Sleeve Technology makes effective machines for the food and non-food packaging industry. The 'sleeve machines' are automated machines for printing care or food products and are used by multinationals such as Unilever and Campina.
Coen van der Kant Software Engineer at Sleeve TechnologyDowntime is undesirable. There may be perishable material in the tank
An interview with software engineer Coen van der Kant shows how the sustainable sleeve machines are part of a complete product line.
“After filling the product, the sleeve machine provides the correct labels, after which it is transported to a packer. The wrap is automatically placed over the product and sometimes attached with hot air or steam in shrink tunnels,” Coen explains.
Quattrosleever machine from Sleeve Technology
The fact that Sleeve Technology's machines are effective is evident from the numbers that some machines can process: up to 1,000 products per minute. Coen has been working at Sleeve Technology for 2 years now and is responsible for programming and controlling the machines, which are controlled by Sigmatek PLCs and HMIs.
Customers are demanding ever faster machines, which is why they are continuously being developed to perform even more efficiently
The pursuit of optimal machine performance and 0% downtime
“We use IXON for remote access and remote maintenance. When I started, there was no remote access solution available,” says Coen. “I myself worked with another solution before, but I wasn’t happy with it. We ended up at IXON through one of our partners,” says Coen.
Due to the global sales area and the focus on service, the need for remote access to machines quickly becomes clear. “Downtime is undesirable. There may be perishable material in the tank,” Coen explains.
In addition to on-site machine maintenance by our own mechanics and sending spare parts to the factory, remote service is also provided. “We need to connect as quickly as possible to solve a problem,” says Coen. By monitoring the PLC program, it is possible to make analyses (based on time span, for example) and to view and adjust parameters.
Label is placed over the product by the Sleeve Technology machine
We use IXON to monitor customers and implement new software updates.
In addition to the sleeve machines, innovative modules are also being developed, such as the new film unwinding module. This machine unit automatically attaches a roll of film to a subsequent roll of film, regardless of the width or length of the film. These new machines from Sleeve Technology are also equipped as standard with a IXrouter for remote access.
Would you like to know more about the benefits of IXON Cloud for machine builders? Then take a look at our success stories or please feel free to contact us for a no-obligation conversation or demo.
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