A moulding machine replacement of an existing moulding line is always a very special task and requires much more detailed preparations and processes than conventional greenfield projects.
Mahindra CIE located near Pune, India decided to replace the old GF moulding machine with a modern SEIATSU moulding machine. In addition, the flasks were replaced at the same time by new flasks with lateral clamping.
HWS has proven that in times of pandemic, moulding and casting machines can also be put into operation as part of remote commissioning, but a moulding machine replacement on a producing plant is a much more specific task.
The pandemic has limited further degrees of freedom in planning. The team consisting of MCIE and HWS experts was vaccinated, tested and finally isolated to grant to avoid Covid infections.
Since the system replacement can only take place during plant downtime, a supply stock for current customer orders had to be set up on the customer side. For the assembly team, the possibility of travel is a basic requirement. At the beginning of November, there was a time window that made the planned molding machine replacement possible.
The dismantling of the old plant components and the construction of the new forming machine and system assemblies began shortly before the Diwali Festival. In order to minimize downtime, work was carried out around the clock.
After blessing the plant and with less than 3 weeks since the start of assembly, the first molds were already produced on the new molding machine several days before the planned commissioning date.
A few days later, the first cast took place.
This commissioning was characterized by excellent preparation by Mahindra CIE as well as HWS and its sister company SINTOBHARAT. For this reason, and above all due to the perfectly interacting assembly team of MCIE and HWS, the schedule was not only adhered to but also undercut.
Not least because of the divine assistance, the available beta team at HWS in Bad Laasphe/Germany did not have to be used, which was available in case of possible illness of the colleagues on site.
Accordingly, the time window was optimally chosen and the time that was available was used optimally.
A unique purchasing factor for MCIE was the comfortable Hand-Shake-Data Transfer (pattern parameter etc.) to the existing plant control system. Data record are moved from the plant control system to the moulding machine and the moulding machines returns the actual data backwards to the plant control system including data storing etc.
Mr Sudhakar Rane from Mahindra CIE resumes: “Successful Integration of HWS machineries with existing moulding plant have been possible only due to solid engineering and project planning by HWS team. No personnel from MCIE had prior visit to HWS plant during machine manufacturing and assembly, but entire clarity was given over drawings and virtual meetings. Both the teams were well tuned for the project implementation. Still, we could not believe that it is done so well within the given time frame. Thank you HWS Team for your support for implementing this project.”
Mahindra CIE expects that the investment will significantly reduce the scrap rate and thus increase efficiency. Already in the start-up phase of the modernized plant, it became clear that these goals would be clearly achieved.
