Technical Theme: Packaging, Wrapping & Logistics
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Technical Theme: Packaging, Wrapping & Logistics
THE KEY DESIGN CRITERIA TO RAISE LOGISTICS RELIABILITY LEVELS TO BETWEEN 90-95% The challenge: to create a fully-automated facility producing more tissue tonnes per person and more tonnes per metre than any other same-size mill in the world. Gary Urban, Elettric80’s Sales Director Americas: Food, Beverage, Paper & Hygiene Products, explains the process. A TWM report.
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exas-based manufacturer Texas Tissue Converting produces bath tissue and paper towels, supplying paper products to local communities and the surrounding States. Our project with them was to custom design a fully automated facility to produce 60,000tpy of tissue paper products for owner Luis Gomez. Space optimisation, productivity, and sustainability were the key design criterion, and the goal was to create a tissue factory that produced more tonnes per person employed as well as more tonnes per metre of land employed than any other tissue factory of its size in the world today. To achieve this, Elettric80 Consulting Services (E80CS) employed an eight-step design process (pictured) to create a complete layout, technology and software solution capped by a simulation that raises the reliability level of the proposed solution to between 90% and 95%. The completed building size is 37,375 square metres. When production is at full capacity there will be five highspeed converting lines and 150 persons employed. That is equivalent to 400 tonnes a year per person employed and 1.6 tonnes a year per square metre of land employed, meeting the stated goal. Specifically, the new facility was designed with everything under one roof starting with: • A high-density parent reel warehouse with reels stacked three high; • An extremely economic machine spacing between laterally laid out lines in the converting all of which include Elettric80 (E80) high speed automatic palletising islands; • A fully optimised block storage warehouse and truck loading prestaging area sized precisely for daily inventory and shipping needs; • A compact raw materials warehouse organised on racks; 32
Tissue World Magazine | May/June 2021
“OUR PROJECT WAS TO CUSTOM DESIGN A FULLY AUTOMATED FACILITY TO PRODUCE 60,000TPY OF TISSUE PAPER PRODUCTS FOR OWNER LUIS GOMEZ. SPACE OPTIMISATION, PRODUCTIVITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY WERE THE KEY DESIGN CRITERION, AND THE GOAL WAS TO CREATE A TISSUE FACTORY THAT PRODUCED MORE TONNES PER PERSON EMPLOYED AS WELL AS MORE TONNES PER METRE OF LAND EMPLOYED THAN ANY OTHER TISSUE FACTORY OF ITS SIZE IN THE WORLD TODAY.” • Inventories of all raw materials are precisely calculated, balanced, and perfectly timed for arrival on our premises to meet our production needs; • When completed, all pallet movements will be fully automated by the energy efficient CO2-free lithium powered Laser Guided Vehicles (LGV’s) and
the entire system will be managed by the E80 SM.I.LE80 software, the “conductor” that ensures all E80 machines perform the right task, in the right place, and at the right time. The third and newest line features the Perini Constellation for optimum product quality. Like the previous two lines there is an HSM Baler integrated between
