Food & Drink Industry Archives - Opensoft Systems Ltd

Food Manufacturer – MES / ERP Integration

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 17:46:56 +0000

SAP Integration with Blending Plant MES systems

Our client is a food manufacturing company that supplies thousands of food ingredients to customers in more than 150 countries worldwide. One area of the company makes dried ingredients (e.g., dry sauce blend, powder seasoning, etc.), for their own brands as well as for popular high street and supermarkets brands. It is in this area that our client engaged Opensoft Systems to carry out an SAP Integration to their Blending Plant MES systems.

Click here to learn about MES ERP Integration Service

The Challenge

Our client blends tons of dried ingredients daily, handling hundreds of recipes specific to their customers’ requirements, most of these recipes using flour as the main ingredients.

Their factory floor has three areas. They are:

Flour mill
Storage area where individual ingredients are stored
Blending plant
Packaging
Goods Despatch

Their production process flows as follows:

Flour and ingredients are sent to the blending vessels for mixing, they are then discharged from the mixing vessels, bagged, barcoded and sent to the warehouse ready for dispatch.

Original Architecture

When planning each schedule, they must consider the manufacturing priority of each order to ensure efficient planning and manufacturing execution. This means ensuring that the correct time duration for carrying out the Clean in Process (CIP) is factored in within each production run. CIP eliminates cross contamination across batches, so it is essential in the production process.

Our client uses SAP as their ERP system for their resource and planning; this was not integrated to their plant manufacturing execution systems, resulting in an entirely manual process. They have to physically print off each production order and prioritise them dependent on batch type, recipe, and volume. Production requests are then sent via a manual production order request where the orders were collated by the production staff and re-inputted into a production spreadsheet log.

Since there is no integration between SAP and MES, orders were passed to the production department at the end of each day, which meant the production manager could only plan the schedule one day at a time, wasting time and resources. This led to more raw materials (flour) being requested from the mill than was needed by the recipe, resulting in a stock being re-worked within the Blending plant.

Our client recognized that this was not the most efficient use of resources which resulted in the need to streamline and automate the production process.

Screen showing list of recipes associated with the order.

The Proposal

Opensoft Systems were asked to conduct a site audit of the production plant’s existing PLC and SCADA systems. During which Opensoft Systems senior engineers met with all stakeholders, including the production planning, supply chain, production, and the engineering team. We jointly agreed the main objectives for the project:

To effectively schedule each day’s production plan in the most efficient way and to minimise cross-contamination from colours, flavours, and allergens.
To efficiently schedule the base ingredients to eliminate surplus and avoid rework.
Avoid the re-keying of production recipe data and eliminate data entry errors.
Provide a live status production update to the ERP system

To achieve the objectives, Opensoft Systems proposed the following:

Categorise each ingredient depending on their contamination risk (e.g.: clean, colour, flavour, etc.)
Decide the minimum number of days that should be planned at one time, allowing for the need to reschedule to take into account fast-tracked orders.
Design a method to reposition the jobs in the plan and add the ability to reschedule a new running order, adding in the clean in-process procedure as required to avoid contamination.
Integrate SAP to the MES System to enable the end-to-end integration of batch production orders to the production facility. This was to provide a live view of any in-process production batch order and provide an update to the raw ingredients inventory.
To provide user access to the system using a ‘zero client’ approach, effectively providing thin clients with web browser access via the company’s intranet. This allowed users to plan, schedule, execute and view all production batches across the factory.

The Solution

Opensoft Systems designed and built the new system architecture and integrated it to their SAP system. As a result, when an order is now released in SAP, the batch request data automatically transfers to the MES, and the real-time status for each batch is displayed in the production schedule held within the MES application.

After computing variables, we provided within the application, the system presents the production operator with a suggested schedule plan based on the orders size, volume, priority, and ingredient make up. The operator has an option to accept or modify the schedule. Once the schedule plan is accepted, the order is updated with the processing time and expected dispatch date. Production batches are then committed to production.

