Turning a shutdown into a pitstop
Just like super-fast pit stops in Grand Prix Formula One racing, ANDRITZ has been concentrating on helping customers to minimize shutdown times, utilizing its Metris OPP platform. The dedicated Metris Planning App is integrated into the platform and is already achieving remarkable results in shutdown efficiencies.
Just like Formula One racing, continuous process mills face the same challenges year after year, uniting technologies and people to make the stops efficiently and ever faster, with ever more daring production goals.
THE SHUTDOWN CHALLENGE
In this context, a shutdown may involve 25% of the annual maintenance budget over a period varying from 8 to 10 days. Another critical factor of this period is the number of tasks to be performed when processing more than 1,000 service orders, which will be executed by a contingent that can reach as many 1,500 people.
With so many activities being performed simultaneously by so many different people, and unlike car races, where the team knows itself and trains endlessly to manage the pit stop, in mills the complicating factor is that most of the people who perform the activities do not even know the mill. This reality makes the start-up of the production after the shutdown, and the resumption of historical levels of production, another important challenge in the management of shutdowns.
Shutdowns updated on time by mobile phone
THE SOLUTION
Aware of these challenges, ANDRITZ has developed a new application which has been integrated into its Metris UX Platform, the Metris Planning App. The new app allows the online monitoring of the activities of the shutdowns as a whole.
This application combined the expertise of two ANDRITZ divisions: one with more than 25 years of experience in Industrial Maintenance, including shutdown management. The other with IIoT technologies, responsible for optimizing the performance of pulp and paper mill processes, with more than 50 contracts in 15 countries, some of them operating for more than 12 years. This division is responsible for the optimization of processes of over 34 million tons annual production.
Tree map information about shutdown activities status
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Cleiton Oliveira, ANDRITZ OPP Technology Coordinator, says, “With the Metris Planning App, the maintenance people go out into the field with their mobile devices, which already have on them the tasks that need to be completed and the list of equipment that needs to be checked. These tasks can be completely personalized and dedicated to each area of the mill, for example, woodyard, fiberline, recovery boiler, etc.
“When each piece of equipment is checked, for example, a chip pump, the dedicated box is ticked and the action is uploaded. Or, if the maintenance person spots a problem, or needs to add a comment, there is a facility to do this, including adding photos or even videos illustrating the status of the equipment. This information is then all synchronized into the Metris Planning App, giving a realtime report of exactly what action is taking place around the mill.
The ongoing maintenance at the mill is reported in real time, using a traffic light system of red, green, and amber, which reveals the status of each area being monitored. At once, the planning tool reduces the chance of making repeats or errors, at the same time eliminating the need for reams and reams of paper and a lot of time inputting information into computers.
It also allows real-time management of both maintenance while the mill is running, as well as when on shutdown.
