INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

At Manistique Papers, the combined use of grade management software and a process information system offers better access to data for operations and customers

New Information System Offers Manistique Better Access to Process and Quality Data

by Bob Yeager

The new information system has taught us that we’ve often basked in misimpressions,” says Leif Christensen, president and general manager, Manistique Papers Inc., Manistique, Mich. Christensen’s remark refers to the new insights gained from the company’s recently-installed millwide information system, which includes grade management software and a process information system. At Manistique, these two systems work together to form an integrated process and quality management solution. It has already enabled changes that have sharply improved customer service, increased sales force efficiency, and helped boost productivity throughout the mill.

Manistique produces newsprint and groundwood specialty papers for printers and publishers that require high runnability and print quality. Raw materials consist of 100%-recycled high-quality coated papers from magazines, books, inserts, catalogues, stripped waste, and trimmings. These raw materials are recycled through a 13-stage deinking and purification process into strong, high-quality fiber for the mill’s twin-wire 4,250 fpm paper machine.

Though a smaller mill, Manistique has continually been a leader in applying distributed information and control technology. Two paper machine scanners and a modern distributed control system (DCS), with over 1,000 automatic control loops, keep the pulping processes and paper machine running smoothly while a millwide network enables data communications among all the PCs in the mill. “Over the years, our abiding faith in technology has enabled us to continually improve quality and customer service,” adds Christensen, “while making giant productivity increases as well.”

CUSTOMER SERVICE DRIVES SYSTEM PURCHASE. As a specialty newsprint producer, Manistique is in a highly-competitive business where responsive customer service is required. Understanding this need, the mill determined that its traditional manner of handling customer concerns was no longer adequate.

Traditionally, the customer called with a complaint, the salesperson promised to look into it and call back, and then searched through files of printed reports until they found the quality data for the job in question. They then called the customer a day or two later to resolve the complaint. That level of response was satisfactory in the past, but is not in today’s environment.

“We are increasingly becoming a specialty mill,” says Nancy Krusik, inside sales manager. “Specialty customers are very demanding. They place smaller orders more frequently, need just-in-time deliveries, and want quality data with one phone call.” This need for on-demand quality information called for an electronic information system, one that would retain all laboratory quality data (and perhaps even paper machine scanner data) and recall it instantly by customer reel or roll.

In addition, mill operations and engineering people yearned for access to the thousands of points of process data within the mill’s DCS.

“With all our digital controls, we were awash in valuable process information,” says Christensen. “We just couldn’t capture and package it conveniently for later review and analysis, which we felt was key to further quality and process improvement.”

Two objectives then became clear. First, Manistique needed to make historic quality data instantly available on demand. Second, the mill needed the capability to store process and quality data for later review and analysis. Taken together, these were difficult objectives since they required the collection and integration of both continuous process data and discrete event-driven data as well.

“We finally determined that we wanted electronic access to any available data in the mill,” says Dean Culliton, general manager, process and information systems. So, a multi-departmental team spent a year looking at all types of information systems—meeting with suppliers, visiting other mills, and reviewing proposals.

After reviewing available information systems, Manistique chose GradeBook grade management software from Mountain Systems Inc. and the PI process information system from OSI Software. “The combination of GradeBook’s handling of discrete data and PI’s storage of continuous data came closest to meeting our needs,” explains Culliton.

In addition, both software products also adhere rigorously to Microsoft standards, which made them compatible with the Windows operating environment and application programs (for example, Word, Excel, and Access) used throughout the mill. “The Microsoft standards gave us an extra degree of comfort, knowing that the products were compatible with all of the Windows desktop software in our mill,” says Culliton.

In late 1996, Manistique ordered the process information and grade management software. “The package allowed us to capture virtually all process, production, and quality information in real time,” describes Culliton, “and recall it by grade, reel, or customer order for any time period. That looked really powerful.”

“FAST-TRACK” IMPLEMENTATION. “We knew our broad needs but weren’t able to write a detailed job scope,” says Culliton, “so we relied heavily on the suppliers for useful recommendations.” This required a partner with a strong pulp and paper background to help fill in the details. Mountain Systems filled the systems integrator role, providing paper industry understanding and experience. As a PI reseller, they handled the full system implementation.

