The PlantFloorCertified (PFC) program, introduced by MODULAR of Chattanooga, Tennessee, allows IT and plant management to select standard computing solutions for their plant floor needs—irrespective of any harsh-environment operating concerns. IT and plant managers may choose from virtually any commercially available off-the-shelf brand or model of computer, printer, monitor, or display—without any concern for how operation of the products might be adversely affected by the often-harsh NEMA 4X/IP65 & other environments typical of plant floors. Additionally, for many companies, PlantFloorCertified solutions are the perfect answer to the problem of how to deploy a corporate-mandated office computing system onto the plant floor.

Specialized “Industrial Computers” have long been available for the food/beverage/meat/pharmaceutical plant floor. For most plants, however, the suitability of such specialized systems has been limited due to several factors, including: (1) long development lead times; (2) high initial costs; (3) the difficulties/ uncertainties of inserting “proprietary” boards and CPUs into an otherwise–identical, standard corporate network; (4) increased costs and longer downtimes—since product service/upgrades can only be performed by the manufacturer; and (5) the food plants’ IT HELP desks are unable to troubleshoot/solve problems with the proprietary systems. The PlantFloorCertified (PFC) program eliminates each of those five shortcomings.

How the PFC program works:
(1) IT and plant management select standard office computers and peripherals from their vendor(s) of choice.

(2) MODULAR develops a standard or custom application-specific, cost-effective NEMA 4X/IP65 PlantFloorCertified solution.

(3) MODULAR assembles the computing solution, tests it, and then provides a 100% guarantee that all selected computers and peripherals will function properly in their intended applications/environments.

Proof of Concept program reduces customer product development costs by 50%:
If product concept development & testing are required, MODULAR will fund the product concept on an equal basis. For qualifying projects, MODULAR will fund one-half of the PFC product cost; the customer will fund the remaining half.

Single-vendor turnkey solution:
Depending on the customer needs, the computers and peripherals may be provided either by the customer or MODULAR. System assembly may take place at the MODULAR factory in Tennessee or on-site at the customers’ facilities—or at a combination of the two. The MODULAR solution may include mounting tables, mounting brackets, cables, connectors, and all “nuts and bolts” necessary to insure a complete “single-vendor” turnkey solution.

PlantFloorCertified (PFC) solutions can be developed for a single computer or peripheral—or for thousands of complete plant floor computing systems. Lead times range from one to eight weeks—depending on the uniqueness, complexity, and volume of the application. Prices for PFC systems often are 10 to 60% less than that of old-fashioned “Industrial Computer” prices.

For additional information, contact Nathan Carpenter, Application Specialist, MODULAR, 6634 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421; URL: www.mic.com      Phone: 800-477-8238 ext. 121     Email: ncarpenter@mic.com