Greycon’s continuing investment in its products resulted in US patent 10,029,379 relating to our work in pattern reduction. This patent was granted on 24th July 2018 and we have now received the official paperwork, whose very impressive cover page is shown here. Constantine Goulimis, the named inventor, said: “It is very nice to see this work formally recognised and that the cover page almost justifies the legal fees! By further fine-tuning this algorithm, known internally as ‘KBP’, we have been able to increase its effectiveness a bit more than is disclosed in the patent. In fact, the next X-Trim release, due early 2019, should demonstrate a further 1% reduction in the total number of patterns (compared to the current release 9.5), in our most comprehensive benchmark to date.”
Mohawk has appointed Greycon to roll out opt-Studio to its envelope and substrate converting business.
Greycon’s solution was first implemented in Mohawk’s paper manufacturing and converting operations in 1996 and this roll out includes the opt-Studio ATP/CTP (Available to Promise/Capacity to Promise) module to improve customer service levels and on-time delivery.
Mohawk, a fourth generation, family-owned business, makes fine papers and envelopes for the professional design and print communities. Products are developed to support the full range of printing platforms – from letterpress to offset to toner and ink jet. Mohawk distributes to 60 countries around the world and operates three paper machines in two mills in upstate New York and two converting facilities in New York and Ohio, with warehouses in New York, Ohio, California, Washington and the Netherlands.
John Angleson, Senior Vice-President of Supply Chain at Mohawk said: “We recognise the value Greycon’s solution has provided in scheduling visibility, improved customer service and operational efficiency with its finite scheduling optimisation. As a result of the excellent results we experienced with the earlier installations, we decided to invest in the expansion project. We are now able to see aspects of our schedules that we’ve never seen before. Within the first seven days we were able to resolve some critical backlog issues.”
Jay Jordan, Sales Manager for Greycon North America commented: “We are excited to be rolling out opt-Studio in Mohawk to include its envelope and substrate converting business – the Finite Scheduling Model will provide Mohawk with full visibility of production schedules across its operations.”
About Mohawk
Mohawk is North America’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers and envelopes which are preferred for commercial and digital printing, photo specialties and high-end direct mail. Mohawk fine papers and envelopes include the signature brands Mohawk Superfine® and Strathmore®, as well as proprietary treatments Inxwell® and i-Tone®. With a culture of innovation reaching back to its beginning in 1931, Mohawk is committed to providing materials that help make every printed project more beautiful, effective and memorable.
Mohawk is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business based in Cohoes, New York, with global sales and operations located throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit mohawkconnects.com.
Austria’s largest manufacturer of uncoated fine paper, Mondi Neusiedler, has integrated X-Trim to support its planning process. The system was put into operation in the first quarter of 2018.
Erich Leonhartsberger, Head of IT and Logistics at Mondi Neusiedler said: “Changes in product diversity and order structure prompted us to consider adapting existing planning systems. We are pleased to have found a partner with Greycon, with whom we were able to realise our goals in the shortest possible time.“
Michael Kimmeswenger, Project Manager, is also impressed with the results: “We started the project with a one-month test phase in which our planners were given the opportunity to test X-Trim live alongside its daily business. The acceptance was so high that we left the system running as a supportive instrument in the test environment. The roll-out as a productive system proved to be highly satisfactory thanks to the support of all involved.“
“A new record for integrating Greycon’s optimisation solutions into an existing ERP / MES system has been set by the Mondi-Neusiedler’s IT team,” said Markus Rintelen, Manager for DACH / Central Europe at Greycon. “Within two days of integrating the new planning tool into the existing environment, the production team received automated work instructions from X-Trim.”
“We are very pleased with the results. Not only will we save material and storage space, but we have also been able to shorten our business processes, which significantly improves our flexibility,” said Kimmeswenger.
About Mondi Neusiedler
Mondi Neusiedler is part of the Uncoated Fine Paper business unit, a division of the international packaging and paper company Mondi Group. Production focuses on high quality and specialties in the areas of office, printing and packaging applications and takes place at the two sites in Ulmerfeld-Hausmening and Kematen an der Ybbs in Austria.
Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, delighting its customers and consumers with innovative and sustainable packaging and paper solutions. Mondi is fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is embedded in everything Mondi does. In 2017, Mondi had revenues of €7.10 billion and underlying EBITDA of €1.44 billion.
About Greycon
Greycon is the world’s leading provider of production planning, forecasting, scheduling and manufacturing execution systems that have been designed specifically for roll-based & flat sheet industries. Greycon operates throughout the world. Greycon’s strength is the extensive range of specialist software solutions for Plastic Films & Flexible Packaging, Nonwovens, Metals, Converting, Paper and Board industries supported by powerful optimisation algorithms and a highly experienced team of consultants.
Polímeros y Derivados (PYDSA) is going live with the opt-Studio advanced functionality of block schedule optimisation, to complete the third and last phase of full project implementation.
Overall production capacity at PYDSA has increased continually over recent years necessitating PYDSA to upgrade its planning and monitoring process, optimising the efficiency of their operations and gaining better visibility across all the production lines.
Block schedule optimisation helps resolve issues common in the nonwovens industry, including product complexity, non-constant demand and high switch-over costs, when transitioning from one product to another. opt-Studio, designed specifically for flat-based industries, addresses and resolves issues through optimising the sequence of runs enabling maximum production efficiency, optimal customer service and minimum inventory levels.
Previous phases included the implementation of detailed scheduling on multi-site, multi machine levels, advanced trimming, materials management and tight integration with Microsoft Dynamics (ERP and MES).
Daniel Castro, Planning Manager at PYDSA says: “I am impressed with opt-Studio’s capabilities, both in terms of advanced functionalities and usability, compared with other advanced planning systems I have used previously. Since phase one went live in 2017, improvements have been achieved in sales and operations KPIs, including trim waste reduction, lower inventory levels and shorter lead times.”
Leví Cortizas, Consultant at Greycon says: “It has been a pleasure to work with the PYDSA team. Having completed the implementation of opt-Studio integrated with Microsoft Dynamics GP, it is exciting to witness the tangible benefits achieved. The implementation in parallel of ERP and Greycon solutions was challenging but, with motivated teams and disciplined working, it has been implemented successfully giving PYDSA production efficiency, reduced trim waste, faster and more accurate responses to changes in demand. It has also increased visibility on production efficiency, inventory levels and customer service.”
About Polimeros y Derivados
Polimeros y Derivados (PYDSA) is specialised in nonwovens products with two production facilities in the city of Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico). The products are used for different applications: footwear, recovered leather, foundations, construction, canvas, filtration, automotive and cleaning.
Tecnoval Laminados, flexible packaging producer in Brazil, has integrated X-Trim into its manufacturing process in its drive to increase throughput and reduce waste further.
A world-leader in packaging solutions, Tecnoval Laminados wanted to improve its efficiency and reduce the waste of its cutting process.
Barbara Santos, Main Planner at Tecnoval Laminados said: “X-Trim help us to create the trim plan in a clear and quick way. We have had very good results with the trimming plans. Besides the waste reduction, we have reduced our stock material (MTS).”
Patrick Shaw, Consultant at Greycon said: “Tecnoval achieved remarkable results from the outset – a reduction of 1.2% waste which translated into 1,800 kg/month. It also delivered improved productivity due to the reduction of knife changes and increased in production throughput along the runs. The planners were delighted that the software helped them improve their planning and the management of their time, as well as free up time so they could undertake other activities. I was delighted I could witness the success first-hand and Tecnoval could achieve substantial results in such a short time.”
To prove that technological development and environmental conservation can go together, Tecnoval Laminados was the first Latin American company to invest in a system that retrieves all the solvents obtained, generating a manufacturing process of cleaner films without eliminating pollutant gases in atmosphere.
