PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

INSPECTION 46 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net In one particular instance, the Agr system, and specifically the vision- based sealing surface control, helped identify a problem on the part of a supplier of preforms. It turned out that a third-party supplier provided a batch of preforms with damaged surfaces. The preforms, still fresh and soft, were not handled properly in their produc- tion facility. When Nałęczów Zdrój began to process them, the defects became quickly evident when they began producing an above average number of bottles that did not seal properly. According to Mr Nachowicz they contacted the supplier and requested them to correct the problem with the preform quality. However, as the situation had it, Nałęczów Zdrój had a large stock of these preforms that would have to be returned and scrapped, and at the same time they needed preforms to continue produc- tion. In order to continue production, some preforms were kept and the Agr system was adjusted to accept ‘bor- derline’ containers. There were more rejects than usual, but the Agr system made it possible to use some of them. This was a win-win situation. They had the preforms to produce bottles, and the supplier was not forced to rework the entire batch. The value of the preform inspec- tion capability is evidenced in the recent addition of another module for the system, a camera for identification of defects on the preform body. This has helped improve quality control even further by making it possible to identify and reject defective preforms from the blow-moulding machine before the bottle is blown. In addition to optimising the production process, the system will give the company an additional advantage – it will provide an absolute proof that preforms were defective before they were blown into bottles, which means that the filler’s involvement was minimum at that point. The monitoring of preforms at a pre-blow stage of the process will identify the party responsible for a given defect in nearly all cases. Further, with the Agr system, the company is able to present con- crete data concerning, for example, a defective batch of preforms, which gave it a strong position in negotia- tions. “The system gives an additional back-up for the company – the spe- cific measurement data. As such, it has earned the trust of the company’s employees,” Mr Nachowicz admits. Providing value to the production process For more than two years, Nałęczów Zdrój has been using Agr’s Process Pilot systems to control mate- rial distribution, increase process and filling line efficiency, and manage the quality of their preform supply for the Cisowianka bottles. All of these functionalities and capabilities have helped to optimise their production process and bring value to their oper- ations let alone on-going financial sav- ings resulting from the light weighting efforts on the Cisowianka bottles. And the value of producing a high quality product with lower customer com- plaints also has a financial dimension. Competition in the water market is stiff. In order to get competitive advantage, producers are doing their best to drive down costs. The policy at Nałęczów Zdrój is to optimise costs based on the economies of scale. “This is where we are looking for returns and Process Pilot has helped us” explained Mr Banaśkiewicz. An example of this is the elimina- tion of short periods of downtime and faster reaction time. “When we see that something is wrong, the alarm goes off immediately. We don’t have to wait and cut bottles into cross-sec- tions to find the source of the problem, losing a couple thousand bottles in the meantime,” cited Mr Banaśkiewicz. In the event that the blowmoulder is shut down to correct a problem, because the Process Pilot manages the dis- tribution, usable bottles are available almost immediately, improving produc- tion output. In the name of productivity, the Agr Process Pilot system has had a posi- tive effect. In addition to identifying problems with production bottles, it is also a diagnostic tool for the blow- moulder maintenance, making it pos- sible to identify the cavity where the defects originate. This gives added value to the technical department, as they get a preliminary diagnosis of the situation allowing them to pinpoint the exact location of the problem, quickly address the issue and return to production with minimal downtime. The use of the Process Pilot system has also led to an increase in filling line efficiency and reduced downtime by ensuring that only commercial grade bottles reach the filler. Further- more, the filling lines are able to run at higher speeds. “What I appreciate about the Agr system the most is the quality control function. It gives us assurance that consumers will buy a safe product. Thanks to Agr, we are looking closely at every single bottle and we are sure that it is 100% safe after filling and capping – both in terms of possible damage to sealing surface, which could harm the consumer and in terms of consistent bottle quality” explained Mr Banaśkiewicz. Mr Banaśkiewicz also stated that sometimes it is hard to quantify bene- fits, such as the ability to produce and fill a challenging bottle like the 1.5l Cisowianka bottle with minimal issues, increased efficiency and less downtime. With the demand for the Cisowianka product, every advantage that increases production is critical. And with less downtime during con- tainer production and filling opera- tions, production yield is increased, improving profitability and competitive advantage. www.agrintl.com www.cisowianka.pl Agr’s Pilot Profiler measures every bottle at the mould out take and pro- vides the feedback for Agr’s Process Pilot automated blowmoulder control.