Granzotto begins each new project with a detailed analysis of the client’s needs, responding with customized, functional, and efficient solutions. This case history exemplifies a successful partnership with SLI, a leader in the lubricant oil sector.
Table of content
THE CLIENT COMPANY and ITS NEEDS
SLI (Società Internazionale Lubrificanti) has been a benchmark for 30 years in the production and packaging of lubricant oils, developing integrated third-party solutions that include blending, storage, and logistics. High efficiency, flexibility in meeting client needs, and consolidated know-how have been SLI’s strengths since its inception.
The collaboration between Granzotto and SLI originated from a need. The Piedmont-based company, well-known in its field, was looking for a partner to support the development of a new facility, characterized by technical challenges and a high level of industrial automation.
Specifically, the request was to develop an automatic dosing system for base oils and additives composing the blends; the high viscosity of the individual elements to be dosed and the requirement for process repeatability posed a significant technological challenge.
THE PROJECT and ITS CHALLENGES
The project was complex from the start, requiring careful consideration of the type of liquids to be handled and transported. These liquids, characterized by high viscosity, needed proper management after a rheological analysis of their peculiarities. Lubricating oils consist of a base oil enriched with other substances that determine the final nature of the blend and its properties. Depending on the intended use, application type, and desired performance, it is necessary to diversify the compound formation to achieve the desired characteristics.
The entire production process involves unloading the raw material from the tanker, transferring it to storage tanks, mixers, and then sending the finished product to packaging. From the storage tanks, pumping systems equipped with mass flow meters extract and dose the correct amount of each ingredient into a mixer, creating a homogeneous product. The lubricating oil obtained at the end of the process is transferred to the packaging machines.
The entire facility was custom-designed and built according to client specifications. Starting with a series of meetings and alignment with the client to define the project, Granzotto developed the plant configuration, creating P&ID (Piping and Instruments Diagram) functional diagrams, calculations, and sizings. After the final configuration approval by the client, Granzotto built, installed, and commissioned the lubricating oil production plant in 2023.
THE RESULTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
Thanks to the dosing system using mass flow meters developed by Granzotto, it was possible to achieve extremely repeatable results over time, with a finished product quality equivalent to that obtained from laboratory tests. The dosing error is less than 0.1%, a very high level of precision for this application field, fully satisfying the client’s needs. Moreover, the highly automated plant allowed for the reduction of manual corrections made to compensate for dosing errors. With the previous system, the mixture was prepared with a system that required numerous manual operations by operators, often leading to errors that had to be adequately compensated after laboratory analysis.
Thanks to Granzotto’s technology, the process has been optimized, saving time, and stabilizing the quality of the final product. More importantly, the extra costs due to excessive corrections of the prepared mixture, which had to be managed or disposed of properly in the past, were drastically reduced.
Does your company’s production plant need improvements?
Request a specialized consultation from Granzotto Impianti.
TRAINING ACTIVITIES and REMOTE SUPPORT
The training was structured in two phases; the first took place at Granzotto’s headquarters, where two SLI technicians received a 2-day pre-training on general plant management, including an introduction to maintenance operations and an overview of the project philosophy. This initial phase involved various activities: reading and interpreting P&ID and final layouts, explaining the operation of valves, sensors, and individual components, detailed analysis of different plant sections, an introduction to the software logic, and finally, a visit to a plant also built by Granzotto.
The second part of the training took place on-site, to see the implemented solutions and discuss the completed apparatus in its complexity. This phase also involved other company figures, such as maintenance managers, line operators, and supervisors. It was essential to transfer all necessary skills, especially those related to the plant’s automation processes.
The learning didn’t end with the second phase but will continue thanks to ongoing support from Granzotto. After the start-up, Granzotto’s technicians continue to remotely monitor the production through tele-service, allowing timely remote troubleshooting, thus reducing response times as on-site intervention is no longer necessary. The high level of automation ensures immediate support from one of Granzotto’s automation engineers, with direct interaction or even the possibility to take control of the plant from the central office.
360-degree support, listening and understanding client needs, and tailor-made solutions: these are the ingredients characterizing Granzotto’s long history of success.
Do you want to improve your dosing system to make your plant more efficient?
Granzotto Impianti is at your service.
