“Deploying a CMMS solution has enabled us to restart our plant under the best possible conditions.”
Richard Caron, Methods and Mechanics Manager at WIZPAPER.
Closed in 2015 for economic reasons, the Arjowiggins paper mill in Wizernes (62), which specializes in the production of graphic paper, is to be acquired in 2019 by the Bréban family, who come from the cardboard industry. The reopening project is accompanied by the desire to launch the production of corrugated paper. More environmentally-friendly and less expensive, it enables already-used cardboard pulp to be reused and given a new life.
Following major investments, notably in equipment to make it compatible with new production, the plant is reopening under the Wizpaper name and will roll out its first reel in May 2019. In order to monitor the numerous pieces of equipment and optimize their operation as soon as they are restarted, the maintenance teams have chosen to retain the Coswin CMMS solutions that were already in use at the time of Arjowiggins.
A look back at the integration of the Coswin 8i solution (published by Siveco Group) with a testimonial from Richard Caron, Methods and Mechanics Manager at Wizpaper.
Reintroduce a CMMS to manage the plant
On the occasion of the restart of a site where he had worked for many years, Richard Caron wanted to implement a CMMS solution to ensure mechanical control of the plant and maintenance.
“In order to convert the production tool, we have made major investments by making our paper machine more reliable and purchasing new equipment. We therefore have a fleet of equipment made up of both new and old machines, so you might as well say that maintenance was one of our first concerns.”
Already equipped with Coswin solutions at the time of Arjowiggins, the team quickly decided to put its trust back in Siveco Group’s CMMS.
“The first step was to recreate the equipment, items and materials in the software. Fortunately, we still had the entire database from that time. We were able to recover the entire history. Between old and new machines, we have more than 10,000 lines on 7 levels to describe our industrial equipment: it’s enormous.
The Siveco Group teams helped us integrate the data into Coswin and set up the servers. Software deployment was fast and efficient. The simplicity and ergonomics of the interface meant that we could quickly get to grips with the software without needing any advanced IT knowledge.”
Optimizing day-to-day maintenance
On a day-to-day basis, the CMMS system supports maintenance teams in monitoring the plant’s extensive fleet of machines.
“The software helps us manage our teams and equipment in real time. In addition to work orders (WO) and service requests, we have to plan maintenance shutdowns on machines every 15 days. With Coswin, everything is prepared for the big day: the teams on site, the list of equipment, and so on. By preparing the intervention in advance, we can reduce downtime, thus avoiding major financial losses due to unproductivity. 10 hours of machine downtime corresponds to 140 tonnes of paper not being produced!
The Wizpaper plant runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means that technicians are always on hand.
“The autonomy of the teams – maintenance managers, technicians or mechanics – is facilitated by the traceability provided by Coswin. Indeed, the teams take turns without necessarily seeing each other. But they have access to all the TOs, so they can carry out their work seamlessly. The integrated EDM is also very useful. It provides access to all the safety documents, product user guides, etc. required for each machine. But above all, it allows you to store and consult photos taken by technicians in the field as and when required. This greatly simplifies the day-to-day work of everyone involved. “
Time savings and productivity gains for all departments
While maintenance teams and technicians were the first to see the benefits of CMMS, the rest of the company also benefits from data shared with other departments.
“We can also place and track our orders for parts and tools directly on the software, attaching quotations, delivery notes and paper invoices: everything is grouped together in the same place. By centralizing information and interfacing Coswin with the accounting software, we have true traceability and avoid any risk of error or double entry. We place around 10 to 15 orders every day, so the time saved is considerable for everyone.”
Production teams are also involved in anticipating maintenance via Coswin. By encouraging machine drivers and operators to enter all their day-to-day observations into the software, the maintenance team can quickly detect malfunctions.
Focus on predictive maintenance
The primary objective of CMMS implementation – to manage the maintenance system from a financial and human resources point of view, while ensuring the viability of the machines – has been achieved.
“We have many new projects, including predictive maintenance. For example, we could automatically generate OTs based on precise observations. In the meantime, we’re working on preventive maintenance via reports from mechanics or production teams, who know the machines very well, and by setting up preventive rounds. The next step will therefore be to push control further by automating certain interventions.
Coswin still holds a great deal of potential that we haven’t yet exploited. For example, with the Coswin Nom@d mobility application, we could completely digitize inventories by setting up a barcode system! The possibilities are numerous, and we still have plenty of great projects to come with Siveco Group. ”
Project objectives
- Monitoring of equipment fleet of over 10,000 units
- Management of orders, invoices and spare parts
- Human resources management: call-outs, service requests and preparation for maintenance shutdowns
- Consolidate document management around equipment and consumables
The benefits of implementing Coswin
- Reduce maintenance downtime and improve profitability
- Greater autonomy for intervention teams, who have access to all completed interventions
- Traceability of EO information to improve maintenance costs
- Simplified accounting thanks to automated processes
