CIN invests EUR 7M to create the first “smart factory”
Portuguese company CIN invested EUR 7M in reconverting its Maia factory, with a view to introducing an internationally innovative concept in the sector.
It uses methods and technologies which are connected and controlled in a network, providing high levels of automation, efficiency, precision and reliability. This translates as increased productivity and decreased lead times. The factory's installed capacity becomes 4M litres/year in operation of just one shift, and it is possible to duplicate this with the introduction of a second shift.
New concept of “Smart Factory”
The changes will benefit CIN’s Protective Coatings and Industrial Bussiness units, which represent 48% of the total sales volume, with expression mainly in international markets such as Spain, Romania, Turkey, Mexico and South Africa. The implementation of this new concept of “smart factory” implied the acquisition of state-of-the-art productive technologies which, apart from a high precision and reliability, are equipped with data processing and communication modules that will enable the implementation of networked decision and control methods.
Extension of the plant
Also changed was the layout of the central factory building and the extension of the unit with an extra 1023 m² of closed storage area and 662 m² of open area, now functioning with 3 piers, a drive-in and a logistical train. This innovative and structuring change will affect the product transformation process, from the raw material arriving at the warehouse to the moment in which the finished product is packed for expedition.
