Plukon - Scanning for the future

The Plukon poultry slaughterhouse in Blokker has installations from all kinds of machine builders and suppliers. Each of these has its own control system and associated components from different brands. This has developed over time, with the result that Plukon lost track of the situation. When it became clear that many components were now obsolete, the company decided to have itsme carry out a FactoryScan. ‘This gives us more peace of mind and helps us to better plan the replacement of components for the future.’

Plukon Food Group is an innovative player in the European food industry with forty locations in seven countries. In Blokker, North Holland, there is a poultry slaughterhouse for the production of fresh and frozen poultry. Stanisław (Stan) Duda is the head of the technical department, which has 26 employees. ‘We provide a 24/5 breakdown service and carry out maintenance at the weekend.’

FactoryScan

itsme has been supplying Plukon Blokker with electrical components and industrial automation products for twenty years. However, the poultry slaughterhouse also receives many parts, including spare parts, from the machine builders. All in all, there are many different brands in use within the factory. As a result, Plukon lost track of the current status of all components. Duda: ‘We had PLCs and other components that were no longer all reliable and were becoming obsolete. We discussed this with itsme.’

Soon, the possibility of a FactoryScan of the installed base of industrial automation was put on the table. This scan creates an overview of all components present. Itsme can then enrich this overview with data about the current status of the components, their availability now and in the future, and the options for replacement items. Such a scan is always carried out according to the customer's wishes, says Arjen Schutte, technical sales engineer at itsme. ‘At Plukon, the initial discussion was about components from Siemens and Danfoss. But then it turned out that Stan wanted to include all components that contained software. That was possible, but it meant we had to do more.’

 

‘They had good equipment, but much of it was no longer available.’

In the end, the scan was carried out over eight Saturdays, says Schutte. ‘When production was at a standstill, I went into the factory to take photos of the hardware and extract the software from the components.’ His conclusion was clear: ‘At Plukon, they were quite behind in terms of technology. They had good technology, but much of the equipment was no longer available. It had already been phased out by the manufacturers and could only be obtained repaired or second-hand. They're not the only company in that situation, mind you. Nor are they the only ones with many different brands. That's often how it has grown, but it's not practical.’ It does indeed have disadvantages, but also advantages, Duda responds. ‘For example, if there are delivery problems with one particular brand.’ Incidentally, he was not shocked by the outcome. ‘I went into it with an open mind. Bring it on, I said to Arjen. We had to be aware of the situation and start somewhere to see how we could deal with it in the future.’ Schutte: ‘I think that's great about Stan. Show us what you've got, because that's how you move forward.’

Bound by warranty

Duda and Schutte are currently discussing that future. Standardising on a limited number of brands would, of course, be ideal. However, that is not feasible in practice because Plukon has machines and installations from different suppliers, explains Duda. ‘They provide a warranty on them, for example for ten years, and provide service, but only if they contain components that they have supplied, from the brands they carry. Then you have their guarantee that those machines will function properly.’ Schutte: "If we were to replace those components, the warranty would lapse. So many components are supplied via the machine manufacturers. No, unfortunately not everything goes through us, even though we carry all the brands that Plukon has."

 

‘Eighty percent are items that we order once; we're good at that.’

Once the warranty period has expired, Plukon is of course free to purchase the items in question from itsme. No matter how difficult the request, itsme is happy to search for it, says Schutte. "We look into everything. A colleague of mine often visits special websites and manages to source components in America that you would think are no longer available to order. Eighty percent of what we do concerns items that we order once; we are good at that. The world of industry does not move that fast, and we often have to search for special items. That is certainly the case at Plukon."

Peace of mind and better planning

The two parties are now drawing up a plan to replace outdated components with new models. ‘That replacement will start next year, if we have included it in the budget,’ says Duda. ‘After that, it will be an ongoing process, because we are a dynamic company and technology continues to evolve.’ However, a new FactoryScan may not be necessary if the status of all components is properly monitored. But that is not always the case. ‘Everything depends on a well-organised technical service,’ warns Schutte. ‘Stan has it well organised now, but he will move on to something else at some point. Who will keep track of things then?’ That is a concern for Duda for the future, now that itsme has just carried out the FactoryScan. ‘It gives me peace of mind and helps us to plan better for the future.’ He is therefore satisfied with the collaboration with itsme. ‘I have a good relationship with Arjen; he is helpful, and I appreciate that. I think the relationship between itsme and Plukon can grow even further, including with our sister companies that do business with them.’ Schutte can only agree. ‘Work together and make sure you map out your installed base.’

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