How Getronics built the digital backbone of a circular economy factory from the ground up

Repetco is a Spanish company that has developed a state-of-the-art factory for recycling food-grade plastic packaging and has relied on Getronics as its preferred technological partner in the commissioning of its plant in Albacete. The project presented the enormous challenge of not only starting up a factory but also establishing a company from scratch for plastic recycling.

With this initiative, Repetco is changing the ecosystem of plastic recycling and promoting a sustainable and clean circular economy. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, it manages to recycle food-grade PET packaging, giving a second life to plastics that were previously very challenging to process. Through its process, food-grade PET packaging can be reused in the food industry, such as in trays or bottles, as well as in other industries like textiles, automotive, etc.

The setup of this new plant has been a 360-degree project involving research and development, engineering, and digitalization consulting, with a complex process. Repetco relied on Getronics for various levels of service. From a technological perspective, the main challenge has been the complete digitalization of a new plant and its newly defined processes.

Getronics has handled integration engineering, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and support for all existing solutions. The tasks in which the Getronics team participated include:

Systems consultancy

Consultancy during the product definition phase, from the SCADA system to communication protocols, global information systems consultancy at both operational (OT) and informational (IT) levels, specifications of different levels, and global system integration, among others.

Implementation of plant systems and their integration with ERP management.

• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Manufacturing system management software, allowing all plant designs and generated documentation to have traceability.
• Manufacturing Execution System (MES): A system that deals with production control and planning, including a control reporting system.

Development of the SCADA system

A system with two control zones in the factory buildings, controlling plant production with real-time management of up to 24,000 data points and a control room in the offices. The system also serves for forensic analysis in case of failure.

Production and auxiliary processes

From scale systems for weighing raw materials with real-time integration of their operation to plastic identification and selection processes with optical readers, and controls of machinery for plastic washing, lamination, and shredding. Among the auxiliary processes, Getronics has taken charge, for example, of energy management (Natural Gas station and photovoltaic plant).

Repetco has achieved the commissioning of this project with Getronics as the sole intermediary between OT and IT systems, leading the engineering and process areas, acting as a technological integrator for the digitalization process (MES, SAP, cybersecurity, communications, PLC…), ultimately becoming a true 360˚ technological partner, able to meet all the technological needs of the new plant, unifying materials, facilitating management, and reducing errors.

“This project has allowed us to delve into the services and processes we offer at Getronics. We are very satisfied with the development of all phases since it has allowed us to demonstrate the broad spectrum of services and capabilities we can achieve, expanding different business areas.”

Francisco Galisteo González, Head of Scada & IT/OT at Getronics