About Tecnoval Laminados
Founded in 1995 in Lorena / SP, as part of VALGROUP, Tecnoval Laminados stands out in the flexible packaging segment, production and marketing of monolayers and laminated structures, serving different types of use.
http://www.tecnovallaminados.com.br
Wallingford, Oxfordshire, October 12, 2018 – Vesta Software Group (“Vesta”), a portfolio group of Jonas Software (“Jonas”), is pleased to announce the acquisition of Greycon Ltd. (“Greycon”), a global leader of software solutions for the Paper & Board, Plastic Films & Flexible Packaging, Nonwovens, Metals and Converting industries.
Richard Clancy, Group CEO of Vesta Software Group, had this to say, “We are very excited to acquire Greycon, a world leader in providing a suite of roll-based and flat sheet optimisation solutions that help manufacturers streamline their production processes and increase customer service. With a presence in four different continents, acquiring Greycon gives Vesta immediate credibility and authority in paper, plastic film, nonwoven and metals verticals around the world. We look forward to working with the team at Greycon to continue to provide innovative solutions to help their customers flourish and expand strategically into new markets. Please join me in welcoming the Greycon team to the Vesta family!”
“The acquisition of Greycon is an outstanding milestone and recognition of our team’s hard work, innovations, commitment and successes over the last 30+ years,” says Dr Constantine Goulimis, CEO of Greycon. “Vesta’s mission and values align with our strategic vision and goals, our belief to provide optimal customer service and take care of our employees. We are excited to join Vesta and leverage its expertise in operating vertical market software to continue to build and innovate the most dynamic software solutions for our customers.”
About Vesta Software Group
The Vesta Software Group acquires, manages, and builds software companies in a variety of vertical markets, enabling them to be clear leaders in their industries. Our companies provide mission-critical enterprise solutions for vertical industries across the entire industry value chain.
Being a portfolio group of Jonas Software, the Vesta Software Group is all about strengthening businesses within the markets in which we compete and enabling them to grow – whether through organic measures such as new initiatives and product development, day-to-day business, or through acquisitions.
About Greycon
Founded in 1985 from the Industrial Systems Group of Imperial College of the University of London, Greycon is the world’s leading provider of production planning, scheduling, forecasting and manufacturing execution systems, which are designed specifically for roll-based & flat sheet industries. Greycon’s founders, Alex Dimitriadis, Prof. Greyham Bryant, and Dr Constantine Goulimis, have taken Greycon throughout the world with 500 sites in over 40 countries. With solutions such as X-Trim, GreyconMill, opt-Studio and Greycon Forecasting, companies can achieve lowered costs, improved production and supply chain efficiency, and increase customer service, specifically in terms of delivery accuracy, reliability and visibility and shorter lead times.
Greycon is the recent recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for its successful overseas expansion.
Siam Kraft Industry Co., Ltd. (SKIC) has appointed Greycon to update its scheduling and slitting optimisation in its three mills in Thailand.
SKIC is the biggest manufacturer in Southeast Asia with a production of 2.3 million tons of packaging paper annually. Greycon first got involved with SKIC in 2006 when it was contracted to provide scheduling and slitting optimisation in it mills in Thailand. Because of the benefits SKIC has achieved in improved trim, scheduling and machine utilization, visibility, delivery time of orders and supply chain optimisation, SKIC included two new sites to the original project scope. The system is integrated fully with SAP.
Jakkrit Supawatanakul, CEO of Greycon’s Partner in Thailand, Forward Consulting said: “We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Greycon. In order to be the leading manufacturer in Southeast Asia, as well as continue to contribute to sustainable progress, SKIC needs to ensure its mills are equipped with the latest technology providing innovative solutions enabling them to maximise efficiencies wherever possible. Due to results and benefits Greycon’s solutions have provided over the years, it is important they remain up-to-date.”
During the upgrade, Greycon installed its new version of X-Trim rewritten in .Net and its new generation of scheduling software, opt-Studio, substituting the old S-Plan installation.
The new version of the software provides:
- Better and faster slitter optimisation with X-Trim state of the art algorithms; and
- Faster and more user-friendly scheduling functionality which comes with opt-Studio.
