Swiss machine builder relies on integrated solution from Siemens PLM Software
Berneck/Switzerland. The Swiss Can Machinery company specializes in machines and plants for products which require filling and sealing under extreme hygienic conditions. These include in particular special formula for babies with allergies or intolerances. Despite the high staffing and site costs involved in producing in Switzerland, the company succeeds in holding its ground against international competitors by making consistent use of digitalization and optimized processes with the aid of efficient software from Siemens.
When it comes to both development and production, efficiency takes top priority for Swiss Can Machinery.
One decisive factor here is the modular design of its plants, which comprise up to 40 individual machines such as cleaning, disinfection or weighing stations. The modules and components are designed in such a way that they permit the broadest possible use and enable simple customization. To allow it to cope with the resulting data volume, the machine builder uses the efficient product lifecycle management software Teamcenter. Swiss Can Machinery is also able to quickly generate CAD drawings in the 3D CAD system NX CAD, which it uses to produce some 10,000 CAD drawings every single year.
Consistently digital
The customer has also produced 3D models of its customers’ production halls using Teamcenter. These enable
the precise indication of interfaces for new modules. If a customer wishes to extend an existing plant, there is no
need for the Swiss Can designers to measure out production halls on site in Singapore or China. This saves time and money, and provides a real boost to the machine builder’s efficiency. When it comes to the configuration
and parameterization of plants, the TIA Portal engineering framework from Siemens comes into its own. Using
the Multiuser Engineering option package, the designers can now work in parallel on a project independently,
substantially reducing engineering times. The next step will be to link Teamcenter and the TIA Portal to achieve consistent management and updating of all the machine data.
Automation for maximum availability
Digitalization at Swiss Can Machinery does not stop with its plants, which are operated using a Simatic HMI panel from Siemens. Automation and programming are being driven to ever higher levels with each successive generation. Once everything is controlled by software in the future, all the relevant settings and data will be
available in digital form, enabling comprehensive remote maintenance. The machine builder aims to
monitor and perform predictive maintenance work on its plants distributed around the globe in future.
This will help prevent unplanned production outages and increase availability for its customers, representing
a major advantage for the Swiss manufacturer over its competitors.
