News

If You Build it, they will come

While Trident engineers are customizing control systems for clients, the Trident panel shop wires and builds the components needed for speed, accuracy, and reliability. Although all of Trident’s DCS products rely on computerization, all field devices are still connected through wired panels. Trident is one of the few DCS providers with a UL accredited panel shop on site. The panels meet UL508A standards or UL698 depending on the project. At the center of it all is Kevin Heindel, a guy […] Read More

Case Study: New system in and running in four hours

Louis Dreyfus Commodities operates an ethanol plant in Norfolk, Nebraska. The plant needed a new operating system, but could not afford to lose any production time. Trident worked with plant managers to design a system and process that could be installed during a scheduled 3-day outage. For 12 weeks, teams did pre-engineering work in Wisconsin with installation designed to take hours instead of days. On site, engineers removed an APACS DCS, then installed a customized cabling system to use existing […] Read More

Open platform system saves ethanol plant millions

Golden Grain Energy in Mason City, Iowa, was looking for a way to reduce maintenance costs for their operating systems. Golden grain produces 125M gallons /year of distiller’s grains and non-food grade corn oil. The plant was running an Advanced Process Control (APC) “black box” which had worked well until modifications were needed. Although system controls reside in PCs rather than the DCS, the system is effective with non-linear and adaptive process. However, it requires extensive process knowledge and process […] Read More

Trident’s innovative e-store for previously used DCS hardware

In order to better support customers, Trident Automation is providing a service—an online e-store featuring previously used hardware. The Trident e-store has been open as of Oct. 3, 2017 and provides hundreds of replacement parts for businesses currently running APACS, Foxboro and other control systems. Siemens announced it will discontinue support for the APACS system in 2020; as an independent integrator and Siemens solution partner, Trident will continue to offer replacement parts and system service. Foxboro announced the FCP270 Field […] Read More

Why upgrade?

The distributed control system (DCS) is the brain of any manufacturing plant, providing the intricate knowledge and responsiveness needed to keep production running smoothly. For many plants, the decision to upgrade a DCS is often made well beyond the life of the system, when operations are starting to fail or falling behind current technology. So how do plant managers know when it’s time to upgrade? Here are some key points to consider. Success with Partners: The best DCS upgrades are done […] Read More

Trident Automation’s philosophy that keeps customers happy

We’ve all been there: after a meeting with a vendor, you don’t remember a thing because you didn’t understand the layers of technology. If that ever happens here at Trident, we have failed. Our primary goal is to build a control system our customers understand—a system that is easy to maintain and grow with each business. Our three founders grew up in the controls industry and have seen your business from the inside out. Our customers trust our boots on […] Read More

How to determine when an alarm is really an emergency

In a quest to better manage production, high alarm rates have a negative outcome: information overload. When all systems are triggering alarms, how does any critical information get through to an operator? When Golden Grain Energy upgraded from APACS to Siemens PCS 7, Trident Automation worked with the plant to create the most customized alarm management system possible. “Our process helps the customer to better organize alarm systems,” said Nate Nutter, PCS 7 Certified Engineer, at Trident Automation. “When customers […] Read More

Trident announces innovative E-Mall for previously used Siemens APACS and Foxboro DCS hardware

In order to better support customers, Trident Automation is providing a new service—an online E-mall featuring previously used hardware. The Trident E-mall is open as of Oct. 3, 2017 and will provide hundreds of replacement parts for businesses currently running APACS, Foxboro and other control systems. Siemens recently announced it will discontinue support for the APACS system in 2020; as an independent integrator and Siemens solution partner, Trident will continue to offer replacement parts and system service. Foxboro recently announced […] Read More

Trident attends Rockwell Automation on the Move

You can take all the YouTube videos and online tutorials you want, but nothing beats old-fashioned, hands-on experience. That’s why Trident Automation recently attended Rockwell Automation on the Move in Green Bay, Wisconsin and why Stacy Mancl, controls engineer, looked forward to the interactive sessions. “I found the labs were the most useful because they gave me a chance to play with things I’ve never played with before,” she said. The event included a trade show, technical sessions and labs. […] Read More

How Windows 98 and 20-year old technology kept one company in production

(note: Due to confidentiality agreements, we cannot reveal the name of the customer in this case study.) What happens when you depend on your legacy system for critical production and you don’t have the budget to replace it? You call Trident Automation. One of our customers was in that exact situation. Their operating system reported an outage on a critical boiler system completely shutting down production in that boiler. Plan A was to fix the boiler. Plan B was to […] Read More