A Leader in Industrial Printing
Chiyoda is an industrial printing company that specializes in creating high-quality decorative prints for a variety of renowned brands, including Unilin, Ikea, Quickstep, and Trespa.
The company focuses on producing innovative and sustainable designs that cater to a wide range of industries.
Chiyoda’s operations are based in Belgium, with a strong emphasis on maintaining excellence in production efficiency and asset management. As a trusted partner in industrial printing, Chiyoda’s attention to quality and its collaborations with major industry players place it at the forefront of its sector.
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We are delighted with our collaboration with Chiyoda and the opportunity to drive impactful results by applying our diverse technologies, including vibration measurement, oil analysis, lubrication maintenance, and ultrasound analysis. These efforts minimize unexpected equipment downtime, lower costs, and promote more efficient, planned maintenance.
Janno Gabriels — Reliability engineer – Operations, I-care -
I-care behandelt onze bezittingen als hun eigen bezittingen. Als ik ze in één woord zou moeten beschrijven, zou dat “partnerschap” zijn.
Kris Reynders — Maintenance Manager, Chiyoda
Challenges
- Frequent unplanned equipment downtime
- Inefficiencies and increased costs
- High energy consumption of assets
- Limited production availability
Overcoming Reactive Maintenance and Operational Strain
Before collaborating with I-care, Chiyoda faced significant challenges with its maintenance processes, which were primarily reactive. This led to frequent unplanned equipment downtime, inefficiencies, and increased costs.
The technical team struggled with ad hoc situations, causing maintenance budgets to deplete quickly. Energy consumption of assets was high, and the production availability was often limited. The lack of a structured maintenance strategy created stress within the technical department and hindered operational excellence.
Reflecting on this period, Chiyoda highlighted the difficulties of managing expensive and unpredictable maintenance events, emphasizing the need for a more preventive and efficient approach to asset management.
Solutions
- Vibration measurements
- Oil analysis
- Lubrication schedules (RCL)
- Ultrasound
- Preventive maintenance implementation
- Continuous improvement process
Implementing Predictive Maintenance for Continuous Improvement
I-care partnered with Chiyoda to implement a robust preventive maintenance program. The solution included lubrication schedules, oil analysis, vibration measurements, and steam trap checks.
By shifting from reactive to preventive maintenance, Chiyoda optimized its energy consumption and enhanced the efficiency of its assets. The collaboration introduced continuous improvement processes, ensuring that assets were maintained proactively, thereby reducing the frequency of breakdowns.
I-care’s expertise provided an additional layer of support, serving as “extra eyes and ears” for Chiyoda’s technical team. This partnership enabled Chiyoda to plan maintenance projects more effectively and maintain consistent production schedules throughout the year.
Benefits
- Energy use optimization
- Asset efficiency improvement
- Effective maintenance planning
- Stabilized maintenance budgets
- Year-round production consistency
Increased Efficiency, Stability, and Operational Excellence
With I-care’s preventive maintenance solutions, Chiyoda experienced a substantial drop in energy consumption and a significant increase in production capacity and availability. This allowed the technical team to collaborate more effectively with the production department, creating smoother processes for corrective maintenance when needed.
By eliminating costly ad hoc events, Chiyoda stabilized its maintenance budgets and restored a sense of calm to the technical department. The partnership fostered trust, with I-care treating Chiyoda’s assets as their own.
As a result, Chiyoda achieved a balance between operational efficiency and cost management, reinforcing the value of their collaboration. In the words of Chiyoda, “If I had to describe I-care in one word, it would be ‘Partnership.’”
