Västerås, Sweden — Tarkett AB , Ronneby has specified ABB ’s System 800x Extended Automation to replace the 10-yr-old automation system on its mixing line for raw materials and ingredients for flooring products. The company produces 17 million sq m of plastic carpets a year for annual sales of some $1.6 million.
Delivery includes advanced batch management functions and integration of the new system with Tarkett’s ERP system and existing weighing and dosing systems for the mixing line. ABB will train the operators and commission the system, which is scheduled to start up in January 2006.
The system is designed to ensure high repeatability in the production process. It helps plant personnel in diverse areas quickly and simply track production and perform necessary actions for maximum control of the process. Batch management function controls, transfers, and follows the product through the process. It also stores production data to give an operator a simple and quick overview of what has happened.
“The main purpose of this investment project is to raise our production by 20% in this line, due to substantial growth in demand for our products,” said Jan Runnsjö, project manager at Tarkett. “Replacement of the old automation system is an important part of this project. Besides a larger production capacity, we will be able to achieve greater precision in the mixing, which will give a more uniform and higher quality of the end products. At the same time, we’ll lower our raw material and reprocessing costs.”
—Control Engineering Daily News DeskJeanine Katzel, senior editor, [email protected]
