Control room at the Ovako Smedjebacken plant. Photo: Ovako/Stig-Göran Nilsson

Ovako Smedjebacken launches condition monitoring program with Leonova Diamond

To increase machine availability on critical production equipment within the steelworks, Swedish steel producer Ovako is now launching a condition monitoring program for systematic monitoring of mechanical condition.

Ovako is a leading European producer of engineering steel for customers in the bearing, transportation and manufacturing industries. Production is based on recycled steel and includes steel in the form of bars, tubes, rings and pre-components.

The production plant in Smedjebacken in central Sweden is now investing in the portable instrument Leonova Diamond, containing the patented SPM HD measuring technique as well as powerful vibration analysis and other advanced features.

Maintenance manager Anders Sjögren, former maintenance manager at Arctic Paper Grycksbo explains the reasoning behind the investment, the choice of Leonova Diamond and the new venture at Ovako: "Personnel working in maintenance face increasingly higher demands to do the right things, and there will not be more staff. We have to work smarter and repair the right things at the right time. Part of our approach is to measure condition and compare with historical data. Therefore, we have chosen to invest in a powerful tool, which of course must be combined with long-term and methodical training.