Technical Improvement Programs (TIP) in numbers: Körber Business Area Tissue quantifies its systems’ efficiency

Körber Business Area Tissue, global leader of advanced solutions for the tissue converting industry, aims to support its clients in maintaining an optimal and consistent output on their plants over time. This is why, for years, Körber has been providing an investment protection system, through various initiatives. These range from technological upgrades, to ensure the plants are constantly updated with state-of-art technology and market trends, all the way to monitoring and supervising services carried out by its expert technicians, which keep the production line at maximum efficiency and finished products at high quality levels. To this end, quantifying the efficiency of industrial systems is fundamental for companies operating in the Tissue sector. The dataset encompassing the OEE – Overall Equipment Efficiency – therefore provides an overview of the line availability, machine performance and quality of the output.

“It is evident to all, in the manufacturing world, just how frequently the available technology and market trends change. If the return on investment of millions of Euros for a new production line could once be accurately planned, today it is increasingly difficult to have certainty about the constant efficiency and effectiveness of the new plant in the course of its entire production lifecycle”, says Alessandro Borelli, Customer Service Director at Körber Business Area Tissue, who continues, “In this sense, Körber Business Area Tissue’s ongoing diagnostic services have led some of our clients to increase their productivity from 3% to 13%. In 2022 alone, the on-demand remote support recorded 5,700 calls to the Tissue Performance Center, which has carried out improvement interventions, thanks to the continuous monitoring system of the Körber machines installed worldwide. The expertise and training of our technicians guarantee utmost quality, reducing downtimes and increasing the overall effectiveness of the equipment”.

TIPs increase machine availability

Körber Business Area Tissue’s technical improvement programs allow to enhance uptime and minimize machine availability interruptions, caused by unexpected damages and maintenance activities, which can affect the line’s efficiency up to 3%, for an estimated period of about 11 days/year. These retrofitting services, as in the case of Thermocameras, make it possible to detect any disturbances ahead of time. In doing so, Körber supports the Client in both decreasing the number of planned shutdowns and, above all, in acquiring an important defense tool against unplanned ones. The intelligence employed in these upgrading systems can promptly identify anomalous parameters on the lines, giving preemptive notice and thus safeguarding the customer’s entire economic balance.

TIPs improve line performance

In terms of performance, TIPs can increase it by up to 20%. For example, some retrofitting programs intervene on the existing lines to boost productivity from 30 to 45 logs/min or from 180 to 220 packages/min, on specific formats. Furthermore, the requalification of the electrical cabinet leads to greater stability, simplifying troubleshooting as well as the application of the latest Körber software, which increments the total efficiency by 5-9%. Moreover, the Tip Easy reel change allows to automatically replace the finished reels on the unwinders in just 90 seconds, compared to the regularly necessary 5 minutes. This radically shorter halt period, on a line that averagely produces 10,000 tons of paper/year, enables machine availability by approximately 230 hours. Another advantage is given by the standardized and repeatable procedures, which reinforce the level of safety of the operators. Finally, Auto web starter revolutionizes the manual web thread-up of paper on the equipment: compared to the average 15-40 minutes required to restart the machine any time there is a paper break, this system significantly limits downtime to just 4 minutes. In this case as well, Körber’s technology makes the whole process automated, eliminating possible accidents, which normally occur when the operator works close to the rolls in action.

TIPs refine finished product quality

Körber Business Area Tissue’s upgrading programs contribute to improving the quality of the finished products by reducing waste, rework and losses in the starting phase. For those clients who require them, Körber offers analytic measurement tools linked to the equipment connection. Such tools make it possible to identify the main issues affecting line operation and efficiency. In addition, Tips guarantee a greater flexibilization of the machine, for an enhanced functionality. For instance, this means switching from polyethylene to simple kraft paper packaging, or expanding the finished product features by increasing the log diameter or the perforation length ranges. As far as extending the operating window and reducing costs is concerned, it is also worth mentioning Warm-up contactless. The latter is a revolutionizing heating embossing system that doesn’t use high temperature liquids and doesn’t require modifying the rolls. This innovation is the industry’s first induction system that allows to save over 60% in energy, compared to other heating technologies, and 75% in heating time required, while also increasing operator safety and manufacturing products with up to 20% extra volume.

“In addition to the technical improvements of the line, we must consider the constant and highly competent support assistance. Namely, the Expert Online service records an average of 17 calls/day during which the customer care responds to requests for more information on the functioning of the line, training or downtime intervention. The remote dialogue with Körber’s experts ensures that problems are solved, with a continuous OEE optimization over time”, states Franco Franceschi, Head of Digital Sales at Körber Business Area Tissue.