Zeppelin Systems: Provider of solutions for full spectrum ... · heritage, Zeppelin Systems, led by Managing Director Rochus Hofmann and Business Director Guido Veit, has successfully

COVER STORY

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INDIAN + INTERNATIONAL RUBBER JOURNALMARCH - APRIL 2018

Zeppelin Systems:Provider of solutions forfull spectrum of rubberand tire manufacturingZeppelin Systems is a an exceptional German manufacturing

company which is perhaps not as well known in the globalrunner and tire industry as it should be . This iconic company

was founded by the legendary Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in1908 to build airships under the company name Luftschiffbau ZeppelinGmbH. He then handed over the entire company to the ZeppelinFoundation. The Zeppelin, the rigid airship created by Count Zeppelin,were developed in detail in 1893 and patented in Germany in 1895and in the US in 1899. They were first flown commercially in 1910but will go down in history for their key role as bombers during raids

Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin

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over England in the World War I. The Airships werenamed Zeppelin, as was the Foundation whichcontinues to be the owner of the current ZeppelinGroup. .

The company is justifiably proud of its origin and,even today, aims to live upto the values of itsfounder, Count Zeppelin, who was a role modeland inspires the company’s drive to to beinnovative.

After World War I, the airship companyLuftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH was dismantled.With the experience gained during wartime years,the groundwork was laid for a new beginning in1950, with the formation of MetallwerkFriedrichshafen GmbH. This company startedproducing lightweight structures and large vesselsfor the chemical industry. The company was againrenamed Zeppelin-Metallwerke GmbH in the 1950sand quickly earned an excellent reputation for itsproducts.

Zeppelin soon became the world’s largest silosupplier due to its invention of silos made ofaluminum. Since then an enormous growth anddiversification into many groups took placeunder the group holding company calledZeppelin GmbH comprising six strategic business

units. The companyhas a huge impactglobally on manyaspects of life.

Zeppelin’s globalstrategy has beennicely outlined by itsManaging DirectorRochus Hofmann . . . . .His philosophy is histhinking globally andacting locally in India.He is confident of thepowerhouse that isIndia and to this end,he founded a jointventure with SmartControls. With thegrowing importance ofdigitalisation as part of Industry 4.0, SmartControl and Zeppelin share a united passion fortheir new automation concept MiRA, a moduleto open automation concept. With its longtradition of more than a century, ZeppelinSystems is committed in its relationship withcustomers, partners and employees.

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Rochus Hofmann, Managing Director,Zeppelin GmbH

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Zeppelin supplies complete plants from asingle source from the receipt of rawmaterials and the storage and conveyingtechnology, the weighing and dosing ofcarbon black, silica, oils as well as otheradditives and small components through toturn-key mixing rooms.

As Guido Veit, Director of the Business Unit,Plastics & Rubber Plants affirms, the companyhas followed a systematic strategy to become aprovider of solutions for the full spectrum ofrubber and tire manufacturing.

Sustainability remains a key focus. This doesnot mean only the effective use of materials andenergy in tire plants, but plant design andequipment supply for the recycling of used tiresoffered with its closest partners Pyrolyx in USA.

Zeppelin Systems The Plant Engineering Business Unit has

always been based in Friedrichshafen on thebeautiful Lake Constance in Germany, but otherdifferent companies have also been establishedin Germany. Overseas subsidiaries were foundedin Belgium, Italy, India, Singapore, USA, Brazil,Saudi Arabia, South Korea, England and Chinawhile the headquarters of Zeppelin Systemsremain in Friedrichshafen.

As the years went by, Zeppelin extended itsproduct portfolio to include other keycomponents for the bulk material industry, suchas rotary feeders, diverter valves, filters etc. Itgradually became a specialist for the storage,conveying, mixing, metering and weighing ofhigh-quality bulk materials.

As a technical leader, Zeppelin offers theadvantage of the world’s largest in-housetechnology centre based in Friedrichshafen fortesting of various materials to verify plant designand develop new products and processes.

