Extrusion International 3-2025

39 Extrusion International 3/2025 ficiency also has to be right. In order to enable Hexpol TPE to increase quality, efficiency, and sustainabil - ity in equal measure, the company launched its “Zero Waste” project in 2024. The goal: To significantly reduce waste from production, increase the efficiency of all pro - cesses, and automate the processes wherever possible. Dominik Fehn also discussed this with well-established partners of the company – and found MAAG to have comprehensive consulting expertise: “I was really surprised by the wide range of workshops and training courses that MAAG offers on these topics,” says Fehn. Workshop highlights potential In a multi-day workshop on site in Lichtenfels tailored to the defined goals, MAAG provided support in identifying optimization potentials in all areas of production: machines and production planning, personnel and teamwork, as well as training courses. The targeted workshop was split into different process steps, in which employees from the individual groups at the site were interviewed and involved in group work. First, open questions were used to iden- tify the general potentials specific to the company; the results were then grouped and prioritized, and areas for optimization were identi - fied. Once the ice had been broken, any potential for improving the ma- chines was identified and the result - ing measures were prioritized. Cause-and-effects analysis The subsequent cause-and-ef- fects analysis characterized the re - sults and put them into a structure. The work results obtained here were grouped, summarized accord - ing to lean principles, and the re- sulting tasks were prioritized. Finally, all arguments for solu- tions were identified and classified according to the following criteria: feasibility and impact, difficulty of implementation, implementa- tion costs, and determination of the implementation priorities. Af - ter identifying the “take a closer look” arguments, including a defi - nition of the options to be consid- ered, the “don'ts” were of course also derived. The results of the workshop: Fac- tors directly related to the machine – such as the selection of die plates and knife heads, the use of optimized/ predefined pro - cess settings, or the planning of main- tenance intervals – can contribute to optimization. Much greater potential was identified, however, in factors such as the better utilization of talent within the company, more teamwork, the avoidance of wait- ing times and excessive processing, or simply reducing over-production. The path to achieving this lies in greater data availability and trans- parency in order to enable the nec- essary steps to be identified. Whether through automation or process optimization, Hexpol TPE expects digitalization to result in higher efficiency and better work - ing conditions in all areas. “We will be investing in this further develop- ment over the next few years,” says Dominik Fehn. Conclusion The collaboration between Hex- pol TPE as operator and MAAG as plant supplier shows that high-qual- ity, sustainable products need reli- able, high-performance machines and plants. But digitalization and smart systems are the key to the fu- ture of plastics production that both conserves resources and relieves the burden on the employees. Author Michael Eloo, Director Innovation & Business Development at MAAG Group MAAG Group https://MAAG.com Dominik Fehn, Process Engineering Manager at Hexpol TPE PEARLO 160 production line Top Mounted PEARLO Underwater Pelletizer for clear and clean floor space