It sustainably produces MDF panels with guaranteed quality. The quest to improve productivity and the quality of its products drives the constant modernization of the industrial park with investments in technology and the qualification of all employees. Its production capacity is 550,000 m³ of MDF per year and it has 1,800 employees. Guararapes exports its products, certified with the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) seal, to more than 50 countries with guaranteed quality to meet the most demanding markets.

Challenge

Guararapes Caçador was looking for an efficient solution to manage laboratory tests, processes and products and thus ensure quality standards. The big challenge was to monitor production parameters in real time, along with the results of laboratory analyses, in order to make it easier to identify the causes of non-conformities. Excel spreadsheets were to be replaced by a tool that would reduce typing errors and allow dynamic real-time consultation of data without the need to print out reports and graphs that were analyzed statically.

Solution

Guararapes relied on HarboR Informática Industrial to implement InfinityQS, a solution for intelligent manufacturing, quality control and Statistical Process Control. HarboR implemented the software completely at the Caçador factory. Automatic data collection was connected to InfinityQS via the industrial network. By automating the data, it was possible to relate production data in real time to the analyses carried out in the laboratories and on the shop floor, as well as to generate e-mails warning of non-conformities. Graphs and reports were set up to analyze the results of the production processes and make decisions.
Since the implementation of InfinityQS, HarboR has been providing support, maintenance and training services for the software and monitoring the use of the tool to drive continuous process improvement at Guararapes Caçador.
For more details on the implementation, see the Details section at the end of this document. There you will find more about the products InfinityQS ProFicient SPC, DMS e RAMS used in this solution.

“With access to all the variables of the Siemens PLCs, we can identify and recognize them through InfinityQS. We also have RAMS to complement this, which automatically generates emails for those responsible. An interesting example is that we put temperature gauges at the entrance to the coating presses. The maximum temperature indicated for coating the panels is 45ºC. Whenever this temperature is exceeded, alarms are generated and the shop floor staff change the raw materials for ones that are better acclimatized. In this way, they prevent the risk of streaks in the final product, reducing the chance of problematic material reaching the customer”

-Gerson Aldo de Souza, Technical Manager

Results

Collections directly from PLCs with automatic alarm generation make it possible to correct the process in real time, preventing defects in the final product. By integrating automatic process data with laboratory records, it is quick to analyze the causes of defects and take action. The ease with which production and quality data can be visualized in the different types of InfinityQS reports and graphs makes it easier to generate and update management reports at meetings and for decision-making.

• Information available in real time, for all levels of users
• Easy creation of management reports
• Receiving an e-mail when non-conformities occur
• Automatic collections available for consultation
• Reducing and preventing defects
• Reduction in registration time and typing errors

Control Chart by Variable: allows you to identify average and amplitude variations and recognize data trends.

Attribute Control Chart: allows you to identify the downgrading generated by immediate sanding and recognize the causes of defects in order to take action.

Pareto: defects are easily visualized and clear to display at meetings and to help make decisions. With this graph it is possible to target the product according to defect.

Box Plot: allows you to compare the distribution of data, for example, the monthly dispersion of Core Tensile over the months around the specification limits.

The InfinityQS solution was also used for final product inspection. At this stage, samples of the finished product are taken from stock and inspected against the standard. This data reflects the product that will reach the customer, guaranteeing managers the quality of the final product.