Análisis de la calidad del papel en una empresa ecuatoriana mediante un visualizador interactivo

Abstract

The analysis and integration of continuously generated industrial data represent a major challenge in the paper industry, particularly in the assessment of product quality and in the study of paper break events, which translate into losses of productive time and operational efficiency. Therefore, this study considers paper reels produced by an Ecuadorian company as the unit of analysis, incorporating a binary variable referred to as break as a segmentation criterion, with the aim of characterizing process quality around the occurrence of this event. Initially, the database extracted from the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system was restructured and processed. Subsequently, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted over 45 days of production, using frequency measures, histograms, and boxplots to evaluate the behavior of process variables in relation to the break event. In addition, a visualization tool incorporating Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts was developed to assess the behavior of the variables filtered according to specific operational parameters. The results showed that certain variables associated with the vacuum and steam stages exhibit significant variations around the break event, particularly under increases in temperature and pressure, since these stages are directly involved in the moisture removal process of the paper. To assess these differences, reels with and without break events were compared using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test and Cliff’s delta as a measure of effect size, allowing the identification of both statistically significant differences and their practical magnitude. Furthermore, a logistic regression model was fitted, achieving an AUC-ROC value of 77.64%. These findings highlight the potential of statistical tools for analyzing paper quality in the presence of anomalous events, as well as the relevance of their application in industrial environments through proactive approaches supported by interactive dashboards developed in Power BI. Keywords: Quality, Paper Industry, Paper, Continuous Processes, Industrial Processes, Visualization Tool, Break.