Part of Şişecam’s working methodology is to “team up with business partners for innovative solutions”. This is what Şişecam has done by partnering with PaneraTech to implement Digital Furnace Monitoring (DFM) globally on all their furnaces.
Şişecam first began to engage with PaneraTech in 2013, while the company was developing and validating their SmartMelter® technology, portable radar-based sensors that measure refractory thickness. PaneraTech performed their first demo of the technology for Şişecam in 2016, and SmartMelter® inspections became a regular practice for many of Sisecam’s furnaces over the next several years.
Over this time, PaneraTech has also evolved and expanded, now offering a full solution that digitally transforms furnaces for data-driven decision making. Digital Furnace Monitoring is a holistic program for furnace health monitoring and management that helps manufacturers make more glass with their furnace, even with a less-experienced workforce. This program has attracted great interest at a time when many seasoned furnace managers are retiring and are being replaced by a younger generation.
Şişecam is enrolling all its furnaces in the DFM program over a period of three years. Each furnace will be transformed digitally and viewable through XSight™ software. All furnace activities will be recorded and analysed on the platform, including data collected through radar technology and a regular schedule of audits.
A PaneraTech Asset Manager will be assigned to help each plant team interpret data and make decisions based on industry best practices. The Asset Managers will be incentivized to help the plant teams meet their goals. This combination of technology, data, and expertise is what PaneraTech calls “threefold support” for each plant.
Every Şişecam furnace will have Polaris™ IoT sensors installed for continuous refractory monitoring of critical areas. This will help the company understand early in the furnace campaign how operations are impacting refractory life. Early detection of issues will help Şişecam make decisions that will lead to an optimized furnace campaign and ultimately more glass produced from each furnace.