MiRAZeppelin’s new automation and digitisation

platform has been working successfully for sometime on a new concept motivated by the currentfield of digitisation.

Topics such as loT, Big Data, Machine learningand other factors play an important role. Thedevelopment does not focus only on one newproduct, but on several new products groupedunder the umbrella term MiRA.

By taking over several companies from differentbranches of industry and through strategicalliances, Zeppelin Systems has continuouslyexpanded its portfolio. Today, Polyolefin Plants,Plastics & Rubber Plants, Food Plants and MixingTechnology are all handled by Zeppelin Systems.Zeppelin is now the world’s leading plantengineering company for the handling of high-quality bulk materials, including the supply ofmixers and automation solutions.

Zeppelin offers the original HENSCHEL-Mixer®series, comprising Laboratory Mixers, HighIntensity Mixers, Cooler Mixers and ContainerMixers for a wide range of applications e.g.masterbatches, toners or chemicals. Furthermore,Zeppelin invented blending silos. This Siloblender can mix bulk materials up to 2500 m³.These mixers have proven themselves inapplication of mixing recycling Carbon Black andhave become a part of continuous rubber mixingprocesses.

A variety ofdifferentmixingtasks needto be solvedin themanufactureof products.Zeppelinhas varioustypes ofmixersavailablefor this.

ZeppelinGmbH

comprises sixstrategic

Business Units

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Compounding insynchronisation

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The company’s global network and subsidiariesensure that it is always close to its customers andcan support them by providing the necessaryservices at all times. Many of its global subsidiariesalso have production facilities which enables themto conform to Zeppelin’s designs and thus it isnot only providing services in various customercountries and time zones, but also projectmanagement, site services or deliveries partlybased on local production or from selectedsuppliers.

IndiaZeppelin Systems India

Pvt. Ltd. is the Indiansubsidiary, while SmartControls India Ltd. is ajoint venture partner.Both these companies aremanaged by very capableCEOs viz. GaurangJoshipura and AshutoshChincholikar respectively.

Having built sosystematically androbustly on its impressiveheritage, ZeppelinSystems, led by ManagingDirector RochusHofmann and BusinessDirector Guido Veit, hassuccessfully implemented

its vision and strategy of thinking globally andacting locally. Building on its impressive heritageof over a century of innovation, Zeppelin’s spiritof partnership in its relationship with customers,partners and employees ensures its future beyondanother century, as it expands its rubber plantbusiness to support the success of its customers.Zeppelin’s customers across the world can alwaysrely on this consistently high performing companyto provide the full spectrum of services for rubberand tire manufacturing.

Ashutosh Chincholikar,SmartControls India Ltd.

Gaurang Joshipura , Managing Director,Zeppelin Systems India Pvt. Ltd

CUSTOMER SERVICE

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COVER STORY

Zeppelin Global Strategy : Rochus Hofmann,Managing Director, Zeppelin Systems GmbH, Germany

R ecognising India as one of the world’sfastest-growing economies, from 2009 onwards,Zeppelin started to strategically develop its subsidiary

in Vadodara and utilise the immense talents and resources forEngineering, IT and integration readily available in India. TheZeppelin philosophy of thinking globally and acting locally istruly in place in India with both onshore and offshore supply ofnew and innovative technologies and effective digitalisationfrom Zeppelin to meet the ever-increasing manufacturingprocess demands.

Zeppelin has further reinforced its commitment and ambitionsto the powerhouse that is India by forming a joint venture withthe innovative Indian process automation company SmartControls. With the growing importance of Digitalisation as partof Industry 4.0, Smart Controls and Zeppelin share a unitedpassion for their new automation concept – MiRA, a modulebased ‘open’ automation concept that is truly flexible. Thispartnership is already evolving rapidly not only in India but inall corners of the world.