Our client now has visibility of their entire process from order confirmation to dispatch date. Since the sales team can see the production process in real-time, they can manage their customers’ expectations regarding order fulfillment. The customer service team can quickly give updates regarding order status. Additionally, the new system produces a batch trail report which they can use to prove compliance to food standard policies.

Client's Feedback

‘We are very pleased with result of this project. A month after the project was completed, we were audited by one of our major customers for food compliance. We were worried as the system was still settling down. However, we are pleased to say that we passed the audit first time. Our plants efficiency is now on average, 40% higher per month due to the improvements made to our production system.’

Production Manager

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Cheese Production – SCADA / Virtualisation

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 09:41:10 +0000

Virtual SCADA Deployment

Our client is a manufacturer of award-winning cheese and some of the most recognisable brands of cheeses available in the market. They are one of the largest producers of cheddar in the UK.

More information about Virtualisation

The Challenge

Our client’s site production system responsible for the dairy process was deployed over 15 years ago. Their existing SCADA is installed in a traditional PC located in the reception area and cheese production area. As cheese making process involves heating cheese vats by steam, humidity is a constant challenge in the factory.

The humidity is causing condensation. The constant damp is damaging their PC’s components, causing them to short-circuit and fail. When this happens, they lose their data, and production stops while they replace the PC and rebuild their system.

Following several system failures that affected their production, their group automation engineer approached Opensoft Systems to address the issue. One vital part of their brief is for Opensoft Systems to design a system with a solution based on their current SCADA platform and to factor in future expansion plans.

The Solution

Following the initial consultation, we proposed the following solution:

Virtualise their existing system to build resilience.
Keep the virtual server in an air-conditioned room in a different location within the plant, where condensation is not a problem.
Build active redundancy to increase system reliability

The process was split into two phases. Phase 1 is virtualising their existing system, and phase 2 is upgrading their SCADA in the virtual platform. We also proposed to keep their existing S7-400 PLC as they are in good order.

The Implementation

Opensoft Systems took a copy of our client’s existing system and upload them to the virtual machine server that is now located in a different area with controlled temperature. We upgraded their PLC communication to Ethernet to enable radio frequency detection with auto switch-over to the standby server in the event of system failure.

This means that one system fails, the virtual machines running on it will move to the other server and start automatically.

To remove the risk of local PC failure, we deployed thin client technology to access the server. As thin clients have no hard drive and operating system, they are resilient to dampness. And if they fail, they can be easily replaced without affecting the data.

The virtualised environment now provides fully automatic failover in case of system failures.

This provides the plant with a redundant system that is extremely quick to rebuild when required. A fully built client can be configured as a master template and redeploy within minutes.

Our client’s system is also now easily scaled. If they want to expand their system, they simply need to add more thin clients and connect them to the server. If they need to install new software, patch an application or operating system, or upgrade their network, they only need to do the work on the server, not on an individual terminal.

Client's Original Architecture

Client's Feedback

‘Since the new system was installed, it has performed more smoothly with the added safeguard that our SCADA is now fully redundant. We can expand the system as required without unnecessary system build time. With thin clients, we don’t need extra PCs across the plant, which in the past, have become an additional maintenance overhead for us.

The installation was seamless and didn’t cause disruption to the plant’.

Group Automation Engineer

Client's New Architecture

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Brewing – PLC / SCADA Integration

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:02:51 +0000

Network and PLC Upgrade for Process Evaporator

Heineken is one of UK’s most recognisable cider and beer brands, as well as the company behind some of the popular brands such as Strongbow and Foster’s. The company has a number of production plants in the country. Recently, Opensoft Systems was tasked to carry out a control systems upgrade on their process evaporator at their cider production plant that produces their cider portfolio, including Strongbow and Bulmers.

