Problem: The Croda Chemicals Europe plant in Goole, East Yorkshire, uses pressurised vessels to purify lanolin for healthcare and beauty products. Each vessel needs to be certified at least once every two years in order to demonstrate that it is safe and structurally sound. This includes a functionality check on all of the pressure instrumentation, as well as the sensors that monitor the incoming chemical additives and the outgoing effluent.
The paper-based calibration systems that were in place were time consuming and potentially inaccurate. Senior instrument technician David Wright recalls what it was like to perform all of the calibration operations with paper and pencil during the company’s regularly scheduled maintenance shutdowns: “It took us one week to perform the calibrations and a month to put together the necessary paperwork.”
Now, Croda uses the CMX calibration management software system from Beamex. This system coordinates data collection tasks and archives the results. “It’s faster, easier and more accurate than our old paper-based procedures,” said Wright. “It’s saving us around 80 man-hours per maintenance period and should pay for itself in less than three years.”