Andres Bonelli, Project Manager at Greycon said: “Having been part of the original project back in 2006, it was exciting to roll out the upgrades and experience first-hand how SKIC’s business has grown and evolved over the years.”
About Siam Kraft
Packaging Paper Business in SCG Packaging is the first manufacturer of high-quality packaging paper in Thailand and the biggest manufacturer in Southeast Asia, with Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines as its manufacturing bases. Equipped with as many as 15 machines, its production capacity produces 2.3 million tons of packaging paper annually. Its quality-control process is in line with international standards.
http://www.siamkraft.com/about/
DIAXON, producer of polypropylene film (BOPP) in Greece, has appointed Greycon to implement its Supply Chain software solutions to improve customer service, production efficiencies and reduce waste.
The project will include the installation of Greycon’s trimming (X-Trim), planning and optimisation (opt-Studio) as well as GreyconMill, its Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software.
Ioannis Papantoniou, Plant Manager at DIAXON said: “DIAXON is highly focussed on producing high quality products and serving its customers with efficiency and innovation. Having been in operation since 2000, and grown substantially, we needed to automate our systems further to improve customer service, reduce costs and time lost through downtime and switchovers, as well as achieve real-time transparency on raw materials, customer stock levels and traceability through the manufacturing process.
“By installing Greycon’s software, we will be able to improve our customer service and on-time delivery, optimise our planning and stock levels, as well as minimise our waste levels. Our target Go Live date is February 2019.”
Constantine Goulimis, CEO at Greycon said: “Following a successful pre-implementation study, DIAXON has decided to implement Greycon’s software solutions in its plant in Komotini, Greece. The project will take us 10 months to implement and will provide DIAXON with the following improvements:
- Improved customer service through improves on-time delivery
- Improved efficiency through reduction of costs, downtimes, switchovers
- Minimisation of trim waste
- Increased transparency of raw and packaging materials consumption as well as improved purchase order planning to allow less stock outs
- Better inventory management to ensure materials will be ready to deliver to customers even on urgent situations
- Transparent traceability from Finished Good to Raw Materials for root-cause quality analysis
- Available To Promise (ATP)/ Capable To Promise (CTP) functionality to guarantee correct timelines are communicated to customers without over promising plant’s capacity
About DIAXON
DIAXON is a 100% subsidiary of Hellenic Petroleum SA and producer of polypropylene film (BOPP) in Greece. Hellenic Petroleum Group has a strong presence in the Greek petrochemical sector and significant export activities. These activities are driven by the Petrochemicals production units, which are located in the Industrial Complex of Thessaloniki and at DIAXON’s plant in Komotini’s industrial park. The modern facilities, the quality of products and the fulfilment of various market requirements, have established the company’s competitiveness and leadership in the Mediterranean region. The sales and transport of both Petrochemicals and BOPP film activities are coordinated and performed by Hellenic Petroleum’s commercial team.
Greycon is pleased to be a sponsor of the upcoming International SAP Conference for Forest Products, Paper and Packaging 2018, taking place in Prague, October 16-18.
Tailored for the specific needs and processes of the industry, we’ll be hearing from Global and Greycon SAP Customers including:
- Asia Pulp & Paper Group
- Glatfelter
- International Paper Company
- Koehler Paper Group
The event will kick off with a selection of, 12 deep-dive, pre-conference workshops on October 16th. Topics to be covered will include SAP® Leonardo, SAP S/4HANA®, Digital Logistics, Transition to the Cloud and more. The workshops will feature industry experts, presentations, demos, and real-life scenarios that together represent years of experience with SAP solutions across a variety of business situations.
For more information and to register, visit https://goo.gl/mZEWF3 or contact T.A. Cook on +44 (0) 121 200 3810 and info@tacook.com.
We look forward to seeing you in Prague this October.
