Bunge Control System Migration China | SENTRADO
A detailed case study of SENTRADO's industrial automation solution delivering measurable results for food processing operations in China.
Project Background & Objectives
Bunge, the global agribusiness and food ingredient leader, selected SENTRADO to execute a complete legacy industrial control system (ICS) to Siemens PCS 7 DCS migration at their soybean processing complex in China. The project encompassed replacing an end-of-life distributed control system that had been in operation for nearly two decades, with a modern, integrated platform that would support the plant's next phase of growth and digital transformation.
The existing ICS, while historically reliable, had become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. The vendor had discontinued support, spare parts lead times stretched to months, and the system lacked the connectivity and data capabilities required for modern manufacturing. Bunge needed a migration partner that could deliver a complete turnkey solution — from engineering and panel manufacturing to software development, commissioning, and long-term support — with proven experience in large-scale DCS migration within the food processing sector.
SENTRADO's local presence in China was a decisive factor, enabling close collaboration with Bunge's engineering team throughout the project and rapid on-site response when needed. The project was delivered from our Beijing headquarters and Yanjiao manufacturing facility.
Problems We Had to Solve
1. End-of-Life ICS Platform
The legacy DCS was no longer supported by the original manufacturer. Critical components such as I/O cards, power supplies, and operator stations were failing at increasing rates, with replacement parts available only through third-party refurbishers at exorbitant prices.
2. Continuous Processing Requirement
Soybean processing is a continuous operation. The extraction and refining trains cannot be stopped and restarted without significant product loss, equipment stress, and days of ramp-up time. The migration had to maintain production continuity throughout.
3. Data Historian Migration
Years of historical process data stored in the legacy historian needed to be preserved and migrated to the new platform. This data was essential for regulatory reporting, process optimization, and long-term trend analysis.
4. Function Block Reengineering
The legacy system's control logic, developed over many years, contained undocumented modifications and custom-tuned parameters that had been optimized for the specific plant. Simply translating code line-by-line would not capture the operational know-how embedded in these modifications.
5. Operator Change Management
The plant's operators had over a decade of experience with the old HMI. A radical interface change could lead to operational errors during the transition period. The new system needed to balance modern usability with familiar operational concepts.
Our Approach & System Architecture
SENTRADO delivered a complete EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) migration to the Siemens PCS 7 DCS platform, utilizing AS 410 controllers with ET 200SP HA distributed I/O. The system was designed with full redundancy at the controller, network, and server levels to maximize availability. The migration strategy used a sequential area-by-area approach, with each process cell — from receiving and preparation through extraction, refining, and packaging — converted independently during carefully planned maintenance windows.
Rather than simply translating legacy code, SENTRADO's process engineers worked alongside Bunge's senior operators to document the actual control behavior, including all undocumented tuning parameters and operational workarounds. This knowledge was then reengineered using PCS 7's advanced process library (APL) function blocks, which provided superior control performance, built-in diagnostics, and standardized faceplates. The historian migration used a data extraction and transformation pipeline that preserved 10+ years of process data with full timestamp integrity.
The HMI design process included multiple review cycles with Bunge's operations team to ensure that critical information was presented in a familiar layout while incorporating modern ergonomic principles. The new WinCC system includes high-performance process graphics, alarm shelving, ergonomic color schemes, and a mobile viewer for supervisors. Comprehensive operator training was delivered using a simulator that replicated the actual plant responses before go-live.
System Architecture Highlights
- Siemens PCS 7 v9.1 with AS 410 redundant controllers
- ET 200SP HA distributed I/O with full hot-swap capability
- Sequential area-by-area migration maintaining production continuity
- Process knowledge capture and APL function block reengineering
- 10+ years of historian data migrated with timestamp integrity
- WinCC OA with high-performance HMI graphics and alarm shelving
- Redundant servers, network, and controllers at all levels
- Operator training simulator with plant-faithful dynamic model
System Parameters & Configuration
| Control System | Siemens PCS 7 DCS v9.1 |
| Controllers | 4 × AS 410 (redundant pairs) |
| Total I/O Points | 3,600+ (AI: 520, AO: 180, DI: 2,100, DO: 800) |
| Communication Protocol | PROFINET IRT / PROFIBUS DP / OPC UA |
| HMI / SCADA | WinCC OA — 5 OS + 2 EWS + Web server |
| Control Cabinets | 14 × IP54 with redundant cooling |
| Distributed I/O Stations | 24 × ET 200SP HA |
| Historian | Process Historian with 10+ years migrated data |
| Power Range | 380V 3-phase, 50Hz, UPS-backed |
| Redundancy | Full CPU, network, and server redundancy |
| Migration Phases | 6 sequential process area cutovers |
| Data Integrity | 100% historical data preserved and accessible |
Key Components & Hardware
Siemens AS 410 Controller
6ES7410-5HX08-0AB0
PCS 7 high-performance AS
ET 200SP HA I/O
6DL5110-0AL10-0AX0
Hot-swap remote I/O for PCS 7
PCS 7 Engineering Suite
6ES7658-5AX18-0YA5
DCS engineering software
WinCC OA Server
6AV6371-1DN07-0AX0
SCADA server with redundancy
SCALANCE X308-2
6GK5308-2FL10-2AA3
Layer 3 managed PROFINET switch
SITOP UPS1600
6EP4137-3AB00-0AY0
Uninterruptible power supply
SITRANS FM MAG 5000
7ME6910-1AA30-1AA0
Electromagnetic flow transmitter
Rittal VX25 Baying
VX 8806.000
Modular cabinet baying system
Project Phases
Process Knowledge Capture
6 weeksWork with operators to document actual control behavior
Detailed Engineering
10 weeksDCS architecture, I/O scheduling, panel design
Panel Manufacturing
8 weeks14 cabinets built at SENTRADO facility
Software Development
14 weeksPCS 7 engineering, APL blocks, HMI, historian
FAT & Simulation
4 weeksFull system test with operator training simulator
Phase 1-3 Migration
12 weeksPreparation, extraction, refining area cutovers
Phase 4-6 Migration
10 weeksPackaging, utilities, storage area cutovers
SAT & Optimization
4 weeksPerformance tuning, final documentation, handover
Measurable Outcomes
Performance data verified after system commissioning and sustained operation.
No unplanned outages during migration
All historical data migrated and accessible
Post-migration DCS uptime
Mean time to repair significantly reduced
Before vs After: Quantified Comparison
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production during migration | At risk of extended outage | 100% continuity | Zero outage |
| Historical data access | Fragmented legacy systems | 100% migrated & accessible | Full access |
| System availability | ~95% (aging DCS) | 99.8% | +4.8 pts |
| Mean time to repair (MTTR) | Hours (manual diagnosis) | 40% faster with diagnostics | −40% |
| Platform standardization | Multiple legacy platforms | Single Siemens platform | Unified |
Data based on project commissioning reports and sustained operational measurements. Client name available under NDA.
Bottom Line Impact
The delivered automation system exceeded all performance targets specified in the contract, achieving higher throughput, lower energy consumption, and improved product quality compared to the baseline operation. The client reported full return on investment within the projected payback period and has since engaged SENTRADO for additional plant expansion phases.
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