Zeppelin Systems has systematically extended its network allover the world for many years. It plays a leading role in therubber and tire industry, as well as in the plastics productionand processing industries and the food industry.

The company, which is represented by subsidiariesthroughout the world, is perceived as an “architect of complex

Z eppelin has more than 30 years of experiencein the engineering of plants for rubber andtire production providing a backbone of process

knowledge and expertise in the company. Its leadingtechnology for the reliable pneumatic conveying, dosing,weighing and precise and fast mixer feeding of carbon blackand silica is the foundation of Zeppelin’s excellent reputation.For years we have followed a systematic strategy to become aprovider of solutions for the full spectrum of rubber and tiremanufacturing.

More and more customers all over the world appreciate ourexpertise for the upfront development of the plant design rightfrom the outset of the project. They have recognised that agood design will save costs and a well-engineered plant can bebuilt and commissioned much more quickly and according toschedule. This, together with our 3D engineering competence,allows us to offer optimal solutions for greenfields as well asthe modification of brownfield projects from scratch. Globaltire industry majors have benefited from faster projectimplementation and optimised plant design.

As technological requirements have increased due to thegrowing complexity and number of recipes and ingredients,Zeppelin has accepted the challenge. It has developed moreflexible and sophisticated technology for the mixing room aswell as a new open automation platform called MiRA for moreflexible control and digital integration of plants to be ready forIndustry 4.0. The development of the Liquid Dosing Systemand Bolt-Tec silos also prove our strength when it comes to

Strategic Development of Plastics & RubberPlants, Zeppelin Systems GmbH: Guido Veit

Rochus Hofmann, Managing Director,Zeppelin Systems GmbH

The Zeppelinphilosophy of

thinking globallyand acting locally is

truly in place inIndia

system solutions”. Zeppelin produces and manufactures theintegral key components for storing, conveying, mixing,dosing and weighing high-quality bulk materials. For theengineering of the complete plants Zeppelin has a proventrack record in demonstrating cost savings in buildings, civilwork and solutions through utilisation of their pre-engineeringpackages.

Zeppelin has a long tradition of more than a century. It iscommitted to a sustained spirit of partnership in ourrelationships with customers and partners as well as ouremployees.

Guido Veit: Director Business UnitPlastics & Rubber Plants

Zeppelin hasfollowed a systematicstrategy to become aprovider of solutionsfor the full spectrumof rubber and tire

manufacturing

innovation.Sustainability is also a key focus for Zeppelin. This not only

means the effective use of materials and energy in rubber andtire plants but also specific plant design and equipment supplyfor the recycling of end-of-use tires offered with our processpartner, Pyrolyx.

Zeppelin continues to drive the industry forward and is set tobe a major force in the industry with ambitious plans for growth.So, Zeppelin has a long-term commitment for the rubber marketand intends to expand its rubber plant business systematicallyin the future in order to give customers continued support fortheir success.

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COVER STORY

New Zeppelin Technology Centre Liquid DosingSystem for precise dosing of liquids

As a technological leader, Zeppelin offersthe advantage of the world’s largestin-house Technology Centre, located

in Friedrichshafen, for trials of various materials,in order to verify plant design and develop newproducts and processes. The new Liquid DosingSystem (LDS) from Zeppelin has been set up inour Technology Centre and is available for trialsin our new test house. Customers are welcometo test their liquids to see for themselves thenumerous advantages of the new system.

The LDS is a robust closed-loop modularsystem that allows for accurate injection ofliquids at high injection flow rates, regardless of the viscosity.Through a specially-designed injection valve, it canaccommodate six different liquids at each injection point of themixer, offering a wide variety of benefits.

The system uses volumetric or gravimetric dosing to ensureextremely high levels of accuracy and dosing speed, consistentproperties and better quality of the compounds with highrepeatability of test parameters.

By doing so, this eliminates the needfor overdosing, which is occasionallyconsidered while using traditionalsystems in order to compensate forconsequences out of poor repeatability.This increases the quality of thecompound and repeatability of the entireprocess and brings down raw materialcosts and material losses.

