28.08.2001
Columbitech helps starch producer go wireless - Lyckeby Starch goes wireless with Columbitech WAP Connector Suite
Lyckeby Starch, a Swedish starch producer owned by approximately 1000 Swedish potato farmers, gets unwired by applying a number of wireless applications to its daily activities. The platform used is Columbitech WAP Connector Suite which enables secure data communication based on the WAP protocol.
"Finally there is a real world industry showing how wireless technology can improve the organization. There have been numerous reports raising wireless to the sky, but there have been very few real world cases. It is extraordinary that it is a traditional company from the conservative farming industry that is one of the first to prove themselves in this area, and we salute them," said Pontus Bergdahl, CEO of Columbitech
"We see great opportunities to enhance productivity with wireless applications, and we are very pleased to have chosen a platform that allows us to create our own company specific solutions," said Torsten Ericsson, Director of IT at Lyckeby Starch
The production used to be controlled from an operational control room where employees controlled and monitored boiler levels and pressures and other critical measurements from the production lines. Today, most control functions are available wirelessly. The system sends a notification to the control officer in charge, and he can through his WAP terminal access the control system to see where the problem is. He can even fix some problem since a number of the machines and pumps in the plant can be remote controlled through the mobile telephone. This means a great deal for Lyckeby Starch. The employees now have the opportunity to move around in the plant instead of being tied in front of a screen all day. Since employees now gets time for other activities than just monitoring production, great economic benefits are to be found.
Another feature involves the companies handling the transports to and from the plant. The transport companies used to direct their trucks from their logistics headquarters and it was hard to optimise the transports due to insufficient logistic systems, and it was often hard to find the nearest available truck. But Lyckeby Starch developed an application enabling truckers to receive notifications as well as to go into the system and check for themselves when to pick up or deliver a new load. It turned out to be a cost effective action since the time when the trucks were not moving was significant reduced.
Lyckeby Starch is developing new wireless applications to make its activities even more efficient. A number of applications are currently being tested and evaluated in a fairly moderate scale and will eventually be rolled out in the entire organization.
About Lyckeby Starch:
The brand Lyckeby Starch is owned by Swedish Starch Producers, an incorporated association, owned by its members. These are about 1000 starch potato growers in southern Sweden. The core operation is run under the joint brand Lyckeby Starch, and consists of production, development and marketing of starch and fibres for various purposes, primarily to the food, paper and chemical industries. Check out: www.lyckeby.com
About Columbitech:
Columbitech develops and markets secure wireless software for remote access to corporate data. The company is privately held with offices in Stockholm, Sweden. Columbitech has one of the world's leading development teams in its area that has been developing sophisticated wireless data communication software since 1994. Columbitech is a full member of the WAP Forum and Intel's Mobile Data Initiative - next generation. Check out: www.columbitech.com
