Logstor implements GE Vernova solutions to improve their plant’s OEE

Logstor is a world leader in supplying energy-efficient pre-insulated pipe systems, used for transporting liquids and gases, remote cooling and heating, and transporting oil and natural gas. The Polish branch of the company has a plant in Gliwice, and 3 more factories in Silesia.

They needed to implement an overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) system that helped them focus on the ecology, ergonomics, and high quality of their production. They needed to be able to implement new machines quickly and efficiently at their plants, control the condition of their machines and their downtime, and produce more at a lower cost with increased quality. They partnered with VIX Automation to implement an OEE analysis system utilizing Proficy Software and Services from GE Vernova at each of their 4 factories in Poland.

Results from an improved OEE analysis system include:

In each of the four factories, VIX implemented a system leveraging GE Vernova’s iFIX that enabled Logstor to precisely analyze the operation of machines as well as their downtime. Thanks to the implemented systems, technologists working in Logstor can accurately calculate the time needed to prepare for production, and management can better plan the production and logistics process.

Everyone involved in the process knows how long the production cycle takes because this process has enabled automatic collection of information from the machine park, and the data obtained in this way is unquestionable and 100% reliable.

Machine availability is calculated – by dividing the time of its actual use by the time it is switched on. Based on this data, which appears in real-time on the technologists' screens, Logstor is able to discern whether the machine is working or not – and if it is, at what pace. They also have historical data that they can use to understand and compare machine performance on a daily, weekly, monthly, and even shift basis. If there are serious abnormalities, like for example they see a noticeable slowdown during one of the shifts, they immediately get a signal to act and solve the problem. If there is a large discrepancy in data when comparing shift A and shift B and it is a constant trend, they can implement corrective actions like shuffling shifts to ensure better training of employees. With the real-time, hard data from their new OEE analyzation system, Logstor can make decisions on production processes or on possible cost reductions.

With this new OEE system, Logstor has eliminated the need to manually record data on paper burdened with errors and underestimation. Currently, the data is indisputable and comes from each of the crucial machines at the company's four sites – and there are plans to implement this system for further elements of the machine park in the future.

An important part of this project was the adaptation to the diversity of machines. With this new system, Logstor was able to develop common layouts for the screens used for data analysis, allowing machines from different manufacturers, implemented in different periods, to be connected to the system.

Now Logstor can better understand the production in terms of work efficiency, so that they can manufacture more and with better quality. The implementation of the GE Vernova iFIX-based system and the in-depth analysis of the data from it, has proven that the same machines can produce more over the same period of time. They also know which machines are running redundantly, and how to optimize machines in terms of production. This has allowed Logstor to increase plant efficiency by 33%, resulting in higher profits.

The OEE system implemented by VIX Automation is equipped with additional support for technologists, production managers and, of course, operators (especially in our plant in Żory on the pipe-in-pipe line.)

The production management system provided by VIX Automation controls the entire final product development process – it is fully visualized and allows reporting on both planned and actual production.

The area is divided into several workstations, including a pipe pushing station, temporary storage tables, a pipe foaming table, and a quality control station. From the reports, the technologist is able to discern the number of tables produced of a given type per shift, the number of pipes produced of a given type per shift, and the total number of pipes produced per shift. Previously, this was done by manual counting in Excel. Thanks to the implemented system, Logstor is able to save 30 minutes through automating manual processes.

The sensors at the production stations are connected to a central PLC, allowing the 'table Takt' to be analyzed. Data entered into the system can be compared with real-time data from the process, and the production progress is visible on the management application screen. Each production process is precisely designed by Logstor - they create a theoretical production flow at particular stations based on the production plan entered by the operator. Then they’re able to superimpose information on it delivered directly from production, i.e. actual data coming from sensors at particular stations. Through this, they’re able to figure out whether the production is running properly or not. At the moment, Logstor is able to achieve over 95% compliance with the assumed plans through 'bottleneck analysis'.

By comparing reports on the states of machines and production, as well as on the quality of production, they can react much faster to possible downtime, but also to better enforce the production progress.

The process of implementation of the VIX Automation solution is still ongoing and being extended to include new machines and functionalities. The system has already been translated into English and will also be translated into Danish.

For many years VIX Automation has been providing software and services for the industry, always taking care of every single detail of the product delivered, adapting it to your needs. We have been a distributor of SCADA systems, especially iFIX, part of the Proficy portfolio, and other GE Vernova products for 20 years.As a leader in the automation market, we make a real contribution to the increase in effectiveness of Polish enterprises.