November 2021

News 0 6 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk November 2021 Schneider Electric has digitally upgraded its factory in Flint, Wales. The project, commenced in late 2018 and costing £300,000, will see the site become the UK’s first Schneider Electric smart factory. The Smart transformation project primarily involved retrofitting the existing factory to maximise efficiency and minimise downtime. The hardware solutions deployed were complimented by the full EcoStruxure software suite including Facility Expert, Resource Advisor, Machine Advisor, Augmented Operator Advisor, and AVEVA insight. The combination of digital tools, unified by EcoStruxure, provide the facility managers with the ability to control and optimise every aspect of the factory. Facility Expert enabled managers to keep a digital logbook of equipment and rapidly identify and respond to any problems within the production site, Machine Advisor provided machine analytics to empower operators with the ability to optimise machine operations and improve reliability, while the AVEVA platform acted as a visualisation platform for continuous operational improvement and real-time decision-making support. Schneider Electric’s investment was paid back within just one year, thanks to productivity and a range of efficiency- based savings. Maintenance costs saw a 15% reduction (£91,000) due to the installation of a Lean Digitisation System (LDS) system with Andon alerts and an additional £14,000 in savings thanks to the installation of Intelligent Lighting Systems onsite. In turn, efficiency at the Flint factory was greatly enhanced. Despite a 20% decrease in demand in 2020 due to COVID-19, Flint’s operational efficiency improved by 5% compared to 2019 levels and productivity increased by 4% – the latter represents £240,000 in savings alone. In 2021, operational efficiency is set to increase a further 7%. The transformation also had a range of sustainability benefits. Water consumption was halved – down from 4228m? in 2019, the highest of any site in the UK, to 2138m? in 2020, with projections of just 960m? in 2021. Likewise, improvements to efficiency associated with the installation of variable speed drives, smart panels, and other technological solutions led to a 15% decrease in electricity (KW/h) usage compared to 2019 levels. Beyond the hardware and software introduced to the site, staff were empowered to become more aware of areas of inefficiency and take ownership of issues. They now have instant access to dashboards, as well as the ability to create alerts to notify them of any changes within the plant. Mark Yeeles, vice president of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, said: “From a production and maintenance perspective, the factory used to be digitally blind. Over the course of a few years, we have become the first smart factory in the UK with complete operational visibility and clarity. We have control over real-time processes and can achieve a higher level of sustainability and safety. Given the project achieved a ROI within a year, it’s been an undeniable success for all involved.” Enrique Herrera, Industry Principal for Manufacturing at AVEVA, added: “Flint is a fantastic success story in all aspects - safety, productivity, and sustainably, at a reasonable cost. The fact that the site saw a return on the investment in smart technology within just a year and dramatic decreases in water and electricity use is testament to the potential for manufacturers to transform the way they operate quickly, cost- effectively, and sustainably. It also demonstrates the continued success of AVEVA and Schneider Electricity’s strategic partnership, which has gone from strength to strength.” Smart transformation project completed at Flint factory From university to the Formula One elite Coventry University graduate James Dornor has broken into the highly competitive Formula One industry, and now works on cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. But the 33-year-old’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. At the age of just six years old, James lost his father and had to grow up quickly to support his three older siblings and his mother, who juggled several jobs. Fast-forward to 2021 and he is now looking after some of the most prestigious cars in the Formula One industry. After previous spells working for McLaren Racing Ltd and Haas Formula One Team, James is now an electronics support engineer for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. His role involves maintaining and servicing Formula One cars that have entered retirement, keeping them in pristine condition for exhibitions and demos. He also monitors the cars, with a sharp focus on the chassis sensors such as hydraulics, clutch, fuel and gearbox whilst they’re on the track. After a difficult road to a highly sought-after career, James is now keen to continue pushing on, but he recognises the importance of never forgetting where he came from. He said: “I do have a lot of pride in getting to where I am today. Working on the chassis trackside again is probably the ultimate dream, and I’m not so far away from that right now, so I guess you could say I’m living the dream so to speak. “Reaching where I am today means I can offer a support network to my family, just as we did for each other when I was growing up. I’ll never forget where I came from and how hard we worked as a family. I always try to give back to those in less fortunate positions where I can, so I’ve previously gone into schools and even back to university in the past to try to help others with their goals and career aspirations.” A career in Formula One has been a dream for James since 2008, when he went to his first motor-show, before attending a free Formula One event