Tibnor

Tibnor introduced Machine Track by Pinjan to further develop the operations of their entire plant.

A holistic view of the steel plant's operations

Tibnor Oy stores and handles steel in various plants throughout the country. Each plant is specialised in different steel materials and material thicknesses. The plants provide customers with blanks that have been, for example, sawed or flame and laser cut into components which can be directly used in the assembly.

Project in brief

Connected production lines

Over 50 production lines are connected to the Machine Track by Pinja monitoring system. They enable to see what is going on in the plants in general.

Focus

Exact information of the plant’s operation helps to focus on, for example, peripheral tasks. Jobs that do not produce added value can be cut.

Benefits

With the help of the accumulated data, it is possible to invest and develop value-added services for customers.

Information jotted down on paper based on a gut feeling is not enough. However, data gathered in this new way leaves no room for explanations or speculations.

Kalevi Hartikainen, Planning Manager, Tibnor Oy

Project information

in 2009 started to use the system

more than 50 lines connected to the system

The challenge: Developing operations without a holistic view is an impossible task

– We have over 50 lines connected to the Machine Track by Pinja monitoring system. They enable us to see what is going on in the plants in general – not only the machine status, but also the wider entity, including the reasons for possible shutdowns. In that sense this is an important tool in plant development, says Planning Manager Kalevi Hartikainen.

The solution: Combining machine-specific operating data helps to understand and develop the operation of the entire plant

Machine-specific operating data can also be used to granulate actual costs on a product- and customer-specific basis, as well as to price and prioritize work based on profitability. At the same time, incentive pay can be developed to be fair.

As an example he mentions that if a machine is often shut down due to the time needed in packaging the products, it is necessary to add more employees or increase automation to a point where the expensive machine is working harder than the users. Additionally, the time periods spent on changing sawing patterns and waiting can reveal bottlenecks that might otherwise go unnoticed.

According to Hartikainen, having exact information of the plant’s operation helps to focus on, for example, peripheral tasks. Jobs that do not produce added value can be cut. Simultaneously, the system is well suited for internal benchmarking: procedures that have been found beneficial in some plants can be utilised in other facilities as well.

Funds are allocated correctly

Tibnor started to use the Machine Track in the autumn of 2009. The choice was strongly affected by the positive experiences gained in other parts of the concern. Now the system forms an indicator with which it is possible to immediately observe the effects of different repairs and improvements.

– We have already used the gathered data in different projects that aim to improve utilisation rate and duty rate. When the actual events are visible, it is easy to handle information and to use it in decision making – which is now based on reliable figures, says Hartikainen.

– Once we have an internal price for every product that we sell, we are able to check our external pricing. We can cut unprofitable services or adjust their prices. We can also invest in and develop sections where we offer our clients added value worth paying for, sums up Hartikainen.