Pirlo specializes in manufacturing metal and plastic packaging. In line with its slogan “If anyone CAN, we CAN!”, the company offers innovative packaging solutions for various industries in over forty countries. The Pirlo Group is the largest manufacturer of metal packaging in Austria and among the top 3 in Europe.
Magdalena Auer, IT and ERP Project Manager at Pirlo, is keen to highlight the flexibility gained in production: “Thanks to the instant feedback of production data, we can now respond much more quickly and easily to changes in production and adapt our planning.” The digital approach also allows information relating to the manufacturing order to be provided on a department-specific basis, so that employees only ever see the data they actually need.
Where various systems were previously used, the information is now collected centrally via the L-mobile solution: “It was important for us to be able to access all available data in Proalpha in one central location,” says Hannes Gastl, IT Manager and ERP Subproject Manager at the Pirlo Group. Transparency was achieved in production processes in order to reveal and target optimization potential.
The available interface and the proven cooperation with Proalpha were particularly important when it came to selecting a suitable solution provider: “We chose L-mobile because Proalpha and L-mobile are very well matched on a technical level. In my opinion, it was the right decision,” explains Thomas Schwaighofer, Head of Controlling and ERP Project at Pirlo. The range of functions, including package management, also played a major role. The company intends to continue growing and optimizing its workflows with L-mobile in the future. For example, there are plans to automate fault reports in production and introduce a chat function.
| ERP system | Products | Connection | Number of connected machines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proalpha | L-mobile production L-mobile warehouse | To L-mobile SCADA via OPC interface | Over 90 |
Long-established company Pirlo has enjoyed continuous growth. This has also been reflected in the software solutions used, which have undergone numerous customizations. The company was in need of a central solution to cover the individual processes in production and logistics. The solution would be used in four plants (“Cans 1”, “Cans 2”, “Industrial”, and “Tubes”) and would have to provide optimal connection to Proalpha.
Digital production and machine data collection was a particular area of focus. Previously, production data was documented on paper and then posted to the ERP system. As a result, this involved a significant amount of effort for downstream activities. Manufacturing is scheduled in several runs, necessitating transparent stock management, including unfinished products. As production is mainly carried out on pallets and in boxes, a package management solution was required.
With L-mobile production, digital machine and production data collection has been implemented across four plants and over ninety machines have been connected so far. The information required at the lines is transferred to L-mobile via the bidirectional interface and made available on terminals. This allows test reports, work plans, bills of materials, or drawings to be accessed directly on site.
Machine data such as quantities or speeds are recorded automatically, reducing the amount of manual input required by employees. Thanks to the digital feedback of production data, there is no need for subsequent transfer to the ERP system. The real-time data obtained is also clearly displayed on several customized cockpits.
L-mobile warehouse has also achieved greater transparency in logistics. Thanks to package management, every load carrier now has a unique label and is 100% traceable. Mobile devices dynamically suggest which materials to provide and when.
