Interview with Mr. Van de Wege, Maintenance Engineer at Elopak

Can you tell us more about ELOPAK?

ELOPAK Group is a global company, and our site in Terneuzen is the largest production facility, operating continuously 24/7 to manufacture packaging for juice and milk.

What is the specialty of your production site?

Our site specializes in producing packaging by transforming coated cardboard rolls through printing and cutting them to size. This results in flat packages with folding lines, which is the stage of the process for which I am responsible for maintenance.

What is your role within the group, and what are your responsibilities?

I am a maintenance engineer focused on the printing process. My responsibilities include ensuring the reliability of our equipment, specifically overseeing the maintenance of machines that print and cut the cardboard into packaging.

Can you tell us about your proactive maintenance project? What prompted the initial need?
We operate six printing lines at our plant: three older models and three newer ones. The older machines, which are between 20 and 24 years old, are in continuous use. These machines contain over 120 drives that are now obsolete, making it increasingly difficult to maintain their reliability. As these machines age and components become obsolete, ensuring consistent performance has become more challenging.

How did the collaboration with DV GROUP begin?

Our collaboration started when the drives on our older printing machines began to fail. Since the models were no longer available for purchase, we needed to find an alternative solution. To prevent unplanned downtime, we decided to develop a proactive maintenance strategy. We sought out a company that could provide effective assistance, including thorough reporting and testing, to ensure a reliable installation with maximum availability.

Why did you choose to work with DV GROUP?

DV GROUP was the ideal partner because they offered a comprehensive package and a clear testing protocol that met our needs. With 120 servo drives across machines that cannot be halted for extended periods, careful planning was essential. DV GROUP worked closely with us to devise a plan. First, they overhauled our stock of 20 drives in just three weeks. As soon as we received the refurbished drives, we sent another batch of 20, and so on. This approach allowed us to maintain continuous production. The parameters of each drive were seamlessly re-injected, everything functioned perfectly, and the process was swift.

What do you expect from a service provider in general?

We expect a partner with in-depth knowledge of our industry and processes. While we have a good grasp of our printing line’s operations, some of the drive systems and their parameters are highly technical. Therefore, we rely on a service provider capable of delivering detailed reports to help us understand malfunctions better, identify vulnerable components, and enhance our future installations.

What have been the benefits of conducting preventive maintenance on these drives?

We’ve noticed that some of our drives have operated for over 150,000 hours without maintenance, which posed a significant risk to our production. With 40 drives per machine, the risk of failure was high. However, thanks to DV GROUP and their preventive maintenance efforts, we can now expect to use these machines for another 20 years!

Have you experienced fewer failures since the retrofit?

Yes, we’ve had fewer failures with the drives. Each time we perform maintenance, we have to power down the machines, which can accelerate the deterioration of electronic components. In the past, we faced many issues with restarts and breakdowns, but these have significantly decreased since the retrofit.

Do you have any final remarks or anything else you’d like to share?

Every project we’ve undertaken together has been a success, whether it involves LENZE drives or lesser-known brands. You always rise to the challenge and find the most suitable solutions. The key to our successful partnership is our mutual trust.