AGRANA relies on microSYST LED information system in Pischelsdorf biorefinery

AGRANA - an international big player from Austria with a total of 53 sites and 9,000 employees - refines agricultural raw materials into industrial products. The delivery of raw materials to the AGRANA-Bioraffinerie in Pischelsdorf has to run smoothly even when volumes are high. Contra, the exclusive sales partner for microSYST display and picking solutions in Austria, had the right approach: Since then, an LED information system from microSYST has been used in the delivery zone. Integrated into the existing process control system, it provides orientation, efficient logistics and safety around the unloading lanes.

Efficiency during delivery

The biorefinery in Pischelsdorf produces high-quality food and animal feed as well as products for the technical industry. Each year, the plant produces more than 100,000 tonnes of wheat starch, 23,500 tonnes of wheat protein, 240,000 m³ of bioethanol, 120,000 tonnes of biogenic CO2, 190,000 tonnes of protein-rich animal feed and 55,000 tonnes of bran. By closely linking the wheat starch plant with the bioethanol plant, AGRANA can utilise the raw material grain particularly efficiently with a rate of almost 100 per cent. Efficiency was also the focus of the plant's internal maintenance and measurement technology group: How could the high frequency of deliveries by truck and rail be managed in the best possible way?

Flexible lane assignment with high delivery frequency

Clear orientation and intuitive guidance were at the very top of the list of requirements. A truck in the wrong unloading lane? A logistical scenario that costs a lot of time as well as nerves - both for the biorefinery itself and for the suppliers. Wheat or corn is delivered to the biorefinery by truck and rail. Each delivery of raw materials must be checked individually in a laboratory for quality and impurities. The high frequency of deliveries, especially during harvest peaks, made it necessary to implement an automated process control system. "The LED information system for the drivers was one, if not the most important part," explains Felix Hutter from the in-house maintenance department at the Pischelsdorf biorefinery. Flexible lane assignment should also be able to be controlled or adjusted manually by the raw material reception staff in the event of disruptions or delays. The outdoor delivery zone also required a weatherproof solution. Integration into the existing process control system was a mandatory task.

Customised graphics, numbers and letters provide intuitive orientation

Contra and microSYST worked closely with the customer to solve the visual display using a line-orientated LED display for each unloading track. With an active display area of 768 × 256 mm and a housing depth of just 80 mm, the space required for installation is pleasingly small. Digits, letters and a variety of customised graphics and information texts, which can be displayed as required, ensure clear orientation. In addition to Unicode character sets, customisable special characters and graphics are also possible. The contrast, luminosity and brightness of the LEDs are self-adjusting depending on the sunlight and weather conditions - this guarantees a consistently high reading quality. The housing and technology can withstand outdoor use as well as the dust generated when unloading grain. The LED information system is integrated into the biorefinery's process control system via Profibus DP - the predefined visualisation content is simply controlled with 2 bytes via the interface. The configuration can be expanded or changed at any time via an Ethernet TCP/IP connection.