The process information and grade management software combination was installed in the mill in early 1997, following a “fast-track” installation plan. “We gave them a list of the tags we wanted to monitor,” says Culliton, “and within three months of the order, we had the initial users up and running.”

Using a “train the trainer” approach, Manistique’s systems integrator trained the initial users plus members of the process and information systems department, who then trained other prospective users in the mill. The full training was done over a two-month period.

The initial implementation efforts focused on the customer service need and on replacing hard-copy forms with their electronic equivalents. These forms included the machine tender log, lab sheet, stock prep log, chemical and dye usage report, boiler room report, and waste treatment report. The systems integrator created several initial electronic form templates as part of the system implementation. These templates can either stand on their own as a grade management software report or feed an Excel spreadsheet. Several of the original forms have since been modified and new forms created by mill personnel.

“I’m astonished at some of the new forms and reports that our production people have created on their own,” says Culliton.

Together, the process information and grade management software collect the desired combination of continuous and discrete data. The process information software provides a time-based historian which collects process data from the distributed control system, while the grade management software provides an event-based historian that gathers discrete numerical data about quality, production, efficiency, downtime, and cost. This combined functionality allows for tracking, trending, and analysis of information pertaining to virtually every aspect of mill operations.

THREE-TIER ARCHITECTURE ADDS FLEXIBILITY. The PI process information system and GradeBook grade management software are both applications programs designed to operate in the new Windows-based “three-tier” client-server architecture (Figure 1) that allows industry-specific applications programs to be “decoupled” and developed externally, then flexibly “coupled” back into the user’s systems. These applications can then be developed by the mill’s internal programming staff or industry-knowledgeable suppliers. The three-tier configuration also simplifies the building of reports, charts, and displays, allowing the non-programmer users to easily tailor the data output to suit their individual needs.

The three tiers communicate with each other according to Microsoft standards, which guarantees the user that they will work compatibly together as an integrated system. In Tier 1 (the data tier) resides the data providers (DCS, quality lab, roll-tracking system, etc.) and data historian (PI process information system). Tier 2 (the applications tier) contains the actual pulp or paper mill application, and the Gradebook grade management software resides here. Tier 3 (the presentation tier) presents information to the user in the form of reports and displays, and employs popular end-user applications like Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access (and associated “Wizards”) for users to create their own charts, graphs, displays, and reports. Mills that have standardized on the Microsoft Windows environment should find that Tier 3 work is straightforward for everyone.

“We are a Microsoft mill,” says Culliton. “So Word, Excel, and other Microsoft applications are not foreign to our people.” Using the grade management software and process information system’s “Excel Add-Ins,” Manistique users now regularly create charts and reports tailored to their own needs.

INITIAL USERS MULTIPLY. Since the process information software collects continuous process data and the grade management software gathers discrete data, the two programs working together can create electronic versions of most hard-copy reports used in the mill. This electronic forms capability attracted user interest soon after system installation.

“As soon as we put a terminal in the quality lab,” says Culliton, “the lab people wanted to replace the physical lab sheet with an electronic version.” The hard-copy lab sheet has since been replaced with a computer-generated form and is available to any system user on the network.

“Early on, we listed the key reports we were doing manually,” continues Culliton. “Then we set about automatically creating them within the system.” This included the quality log, machine tenders log, stock preparation log, and the many EPA reports submitted monthly by the mill. Except for a few keyboard entries, the machine tender’s log is completely filled out by the computer system. Some of these reports are stand-alone reports from the grade management software. Others are feeding the Excel reporting package.

“This is a good example of our use of the three-tier, client-server configuration,” says Culliton. “GradeBook provides the data and we configure the reports in Excel, using the PI and GradeBook add-ins.” Production people now regularly add to their desired displays and reports. “Many reports that we did initially have been changed, some quite radically,” adds Culliton. “Those changes were all made by the process operators.”

Any data (for example, quality, downtime, etc.) from the grade management software can be input to the process information system and trended using that system’s trending functions. Manistique’s quality lab makes extensive use of this capability.

“Our users don’t differentiate between process information and gradebook management data,” says Culliton. “They just know that they can track process data and discrete data equally well.”

Morning meeting reports. The “morning meeting” report was another perfect candidate for automation. Like most paper mills, Manistique holds a morning meeting to review production and quality issues encountered during the preceding day. All attendees view a morning meeting report made up of about 50 pieces of process, production, and quality data taken from many different points in the mill.

