INGESOM performs retrofit of MARTIN industrial cardboard machines for Grupo La Plana.

INGESOM performs a retrofit process in four Martin industrial machines for Grupo La Plana, an independent family business group, founded in 1973, dedicated to the manufacture of corrugated cardboard containers and packaging. It currently has four of its own production plants in Betxí and Onda (Castellón), in Cenicero (La Rioja) and in Igualada (Barcelona). It also has a network of assembly plants throughout Spain and Portugal, which guarantees supply and reduces logistics costs for its customers.
Since its creation, Grupo La Plana has been committed to innovation and constant commercial expansion, consolidating a business model that has allowed it to lead the production of corrugated cardboard containers and packaging in the domestic market. Positioning to which the constant renovation and automation of the production processes contributes, allowing the company to reach a production of two million carton boxes per day.
Martin industrial machines make cardboard compositions, grouping and ungrouping, for later palletizing according to the customer’s needs at any given moment. The age of the machinery made it difficult to make improvements since the source code was not available, complicated the resolution of breakdowns due to the unavailability of standard spare parts and it was not possible to connect to monitor the program and eliminate malfunctions.
In order to modernize the production processes of Martin industrial machines and increase their competitiveness, INGESOM updates the programming of the entire machine by installing current OMRON PLCs and modern Weintek touch screens. It also replaces the inverters with new models with up-to-date communication systems, which provide information on the status of the engine and mechanical systems, facilitating preventive actions such as anticipating possible breakdowns. Finally, INGESOM revises and updates the electrical diagrams to install a new electrical panel, perfectly insulated, with the wiring and labels in order, and which will speed up the search for signals in case of breakdowns.
With all this retrofit process, now Grupo La Plana has updated machinery with a totally open system, with a close support and in Spanish, where it is possible to monitor the values and movements to solve failures, and make improvements to increase its efficiency. Spare parts that may be needed in the future are standard, readily available and affordable. The renovation of the entire system helps to make the machinery more competitive without the need to assume the cost of new equipment, to be adapted to the new regulations in force, and to have possibilities of integration with Industry 4.0.