Click here to visit Heinken’s website

The Challenge

The Universal Beverages Ledbury manufacturing site has an important role in the production of Heineken beer and cider. The site processes some 130,000 tonnes of apples at the site every year. The control system across the plant consists of the main PLC communicating through a DeviceNet network to six other remote racks, and connected to a single SCADA system. The existing PLC is past its lifecycle and needs upgrading. The remote 1794-ASB flex I/O racks were also obsolete and unsupported and the DeviceNet network had been experiencing network faults.

The Proposal

To upgrade the plant’s system, Opensoft proposed to migrate their existing Rockwell PLC 5 series rack to a Rockwell Controllogix rack and replace the DeviceNet ring topology network with an Ethernet ring topology network.

The Solution

Before starting on the proposed solution, HEINEKEN and Opensoft Systems Engineering Teams worked together to develop a Functional Design Specification (FDS) to ensure that everyone involved is clear about their roles and responsibilities in the project. After HEINEKEN has signed off the FDS, the project was commissioned with minimal disruption to the production process. The new control system now provides stability to a critical part of the production process ensuring future supportability.

Technologies Used

Rockwell Control Logix 1756-L71 – 1794-ASB flex I/O racks

SCADA software

Original System Configuration

Client's Feedback

“We have now run all of the production processes and CIP recipes without many major problems and the machine is efficiently producing concentrate. All in all a very successful piece of work without any problems. Thanks to all of your colleagues at Opensoft who worked on this project.”

Site Automation Manager

Heineken

New System Configuration

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Dairy Industry – CIP Reporting

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 15:41:02 +0000

Data Historian & CIP Reporting

Meadow Foods is the UK’s largest independent dairy and a leading supplier of milk and dairy ingredients to the food industry. Their products are categorised into Butters, Creams, Milks, and Cultured & Sweetened products. These are manufactured in three BRC 6, Grade A, accredited factories and packed into a wide variety of pack sizes to suit their customer’s needs. These factories are utilised to supply over 100,000 tonnes of bulk dairy products to their customers.

Click here to visit Meadow Foods website

The Challenge

The processing plant is situated 20 miles South-East of York. It offers around the clock production and manufactures the full range of their sweetened dairy products which are distributed to some of the world’s leading food manufacturers.

In order to cope with around the clock production and to help drive continuous process improvement across their production operations, the company required greater visibility of plant data. Following consultation with Opensoft Systems Ltd, it was agreed to deploy a Data Historian to efficiently collect and store real time data, in order to drive proces
improvements through greater understanding of plant data. The historian allows the business to monitor key metrics relating to process operations throughout the plant.

The Process

Opensoft Systems were chosen to implement the new historian owing to their wealth of experience in integrating automation software across fast-moving process operations. Opensoft recommended a data historian, lending itself well to the real-time process analysis required by the site. The system linked seamlessly to the site’s Kepserver I/O server providing a real-time data stream across the plant’s Mitsubishi Q Series PLCs.

CIP (clean in place) is an important requirement for any food production facility, a change in products manufactured requires a thorough clean of all process equipment prior to re-utilisation for new recipes. Process values such as clean type, temperature, and pressure must be captured by the system for each clean which acts as proof of traceability for end customers and regulatory bodies.

The Result

Following system implementation, training was provided to assist personnel in understanding the configuration of the historian server’s utilities, management of the system, data analysis and production of reports. The software allows for information to be reported in a variety of ways from trends to tabularised data allowing data to be exported to Excel for further analysis.

Historian Trend

Client's Feedback

“Opensoft Systems were chosen to implement the new historian owing to their wealth of experience in integrating automation software across fast-moving process operations.

The system linked seamlessly to the sites Kepserver I/O server providing a real-time data stream across the plants Mitsubishi Q Series PLCs.

‘Meadow Foods’ Group Engineering Manager commented:

We needed a tool that allowed us to understand after-the-event issues across our plant. Opensoft installed the historian with minimal fuss and aligned the reports to our needs very well.”

