Britvic extends outsourced predictive maintenance

Britvic Soft Drinks has extended its dependence on 'predictive maintenance' procedures since commissioning a second bottling line (line 5) at its...

Britvic Soft Drinks has extended its dependence on 'predictive maintenance' procedures since commissioning a second bottling line (line 5) at its Rugby plant in May.

For the past five years Britvic has outsourced its lubrication management and condition monitoring activities to Castrol under the latter's Advantage programme.

The new line, which blows, fills and packages thousands of 500ml polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles a day in various configurations for brands such as Tango and Pepsi, will initially produce three bottle styles with the option of others at a later date.

Lubrication management and condition monitoring for the line (an extension of work already operating on the three existing canning lines -- which produce 2m cans a day -- and the two-litre bottling line) will focus on the bottle blowing, labelling and palletising machines supplied by SIG Alpha, SIG Corpoplast and Simmonazzi, and filling and packaging machines supplied by KHS Kisters. The new line will add a further 36,000 bottles an hour to production capacity.

Under the arrangement a Castrol engineer, based permanently on-site, has taken over the lubricating and monitoring of machines -- a role that was previously filled by three Britvic engineers.

A major part of the predictive maintenance programme involves the continuous analysis of every machine in the plant, to ensure that wear levels are accurately monitored and action taken to prevent breakdowns.

Bearing wear is tracked using vibration analysis and shock pulse monitoring. As a direct result conveyor bearing changes within the plant have been reduced by 44% -- down from 114 to just 64 in the first year, with averages now just over 30 a year.

Since switching to Castrol high performance gearbox lubricants oil levels have been maintained without topping-up, which has reduced premature unit failure and extended life expectancy and reliability. Also, oil changes are now required only once every four years rather than every three to six months.

At the same time volume consumption of greases, oils and hydraulic fluid has been reduced by 85%, 80% and 75% respectively.

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