Fescon is a Finnish manufacturer of dry mix products for the construction industry, where accuracy and delivery reliability are critical. In cooperation with Tamtron, the company carried out an automation and server infrastructure upgrade that modernised production control and created a solid foundation for future development – without significant production downtime.
Moving towards more modern automation
The upgrade at Fescon was driven by the end of the lifecycle of existing automation and user interfaces, as well as the need to update the server environment to meet today’s requirements.
“In practice, the project consisted of two parts: an automation upgrade at one of our plants and a server renewal covering all four of our plants, including the virtualisation of user interfaces,” says Juha Korhonen, Production Manager and Project Manager at Fescon.
Further development of the legacy system was no longer viable.
“When a system becomes old enough, further development is no longer reasonable. At that point, it makes more sense to renew the system as a whole,” Korhonen explains.
Within the Tamtron solution, the production systems are also automatically backed up to an external server provided by the customer’s IT partner. This ensures that production can be quickly restored, for example after a fire or a cyber incident. The solution improves resilience in line with the requirements of the EU CER Directive (EU 2022/2557).
Strong partnership supported implementation
Tamtron was already a familiar partner to Fescon, which made it easier to initiate the project and manage risks. Ready-made weighing solutions accelerated implementation and reduced the need for extensive customisation.
“Tamtron was a trusted partner for us. We knew their capabilities and that their solutions would fit well into this overall concept. They have ready-made solutions that significantly speed up commissioning,” Korhonen emphasises.
A key objective was to complete the upgrade without impacting customer deliveries, which required careful planning and close collaboration.
“Our goal was to keep downtime as short as possible so that customers would not notice the change. Most of the work was done in advance together with Tamtron to ensure a smooth implementation,” he adds.
Improved visibility supports production control today and in the future
The new automation and weighing system significantly improves Fescon’s production monitoring and responsiveness. The technology enables more accurate tracking and provides new tools for process development.
“With trend data, we can much more quickly identify what has happened in the process,” Korhonen notes.
Tamtron’s solution also supports Fescon’s future development as raw materials diversify and product customization increases.
“The number of raw materials is growing, and products are increasingly tailored, for example, from a circular economy and sustainability perspective. This requires more flexibility and more precise control,” Korhonen explains.
At the same time, predictive maintenance plays a more important role in ensuring efficient production.
“We now have tools to monitor equipment condition and anticipate potential issues.”
Collaboration built on trust and hands-on approach
Combining legacy systems with new technology required a practical approach and flexibility from both parties.
“When documentation is incomplete, practical investigation work is needed – and Tamtron was closely involved throughout the process,” Korhonen says.
The success of the project was ultimately based on strong trust and a shared understanding of the objectives. “Overall, the project went well. The work was systematic, and project management was clear. Above all, we were able to complete the project on a tight schedule because we could trust Tamtron’s expertise,” Korhonen concludes.
