A three-year investment project at a tyre plant — a comprehensive modernisation of a calender line with a PLN 20M budget, delivered with production kept running, from initiation to closure.
The project concerned a calender line — a key element of production at a tyre plant belonging to a global manufacturer. The line ran continuously, so modernisation work was carried out in windows within planned production shutdowns.
The task: carry out a full modernisation — mechanical, electrical and control system — within planned production shutdowns, within an international project structure requiring daily cooperation with headquarters in other countries.
Production kept running. Every intervention on the line was planned to fit into planned production shutdown windows or to run in parallel with line operation.
Corporate and international environment. Decisions, budget and acceptance required daily cooperation with a foreign regulatory department and contractors, within a corporate approval structure.
Scale and complexity. Mechanics, electrics, controls, construction works, safety — all in one project, run in parallel with 20+ other investment projects at the plant.
The specialised nature of the calender line meant that key components and competences came from contractors in several countries — Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland. Each worked to its own standards, in its own language and with its own delivery schedule.
The Project Manager's role was to tie this into one working schedule: synchronising deliveries and installation work between suppliers from different countries, so that successive stages did not block each other and the international team worked to a common deadline.
The project team on the plant side numbered 15 people, and at the peak of the modernisation up to 120 people from 9 contractor companies were being coordinated simultaneously.
That was the motto of this project. Work fitted into planned production shutdowns — so everything that could be foreseen was prepared before the crews arrived.
The schedules of nine companies from four countries were merged into one plan, agreed with production. Line operators helped shape the work scopes — they knew the line best. Key operations had ready plans in case things went differently.
Work ran on three shifts, each picking up exactly where the previous one ended. Safety was always the first topic of the day — with dozens of people from many companies on one shop floor.
On a project of this scale, situations requiring a quick response came up. The answer was calm, a quick decision and a common goal: all companies playing towards the same goal.
The plant-side project team — 15 people — was put together so that everyone did what they do best. Decisions were made quickly, and people got a goal and room to act.
The modernisation was carried out in full scope and brought to formal closure within the three-year project horizon. The line — modernised mechanically, electrically and in terms of controls — returned to operation with a new quality control system, compliant with safety requirements and with improved workstation ergonomics.
Modernisation, a new line, automation — let's talk about what is on your table.
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