Implementation of modern solutions is all about change

Companies implementing modern solutions in Panevėžys are generating significant value for the city, which aims to become a major Northern and Eastern European robotics and automation hub. One of them – the process automation solutions company TPA – was recognised as the most innovative company of Panevėžys in 2021. We sat down with its CEO Alvydas Andrijauskas to discuss how the company builds trust with clients by deploying innovative solutions and what might encourage regional businesses to make fuller use of the opportunities enabled by Industry 4.0. According to Mr Andrijauskas, companies that plan to innovate must first answer the question, ‘Are we ready to step outside our comfort zone?’. 

Growing client trust and order geography 

I started my programming career at a company in Panevėžys with a strong development team. However, since I’ve always been on the lookout for professional growth opportunities, at a certain point, I felt that it was time for a new challenge – starting my own business. Not before long, I enlisted two former colleagues and founded a technological process automation company – TPA – which has been going strong for 18 years. Its efforts were not impeded even by the much-publicised shortages in the labour market, because our work culture allows us to bring up talent by ourselves. We currently have 20+ highly qualified specialists. 

TPA’s aim from the very beginning was to fully meet client expectations. Our success in this regard is evidenced by the fact that our very first client – the Swedish-Swiss food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak – is still with us to this day. 

Right from the get-go, our clients, seeing the direct benefit of our solutions to their businesses, were spreading the word about us (including to their competitors), which helped us gain a foothold in the world market. Today, we have strong connections with manufacturing companies globally. TPA’s area of operation is easier gauged by reference to continents, than to countries – we’re active not only in Europe, but also in South America, Asia, and even Africa. Given that nearly all our clients have been referred to us by someone else, the idea that it’s impossible for businesses established in Panevėžys to find success internationally is just false  – it’s not about location, but about service quality and attitude towards clients.  

Although the lion’s share of TPA’s operations is taken up by implementing process automation solutions at various manufacturing companies, we’ve also gained tons of experience working with globally acclaimed automation equipment manufacturers. We treat all our clients and equipment manufacturers with respect, aiming to build partnerships. Their confidence in us gives new clients an extra reason to seek collaboration with us. To achieve this, we provide final beneficiaries, i.e., companies, with quality solutions. For example, automation enables us to update old, inefficient, or faulty production lines. Later on, when buying new equipment, these companies recommend, and sometimes even require, that further automation solutions for their equipment be implemented by TPA as well, thereby allowing us to build a sustainable network of clients. 

Active and visible in Panevėžys 

In 2021, TPA became visible not only because of winning the Most Innovative Company of the Year title, but also because of its CSR initiatives. For example, we donated some equipment for practical skills training – educational stands with professional controllers by Siemens – to the STEAM centre in Panevėžys. 

Since the development of technological innovations today makes it necessary for automation specialists to engage in continuous learning, our employees are used to looking for novel solutions – this allows us to improve and retain the exceptional quality of our services. The reason for our contribution to the STEAM centre project is not so much a commitment to helping the city’s young to become engineers but rather to encourage the active search for answers to burning questions and to boost critical thinking. 

We’re also active in the Panevėžys Region Industrialists Association – sharing knowledge and looking for opportunities to contribute to the growth of local companies by improving their manufacturing process.  

The city’s foreign-owned companies also appreciate our solutions. For instance, we’ve updated and launched a flour mill for Roquette Amilina, controlled by the multinational Roquette Group, by implementing a process automation solution.  

Universally applicable modern solutions 

We’re often asked whether it’s necessary and worthwhile for companies to invest in cutting-edge, Industry 4.0 solutions. In response, we always emphasise that a need for them has to develop internally – at the company itself. 

TPA can offer automation solutions that guarantee improved procedural efficiency to companies in all industries – from grain processing operations to breweries and dairy plants. However, it must be said that decisions to commence such projects must be made responsibly and with confidence. For example, if someone were to offer you an unplugged smart TV after extolling its performance and innovative features, but you preferred looking out the window over watching television – you simply wouldn’t buy it. On the other hand, if we proposed to you an advanced technological solution to specific problems faced by your business, chances are you’d be interested. The final decision, however, always rests with the company.  

Regarding Industry 4.0 solutions, what matters is not complexity or price, but the client’s desired outcome. Let’s take, for example, a local company we formerly had as a client. It seemed that, based on performance, their production lines were overloaded, and there was a need for an additional one. However, upon installing performance measurement sensors, which showed that line efficiency never climbed past the 40% mark, it became clear that we needed a line efficiency solution rather than more lines. Given that idle equipment is a drain on company funds, decisions regarding automation can be made by reference to equipment ROI. After receiving an order, we always consider what exactly is required to successfully address the problem through a combination of engineering and programming. 

Services that meet the needs of industrial companies  

Process automation at industrial companies is followed by continuous and timely accounting of materials and products – annual, monthly, and daily reports on collected, processed, and finished products. This also includes automation proposals made in dialogue with materials suppliers. Our system allows for the collection of data from different production machinery, inventory devices, individual employees, and work sites. Once aggregated, this data enables centralised analysis and comprehensive factory process control. 

Upon implementing our solutions, clients begin receiving special reports that can be accessed any time, enabling the remote monitoring of manufacturing processes and parameters. This speeds up the identification and solution of underlying problems, which reduces downtime and costs, while raising productivity.  

To address the central issues of today – rising energy costs and the European Green Deal – TPA has developed solutions that provide daily, monthly, and annual electric power, air, heat, and coolant usage summaries. By developing and implementing these systems, TPA contributes to energy efficiency-related decision-making and reduces CO2 emissions. 

Even though TPA can offer suitable and beneficial process automation solutions to all industrial companies regardless of size, implementing modern solutions may sometimes require stepping outside of the comfort zone. An innovative solution is a change that comes with a price tag, enabling companies to make savings later on. All company representatives are advised to choose reliable partners capable of finding the most appropriate individual solutions. There is currently a tendency in Lithuania to purchase outdated solutions that make it more difficult for companies to compete globally. Nevertheless, there are also some good signs, including the fact that industrial companies are increasingly focusing on reliability over price when it comes to process modernisation. 

Walking around the company’s premises reinforces our belief that what matters in the development of solutions for big companies is not large spaces, but people and teams. It seems as though everyone – from programmers to employees working on control panel assembly – knows the solution’s end goal and development progress so far, enabling a smooth work process within the process management solutions company itself, even when the deadlines are fairly tight. We meet Julius, who’s responsible for the entire control panel assembly process and, according to the CEO, is able to identify potential risks and pass them on to the responsible engineer. This confirms what Mr Andrijauskas has already told us about the city’s main resource being its people, who alone enable the company to vigorously compete on the Industry 4.0 solutions development market.  

The series of articles “Industry 4.0 Solutions in Panevėžys” was prepared as part of the project “Connecting Panevėžys: Improved Business Environment through Better Collaboration”, funded by the Panevėžys City Municipality.