Production via touchscreen

Adhesives, additives and water are pumped out of the tanks by the tonne. They automatically flow through pipes on the ceiling into the intended stainless steel container where they are processed into varnishes. Production is in high gear. However, there is just a single employee standing in the 2,000 square metre production hall of Weilburger Graphics in Gerhardshofen in Bavaria, Germany. He is able to control the entire varnish production process using a tablet. However, this has not resulted in job cutbacks. “On the contrary. Since the new system began operation, we have hired around ten per cent more staff, particularly in the logistics department. We need them to keep up with increased production,” says Managing Director Günter Korbacher.

Just a few years ago, some of the systems in operation were still from the 1980s. Now a state-of-the-art manufacturing system is used for production at Weilburger Graphics, a company that produces adhesives, inks and varnishes for printing companies. Employees control the system using tablets or a permanently installed screen. “Depending on the desired product, they enter the necessary quantity of the required liquid on a touchscreen,” says Technical Manager Dr Jutta Richter (top picture). The 14 tanks and containers are connected to the system with data cables.

Production times have been drastically reduced

“With the new system, we have shortened production times considerably,” says Managing Director Günter Korbacher. In the past about five tonnes of varnish were produced within two hours, now that number has increased to 30 tonnes. Up to 22,000 tonnes of varnish can currently be produced per year instead of 14,000 tonnes. But a lot had to be done before the system could be put into operation. As early as 2014, Dr Jutta Richter, who has worked for the company for more than 20 years, began planning together with colleagues and external consultants. “A feasibility study showed that we needed more space and more height for a new system,” says Jutta Richter. The dispatch warehouse was therefore converted into a new production hall. To do this, the base plate needed to be reinforced, and a new compressed air system and a medium-voltage station were installed. A new dispatch warehouse was also created.