|
| News - BFA Winner UPM-Kymmene Transforms Plant Inspections with Help from Terrington Data Management |
|
|
 THE SPEED AND EFFICIENCY of vital plant inspections at the Best Factory Awards winner, and UK’s leading newsprint producer UPM-Kymmene, are being improved by using innovative data capture and inspection system, Transform, developed and supplied by industrial software specialist Terrington Data Management.
A wide range of plant and machinery inspections at UPM-Kymmene UK, Shotton, North Wales, have transferred from written checklists and an earlier software package to the PC-based, hand-held data capture system from York-based Terrington Data Management.
UPM, which produces newsprint from recycled paper for virtually all local, regional and national newspapers in the UK and as far away as the Far East and Canada, trialled a bespoke Transform system in 2004 and now has the programme installed onto 25 PC terminals which, coupled with portable hand-held data capture systems, are being rolled out for plant and machinery inspections throughout its entire site. |
|
|
| UPM Shotton, which was established in 1985 and has just over 400 staff, is one of two UK bases for one of the world's leading forest product groups which has production in 15 countries and services a global market. |
|
| Transform, which has a sister system, IndEX, used for hazardous area electrical (ATEX 137) inspections, is compatible with many hand-held terminals and operating platforms. |
|
| Any paper-based form can be replicated electronically within Transform, usually for industrial inspection applications. Asset management information, such as equipment installation date, manufacturer, serial number etc can be built into the system and inspection forms added underneath to automatically update existing information. |
|
| Transform also incorporates flexible data analysis and reporting such as missed inspections so managers can be sure that work has been carried out on time. |
|
| UPM planning engineer, Mark Bigelow, says: "Previously plant inspections were carried out with pen and paper using check sheets where production operators and engineers would walk round checking plant and machinery, ticking boxes and submitting their reports to a central team." |
|
| "This was very time consuming and meant that, when inspections were complete, those responsible for collating the data were inundated with paper reports which took a long time to go through. This created delays in getting an accurate overall picture of how machinery was performing." |
|
| "Even though technicians making the inspections would tell the central team verbally if there was a serious problem, it was clear that the system could be improved and there was always the risk that someone could tick the boxes without actually making the full inspection." |
|
| "Also where an inspection identified a fault on running machinery, where the situation could deteriorate quite rapidly, the risks to the business were greater with the slower, paper-based method of collecting and reporting data." |
|
| UPM then switched to another software-based technology. "This system was good for vibration monitoring" adds Mark Bigelow "but it created problems with the transfer of more descriptive data such as when assessing leaks or reporting any unusual noises, because the technology was restricted to reporting numbers rather than subjective opinions." |
|
| "This was our main reason for updating to Transform which is far more efficient. There is less time spent sifting through material to find the relevant data because it is specially configured to be readily available." |
|
| "Inspection data can be quickly downloaded to the PCs, enabling an overview of how the plant is performing to be gained far more quickly. The quality of information gathered through Transform is far superior which improves the judgments which can be made as a result. If there are problems we can nip them in the bud." |
|
| The company started using Transform in its Recycled Fibre Plant, then in its utilities area, and is shortly to install the system into its paper machines where it will be used to make more in-depth checks. |
|
| Mark Bigelow adds "The fact that we are extending our use of Transform is an endorsement in itself. The operators and technicians dealing with it are very happy. It is a very good system and far easier to use than the previous software. We are very pleased with it." |
|
| Terrington's Managing Director, Mark Williams, says "Transform is faster, more cost effective and far more accurate than paper-based records. The system improves efficiency and reduces costs as well as enabling users to automatically comply with necessary regulations as part of the standard package." |
|
| "A growing number of companies are using Transform because, if an incident occurs, they have total confidence in the system to provide instant detailed records of their inspection and prevention measures which could prove crucial in avoiding down time and saving costs in the event of a technical failure." |
|
