Striving for 100% performance

Automation solutions for the meat processing industry

Extracting the extra 20%

There is only so far you can go with optimizing each line’s performance at a machine level. The machines need to work efficiently with each other, with the conveyors that link them and with the production capability as a whole. All processes must be coherent in order to optimize performance. This involves a huge amount of both historical and real-time data plus the ability to process and visualize it so a business can make informed decisions as well as achieve operational excellence.

A MES and Supervisory control solution

GEA Automation is the solution that covers theSupervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and interfacing with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It functions as an ‘interpreter’ between the machines and the lines on the production floor and the financial and operational aspects of manufacturing such as procurement, raw material stock, capacity planning, products (recipes) and production orders. Without such an interpreter, the production floor doesn’t know what the management wants to do – and the management doesn’t know what’s happening in production.

Optimizing all available resources

Planning at the highest level (orders, capacity, people, machines, ingredients etcetera) is covered in the ERP system. The MES and SCADA levels translate these plans into operational execution that optimizes the use of all available resources. The MES also reports back about what has happened. Such a system also has to have the flexibility to react to unexpected situations. For example, would it be possible to take on an unforeseen urgent order and fit it in between regular production? Or if a line breaks down, what are the consequences for production and how can planning be modified to compensate? Only if information is immediately available to those who need it, can a company quickly make the right decision.

A better grip on internal processes

In addition to empowering an organization to react to unexpected situations (= operational flexibility), the MES part of TrackMax also maintains a better grip on internal processes (=operational excellence). Alex Strolenberg, Product Manager Software and Control at GEA Food Solutions, says, “Operational excellence is a prerequisite for companies operating in the food business. Optimal use of people and capabilities is central. But without the right management information, decisions have to be made on gut feeling. GEA Automation overcomes this uncertainty.” Take for example, an operator who notices significant production loss and suspects a particular machine in the line. If the line performance is not measured according to the input and output of each individual machine, the source of the loss is not immediately visible. GEA Automation gives the possibility to visualize the performance, making it possible for an operator to quickly identify the actual source of the production loss and resolve the problem.

Tracking and tracing

Another important feature function of GEA Automation is meeting the ever tougher requirements of General Food Law. A manufacturer has legal obligations to track all products and ingredients, so that if a particular ingredient is contaminated, all batches that contain that ingredient can be traced within hours. Similarly, the system also makes detailed information about raw materials (quality, fat content, etc.) available to the production floor, enabling very fine adjustments to be made to mixing ratios. Many customers demand that portions or products are accurate to the last gram!

Empowering an organization

Alex continued, “By offering our customers GEA Automation, we empower general management, production management, operators and maintenance personnel to do their jobs more effectively.” There is no ‘one-size fits all’ GEA  Automation solution, so Alex and his team are called in to tailor a TrackMax system for a specific customer. And in doing so, ‘coach’ them to win in their highly competitive markets.