Guala achieves OEE gold standard with Sumitomo(SHI) Demag machinery

Producer of plastics closures, Guala UK, has achieved a 35 per cent reduction in energy useage and world-class Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) status.

The Scotland-based company, which produces 300 million closures each year, says the installation of all-electric injection moulding machines has contributed significantly to it achieving these efficiency levels.  

Working in close partnership with Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, Guala’s plant in Kirkintilloch now operates a total of 12 all-electric machines, the most recent being two IntElect models.

“We’re seeing a reduction of around 35 per cent in energy consumption with the all-electric machines, compared to our earlier hydraulic units,” explained Stuart Giles, Business Engineering and Site Services Manager for Guala Closures.

“These machines also have a much higher degree of control, so the process variability is small. The standard deviation is also small and the knock-on effect of that is the ability to reduce cycle times. As a result, we are able to make more products in a shorter amount of time, further improving our efficiency levels.”

The machines have improved the level of OEE in performance, quality and availability, says Guala.

“The moulding department as a whole is running at over 90 per cent OEE, which is considered world-class," added Giles.

“The quality is sitting at 98.9 per cent – which means that 1.1 per cent is lost through issues such as downtime. Finally, availability of machines is recorded at 98.8 per cent, which gives an indication of how much they are being made use of.

“Without the newest injection moulding machine technology, and the control systems, these levels of OEE would not be possible.”

The improvement in quality and OEE ensure a more controlled process, says Giles, which has given Guala staff more time to devote to developing innovative and complex closures.

The precision and complexity needed for such parts can be better managed with the use of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag hardware, Giles continued, which provides cycle and injection time feedback.

“The combination of the IntElect machine and the NC5 control system means that corrections can be made before they become an issue. The addition of the machines here has made a massive difference to consistency of the products,” Giles continued.

Guala says it is looking closely at its sustainability practices as part of an overall five-year plan, within which it aims to further reduce energy, carbon footprint and materials use.