In the dairy industry, the production is dynamic and commodity-driven. To help meet high demand, companies require a shift in thinking about what processes and technologies are used, as well as what new skills are needed.
The challenges and opportunities are as varied as the companies themselves. Some may discover bottlenecks in a process that can be solved through enhanced machine control, while others may find that the ability to predict maintenance and reduce downtime delivers the most benefit.
The possibilities are endless, but they all need to begin with a basic step – get connected.
Advanced solutions and smart machines enabled by The Connected Enterprise® empower manufacturers to gain connectivity in equipment and gain insights into operations, resulting in automation with real-time controls.
Operational Improvements
Milk Specialties Global needed help to keep up with high demand, therefore they invested in manufacturing intelligence to achieve real-time analytics and insights into their operations to drive improvements in production processes.
The company rolled out the FactoryTalk® VantagePoint® enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI) software from Rockwell Automation across its three primary raw milk facilities in the U.S. Within their operations, the EMI software collects, correlates and displays real-time process, business and laboratory data.
It has established a “system of record” that produces a consistent set of facts upon which decisions can be made. This has helped justify operational changes and investments that are crucial to helping the company keep up with market demands.
Following the positive changes, the system showed significant yield improvements – a 7 percent increase in throughput.