Traditionally, the entire morning meeting report was completed manually. “The morning report was the first substantial application that we developed on our own,” says Culliton. All data for the report is now collected automatically by the process information and grade management system, which also creates the graphs for the meeting (Figure 2).

EPA reporting. The EPA reporting for Manistique’s wastewater treatment plant held its own unique requirements.

“We had an approved EPA reporting format that we didn’t want to change since that would entail a new EPA review and approval process,” says Culliton. “So we configured our computer-generated report to automatically feed the data into our existing Excel report. The EPA never saw one iota of change, even though the entire report is now produced automatically by the new system.”

Sales department benefits. As expected, the sales department is now a regular user. “It’s been a boon to our sales force,” says Nancy Krusik. Every variable in the grade management software is “tagged” by grade, reel, and customer, so each process variable and lab test can be immediately recalled by those categories.

“We can go back to a given month and instantly tell you process conditions and lab tests associated with a specific reel, grade, and customer order,” says Krusik. An entry of a reel number brings up the process and quality data associated with that customer roll. That data can be faxed to the customer right from the computer.

“Some customers now want quality data prior to the shipment,” adds Krusik. With the grade management software, the mill has that capability. “We look much sharper to the customer,” she notes. “The salesmen log onto the system first thing every morning to see what’s being shipped to their customers. As a company, the PI/GradeBook installation has allowed us to establish more of a one-to-one relationship with the customers.”

The new information system has also brought the salespeople closer to the product, which is good for both the customers and the mill.

Better process data for operations. All operations personnel now monitor process data from the process information system (Figure 3), allowing the mill to more closely synchronize operations. For example, the pulp mill superintendent sees an eight-hour trend of paper brightness right at his desk. If the brightness trend strays from specification, he makes appropriate adjustments to the recycled fiber ratios.

“These systems have cut our trouble-shooting time in half,” says Renee Santi, process engineer. “We now have the ability to see minute-by-minute changes and to use this data to optimize our operations.We have also made significant discoveries using the system. It is the first place we go for process trouble-shooting.”

In addition, the new information system allows managers to monitor mill operations from their office or home. “I regularly call up the key production processes from my laptop at home,” says Christensen. “So can any of our salespeople or process engineers.”

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. The mill currently operates an internally-developed roll tracking system which runs on an AS400 MIS computer. Future plans call for moving the roll tracking functions into the Gradebook grade management software. At that time, the MIS operation will be more closely integrated with the production systems. “We foresee significant productivity increases coming from that integration,” says Christensen.

The grade management software provides virtually any information needed by paper grade. Plans are actively underway to install a new grade management system based on the availability of data from the GradeBook software. As new applications continually go online, the need for data continues to increase. The initial 3,000 points monitored is quickly approaching 4,000 and this number will be increased in the near future.

Since the GradeBook and PI software products adhere rigorously to Microsoft standards, they will soon use the new “ActiveX” technology available from Microsoft. Using software “objects” and a few lines of Visual Basic (VBA) script, ActiveX should reduce months of mill application efforts to a matter of days.

For example (Figure 2), an Operators Display featuring VBA integration of laboratory information, process trends, a “quality meter” display, and several clickable push-buttons (all software objects, created by five different suppliers) took about four hours to build. This view into process operations also includes embedded product specifications, a visual and audio “quality exception report,” live updating of the “quality meter,” and context-sensitive links to testing procedures and operating instructions.

“The ActiveX technology will give us great flexibility to mix and match ‘best of breed’ applications without spending millions of dollars on integration” says Culliton. “We’re looking forward to its use.”

Improved performance. Since 1987, paper machine speed at Manistique has increased from 2,750 to 4,250 fpm and production has risen from 58,215 to 119,935 tpy; personnel has decreased from 267 to 159 employees. Though all of these improvements are not necessarily a result of new information systems, Manistique’s president does attribute this performance to new technology.

“Naturally, we can’t attribute this performance to any single product or event,” says Christensen, “but we surely can say that much of it comes from our relentless pursuit of the latest technology to enable our people to increase their individual performance and make our processes more productive as well.”

Bob Yeager is president of Integrated Marketing International Ltd., Westport, Conn.