Digitization at Ibema brings energy efficiency and better wood management Improvement plan at Turvo (PR) plant follows Industry 4.0 guidelines and includes elimination of manual records

In the context of Industry 4.0, each manufacturing plant needs to identify potential for improvement and prepare a project for its execution, in a realistic but innovative way. At Ibema, the Digitalization Master Plan for the paperboard production unit in Turvo (PR) has already started and is part of a very thorough diagnostic study.

"The first opportunity to be worked on is the integration of industrial automation networks, which will bring agility in the collection and analysis of process data, increasing assertiveness and speed in decision-making in the industry", explains the Industrial Plant manager at Ibema, Edenilson Albino.

He says that the expected consequence is greater stability in the production process and even an increase in the quality of the final product. "Opportunities related to energy efficiency and wood management, our main raw material, will also be worked on." The identification of synergies between current projects is also within the scope, as well as the listing of new actions and potential for the business. Another benefit will be the elimination of manual controls and records, which often slow down processes and impede modernization.

Understand how to structure a digitization process

Companies that are just starting their technology journey have a lot to gain from making an accurate diagnosis of needed improvements. At Ibema, this initial stage includes a study of current procedures, through workshops with different areas of the unit to identify difficulties and opportunities.

The assessment of digitization maturity is also part of the diagnosis, when the current phase of each area is compared with the best market practices. To complete the diagnosis phase, a list of opportunities to be followed is drawn up.

Next, the stage of selecting viable opportunities enters. “Each objective is classified considering the time required for execution, the investment to be made, risks, business impact and innovation potential. After that, the five opportunities with the highest scores will be detailed, so we can then prepare the project form to be developed”, enumerates the manager.

Finally, the development of the digitization plan involves the description of the current situation, the motivation for the project and its objectives, the proposed scope and the investment and return proposal, whether qualitative or quantitative. After all these steps, the company can be sure that it has followed the best path in the search for more technology and competitiveness.