Three shifts, no shared plan
André Andersson is an operations engineer at the Sala-Heby Heating Plant. One of his day-to-day tasks is to ensure that production runs smoothly, that the right plant is operating at the right time, that electricity prices are utilised wisely, and that the next shift is provided with the best possible conditions. It sounds simple. But before Aurora by Sigholm (AbS) came into the picture, it was far from it. Operations were governed by manual thresholds based on the spot price: if the price exceeds a certain level, run the plant. But how much? For how long? What happens if the next shift needs the capacity? Those questions had no answers. Each shift operator was left to their own judgement, with no opportunity to consult a colleague in the middle of the night or at the weekend.
The result was that shifts optimised their own operations rather than the overall picture. A shift that ran at full capacity because the electricity price was favourable could leave the next shift in a difficult situation. And ahead of weekends, when conditions change and no one is on site to make decisions, this meant resorting to makeshift solutions using Excel and educated guesses late on Friday evening.
“Did a special situation arise ahead of the weekend? Yes, then you had to sit down at 11 pm, open Excel and work things out by trial and error.”
– André Andersson, Operations Engineer, Sala-Heby
A compass for the entire operation
André first became aware of AbS during a study visit to another heating plant in the region that was already using the system. He immediately recognised the benefits of an optimisation tool of this kind and saw how it addressed the very issues he faced in his own day-to-day work. The procurement and system selection process began at the start of the year; the contract was signed in the spring and implementation got off to a cautious start during the summer, deliberately scheduled outside the peak season to minimise risk.
It became apparent early on in the implementation that the system was heading in the right direction. Many of the initial settings proved to be sound and have scarcely needed adjusting since the start. It is primarily the pricing settings for different times of the year that are reviewed on an ongoing basis, but the underlying logic works. Today, André describes AbS as ‘extremely easy’ to work with. The system requires minimal maintenance and intervention is rarely needed. It is more a matter of following the plan and making adjustments where necessary. For an operations engineer juggling many tasks, this is a significant relief.
Benefits achieved
- Weekly planning provides all shifts with a common direction. No one needs to guess anymore.
- Operations staff feel calm and secure; they know what will happen on the next shift when they return
- Electricity trading planning has become simpler. The AbS plan is used directly as a basis
- The fuel department can plan its orders based on expected consumption.
- There was no resistance within the organisation. The implementation was actually seen as a relief.
A few tweaks, a lot of peace of mind
André is the system’s super-administrator and the person who manages the settings, but he emphasises that it is not a burdensome role. Most operational staff never need to touch the system. What has changed, however, is how responsibility is perceived. Previously, electricity trading planning involved manual calculations and a sense of uncertainty. Now it is a process that flows naturally from the AbS plan. An unexpected positive effect has also been noticed in the fuel department. Previously, it was difficult to order the right amount of fuel in advance. They didn’t really know how much would be needed for the coming week. With AbS, there is now an expected consumption forecast to plan against, which reduces both additional costs and urgent orders.
The response within the organisation has been consistently positive. André explains that he has actively tried to find any dissatisfaction but has not found any. The system was instead seen as a relief by the operations staff, who previously faced complex decisions without sufficient support. The only exception is when the plan sometimes looks a bit odd, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
Summary – Just follow it and use it like a compass
For André and his colleagues at Sala-Heby, AbS is about something simple yet important: moving from reactive management to proactive planning. The system has given operations a common language and a clear direction. It has eliminated the need to make decisions alone in the middle of the night. It is not just a technical change. It is a cultural shift in how we think about operations and planning. Shift operators know what is expected to happen during the next shift. The electricity trader has a basis on which to work. The fuel department can plan its purchases. The whole chain is interconnected in a way it wasn’t before. And all this without the system requiring constant attention. As André says, you simply follow it and use it like a compass.
