Hans-Peter Müller
The smart glass plant links hot and cold end area
Glass International, July / August 2022 - click here for the entire interview
Extract:
We have seen the expansion of digital technology in recent years in glass manufacturing. Heye has been at the forefront of this. How would you like the company to expand its digital offering?
The big target is certainly to make better links between the hot and cold end of the process and to develop machines which are smart enough to learn from and avoid defects, by predicting them and taking preventive actions.
The vision is an intelligent and completely closed machine with very limited operator input, which is self-learning and can independently set itself up.
Digital technology will also help to further reduce the consumption of raw materials, energy and will help to further improve the sustainability of glass packaging.
What benefits does digital technology bring to the industry?
Today, boosting efficiency is a key challenge in the glass production sector. To optimise both costs and performance factors such as PTM (pack to melt) or mould life, an overview of all relevant production data is needed
Our system gives a complete overview of production performance. The data collected includes diverse inputs, including from the laboratory, the article counter, the inspection machines, the IS-machines, together without input from the operator. We offer our customers a fully supported partnership on their individual path towards a smart plant, resulting in the creation of a highly automated and cost-effective glassworks.