SIMEX WASTE FLOW Smart Cloud systems

The WASTE FLOW module within the SIMEX cycle

In the SIMEX project the management cycle of recyclable materials is divided into sequential modules. WASTE FLOW oversees the initial stage, the one in which the material is still in loose form: it is delivered by suppliers, accepted or rejected, stored in piles and fed to the sorting cabin for the removal of contaminants, before moving on to baling.

The module has a twofold objective: to guarantee the regulatory and documentary compliance of incoming loads and to measure the operational efficiency of each stage, so that scrap, unusual contaminants and inefficiencies can be identified as early as the first operations.

The module integrates with the weighbridges, the compactor weighing systems and the moisture measuring instruments installed in the plant, and makes the data available in real time on dashboards that can be consulted from PC, tablet and smartphone. Its modular structure allows functions to be activated gradually and process coverage to be scaled up over time, without rework.

Material intake and coding

On arrival, every load of loose recovered paper is recorded with the weighing data and the identifying information of the material. The system manages the gross weight and the net weight, the material type and the supplier, applying an automatic coding to the load and linking it to the process documentation.

Recording takes place in the field by means of a handheld or web terminal and includes the vehicle plate and the operator performing the operation. The recovered paper is classified by type — white paper, board, mixed paper — while the certified weight is acquired directly from the weighbridges connected on line, with no manual transcription.

All the data converge in a centralized database, which makes historical analysis and storage forecasting possible. The coding is integrated with the company ERP, avoiding double entry and reducing errors.

• Recording of gross and net weight through a direct connection to the weighbridge
• Automatic recording of vehicle plate and operator from a handheld or web terminal
• Classification of the recovered paper: white paper, board, mixed paper
• Verification of the authorized supplier and authorization to unload
• Convergence into a centralized database for historical analysis and forecasting

The Waste Identification Form (FIR)

The management of the FIR (Waste Identification Form) is a central element of the module. Every incoming load is linked to the corresponding form, tracking the origin of the material, the producer, the carrier and the type of waste delivered.

The link to the FIR makes it possible to maintain regulatory compliance along the entire supply chain and to reconstruct at any moment the provenance of whatever enters the plant. Delivery documents are issued and filed in digital form, with real-time data available for management control and for any inspections.

Digitizing the form does away with paper handling, reduces the risk of error and makes the documentation associated with each batch of material immediately retrievable, even long afterwards.

Accepting or rejecting a load

At the moment of unloading, the system manages the acceptance or the rejection of the load. The operator checks the quality of the material, the match between the vehicle plate and the supplier, and conformity with what was declared on the form.

In the event of non-conformity, real-time rejection with photographic documentation is provided for: photos of the load are captured and sent immediately, constituting objective evidence in support of the rejection.

The images converge into a multimedia archive linked to the process reports: photos of anomalous loads for quality verification, visual tracking of defective bales or contamination, documentation of maintenance work. Having the image linked to the batch makes subsequent analysis and corrective action toward the supplier easier.

• Quality verification of the delivered material
• Plate and supplier check against the form
• Acceptance or rejection with the outcome recorded
• Real-time photo transmission in support of the rejection
• Photographic archive linked to the process reports

Managing the storage piles

Accepted material is assigned to the storage piles. SIMEX monitors the weights present in each pile and their composition, keeping the availability of material awaiting processing updated in real time.

Monitoring the piles makes it possible to schedule operations according to actual stock levels, to check the weights awaiting processing and to optimize the feeding of the sorting cabin.

The assignment of processing areas is managed directly in the field through handhelds and mobile devices, with immediate updating of the system: whoever works in the yard records the movement as it happens, with no intermediate paperwork.

Sorting cabin and operator management

From the storage stage the material is fed to the sorting cabin, where contaminants are removed and the recovered paper is prepared for baling. SIMEX manages the assignment of the cabin, of the operators and of the production batches, measuring sorting times and efficiency.

The flow from the piles to the cabin is tracked and associated with a production batch, so that incoming material can be correlated with the result of the sorting.

Monitoring times and efficiency by operator and by batch makes it possible to compare the performance of different teams and shifts, to identify bottlenecks and to optimize the overall sorting workflow.

Baling and productivity coefficients

The sorted material is compacted into bales. The baling module measures the parameters that determine the productivity of the line and makes them comparable over time.

The cycle time is measured in its individual stages — loading, baling, unloading — together with the weight per cycle and the number of bales produced. From these three values the productivity coefficients of the process are derived.

Having these data in a consistent form makes it possible to compare performance across shifts, lines or different sites and to optimize machine parameters on the basis of measurements rather than estimates. It is the prerequisite for understanding whether a drop in yield is due to the material, to the baler settings or to the organization of the shift.

Interfacing with balers and sorting systems

SIMEX communicates with the plant machinery through standard automation protocols, in particular OPC UA and Modbus TCP/IP. The integration is bidirectional: the system reads the status of the machines and can send settings to them.

The available functions include real-time monitoring of the status of the balers and of the sorting sensors, the automatic setting of machine cycles and recipes, and the receipt of alarms and notifications, such as jams or scheduled maintenance.

The operational benefit is a reduction in downtime: an anomaly is reported the moment it occurs and reaches whoever has to act on it, instead of emerging at the end of the shift from a comparison of production data.

