy of proximity to its customers. Thus, enco focuses on business opportunities primarily in Madrid and Portugal. According to its mission statement, "the services of enco and Wonderware technology are applicable to any industry. Improving production and performance can benefit any company that wants achieve optimum competitiveness in its sector."

enco also aims to "close the training cycle of the engineer." In other words, once the professional completes training, s/he should be able to apply that experience and knowledge as well as train other engineers. Furthermore, enco actively participates in the training of other engineering companies, and its employees teach at educational institutions such as sector institutions and universities.

Josep Francesc Plensa observes that "the value contributed by enco in terms of training is related to the broad experience of our professionals. In addition to our in-depth knowledge of Wonderware products and solutions, we have the opportunity to identify the typical problems of each industry in situ."

enco recently achieved the Wonderware Open 2005 prize in the "Best Management of Mixed Production and Performance" category for its project at Purac Bioquimica.

"By maintaining our training policy, continuing our strong relationship with Wonderware and focusing on growth in the Iberian peninsula, we hope to become a reference within Wonderware's worldwide community," concluded Guil.