The speed of dosing and the ability offeeding the liquids precisely and in

sequence could save, on an average, 3 – 4 seconds per batch,thus one can achieve up to 20 additional batches in a day.

Zeppelin offers a modular design Starter Kit for LDS, socustomers can test it without any risk. The kit consists of fourmodules and is ready for instant use, allowing clients to test thesystem before making that big investment. Designed accordingto state-of-the-art technology, the LDS does not leave any

questions unanswered. It is simple, easyto install, Plug and Play, pre-configuredand suitable for one liquid. The starter kitis a complete pre-arranged system andcan be applied to any mixer. Supervisionof assembly and training of customer’sspecialists is included.

Now, starting with the Zeppelin LiquidDosing System is easier than ever. And inaddition to the Starter Kit, Zeppelin’sTechnology Centre is available to supportclients for their success.

New recycling plant for tires in US, Terre Haute

Zeppelin is building a large-scale tire recycling plant forPyrolyx in the United States. The first sod was turned inSeptember 2017 and despite harsh weather conditions

in winter in Terre Haute, USA, work is on schedule. The completestructure of the building is ready and start of production (SOP)will be in the first half of 2019. The plant in the US that Zeppelinbuilds together with their technology partner, Pyrolyx, isdesigned to produce approx. 4 million end-of-use tires peryear. This will yield approx. 13,000 tons of recovered carbonblack (rCB) which will be used for the production of newtires. At present, this tire recycling plant will be the largest ofits kind, globally.

As a perspective for the future, Zeppelin has the vision of azero-waste tire production facility. We already use sustainableconcepts in order to reduce waste in the production of tiresand recycle it. The tire recycling plant of the future couldinclude a system so that materials gained from it can beintroduced back into the process as valuable raw materials.Furthermore, recyclates could be offered on the market assought-after products, perhaps as pre-compounds or prepacks.

It will still take some time until recyclates of this quality areavailable in the market in major quantities but we think this isthe trend for the future.

Liquid DosingSystem

Zeppelin’s large-scale Tire recycling plantPyrolyx in Terre Haute, USA

The new Liquid Dosing System (LDS)is a robust closed-loop modularsystem that allows for accurate

injection of liquids at high injectionflow rates

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COVER STORY

MiRA: Zeppelin new automation and digitisation platform

M iRA is the future new automation anddigitisation platform of Zeppelin Systems.Zeppelin has been working for some time on a new

concept motivated by the current requirements in the field ofdigitisation. Topics such as IoT, Big Data, Machine Learningand others play an important role. The development does notfocus on “one” new product, but on several new products thatare grouped together under the umbrella term MiRA. Anexample of one of these products is the Zeppelin PLANT.GATE,another example today is Smart Mix.

In order to further complete the portfolio, Zeppelin alsoworks on the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) level.The aim is to equip entire production lines in the future andthus be able to offer customers an overall solution from thefield level via the PLC and Scada level to MES.

In addition to the existing core business,automation and digitisation are fundamentalelements of Zeppelin’s strategy. In this context,PoCs (proof of concepts) in the IoT platform areahave already been successfully planned andperformed with customers.

The advantages of MIRAat a glance:

� Open platform with standardised moduleswhich map out all the processes in the plant

� Uniform “language” in the documentationand recording, using standardised modules

� Basis for the “artificial intelligence” for plantoperation

� Independence from the plant provider� Freely configurable� Streamlined architecture� Lower costs� Fast and safe introduction to digitalisation

of plant operation

� Location-independent analysis andoptimisation of plant performance at anytime due to remote access to all relevant dates

Zeppelin, as a company which masters all the processesand procedures in complex systems, is also a trend-setterwhen it comes to automation. For digitalisation is the nextmilestone on the road to a smart factory – perhaps therewill even be a plant which works completely autonomouslyin the future, constantly optimising itself. Zeppelin hascreated the basis for this with the automation concept MIRA.The concept paves the way for an easy, safe introduction todigitalisation for the industry and ensures long-termplanning reliability due to its open and streamlinedarchitecture.