Everbal, producer of the Evercopy range of recycled white for office use and Evercolor color paper, has recently upgraded its planning, scheduling and optimisation software to ensure continued improvement in usability, performance and integration amongst its manufacturing solutions.
The software solutions upgraded included its trim optimisation platform, X-Trim; opt-Studio which it uses for advanced scheduling planning and GreyconMill which is designed to optimise planning, execution and control production, whilst streamlining internal operations and providing full traceability. The process involved migrating the data, validating it locally, a testing and training phase to identify and fix any gaps, and finality training, local testing and then the go-live.
Emmanuel Chrisment, Director of Information Systems at Everbal said: “Everbal is committed to respecting the environment. It is part of our production policy. From raw materials used for production, to final processing, no step is neglected with regard to environmental protection. We are constantly searching for perfection to ensure we meet the needs of our customers. It is therefore important to us that we keep all our systems and processes up-to-date enabling us to maximise optimisation savings both in terms of resources, profitability and getting orders to customers.”
Andrés Bonelli, Project Manager at Greycon said: “Everbal has gained the trust of consumers over the years due to its ability to embrace and adapt to new technologies to meet and exceed the demands of its customers. This ethos requires them to be innovative, progressive and guarantee the quality of its papers.
“The European paper industry is progressing its sustainable development and its environmental protection production mechanism is advanced. Europe’s “Paper Industry 4.0” concept, using big data resources to facilitate the integration of SMART production and value chain, will change the operation mode of enterprise. Although environmental investment reduces profitability in the short-term, the long-term impact on production helps companies improve cost control, production efficiencies and customer-service.
“Both market and consumer needs are evolving, while pressure from new legislation and global competition have increased. Therefore, the paper industry needs to innovate to remain competitive,” said Bonelli.
About Clairefontaine
Everbal, a subsidiary of Clairefontaine, is specialised in the production of recycled papers. The Papeteries Clairefontaine are located in the heart of Europe, and the Everbal plant, dedicated exclusively to recycled paper, is 20km from Reims. Owing to a drastic selection of recovered papers, Everbal recycles in a record yield: only 6% of the material will be eliminated during the recycling process. Moreover, the steam used in the process comes from biomass energy.
Clairefontaine is certified according to the ISO 14001 international standard, which guarantees the consideration and control of all elements related to the protection of the environment. The site is also ISO 9001 certified, and has obtained the Blue Angel and Ecolabel labels. The process for preparing the pulp does not use chlorine-based compounds. Everbal produces the Evercopy range (white recycled range) and Evercolor (tinted recycled range) for office use. These papers meet the DIN 6738 standard, which certifies their permanence to archiving.
The Exacompta-Clairefontaine Group consists of 42 companies employing over 3000 people. The biggest mill is Papeteries de Clairefontaine, which has approximately 560 employees.
https://www.exacomptaclairefontaine.fr/en/everbal-en/
Greycon has recently won new business with BOPP Film Manufacturer, Biofilm. Greycon will be implementing X-Trim at Biofilm’s facilities in Mexico and Colombia.
Biofilm is a major player in the international BOPP Film market. Over the years, Biofilm has added to its product lines by increasing the number of manufacturing sites and capacity thus ensuring a need for a powerful trim optimisation system by Greycon.
Greycon’s presence in the plastic film industries has grown tremendously, with the realisation that Greycon’s solutions provide a competitive edge and a return-on-investment that is measured in months for both bubble and conventional line processes.
Greycon’s advanced trim system will bring numerous benefits to Biofilm including: increased production throughput (at primary lines and metallizers), reduced waste, overrun, improved use of inventory (trim around faults, consume semi-finish stock, and reduced inventory levels due to better trim planning).
Jeronimo Alvarez, Senior Consultant at Greycon commented: “We are very pleased to announce this new partnership with Biofilm and look forward to starting the project with them. We are continuously striving to improve our solutions and ensure our clients receive the best ROI. Winning new business like Biofilm and working on new projects will enable us to have the tools to refine our extensive range of specialist software solutions.”
