SOLAREC
De la vache au comptoir
SOLAREC est un producteur laitier belge en pleine croissance qui contrôle l’ensemble de sa chaîne d’approvisionnement. La coopérative ne cesse de s’étendre et d’adapter son infrastructure à son essor. La zone de réception, où le lait est livré, testé et acheminé vers les réservoirs de stockage, est cruciale pour l’ensemble des opérations. SOLAREC a contacté INDEFF, son partenaire de longue date en matière d’automatisation industrielle, pour mener le projet de réorganisation de la zone de réception sur un site de production.
SOLAREC
From cow to counter
SOLAREC is a growing Belgian dairy producer that controls its entire supply chain. The cooperation is steadily expanding and renovating its infrastructure along the way. The reception area – where milk is delivered, tested and funneled into storage tanks – is crucial to the entire operation. SOLAREC contacted INDEFF, its long-time industrial automation partner, to lead the reception revamping project in one production site.
PLC & SCADA: a productive combination
The automation project revolved around the reception manifold: an intricate system of valves that sends the milk to multiple destinations. In order to make the countless parts flow perfectly, INDEFF coordinated the PLC installation with an external partner and developed the SCADA solution.
Eliminate human error
Yes, the production site works more efficiently. But there’s also continual data acquisition to feed SOLAREC’s ERP. Executives rely on automated reporting and are able to monitor milk intake wherever they are. Finally, the automated sampling module has eliminated human error during a crucial part of the process: quality control.
Automated reception
SOLAREC’s reception operators used to connect trucks to the right valve, manually. Today, thanks to the new PLCs and SCADA system, milk is automatically funneled to the appropriate tank and production line. As a result, storage tanks are used more efficiently and milk flows better than ever.
Goals
- Transform the technical specifications into a functional analysis
- Code the new reception area PLCs
- Rely on INDEFF’s dairy expertise
- Install the automated sampling procedure
- Control the cleaning of lines & storage tanks
Challenges
- Realize an ambitious planning
- Facilitate automated cleaning procedures
- Training the operators
Results
- Milk is automatically funneled to the right tanks
- Full documentation of all systems
- Reliable solution: almost no maintenance
- Solid relationships with external partner