Product category:
Process Control: SCADA, ERP, MES and networks
News Release from: Marco | Subject: Trac-IT MES
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 June 2006
Weighing and traceability system brings
benefits
Marco Weighing have installed the first stage of a Trac-IT MES weighing and traceability system for Maple Leaf Bakeries at their recently expanded bagel plant near Rotherham
Marco Weighing have installed the first stage of a Trac-IT MES weighing and traceability system for Maple Leaf Bakeries at their recently expanded bagel plant near Rotherham The Trac-IT system plays a key role in Maple Leaf's Six Sigma 'doing things right' philosophy at the site, focussed on quantitatively understanding and consistently meeting critical customer needs by minimising waste throughout the entire value chain
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 20 Mar 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Canadian owned Maple Leaf make bagels at the site - lots of them! With a capacity of over 60,000 fresh and frozen bagels an hour, the company is Europe's largest producer of this iconic American snack, supplying all the major supermarkets and retail outlets with private and New York Bagel Co branded goods.
The Marco system comprises a goods-in PC based module and printer, three DataMaster terminals, two DataMaster recipe workstations in the recipe make-up room, two DataMaster workstations in the main mixing area and strategically placed waste monitoring stations.
All these communicate via the robust RF LAN and are fitted with wireless interfaced RF bar code scanners.
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A comprehensive Trac-IT MES Packhouse Solution is bringing significant benefits to a dedicated packhouse in the Richard Hochfeld fruit packing, grading and storage facility in Faversham, Kent
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The dynamic working partnership between Marco and Cott Beverages has expanded with the installation of a second Trac-IT MES Recipe Formulation Module in the syrup rooms at their Pontefract site
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MES specialists Marco have installed a ground breaking factory wide solution for Rannoch Food Group at their newly commissioned Cucina Sano plant near Boston in Lincolnshire
Given the three-shift, quick turnaround manufacturing environment, it was imperative that the Marco system kept production downtime to an absolute minimum during installation and commissioning.
The company has extensive experience in managing such projects and understand the problems and reservations that can arise.
Their solution is to set up a cross department team from the client, which works closely with Marco personnel throughout the planning, training and implementation stages.
The team from Maple Leaf was made up of representatives from five key departments.
By their own admission, it was more involved than they expected but everyone is delighted with the outcome, as team leader Charlotte Wood explains: "I don't think any of us fully understood what was involved but it was well worth the effort.
Although it was hard work, we can now appreciate what the system can do for us.
By involving different department champions, we ensured that all commercial, IT, planning and production aspects were ironed out prior to the system going live.
Probably the most crucial input was from the factory floor which highlighted important issues the rest of us hadn't considered.
Getting all departments to "buy into" the system has ensured everyone can see the benefits not the downside".
Trac-IT starts work when goods arrive at the stores.
Here all raw materials are checked in against outstanding orders and labelled.
The system automatically checks that the supplier is approved and that the use by date is appropriate.
The system generates a bar code for each individually packed product and pallet module.
Stacked items are stored in 'use by' date order so that the products for current use are at the bottom of the racks as part of the strict FIFO (First In First Out) regime.
Any deboxing is recorded within the system ensuring a traceability continuum throughout.
Bagels are made from unbleached, protein rich, high gluten flour, lightly seasoned with a range of ingredients including special flours, malt, salt, sugar and yeast.
The base flour and water are supplied to the mixer in bulk but the smaller amount of 'special' ingredients, which determine the bespoke nature of the dozens of different bagel types for specific customers, are weighed out by hand.
Dry ingredients are moved around the plant in permanently numbered and bar code labelled mobile bins, which act as individual traceability modules.
An important part of the overall process relates to certain key ingredients which must be sieved on-site prior to recipe make up.
The Trac-IT system highlights these products, together with the necessary sieve sizes and does not allow the product to be used until this has been carried out and recorded.
The additional dry ingredients for a particular batch are made up into sub mixes in the main recipe room using the two DataMaster workstations where the whole process is based on a check-control-measure regime.
The DataMaster industrial pc screens provide clear prompts, which guide the operators through the recipe process ingredient by ingredient.
Works orders downloaded to the station identify batch sizes for a particular mix together with target ingredient weights.
Before each ingredient can be added, its bin is scanned.
The system checks that the correct one has been selected and that it has the shortest use by date, again checking, where applicable, that sieved products are being used.
An important feature of the screen is the dynamic coloured bar graph, which changes from amber through to the green acceptance zone as product is added to the bin on the scale.
As the weight approaches the preset target, the graph expands to allow optimum dosing accuracy.
If the operator adds too much product, the graph changes to red and the operator cannot progress without supervisor intervention.
After each ingredient has been added, the system resets to zero and the process starts again.
The completed sub mixtures now progress to the main mixing room.
Here the system lists the bins required for a particular mix, ensuring that all relevant bins are collated and added.
Additional workstations installed here are used for weighing out wet ingredients including oils.
Waste monitoring is a key part of the process for Maple Leaf and the Marco system keeps a close eye on waste and any permissible rework, recording data throughout the process including final packing.
The next stage of the project will integrate the bulk flour and water weighing systems as well as further integration with Maple Leaf's ERP software system.
As Charlotte Wood concludes: "The current installation is already bringing measurable improvements to our process and has initiated an important traceability chain.
We are confident the completed Trac-IT MES (Manufacturing Execution System) will further ensure that factory floor data is optimised in real time to provide a dynamic measure-control-improve environment.
This will continue to minimise waste through spoilt or inconsistent batches and optimise equipment efficiency.".
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