Engineering Manager

Meadow Foods

Proposed System Architecture

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Food Production – Reporting & Tracability

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:08:58 +0000

Reporting Solution for Food Production

Leading retail supermarket Morrison’s operates a number of their Farmers Boy fresh food processing facilities across the UK. Their production facilities provide a range of fresh food own brand produce supplied through over 500 Morrison outlets throughout the country.

Click here to visit Morrisons website

Technologies Used

Kepware OPC Driver – ASP.Net – MSSQL Server

Project Scope

The manufacturer of food products requires reliable monitoring and reporting systems to enable operational staff to ensure the very highest quality products are produced.

With a solid track record in delivering effective solutions across the food manufacturing industry, Opensoft were approached to deliver a real time production reporting system for their custard production facility located in West Yorkshire.

The Solution

Productions data was collected from the production plant using a centralised database approach. Opensoft developed a series of web based reporting tools enabling live production data to be readily available. Batch production reports developed by the company automatically reported on the specific production batch number, batch ingredient make up and cooking temperatures, these were presented for convenience via the company’s internal intranet for management and operational personnel alike.

The system ensured that food production data was securely stored for traceability compliance and enabled real-time production data to be quickly accessed to allow production decisions to be taken quickly and efficiently.

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Tobacco Industry – SCADA Virtualisation

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 15:58:54 +0000

AVS Secures Leaf Production Control System

Imperial Tobacco manufactures and markets a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco products, mass-market cigars, and tobacco accessories such as papers and tubes.

Opensoft Systems migrated the sites existing SCADA control system to virtualised servers in order to safeguard the systems uptime and reliability. The site’s SCADA system controls the production of tobacco leaf where accurate control of humidity and product weight are key to controlling product quality.

Click here to visit Imperial Brands website

The Challenge

Tobacco leaf is handled from goods inwards through to the production plant. Firstly the tobacco leaf is sorted before it enters a Drying process to control moisture in the raw leaf prior the leaf being further sorted and cut to suit.

Control of this process is provided through the sites WinCC SCADA system, the site were concerned with the systems reliability owing to their reliance on ageing system hardware and single point of failure.

The Solution

New virtualised server hardware was deployed to the Factory’s master SCADA systems to enable the systems to be migrated to modern thin client PC hardware. The SCADA servers were upgraded to the latest Windows operating system. In addition we enabled the redundancy ‘high avainaility’ features available within VM Wares ESXi platform to provide instant failover in the event of either system experiencing a failure.

The redundancy component was then added and configured to provide routine weekly backups to the systems SCADA application and data, thereby providing security going forwards.

In the event of PC hardware needing to be replaced new hardware could be deployed and the current backup simply downloaded ready for use. All plant settings and configuration to the plant controllers would be re-initialised upon launching the recovered backup, enabling the application to be operational immediately.

Technologies Used

VM Ware ESXi v6.0 with High Availability feature enabled – Windows 7 Operating Systems – HP Thin Client hardware

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Food Manufacturer – SCADA Virtualisation Migration

Opensoft Systems Ltd — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 14:22:39 +0000

AVS Safeguards to Ensure Fast Production Recovery

Bought from Premier Foods by Hain Celestial in 2012, the Histon food production facility based near Cambridge produces some of the UK’s most famous jam and spreads such as Hartley’s, Frank Cooper, and Robertson’s. The facility operates a number of batch production plant facilities which are process controlled by a number of SCADA and PLC systems distributed throughout the plant. The systems allow plant operation staff to control ingredient additions, control recipes, and set cooking profiles to production vessels.

Click here to visit Hain Daniels website

Project Scope

The systems also provide historical information logs to maintain production quality and process traceability. To maintain production uptime and safeguard the quality of operation the company installed AVS to ensure resilience to their systems and secure operation across all production areas. The AVS system ensures consistent backups are taken of all critical application and plant data and enables the fast recovery of production control applications in the event they are required.

Technologies Used

VMware Workstation
Active Virtualisation Software

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