Plant & Works Engineering October 2022

CASE STUDY 30 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk October 2022 Production Engineering SPECIAL FOCUS M achines in food and beverage production have to be reliable, safe, fast, and without loss of quality over many years and even decades. High-performance technologies and continuous maintenance are required, but the machines must also comply with the latest standards, specifications, and requirements of the company. So-called retrofit solutions, i.e., the modernisation or expansion of existing plants and equipment, are essential for competitiveness and future strength. Staveb Automation AG, based in Hitzkirch in the Swiss canton of Lucerne, specialises in these retrofit solutions in addition to industrial automation, robotics, and control engineering. Particularly semi- and fully automated production plants that operate with outdated control systems benefit from such a rejuvenation, but they must be Modern control technology gives momentum to F&B production machine s Swiss food company Delica AG has replaced its control system and drive technology for more productivity, less waste and faster packaging, using Omron controllers (PLC) supplied by Staveb Automation AG. PWE reports. precisely adapted to the requirements of the commissioning company. As a long-standing solution partner, Staveb relies on control technology from the international automation expert Omron . The example of the Swiss food company Delica AG shows the advantages of such a retrofit project in the field of cornet ice cream production. Lack of spare parts and outdated machines hinder productivity If production plants and lines are to be modernised, companies are driven by efficiency efforts on the one hand. On the other hand, they are also forced to break new ground because support may be running out, spare parts are missing, or system updates are no longer available. The problem: repair requests pile up, equipment is not always available, and production grinds to a halt. Staveb has been helping companies in a wide range of industries to modernise their plants and processes for around three decades. Since then, technologies have changed immensely, processes have become more and more automated and solutions more and more connected. What has not changed: Waffle ice cream, so-called cornets, are just as popular today as they were 30 years ago. If a spare part is missing during production, this can lead to serious production losses, which companies like Delica, formerly Midor, want to avoid at all costs. Finding and eliminating faults more quickly That is why plants must always be up to date. Modern control systems are the be-all and end- all here, as they help to diagnose faults much faster and easier than before. Moreover, modernisation of this kind increases productivity. This can be achieved, for example, through faster data acquisition and communication, which allows for greater flexibility during product changes. Optimised drive technology also speeds up processes. Delica AG in Meilen decided in favour of modernisation because the control system previously used had been discontinued by the supplier and was therefore no longer supported. In addition, the programming software on the system built in the 90s was no longer running in the current Windows environment. Urs Weber, Automation/IH Electrical Team Leader at Delica. commented: “The system was running well, but in addition to the control problem, the wear and tear was too high, and the spare parts were becoming more and more expensive. We therefore also integrated new servo axes and had the susceptible gears replaced.” Focus on people Michael Engler, COO of Staveb Automation AG, added: “There was also an increasing number of failures in the drive technology and mechanical spare parts sometimes had delivery