Parallel Flow Regenerative (PFR) technology is the best solution for the calcination process in vertical lime kilns. It assures lower production costs and simplified maintenance and operation. PFR kiln has been substantially unchanged since its invention in the '60s, but Industrial Internet changed the game.
MOSAICO Intelligent Platform, the Industrial Internet platform for the Lime Industry intelligently transforms operational data into actionable information, accessible anywhere and anytime. It delivers context and drives action based on equipment, location and people.
MOSAICO brings together connected machines, advanced sensors and controllers, and software for optimised performance. It provides robust analysis, visualisation and reporting capabilities.
Harnessing the triple potential of:
sensors and connectivity
smart-machines
Industrial big-data and analytics
Customers can now:
Optimize assets
Optimize operations
Realise the power of 1 percent, as intended by Qualical as small outcomes that can drive big changes in performance and operative margins.
“How much downtime is ideal? We think Zero sounds good.”
Carlo Cella, Qualical, CEO
The Challenge
Squeeze every single 1 percent of operative margin from QualiCal PFR Kiln located in Calcis Group, Germany, by:
Reducing unplanned downtime
Optimise maintenance costs
Smart Maintenance
The customer needed a tool available to the Service Manager for maintenance scheduling, follow up and communicate with technicians in his plants distributed in Germany.
Furthermore, the same tool has to give technical support to simplify and speed up proper execution of maintenance activities.
The Solution
The development and implementation of ZERO™ App, embedded in MOSAICO™ Intelligent Platform, on the QualiCal PFR Kiln, leverage the power of cloud storage and computing, connecting together QualiCal plants spread worldwide.
Trough MOSAICO™ the information coming from the plants are continuously collected, monitored and analysed in real-time. The maintenance responsible access to this information directly from a mobile device and can monitor the performance of each plant from anywhere in the world and manage maintenance team on a site without to be present on site.
Moreover, compare information coming from different plants helps him to identify the best process settings and anticipate breakage and failures, operating the plants at the performance peak.
In the same way, technicians can take advantage of ZERO™ during their workday: using a mobile device, they can check activities assigned to themselves, access to the documentation necessary to complete the operation (maintenance manual, needed tools, video instructions and group – chat are only an example) and give a feedback at the conclusion, simply through a tablet connected to the cloud.
ZERO Wrokflow
The customer and everyone involved in maintenance operations can move from a traditional hardcopy maintenance plan to a digital and dynamic format. The first advantage is that anyone has available the same and most updated revision.
Moreover, maintenance tasks can be also created through thunder notification, directly sent from the equipment which has an anomalies detected through sensors, or investigating the Unplanned Downtime Cost Impact Report where the Service Manager can identify equipment that requires priority.
Based on the type of anomaly, a task will be assigned to deputed personnel (mechanic, electric or operator). At this point, the involved technicians will receive a daily notification regarding pending activities waiting to be taken in charge.
Once that the technician will accept the activity, he will be able to access to all the information to complete the job successfully: maintenance manual, required tools and Qualitwit™ for technical support.
At job completed, a technician will close the activity, indicating if the problem is solved and inserting notes and comments required by the Service Manager to properly follow the operations.
Results
Through ZERO™ has been possible to increase maintenance efficiency and, in general, the overall availability of the plant, minimising unplanned downtime occurrences and time required to restart the plant after a failure.
The most important achievements are an advanced and automatic maintenance task schedule, a tool able to follow easily the progress of maintenance operations and an increased technicians’ qualification, who feel also more gratified and empowered, focusing more on the job itself, instead of bothering with marginal operations.
Thanks to ZERO, the Customer can manage more effectively their workday maximising their productivity, showing satisfaction for the simplification of maintenance management and the possibility to manage emergencies without having to be physically present on site.
Read More: How MOSAICO intelligent platform changed the rules in the lime production
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