Handhelds and RFID technologies in the field

Data collection in the yard and in the cabin is carried out with instruments designed for use in an industrial environment, with no fixed workstations and no paper forms.

Operators use handhelds for the rapid recording of loads and unloads. The RFID tags applied to containers and pallets allow automatic identification of the material, while the fixed RFID stations placed at the entrance and exit detect passage without operator intervention.

The combination of handheld and RFID cuts recording times and, above all, eliminates transcription error: the data originate where the physical event takes place and are immediately available in the system.

The tag applied to the material unit also accompanies it from stage to stage: the same identification read at the entrance is found again in the sorting cabin and at the baler, so that the link between delivery, processing and the bale produced does not have to be reconstructed afterwards.

Process efficiency and foreign fraction

All the data collected converge into the SIMEX cloud platform, where they are processed to measure process efficiency. Comparing incoming weights, sorted material and scrap provides objective indicators of sorting yield and of the quality of the deliveries made by individual suppliers.

One specific indicator is the foreign fraction, that is the share of non-conforming materials calculated as a percentage of the total weight. Following its trend makes it possible to distinguish an occasional problem from a supplier who systematically delivers out-of-specification material.

Daily, weekly and monthly reports are generated automatically; a dedicated dashboard shows trends and deviations, in support of internal audits and regulatory compliance. Reducing scrap translates directly into lower reprocessing costs and better quality of the finished product.

Dashboard and plant indicators

The central dashboard brings together the summary indicators of the plant: production KPIs, historical trends, comparison between lines and indicators supporting maintenance.

The dashboard is modular: each profile — operator, supervisor, management — has access to the views within its remit, reducing information noise and the risk of misreading.

It can be consulted from web browser, tablet, industrial handheld or smartphone, with screens optimized for each device, and display on large screens for use in the control room is also provided for. The data are updated in real time: decisions are taken on current values, without waiting for subsequent processing.

Material valorization and margins

Beyond process data, SIMEX makes it possible to follow the economic value of the material processed. Standard costs of disposal, storage and processing are entered in the master data and associated with the types of recovered paper.

On this basis the system calculates the revenue by type expressed in euros per tonne, the operating cost determined from machine hours and consumables, and the net margin, updated with every new bale produced.

The dashboard highlights the margins for each individual load and those accumulated over the day. The result is that a commercial decision — whether or not to accept a delivery, whether to give priority to one type of material — can be taken on the basis of the actual margin rather than an after-the-fact estimate.

Integration with MES, ERP and SCADA

SIMEX is not an isolated system: it integrates with the information infrastructure already in place in the company through native connectors and REST APIs.

Integration with the MES synchronizes production orders and line status; integration with the ERP feeds the invoicing, warehouse and accounting flows; the link to SCADA systems makes the data available for advanced analysis and management reporting.

The modular architecture guarantees scalability: work starts from the priority functions and coverage is extended over time, keeping a single database and without duplicating data entry.

Applications by sector

The WASTE FLOW module originated on recovered paper collection platforms, but its functional framework — material identification, traceability of the stages, yield measurement and connection to management systems — applies equally to other industrial contexts in which material changes state and has to remain documented.

Paper and board

This is the module’s reference field. In collection platforms the system governs the delivery of recovered paper, classification by type, management of the piles and feeding of the sorting cabin, through to baling.

Continuous monitoring of the foreign fraction and of sorting yields makes it possible to qualify suppliers on the basis of measurements and to intervene when the quality of deliveries departs from the standard. Digital documentation of the FIR and of the delivery documents ensures the compliance required by the waste supply chain.

The link between weighing data, classification and sorting batch also makes it possible to trace back, from a bale, to the set of deliveries that made it up: information that is called for when the downstream customer disputes the quality of the supply.

Logistics and warehousing

Wherever material is stored and handled, RFID identification of the units and reading at transit portals keep the virtual warehouse aligned with the physical situation.

The functions used are the location of units, stocktaking without manual handling, picking according to FIFO criteria and the generation of transport documents from what has actually been loaded. The result is fewer picking errors and consistency between the physical load and the shipping documentation.

The same identification makes it possible to manage stock and rotation without extraordinary stocktakes: the stock figure is the result of the readings recorded, not of a periodic count, and remains available in real time to whoever plans the shipments.

Process manufacturing

In continuous-flow plants the system collects line data through the automation protocols already described and makes them comparable over time.

Monitoring the line parameters makes it possible to detect deviations from the expected conditions and to report them as they occur, shortening the time between anomaly and intervention. The history of operating data also provides the basis for scheduling maintenance according to the actual use of the machines rather than at fixed intervals.

Line data, archived together with production data, make different periods comparable and make it possible to verify whether a change to the process parameters has produced the expected effect, instead of relying on the operators’ perception.

Transport and vehicle handling

Managing the flow of incoming and outgoing vehicles is an integral part of the cycle: weighing, verification of the plate and the supplier, authorization to unload and recording of the operator.

The coordination of loading and unloading operations draws on the same data used for production, so that the status of a vehicle and that of the material it carries remain aligned. Transport documentation is produced by the system, without manual re-entry of weights and quantities.

Vehicle dwell time in turn becomes a measured figure: knowing how long weighing, unloading and exit take makes it possible to act on queues in the yard and to schedule supplier delivery slots.

Frequently asked questions

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