Better than good: Optimization for the heavy clay industry
This contribution describes the optimization of an auger extruder at one of the largest heavy clay producers in the Turkish territory of Cyprus, Gürdag Trading and Industry Ltd. (GTI), in Lefkosa. The various measures taken boosted the extruder‘s efficiency from 20 to 62 %, hence reducing its energy consumption, raising its average productivity and improving the quality of the company‘s products.
1 Introduction
Companies are always faced with the challenge of working as efficiently and economically as possible. Due to their constantly competitive situation, they are forced to keep making their operational processes ever more performant and energy efficient while achieving ever higher availability rates. However, this leaves little room for flexibility in making products according to high quality standards. Consequently, the old motto “Never change a winning team“ is often quoted in the intention of preserving the status quo as long as possible.
In many cases, the employees responsible...