Mg.Director Rochus Hofman

Tire plant concept

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COVER STORY

Z eeeeeppelin Systems IndiaPvt. Ltd. is a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of Zeppelin Systems

GmbH, Germany and is active in Indiasince 1989. The operations, whichstarted as a JV and a Sales office, hasdeveloped into full-fledged operationswith Sales, Engineering, Projectmanagement, Installation and after-sales spares & service organisation.Since 2009, the company hasestablished its operations at Vadodara,Gujarat, where it has its CorporateHead Office and Operating offices aswell as a Manufacturing unit nearHalol. It also has Area Sales Managerslocated in all regions. In 2017, a JVwas formed with Smart Controls Indiato strengthen complete Mixing roomAutomation solutions from Zeppelin.

Gaurang Joshipura, ManagingDirector of Zeppelin Systems India,states, “The constitution of theCompany as a wholly-ownedsubsidiary ensures seamless access toGerman technology for the IndianMarket. Through this, Zeppelin hasbrought a Superior alternative, withefficiency in terms of Energy & Materialconsumption and environmentally-safe handling practices for variousingredients of Rubber compounding.With further JV and aquisitionsglobally, we are working on solutionswhich will be even more adoptable toIndian Industries.”

The Company has a right blend ofexperienced professionals and a youngenergetic team of engineers, whichprovides the company, a strong broadbase to serve their clients. The teamhas worked for joint internationalprojects and received training inGermany. The infrastructure atVadodara has the same tools andprocesses as used by Zeppelin’sworldwide network. The company hasan experienced Site team, includinghighly-qualified Aluminum welders.

Zeppelin has been spreading the

footprints of the Plant Systems set upby them across industries andgeographies, within India.

The Systems and services offered forthe Rubber & Tire industry by Zeppelininclude the Mixer Feeding Systems,complete with, Unloading and intake,Pneumatic Conveying, Storage,Weighing & Batching, Small Chemical,Liquid dosing, Antitack system, Dustextraction system and completelyintegrated Controls and Automation.The storage systems include Large Silosas well as Day Bins.

The Projects in India areimplemented jointly from Zeppelin, inGermany and in India. The Sales as wellas implementation teams at bothoffices are fully integrated. The projectstructure has Central Project Managerfrom Germany, local contact ProjectManager from India and engineers

from both the offices. CompleteTechnology, supply of KeyComponents and Commissioning areby Germany whereas detailedengineering, all other Material supplies,installation and supervision are doneby India.The complete Plant design iscarried out in 3D on PDMS software.This 3D model is developed jointly atGermany and in India, which brings adistinctive advantage to the Customer.

With this Project Structure, Zeppelinbrings Global technology and closemarket local support at the same time,to the Indian Rubber & Tire Industry.The Industry has recognised this valueproposition and hence Zeppelinsystems India has set up Mixer FeedingSystems for their prestigious clientsacross India. The Systems are suppliedfor the complete range of TireManufacturers from Bicycle / 2wheelers tiers to Passenger Vehicle tiersto Off-highway vehicle tires, includingsome being exported. In the TechnicalRubber industry, the systems havebeen supplied for a wide range ofplants.

Zeppelin foresees long-term growthpotential for the Indian Tire marketwhich will, in turn, induce additionalmanufacturing capacities. With thecurrent economic policies andenvironment, it is expected that the tireindustry would double its installedcapacity in the coming decade.

Zeppelin will bring to Indiancustomers the latest technologies fromtheir continous development, some ofwhich are MIRA, Smart Componentsand Liquid Dosing System, etc. Theseare bound to create disruptions andchange our view on the Mixing Room.Further, Zeppelin plans to bring othervalue-added service offerings in areaof FEED-Engineering, 3D LaserScanning of existing plants forbrownfield expansions and completeintegrated Mixing Room solutions.

