Rockwool Automates Production Process Control With Proficy CSense

Rockwool is amongst the global leaders within the insulation industry. Together with other building-related products such as acoustic ceilings, cladding boards and consultancy business, Rockwool ensures energy efficient and fire-safe buildings with good acoustics and a comfortable indoor climate. We create green solutions for the horticultural industry, inventive special fibres for industrial use, effective insulation for the process industry and marine and offshore as well as noise and vibration systems for modern infrastructure.

Our division is called Process & Quality Service, POP, and consists of eleven highly experienced process experts, all working for Rockwool International in Hedehusene. Half of them are based at our factories around Europe, traveling to our various production lines in the world. The experts’ tasks include helping our subsidiaries to solve problems with raw materials, processes and quality controls. Our consultants are all highly experienced, almost as if they have a built-in Proficy CSense, which decreases the daily needs. However, there is a need for new analytical tools that can provide new insights and help to “adjust myths”. The tool should not require deeper mathematical insights or to be difficult to use. We have now found all that we look for in Proficy CSense's Troubleshooter, working with GE Vernova partner, Novotek. 

We expect to make a great use of Troubleshooter to a whole new production process in our new factories, while at same use it in our existing environments. We also have a large ongoing project for automatic control of a complex production process, including environmental facilities.
 
An unexpected and very interesting use, currently being investigated together with Novotek, of Proficy is the possibility to simulate a production process in a simulator. This can be used for training our operators before they control the actual process. The “proof of concept” has been completed and we will continue by presenting the idea to the Directors who have the overall responsibility for training in correlation to introduction of new factories and production lines. 

We have chosen a setting where Proficy CSense's Troubleshooter is on a server, accessible to all consultants. However, only one user at a time can access the information, on the one license available. Getting all data was challenging at first, but once we got everything in order; it was easy to transfer between our systems. There is no doubt that the software has paid for itself as we got better analysis and optimization from our processes.