Benefits of a campaign manager

Integration between the master resource and scheduling system and batch operating environment can be enhanced using a campaign manager. 

By John Parraga April 29, 2024

Batch processing facilitates the repetitive, tightly controlled manufacture of many things. This type of operation is ideal for large scale manufacturing where products are assembled and modified in a series of stages or steps. When connected to a batch management software system, the number of ingredients, execution stages, and degree of processing complexity which can be handled by relatively unsophisticated operators can be extraordinary. The typical end results for manufacturers are lower cost per unit products with tight quality control and meticulous records of production.

Enterprise resource and scheduling systems are ubiquitous to modern manufacturing organizations. These are frequently mated to plant floor automation systems. For simple batch operations with savvy operators this task can be straightforward, particularly when aided by a batch management solution. However, in operations that require rapid processing or changeover between many in-progress batch orders, this can be challenging. The same is true if batch processing requirements for a single order are large in either complexity or an amount of time that spans beyond the purview of a single operator or team. Integration between the master resource and scheduling system and the batch operating environment can be enhanced using a campaign manager.

ECS Solutions, Inc. (ECS) routinely delivers a campaign management module as part of batch projects. This solution is an in-house, database-based module which acts as translator between the enterprise management and the batch engine. The product is agnostic of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, the batch software suite, and the control hardware which means it can be deployed on virtually any batch management system.

“Overall scheduling occurs in the enterprise system, but that system is rarely aware of all of the detailed information available in the factory batch system,” said John Parraga, director of process automation at ECS. “Over a longer campaign, manual interventions or other factors might necessitate adding or deleting batches to fulfill an order. Also, ingredient-specific considerations might alter the final requirements, and, without real time oversight, you may be faced with an incorrect number of batches at the end,” he continues. The campaign manager simplifies tasks compared to handling via an operator. Another example of this would be pausing or holding a lengthy campaign if there was a need to run a single or small group of another product. This could create quite the challenge for preparation and tracking of information where the campaign manager provides this easily.

The campaign manager runs on a simple physical or virtual server, normally in concert with some other element of the batch system.  Thus, the hard costs for the module are low. This module is frequently installed at the outset but can be retrofitted into most systems once the client learns of how it can simplify campaign management for the daily users. “In the grand scheme of things, this is really an inexpensive part of the entire batch solution, and it can be applied to almost any system, even after the fact,” Parraga said.

ECS’ clients find that the cost of the campaign manager versus the training and subsequent time required for effective batch list management helps to quickly pay for the module and its implementation. “Other benefits include the prevention of errors and over production, especially with expensive ingredients or operations,” Parraga said. “The total system, including the campaign manager, eliminates manual paperwork and provides an unparalleled level of traceability,” he concludes.

Batch manufacturing has and will continue to be a critical tool for large scale manufacturing. Agility and documentation are both enhanced by adding a campaign management module to a proper batch management system. An effective campaign manager, as delivered and configured by experts like the ECS team, will provide a low added cost way to maximize the batch system investment.


Author Bio: John Parraga is an experienced process, particularly batch process, engineer with career stops at Sequentia, the firm that gave the world batch management as we know it, and Rockwell Automation. At Rockwell Automation John held several roles. As a Global Process Technical Consultant, John advised many customers and integrators on the best way to control their processes. As the FactoryTalk Batch product manager, John was part of the PlantPAx leadership team. As a salesperson focused on the life science industry, John was able to apply his knowledge in a different but rapidly growing area of process manufacturing. John has participated in a number of organizations over the years. His published paper on recipe-based clean-in-place remains a standard for implementing the best and most efficient clean-in-place control systems.