Modern batch paint production tailored for Industry 4.0 at Śnieżka

About Śnieżka

FFiL Śnieżka S.A. is one of the leading manufacturers of paints and coatings in Central Europe. The company produces approximately 140 million liters of construction chemical products annually. Thanks to its extensive industry experience, commitment to innovation, and strong market position, Śnieżka delivers high-quality products that meet demanding technical and performance standards.

Production in Poland is concentrated across three facilities located in Brzeźnica, Lubzina, and Pustków.

Project scope

The project involved the design and implementation of a comprehensive control system for a newly constructed water-based paint production line at the P4 Production Department in Lubzina, using the Wonderware InBatch batch production system.

The scope of work included:

• Preparation of electrical schematics and documentation
• Configuration of production servers and workstations
• Development of Siemens S7-1500 PLC software
• Implementation of a SCADA system with reporting functionality
• On-site deployment and commissioning of the solution

Challenges and project execution

Because the facility manufactures premium-quality products such as Magnat Ceramic, Magnat Creative, Barwy Natury, and Śnieżka Plamoodporna, the project requirements were particularly demanding. Special attention had to be paid to product quality, process safety, and compliance with strict technological requirements.

A key factor in the project’s success was close collaboration and ongoing communication with the client. Design assumptions and process modifications were tested using a process simulation platform—a digital twin of the implemented system. This approach enabled rapid validation of proposed solutions without the need for physical equipment, long before deployment on the production line.

FAT (Factory Acceptance Tests) and training sessions for process engineers and operators were conducted using the simulator at our office. This significantly reduced commissioning time on site and accelerated the process validation phase, contributing to a shorter overall project implementation schedule.

The system was built using the latest generation of Siemens S7-1500 Fail-Safe controllers, including CPU S7-1516F-3PN/DP and S7-1518F-4PN/DP units. These solutions were selected to ensure high performance, reliability, and compliance with the highest safety standards.

Investment scope

The implemented system covered:

• More than 120 tanks, including 50 used directly for production operations
• Over 2,300 physical devices, such as valves, sensors, and motors
• More than 1,060 process and transfer phases used directly in batch production
• Over 100 control modules managing key elements of the production process
• Nearly 200 transfer sequences
• More than 3,300 system configuration parameters

System safety is ensured by more than 1,100 interlocks and protection mechanisms, including:

• More than 840 interlocks monitoring pressure levels, local safety devices, tank levels, valve statuses, and communication failures
• Over 340 process interlocks resulting from technological requirements and operator decisions
• More than 120 alarm types defined for system devices, generating approximately 13,000 individual alarms
• MS SQL and MS Access databases used for process data and variable management

Batch production system and recipe management

The implementation of the Batch Management system significantly optimized the paint manufacturing process. Through advanced recipe management, we established a precise production workflow that ensures consistently high product quality while eliminating dependence on manual operator actions for process repeatability.

The batch production system manages tank allocation and automatically determines which equipment can be used to execute specific production orders. Available resources are immediately assigned to pending production batches, maximizing equipment utilization and operational efficiency.

Product recipes are created and maintained by the client’s process engineers. The recipe management system provides access to more than 1,000 configurable process phases, enabling rapid introduction of new products based on existing, scalable production building blocks.

Production process visualization

The production process visualization system developed by Control-Service provides operators with a clear overview of plant operations, access to real-time process data, and continuous monitoring of production stages. The system supports process control, reporting, data analysis, and rapid response to operational irregularities.

The implemented solution enabled full utilization of the production line’s capabilities while minimizing the impact of human error on the manufacturing process. The system is intuitive to operate, highly responsive, extensively automated, and specifically designed to support the production of high-quality, consistently repeatable paint products.

Production process visualization system developed by Control-Service

Benefits and summary

Thanks to the implementation of the integrated batch production system, the time required to introduce a new product to the market was reduced by up to 25%. This improvement was achieved through production process optimization, automatic tank allocation, and more efficient production routing management.

As soon as a production tank becomes available, the system can immediately reserve it for the next production order. Combined with automated raw material dosing, this reduced the production time of a single batch base—consisting of approximately 10,000 liters of product—from 8 hours to 6 hours.

The implementation shortened production cycles, optimized tank utilization, and increased overall production capacity. The recipe management system ensures that products are manufactured with a consistently high level of quality and repeatability.

Comprehensive reporting and data archiving capabilities enable detailed process analysis and presentation of information in a user-friendly format. All critical production data is accessible from operator workstations, supporting day-to-day production management, quality control, and continuous process optimization.