Zeppelin Systems India Pvt. Ltd.

Gaurang Joshipura, Managing Directorof Zeppelin Systems India,Pvt.Ltd

The Company as a

wholly-owned subsidiary

ensures seamless access to

German technology for the

Indian market

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Smart Controls India Limited, nowa member of Zeppelin Group,was founded in 1999 by

Ashutosh Chincholikar, an ElectronicsEngineer, who always dreamt ofcreating an innovation-drivencompany in the space of IndustrialAutomation.

The journey created many majormilestones and some of the finestsolutions for many industry verticalslike Rubber & Tire, Polyester,Automobile, Metals, Infrastructure andEnergy. The most salient part of thesolutions were a strong flavour ofInformation Technology. Almost allAutomation solutions were connectedto the Business Platforms like ERP.

Realising the strength of SmartControls, Zeppelin decided to walkalong this journey by forming a JointVenture (JV). It was time to transformthe business from IndustrialAutomation to Digital Solutions for theManufacturing Industries. Flair ofIndustry 4.0 and Industrial IoT can beseen in almost every solution orproduct that is being rolled out now.

Automation contributed largely inthe third industrial revolution, thushelping the productivity of theindustries to grow. No one realised thatwith growing industrial outputs, lifeof people, which means the qualityof life, was somewhat ignored. That’swhere the need of Cyber PhysicalSystems came in, the industry waswitnessing the fourth revolution,nothing but Industry 4.0.

There was a need for the machinesto talk to each other and also to theproduct being manufactured. The

Smart Controls: Member of Zeppelin Group

need was to view the industry as awhole, not connected through thehuman beings. Thus, Digitalisationstarted playing a major role in theindustry. The whole idea was to makethe industry more visible and certain,without the intervention of people.Once this happens, it is believed thatpeople working with the industry canhave a better work-life balance.

Smart Controls was one of thepioneer companies in the whole worldto bring this strong flavour ofdigitalisation to the tire industries.Solutions like Mixing Room, CuringSCADA, Tire Genealogy and MES aresome of them.

The strategy aheadSmart Controls along with Zeppelin

now targets to develop DigitalSolutions for the Plant EngineeringBusiness in the areas of Rubber & Tire,Plastics, Food and Polyolefin. Alongwith this, Smart Controls shall continuegiving Digitalised AutomationSolutions for Polyester Plants.

Roll out of IoT solutions for the entiremanufacturing industry has alreadystarted with the PoC for Polyester StapleFibre Line and development of productslike Smart Sense Air Quality Index (AQI)measurement system and Plant Gate.

SmartSense AQI (Air Quality Index)measurement is based on IoTtechnologies. Sensors measure airparameters like Temperature, Humidity,Pressure, So2, Co2, CO, Ozone, PM2.5and PM10 to calculate the AQI. Themeasurement data is directly transferredto the cloud and is then available onMobile Applications. This product canbe installed on the Carbon floor andcan be used for real-time measurementof leakages and also the quality of air towhich the operators are exposed to.Under extreme conditions, the Carbontransportation process can be stoppedautomatically through the cloud service.After all, it’s the question of the healthof the operators.

Plant Gate is yet another product thatis likely to be rolled out in 2018. Takethe example of Rotary Valve. In the

future, it will bepossible to pairthe rotary valvewith an iPhoneor an iPad overBluetooth andget all datasheets aboutthe productfrom the cloud.It will also bepossible to startan online chatwith Zeppelins e r v i c edepartment toget support onthis product.

Ashutosh Chincholikar

Smart Controls was one ofthe pioneer companies inthe whole world to bring

this strong flavour ofdigitalisation to the tire

industries

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Zeppelin Systems: Provider of solutions for full spectrum ... · heritage, Zeppelin Systems, led by Managing Director Rochus Hofmann and Business Director Guido Veit, has successfully