Usine de production SIG Combibloc

Ready for Industry 4.0: SPIE upgraded the IT infrastructure at SIG Combibloc’s Wittenberg location to network production operations

Published on 25 February 2022

Lutherstadt Wittenberg, 25 February 2022 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, upgraded the IT infrastructure at the SIG Combibloc GmbH production plant in Wittenberg. Thanks to the work carried out by the team, the factory site, built in the 1990s, is now ready for its transition to Industry 4.0.

The new data network consisting of fibre-optic and CAT 7 copper cables was initially established parallel to the existing network in order to ensure that 24-hour production operations could continue. Thanks to the redundant design of the fibre-optic cable backbone, the multi-technical service provider has also structured the new architecture in such a way that it is fail-safe. As part of a maintenance cycle, SPIE managed to connect the production machinery to the new network in record time.

Strict safety and hygiene guidelines during implementation

The entire project required SPIE to carry out the work accurately because, as a leading system and solutions provider for aseptic packaging, SIG Combibloc GmbH manufactures products under strict conditions. “Therefore, conscientious implementation in compliance with stringent safety and hygiene guidelines was particularly important in these sensitive production areas,” reported Marcus Kriebel, the project manager responsible at SPIE.

Successful approaches for modern IT network

We successfully laid and installed more than eight kilometres of fibre-optic cable and eleven kilometres of copper cable with a total of 600 data ports.” In the process, the SPIE team also mastered some challenging situations. For example, it was necessary to open and close fire protection bulkheads, open up new cable routes and guide parts of the cabling along underneath the ceiling of the production hall at a height of eight metres. “We consistently had very good, constructive exchanges with our client, and our experience also enabled us to optimise the cable routing at short notice while the project was in progress,” Marcus Kriebel added. The result is a modern IT network that ensures future-proof communication between devices and machinery throughout the plant grounds – from production and administration to the factory fire service.

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