Applicazione storie

ThermaCAM™ E-series and P-series. In-house thermography and an infrared consultant, the perfect combination for STRACEL and Georgia Pacific.

STRACEL and Georgia Pacific, located in Strasburg, France, are leading paper manufacturers. They produce however different material. Georgia Pacific is the leader for hygienic and household paper, marketed under the names Lotus and Moltonel. STRACEL is a world class manufacturer of quality paper for the printing industry. It is part of the Finnish UPM-Kymene Group which produces more than 11,000,000 tons of paper each year.

“Infrared was introduced to us by the insurance companies.”, says Mr. Schertzinger, Maintenance Manager of Georgia Pacific. “If we did yearly infrared inspections, we needed to pay lower insurance premiums. Since 2000 we are using Diagtech to do these yearly inspections. We experienced that infrared is a great tool to detect anomalies in electrical systems. The reports produced by Diagtech helped us to prevent production breakdowns and even to avoid fires. A paper manufacturing plant is a dusty and dry area, sparks coming from electrical systems can easily set the facility on fire.”

The ThermaCAM™ E-series camera paid for itself

“When FLIR Systems brought the affordable ThermaCAM E-series to the market we bought one. Not to stop working with Diagtech but to inspect our own work. After Diagtech has done the inspections, and we have carried out the necessary repairs, we use the infrared camera to see if the problem is really solved.”


Mr. Kauffmann of STRACEL explains Loïc Prémartin of FLIR Systems how the ThermaCAM is used at STRACEL.		The ThermaCAM E-series at work for electrical inspections at STRACEL

“But we do more than that and the E-series has paid for itself.”, continues Mr. Buecher, responsible for electrical systems at STRACEL. “One day I entered a room full of electrical cabinets and I smelled that something was melting. I could not locate where it was coming from. By taking the ThermaCAM, I immediately noticed a hot switch. Its temperature mounted to 130°C. The material in its environment already started to melt. If undetected, this would have certainly led to a production breakdown or even worse, a fire.”, concludes Mr. Buecher

A Professional partnership

“We went through the same story as Georgia Pacific”, says Francis Kauffmann, Automation Supervisor at STRACEL. “Initially Diagtech inspected all electrical installations twice a year. Their recommendations are considered to be very important. When they detect a problem we try to repair it the same day.”

“Thanks to infrared thermography, we have reduced electrical problems drastically. Today, Diagtech does its inspection only once a year and one of our maintenance engineers follows the Diagtech-team with the ThermaCAM E. If a problem is detected, we make an image with the E-series camera as well. This way we can compare the image with the situation once the problem has been repaired.”

“But now that we have an infrared camera in the factory we also do intermediate inspections ourselves. Critical equipment is scanned on a regular basis. If a serious problem is detected, we call Diagtech for further analysis. Being a professional company ourselves we only choose to work with other professionals. Therefore we chose Diagtech as an external consultant and chose to buy a FLIR Systems infrared camera. FLIR was the only manufacturer that could offer us an easy-to-use tool combined with software, local support and local training.”

Partnership

From left to right: Mr. Buecher, Mr. Schertzinger of

GeorgiaPacific and Mr. Knapp from Diagtech, happy
with their partnership.

Working together

“We are happy to see that our clients are investing in infrared thermography.”, says Mr. Knapp of Diagtech. “By using the E-series camera they detect electrical failures themselves. If they have any doubt about the origin of the problem or giving the correct interpretation they call us. With the ThermaCAM P-series we have a professional tool to further analyze the problem. Being an infrared consultant we have also invested in the necessary tele- and wide-angle lenses so that we can shoot images in any situation. I do not consider the fact that my clients have bought an infrared camera as competition.”, continues Mr. Knapp. “Our equipment is totally different and used for different purposes.”

“For me STRACEL and Georgia Pacific are not my competitors but my professional partners. Together, we have the same goal: keeping the paper industry in Strasburg operational at all times. With the help of FLIR Systems infrared cameras we succeed in doing this.”