About Biofilm
Since its establishment in 1988, BIOFILM has looked internationally to build its business. Today with on-going sales in 19 countries in North, Central and South America as well as several in countries Europe, BIOFILM has become a major player in the international BOPP marketplace. BIOFILM’s first production facility its located in Cartagena, Colombia where today there are three modern production lines.
Greycon is the world’s leading provider of production planning, forecasting, scheduling and manufacturing execution systems that have been designed specifically for roll-based and flat sheet industries.
Greycon was recently appointed by APRIL Group, one of the largest, most technologically advanced and efficient makers of pulp and paper products in the world, to further optimize its sales and operations planning, by integrating Greycon sales and operations solution “opt-Studio” with APRIL’s Enterprise Resource Planning and Manufacturing Execution Systems. Greycon worked together with the APRIL Group and Accenture to deliver this solution.
Praveen Singhavi, President, APRIL Group, said: “In order to continue to meet customer demand and deliver high levels of customer service, we have integrated opt-Studio with our existing solutions. opt-Studio has improved end-to-end visibility of our sales orders, while being able to better optimize paper production (block planning) and finishing area scheduling.”
Vassilis Gkamouras, Senior Consultant at Greycon said: “APRIL Group is one of the most efficient pulp and paper mills in the world. The project was divided in three phased roll-outs to enable quick deployment of capabilities and took 14 months to complete.”
“The roll-out required expertise in global project management, change management, supply chain enablement and systems integration. The project was delivered on-time, in-full and within budget due to excellent team work between the partners involved.”
About APRIL Group
APRIL Group is a leading producer of fibre, pulp and paper with manufacturing operations in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau Province, Indonesia. APRIL is a pioneer in the implementation of sustainability best practices in Indonesia’s pulp and paper industry, including the elimination of deforestation from its supply chain. APRIL Group is working towards conserving, protecting and restoring one hectare of high value conservation forest for every hectare of renewable plantation concession. Today, APRIL Group conserves more than 250,000 hectares with a further 150,000 hectares undergoing ecosystem restoration. For more information, visit www.aprilasia.com and follow twitter @aprilpulp.
In January 2017 AJ Oster went live with the implementation of Greycon’s trim optimisation tool, X-Trim. The go-live included all six AJ Oster sites with full Greycon on-site support services available at each site.
Greycon first conducted a pilot in 2014 to simulate AJ Oster’s current trim process alignment to Greycon’s X-Trim tool implemented with Oracle business solutions. During the pilot Greycon found the current typical slitting planning process limited to one or two orders grouped and slit against one master coil. In addition, as a fast turn slitting operation there were intentional limits on run length in order to meet dynamic shipping requirements.
AJ Oster decided to appoint Greycon after recognizing numerous benefits from Greycon’s X-Trim optimisation tool. X-Trim allows the AJ Oster users to manage the restock process, providing the ability to produce the right widths and lengths anticipating business demand for finished goods inventory.
Jay Jordan, Sales Manager North America at Greycon commented: “We have really enjoyed working on this project for AJ Oster. Greycon’s X-Trim tool will bring multiple benefits to AJ Oster. X-trim will provide AJ Oster the visibility of all available inventory when optimizing daily sales demand in the quick turn job shop.”
“When Greycon piloted in 2014 it showed great potential. We were excited to see the benefits of using this tool in everyday production at AJ Oster. Since the implementation, Greycon’s tool has proven invaluable. It has helped increased our production throughput, reduced waste, overrun, and manage restocking,” says Eric Ramocki at AJ Oster.
About AJ Oster
The AJ Oster story began in 1922, when Aaron J. Oster opened a one-man scrap metal operation in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Today, the firm he founded has grown into one of the nation’s largest distributors of metal foil, sheet and strip, providing vitally important products and services to customers across the continental U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. As an affiliate of Olin Brass, AJ Oster is a key member of one of the world’s largest and most respected organizations in the metals industry, poised to play a major role for years to come.
