“We planned meticulously which modification steps to carry out when. Many project steps happened simultaneously, and it was essential to adhere to the schedule,” says Patrick Baldauf, Site Operational Excellence Lead and Project Manager at DS Smith Packaging Austria.
“This careful coordination ensured that the plant’s day-to-day operations continued seamlessly,” concluded Patrick.
DS Smith Packaging Austria GmbH has successfully completed a significant reconstruction project at its Margarethen am Moos plant, achieving this milestone without any production downtime.
The project, managed by MINDA, involved automating intermediate storage and installing a new pallet securing line, marking a major step forward in the plant’s operational efficiency and reliability.
Innovative Upgrades and Automation
The reconstruction involved dismantling and modernizing key components to ensure future process reliability. The new pallet securing line replaced two old units with a new pallet loading station, known as BoP (Block on Pallet), without any production downtime. This upgrade aims to enhance the plant’s performance by optimizing transport properties and stacking patterns.
The area upstream of the converting machines, including intermediate storage, was fully automated. Material flow tracking is now provided right from the corrugator, allowing every stack to be visualized and identified in the plant at any time.
This automation offers significant benefits in daily processes, such as easier advance planning and better coordination of delivery tours.
Sustainability and Efficiency
In the intermediate storage area, non-driven roller conveyors were replaced by plastic chain conveyors, leading to significantly increased stack quality and higher sustainability by reducing waste.
The machine discharge lines were modified for parallel discharge by the 2-deck transfer car, increasing performance and optimizing the layout of the dispatch hall.
Future Prospects
The successful completion of this project not only enhances the plant’s current operations but also positions DS Smith Packaging Austria for future growth and innovation. The upgrades are expected to improve overall efficiency, reduce waste, and support the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Bianca Böke, Sales and Project Management at MINDA, praised the excellent project preparation and collaboration with DS Smith. “We could rely on the excellent project preparation at DS Smith; it simply matched,” Böke confirmed.
With these advancements, DS Smith Packaging Austria is well-equipped to meet the growing demands of its customers while maintaining high standards of quality and sustainability.
corruga.expert
