At the Plukon poultry slaughterhouse in Blokker, there are systems from a variety of machine manufacturers and suppliers. Each has its own control system and associated components from different brands. This has developed historically, resulting in Plukon losing track of the situation. When it became clear that many components were now obsolete, the company decided to have itsme perform a FactoryScan. "This gives us more peace of mind and helps us better plan component replacements for the future."“
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Plukon Food Group is an innovative player in the European food industry with forty locations in seven countries. In Blokker, North Holland, it has a poultry slaughterhouse for the production of fresh and frozen poultry. Stanisław (Stan) Duda is head of the technical department, which has 26 employees. "We provide a 24/5 breakdown service and do maintenance on weekends."“
FactoryScan
For twenty years, itsme has been supplying electrical components and industrial automation products to Plukon Blokker. However, the poultry slaughterhouse also receives many components, including spare parts, from the machine manufacturers. All in all, the factory uses many different brands. As a result, Plukon lost track and no longer had a clear overview of the current status of all components. Duda: "We had PLCs and other components that were no longer reliable and were becoming obsolete. We discussed this with itsme."“
The possibility of a FactoryScan of the installed base of industrial automation soon arose. This scan creates an overview of all existing components. itsme can then enrich this overview with data on the current status of the components, their availability and future availability, and the options for replacement parts. Such a scan is always performed according to the customer's wishes, explains Arjen Schutte, technical sales engineer at itsme. "At Plukon, the initial discussion was about components from Siemens and Danfoss. But then it turned out Stan wanted to include all components containing software. That was possible, but it meant we had to do more."“
“They had good stuff, but much of it was no longer available”
Ultimately, the scan was carried out over eight Saturdays, Schutte explains. "When production was at a standstill, I went into the factory to take photos of the hardware and extract the software from the components." His conclusion was clear: "At Plukon, they were quite behind on the technology. They had good technology, but a lot of items were no longer available. They had already phased them out by the manufacturers, and you could only get them repaired or secondhand. They're not the only company in that respect, mind you. Nor is it that they have so many different brands. That's often how it developed, but it's not practical." It does indeed have disadvantages, but also advantages, Duda responds. "For example, if there are delivery problems with one particular brand." Incidentally, he wasn't shocked by the outcome. "I went into it with an open mind. Bring it on, I told Arjen. We had to become aware of the situation and start somewhere to see how we could handle this in the future." Schutte: "I think that's very good of Stan. Show it, because that's what you can build on."“
Bound by warranty
Duda and Schutte are currently discussing that future. Standardizing on a limited number of brands would, of course, be ideal. However, that's not feasible in practice, because Plukon has machines and installations from various suppliers, Duda explains. "They offer a warranty on them, for example, for ten years, and provide service, but only if they contain components they supplied, from the brands they carry. Then you have their guarantee that the machines will function properly." Schutte: "If we were to replace those components, the warranty would be void. So, many components are supplied by the machine manufacturers. No, unfortunately, not everything goes through us, even though we essentially carry all the brands Plukon carries."“
“Eighty percent are items we order once; that's what we're good at.”
Once the warranty period has expired, Plukon is, of course, free to source the relevant items from itsme. No matter how difficult the request, itsme is happy to search, says Schutte. “We investigate everything. A colleague of mine often visits specialty websites and gets things done in America for components you'd think would no longer be available. Eighty percent of what we do involves items we order once; that's what we excel at. The industrial world isn't very fast-paced, and we often have to search for specialty items again. That's certainly the case at Plukon.”
Peace and better planning
The two parties are now developing a plan to replace outdated components with new models. "That replacement will start next year, once we've allocated a budget for it," Duda reports. "After that, it's an ongoing process, because we're a dynamic company and technology is constantly evolving." A new FactoryScan isn't necessarily necessary if the status of all components is properly tracked. But that's far from always the case. "Everything hinges on a well-organized technical department," Schutte warns. "Stan has it all well organized now, but he'll be doing something else at some point. Who will keep track of it then?" That's a concern for Duda later, now that itsme has just completed the FactoryScan. "That gives me peace of mind and helps us plan better for the future." He is therefore satisfied with the collaboration with itsme. "I have good contact with Arjen; he's helpful, and I appreciate that. I think the relationship between itsme and Plukon can grow even further, including with our sister companies that do business with them." Schutte can only agree with that. "Collaborate and make sure you map your installed base."“
