Company

KERAKOLL is a world leader in construction chemicals, with a 2011 turnover of €340 million, over 1,340 employees, 12 operational companies, and 10 production plants across Europe. Over 40 years, Kerakoll has grown from an Italian market leader to a European group with a global reach, while maintaining its Italian roots.

With more than 1,700 eco-friendly products, Kerakoll is the global leader in GreenBuilding solutions, driven by values such as innovation, environmental respect, health, simplicity, and authenticity.

Challenge

In a fast-paced market, Kerakoll required advanced scheduling tools integrated with plant supervision systems.

The MES system needed to capture real-time production data to monitor order status, track KPIs, and ensure complete production traceability.

The project began in 2011 at the Zimella plant (paints and coatings) and expanded to other facilities, including the Rubiera powders plant (adhesives, mortars, primers).

Solution

Data Collection System

MES infrastructure with touch-screen panels in production departments and PLC integrations on all production lines.
Tailored data collection procedures for bulk production, packaging, dosing, and quality control.
Manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic data collection, minimizing effort for factory staff.

Factory Panel

The main functions of the Kerakoll MES factory panel include:

• Displays production plans by machine/line.
• Manual activity declarations (time and quantity).
• Downtime causes tracking.
• Sample collection.
• Quality control procedures.
• Batch declarations for traceability.

All collected data is also periodically consulted to analyze the performance indicators-KPIs of our process through standard Compass tools.

Finite Capacity Scheduling

Integrated with field supervision systems, ensuring delivery times ≤ 36 hours from order receipt to truck loading, even with increased complexity. Scheduling constraints include machine/line and labor capacity and material availability.

Dynamic optimization rules reduce cleaning times (especially for mixers) and manage batch splitting efficiently.

Results

The introduction of the COMPASS system has allowed:

• Maintained ex-works lead times ≤ 36 hours despite increased complexity.
• Optimized human resources, production facilities, and warehouse space.
• Reduced waste.

“The new scheduling & MES system allowed us to maintain high service levels even with significantly increased operational complexity.”

Stefano Ghisellini, Central Engineering Dept., Kerakoll S.p.a.