SIG unveils “first-ever” integrated asset performance and field service management solution

21 Nov 2019 --- Aseptic packaging systems and solutions provider SIG is set to deliver what it is calling the first integrated APM (Asset Performance Management) and FSM (Field Service Management) digital solution for the food and beverage industry. Developed in partnership with GE Digital, the Plant 360 Asset Management will feature a range of on-demand digital services designed to help manufacturers reach new levels of efficiency, productivity and connectivity in their operations.

SIG Plant 360 Asset Management is being co-developed with GE Digital in response to increasing demands in the food and beverage industry, particularly the need for higher productivity, quality and uptime, SIG indicates. With this innovative and integrated solution comprised of GE Digital’s APM and ServiceMax’s FSM software, SIG will offer state-of-the-art digital tools to help its customers boost production, reduce downtime and ensure greater quality to meet ever-changing consumer needs.

“Equipment manufacturers like SIG are increasingly leveraging Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to differentiate themselves through superior after-sales service,” comments Dan Lohmeyer, SVP Digital Product Management at GE Digital.

“GE Digital’s Asset Performance Management and ServiceMax’s Field Service Management software help OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) ensure their installed base of equipment is performing optimally, and their field service resources are managed efficiently. Our integrated solution allows SIG to detect and correct potential equipment issues in advance, before they result in unplanned customer downtime, delighting end-customers through improved OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and driving improved NPS (Net Promoter Scores) for SIG.” 

A modular solution for maintenance
Plant 360 Asset Management is a modular solution designed to improve filling line reliability and availability while reducing costs. The Connector module enables the collection of digital data, which is loaded into the Predix Cloud – GE Digital’s cloud platform. From here, the data can be retrieved and evaluated at any time by SIG’s reliability engineering team. This module can also be used for SIG’s other Smart Factory solution, Plant 360 Controller, which enables manufacturers to monitor, control and optimize every angle of their filling plant operations. 

The Smart Maintenance module is based on a software-supported holistic process called Maintenance & Asset Data Analytics as well as an Asset Management Cockpit. This ensures customers have one data source for all maintenance-related activities. The third module is called Smart Performance and is based on Asset Health Monitoring and Predictive Asset Data Analytics, which will provide an optimal platform for predictive maintenance in the future. 

Optimizing assets at every stage
Together, the three modules will enable higher asset reliability and availability, SIG says. The solution ensures a direct link between condition-based and predictive maintenance alerts in APM and the work being scheduled for field-service engineers in FSM (Finite-State Machine). This helps translate alerts into efficient action on the ground and ensures field service teams receive as much advance notice as possible of an issue, which they can address before it impacts a customer’s operations. For example, defined wearing parts will no longer be replaced at fixed maintenance intervals. Instead, they will only be replaced when the data indicates a certain degree of wear.SIG is set to deliver the first integrated APM and FSM digital solution for the food and beverage industry. Developed in partnership with GE Digital, the Plant 360 Asset Management will feature a range of on-demand digital services designed to help manufacturers reach new levels of efficiency, productivity and connectivity in their operations. 

“With Plant 360 Asset Management, any changes to equipment strategies – for example, changing service intervals or maintenance steps – can be quickly reflected in new FSM work,” says Klaus Andresen, Senior Vice President Global Technology at SIG.

“This improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall SIG maintenance process. Data captured by field-service workers is immediately available for analysis by APM and the global SIG reliability engineering team, allowing us to better and more quickly detect emerging issues and trigger preventative steps.”

SIG Plant 360 Asset Management is being launched for the first time in the Middle East with Almarai, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest food and beverage producers, to begin the global rollout.

“Digital Solutions are vital for us to analyze exactly what is happening in our plant and going forward to produce reliably,” explains Robert Ross, Manufacturing Manager Dairy and Juice for Almarai. “The aspirational partnership with SIG & GE will greatly help us in root cause analysis and in providing valid answers. This will ensure reliable production and to improve our OEE. We are very proud to be an early adopter of this cutting-edge solution.”

Plant 360 Asset Management is one of several value-added solutions within SIG’s Smart Factory segment, which is designed to help manufacturers meet the challenge of increasing output and driving down costs in today’s competitive environment. The solution-driven Smart Factory platform aims to deliver IoT-enabled systems and technical services that transform filling plants into connected factories that offer the highest efficiency, flexibility and quality.

In other SIG news, the supplier recently launched a U-shaped paper straw for use on carton packages, introduced beverage cartons made with “certified circular” recycled polymers produced from post-consumer plastic waste and unveiled the combiMaxx closure for improved consumer convenience.

Edited by Joshua Poole