Efficient production of container glass with digital technologies GlassTech LLC

GlassTech LLC is a member of the Association StekloSouz of Russia, a resident of the Skolkovo innovation center, specializing in the digitalization of production processes of container glass plants, a participant in specialized exhibitions, forums, scientific and practical conferences. The company presents software that allows real-time control of all production processes in the glass container industry.

Vladimir Zmanovsky, Development Director of Glass Technologies LLC, told what technologies and services are planned to be presented in 2022 at industry events, in industry media publications (including on the industry information portal http://steklosouz.ru/ and the weekly news Bulletin the Association StekloSouz of Russia ).

- The technology we created is based on the integration of autonomously controlled sections of conveyor glass container production into a single system, without replacing the existing equipment fleet, using current process control systems, supplementing their functionality. The technology is unique and is protected by a patent for the invention "System and method for controlling the parameters of the production of glass products" No. 2744294 dated March 4, 2021.

The economic effect of the introduction of technology is expressed in the growth of the total productivity of the plant at the expense of internal resources by 10% or more. The website https://myconveyor.ru/ contains a calculator to perform a preliminary calculation of how much the productivity of a particular glass container plant increases, including in the context of factors for increasing the time of efficient operation of glass forming machines and increasing the coefficients of glass mass utilization / product yield.

In 2022, at industry events, we will present a boxed product under the brand Conveyor 2.0 software and hardware complex, which consists of the AIS Conveyor 2.0 software and specialized hardware: a data transmission cabinet for a composite workshop, a communication unit with furnaces (BKP) , control room communication unit (BKO), inspection communication unit (BKI), pallet transportation control unit (BKTP).

The AIS "Conveyor 2.0" software allows you to control all production processes in real time, build the company's raw material balance and reduce the "reaction time".

The balance of raw materials is maintained in a closed cycle format - from loading raw materials in a compound shop to packaging and shipment of finished products. Data is read directly from the APCS software and synchronized with accounting and accounting systems, which eliminates the human factor. Efficient uptime of glass forming machines is increased – downtime is reduced with online monitoring and analysis of the types and causes of downtime. The total productivity of the plant is increased using Big Data through smart planning using statistics on the performance of each item in relation to a specific line. Items are distributed to those lines where they are produced with maximum cutting speed and efficiency (CIS).

AIS "Conveyor 2.0" creates a system of objective control over the time of work of the team for changing the assortment (T1) and the time to reach the planned utilization rate of glass mass after changing the assortment (T2). Using objective data, it is possible to establish new KPIs with the appropriate motivation for employees performing work on the changeover of glass forming machines from one assortment to another.

The solution we offer has a number of functional, service and financial advantages for customers compared to other MES systems on the market for the container glass industry:

• integration into the system of equipment of all types and manufacturers from the assembly shop to packaging;

• analytical report on the work of glass-forming machines;

• connection of the hot and cold sections of the conveyor with the measurement of the reaction time of the personnel when the established critical threshold for defects is exceeded;

• specialized hardware part of the system, providing complete and continuous data collection from all process areas.

In addition, I want to emphasize that Conveyor 2.0 is a completely Russian development, created with the support of the Skolkovo Foundation and the Innovation Promotion Foundation, and is included in the Unified Register of Russian Programs for Electronic Computers and Databases. The latter significantly increases the financial availability of implementation through a soft loan for digital transformation from Sberbank of Russia at a rate of 1% per annum and the possibility of acquiring a system under the digital asset leasing program, with an advance under a leasing agreement from 0% and for up to 5 years.

– In view of the fact that the container glass industry is very conservative in terms of the use of new technologies and solutions, the main task that we set ourselves in the near future is the large-scale launch of the Conveyor 2.0 software and hardware complex on the market.

We want to show the professional industry community that a new technological paradigm, when big data and artificial intelligence are at the service of efficient container glass production, has already arrived! These are not some abstract projects from the future, these are today's technologies that are being successfully implemented at individual plants, where owners and managers set the task of continuously improving production processes, reducing costs and increasing business profitability.

GlassTech LLC invites owners, managers and production managers of glass container plants to cooperate. We will also be happy to meet all the professionals working in the glass industry who want to get acquainted with the opportunities provided by Industry 4.0 technologies.