Proactive maintenance keeps beer flowing at S&N
21 Sep 2006
Scottish & Newcastle UK has reported major gains from the introduction of a proactive maintenance system at its Manchester brewery, which produces leading lager brands Foster’s, Kronenbourg and Miller.
The Manchester facility, which has a capacity of 3.3 million hectolitres per annum, operates a multi-faceted brewing process involving a wide range of applications. The complexity of the operation meant a strong dependence on the reliability of the instrumentation throughout the facility.
S&N had, however, encountered difficulties monitoring the instruments on-site, which in turn limited their ability to maintain them. Engineers were sometimes only alerted to a problem when the process broke down and often they had to replace instruments that were far beyond repair.
In response, the brewer recently installed a tool to document and analyse all devices installed at the plant. The system — Endress+Hauser’s Installed Base Assistant — enables the company to monitor instruments by location, application, loop and device, providing an up-to-date view of the plant situation.
The tool, which is open to all makes of instrument, has increased the longevity of the instruments and the effective operation of the process, according to S&N. The Manchester operation, it said, has achieved time-saving and financial benefits from the more efficient management of the instruments on-site.
The new tool “makes life much easier, enabling the company to pre-empt any irregularities in the process giving instruments a longer life,” commented John Grayson, S&N electrical and automation engineer.
