Page 22 - Plastics News June 2017

COMPANY NEWS

Sepro Group plans €11 Million expansion of robot operations in

France and USA

ollowing four years of record-setting sales growth, develop custom robotic automation cells, will expand by
FSepro Group is announcing a three-phase, €11 50%, enabling work teams to complete up to 70 specialized
mln expansion plan. In France, the plan will increase projects annually for clients in Europe. The company
production capacity at Sepro’s headquarters facility operates three other integration centers as well: one
in La Roche-sur-Yon, and launch a new global training at its Sepro America subsidiary for the North American
facility nearby. In the U.S., the plan will add large-robot market, one in Germany at the Sepro GmbH subsidiary,
assembly capabilities to the systems integration and and one in China. Offices will also be expanded and, in
service operations already in place at the Sepro America line with Sepro’s commitment to connecting not only
robots and molding machines but also people and ideas,
the company will create a dedicated “innovation space”
in its headquarters building.

IOC plans maintenance shutdown
at Panipat naphtha cracker

ndian Oil Corp plans to shut a 150,000 bpd crude unit
Iat its 300,000 bpd Panipat refinery and an associated
naphtha cracker plant for about a month in July, as per
sources in moneycontrol.com, freeing up some naphtha
for exports. IOC has lined up an extensive maintenance
turnaround plan for its refineries in 2017, sources with
knowledge of the plan said, which could force the country's
top refiner to tap overseas markets for gasoline and diesel
operation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today, Sepro is the to meet rising local demand.
largest maker of robots in France and also is a leading
global supplier of 3-, 5- and 6-axis robots used in the IOC also plans to shut a 160,000 bpd Mathura refinery for
automation of plastics injection molding machines. During 15 days from Aug 25; its 120,000 bpd Barauni refinery in
the past four years, the company has more than doubled Bihar for about 5 weeks in July-August; and a 150,000 bpd
the number of robots sold, from 1,300 in 2012 to more Haldia plant in West Bengal of the country for about three
than 2,700 in 2016. All of that growth means one thing: weeks in November-December for a flare job. IOC plans to
“We have reached the limits of our production capacity shut the only crude unit at its 300,000 bpd coastal Paradip
and we need to invest,” says Jean Michel Renaudeau, refinery in Odisha for about three weeks for repairs in
CEO of Sepro Group. The expansion of Sepro Group’s October to enhance its capability to process tough grades,
corporate headquarters and production facility in La the sources added. The refiner has already shut some units
Roche-sur-Yon, from its current 13,000 sq meters to nearly at its 274,000 bpd Koyali refinery in Gujarat for revamp
20,000 sq meters, take place over the next months until and maintenance from June 1. There is not likely to be
summer 2018. A key element of the expansion is the plan any planned shutdowns in Q1-2018, because state refiners
to separate robot manufacturing from robot integration normally do not plan maintenance in the last quarter of
workflow. This change, together with added space, will their fiscal year, when they ramp up runs to meet annual
increase production capacity for Sepro 3-, 5-, and 6-axis production targets. The company may change dates for
robots from 3,000 to 5,000 units annually. The facility’s the planned shutdowns depending on local fuel demand
robot integration business units, where Sepro professionals and the turnaround plans of other refiners.

Plastics News | June 2017 22