China’s largest producer of coated and uncoated white top test liner and world-class preprint home base, Sunshine Paper, has automated its scheduling process for its five cutters by integrating opt-Studio with its SAP ERP solution. The system went live last month (April 2018).
Shandong Century Sunshine Paper Group Company Limited, founded in 2000, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Market in 2007 owning total assets of RMB 10 billion. Sunshine Paper has a total paper capacity of 1.3 million tons per year, is one of China’s top 15 papermakers and a global top 100 papermaker.
Mr. Li Jinhai, CIO, at Sunshine Paper said: “In our endeavours to improve and optimise production processes to mitigate the increased environmental costs due to the new Environmental Protection Tax which has been implemented in China, we approached Greycon which implemented its X-Trim trim optimisation application for us in 2009, to review the planning functionality for our sheeting processes. Following its review, and based on the success of its trim solution X-Trim which they implemented for us in 2009, we requested Greycon integrate its advanced scheduling planning software, opt-Studio, with our ERP to schedule the sheet orders in our five cutters.
“The adoption of opt-Studio provides us with improved short and mid-term planning capabilities; we can refresh the schedule automatically on every machine in seconds, giving the planner and other users full visibility of the impact of the decisions or external events.”
Tian Jinlong, Business Development Director at Greycon said: “Rising environmental costs will intensify the competition in the paper industry and companies are implementing new solutions and upgrading existing products to ensure efficiencies are maximised. Profitable Chinese companies are finding it easier to invest in upgrading however, smaller companies are under more pressure and may even be squeezed out the market.
“Sunshine Paper approached us with a brief to optimise its planning functionality on its cutters. The integration of opt-Studio enables the optimisation of schedules, improving the production throughput. Since the system manages the scheduling of the orders, the effort of the planners will now be diverted to analysis and optimisation instead of the routine work to feed the orders and their sequence into the ERP-system. opt-Studio will also change decision-making from that of being based on past experience, to fact-based decision-making. The powerful what-if functionality allows the planners to perform different kind of analyses to determine the most efficient way forward.
“The integration was organised using Greycon’s standard methods, Integration Manager and schedule release to Microsoft SQL Server based database table,” said Jinlong.
About Sunshine Paper
Shandong Century Sunshine Paper Group Company Limited, founded in 2000, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Market in 2007 owning total assets of RMB 10 billion. It has eight subsidiaries including Sunshine Paper, Numat Paper, Sunshine Oji (Shouguang) Specialty Paper, Shanghai Wangreat, Shengshi Power, Shandong Sunshine Conceptual Packaging, Weifang Dahuan Recycle Resource and Shenyi Logistics. With a total paper capacity of 1.3 million tons per year, it is one of China’s top 15 papermakers and a global top 100 papermaker.
Sunshine Paper is located in Changle Economic zone, Changle County, Weifang City, Shandong Province PRC.
http://www.centurysunshinepaper.com/
Vassilis Gkamouras, a Senior Consultant at Greycon, will be speaking at Asian Paper, Bangkok, being held at BITEC between June 6-8, 2018.
Speaking on Day Two, June 7, 2018, his discussion will centre on Greycon’s view on the Internet of Things. This is an abstract from his presentation:
The industrial landscape is radically changing with the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies which will bring significant challenges to manufacturers and their vendors in terms of software and hardware. These technologies are immature whilst other vendors are fighting now to grab their space in the new landscape. However, there is no doubt that IoT is here to stay.
There are already many discussions and examples about preventative maintenance and how IoT may help manufacturers improve on the field. There is a shift from selling products or services towards selling measurable outcomes. People in the industry discuss about OEE more and more. Vendors of Manufacturing Execution Systems and Advanced Planning Systems need to embrace the new technologies and prepare for them or else, they risk ending up with obsolete systems. Designing software with modular architectures will allow for easier replacement of parts when better solutions materialise. Increasing interoperability with other systems will allow ‘plug and play’ to the new platforms and operating systems. This will extend reach outside their usual clientele who are cooperating with other software, which is stronger and has deeper specialisation in certain areas.
To find out more please click here