GirControl plus. Manufacturing process control & remote maintenance via INTERNET

This paper shows a remote control application of manufacturing process control in fruit fresh packaging industry. Different machines types installed in a Packaging facility are connected through plant network to a local server allowing supervision in real time of manufacturing process by remote way through Internet. Different standard protocols are used to connect manufacturing plant machines to the local server and, through web server applications this local server allows connecting production plant machinery with service people external personal computers through internet. All local servers from packaging facilities are connected to a HOST server located in Service Supplier Company headquarter. Engineering people using personal computers can interact with manufacturing plant, through this HOST server, in real time or preventively consulting information supplied by machinery and server Data Base. Additional security system using the HOST server, allows connection permission to the different users versus every manufacturing plant through personal computers, with authentication keys that customize access of authorized people gives to the system a required confidentiality to preserve the information obtained from the manufacturing process.