Maximising the return from automation investment
August 2004
SCADA/HMI
Surveillance
The food and beverage industry requires engineering solutions that are unique due to the nature of the goods produced. While quality control, enhanced productivity and profitability are crucial to a company's success, compliance with regulations is also paramount in this field.
The advent of FDA 21 CFR Part 11, of the Bioterrorism Act and the growing expectations by customers that GAMP4 processes are being used in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry is enough to cause headaches for any organisation wishing to remain competitive. Innovative solutions to plant expansion and modernisation can prevent costly disruptions to production, which is especially important to an industry producing primarily perishable goods.
Ensuring the quality and safety of products is of top priority to manufacturers in the F&B industry. Product recalls are common and often go unnoticed, as most do not pose a serious threat to public health. However, unsafe products do occasionally reach consumers, requiring tremendous efforts in identification and recall. That includes detection of the source of the problem and of additional products that might be tainted. Manufacturers go to great efforts to protect product brand value and reduce brand risks because a single product recall has the potential to destroy a brand.
Beiersdorf and Fargo examples
For leading international consumer goods companies such as Arnotts, BakeMark and Beiersdorf AG, increasing productivity has been the challenge and in each case, Citect has provided a reliable solution.
"Citectscada Batch increases the efficiency of our plants and ensures a continuously high quality of manufacturing. It offers the required flexibility in order to meet all demands concerning a user friendly operation as well as a GMP-compliant documentation," explains Klaus Maiwald of Production Management at Beiersdorf - CPG, Berlin.
For others, such as MacDonald's hamburger supplier, Farlo, Citect delivered a system to enable traceability. "In our business, traceability is very important," says Barbro Bengtsson, project leader at Farlo. "If something should happen, we need to trace all source components to ensure that only the highest quality beef reaches our customers."
"We gain a lot from an integrated system which encompasses the whole process, the information flow creates a holistic approach and increases efficiency as well as reliability in our daily work."
Total integrated solution
Calling it 'Plant Floor to the Store', Citect has developed a recipe for success aimed at ensuring that manufacturers' business and production processes are both competitive and compliant. The total integrated solution combines the reliability and scalability of its Citectscada Batch solution with the enterprise-wide, realtime analytical information management modules, CitectIIM Tracking and Quality, and the wealth of experience from its Professional Services team, to ensure:
* Consistent high quality.
* Product genealogy from the suppliers to distributors.
* Connectivity to plant and business systems to support realtime decision making.
Figure 1. Plant Floor to the Store
For more information contact Lauren Pistorius, sales coordinator, Citect South Africa, 011 699 6600, [email protected], www.citect.com
Further reading:
Banking’s AI reckoning
Commercial (Industry) Surveillance Access Control & Identity Management Fire & Safety Perimeter Security, Alarms & Intruder Detection Information Security Asset Management News & Events Integrated Solutions Infrastructure Security Services & Risk Management Education (Industry) Entertainment and Hospitality (Industry) Financial (Industry) Healthcare (Industry) Industrial (Industry) Mining (Industry) Residential Estate (Industry) Retail (Industry) Transport (Industry) Conferences & Events Products & Solutions Associations Videos Training & Education Smart Home Automation Agriculture (Industry) Logistics (Industry) AI & Data Analytics Facilities & Building Management IoT & Automation Power Management
From agentic commerce disputes to quantum-powered risk modelling, SAS experts offer a ‘banker’s dozen,’ 13 industry-defining predictions that will separate institutions that master intelligent banking from those still struggling with the basics.
Read more...
Axis signs CISA Secure by Design pledge
Axis Communications SA
News & Events Surveillance Information Security
Axis Communications has signed the United States Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Secure by Design pledge, signalling the company’s commitment to upholding and transparently communicating the cybersecurity posture of its products.
Read more...
Five key technology trends for the security sector in 2026
Axis Communications SA
News & Events Surveillance
Axis Communications examines trends it considers important for 2026, as technology and customer requirements continue to evolve, but the basic security needs of end users remain constant.
Read more...
AI agent suite for control rooms
Milestone Systems
News & Events Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Visionplatform.ai announced the public launch of its new visionplatform.ai Agent Suite for Milestone XProtect, adding reasoning, context and assisted decision-making on top of existing video analytics and events — without sending video to the cloud.
Read more...
HC Series hand controller
SCADA/HMI
The HC Series hand controller is a pre-qualified solution for demanding environments, and ensures safe and intuitive command where standard controls fail.
Read more...
Becoming a leader in alarm annunciators
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
SCADA/HMI
The rise of the digital age and PC-based systems and graphical interfaces led many to view the traditional annunciator market as obsolete. Omniflex explains how the company saw the market differently to then established players like Highland and Rochester, and how it reshaped the industry.
Read more...
ONVIF to end support for Profile S
News & Events Surveillance
ONVIF has announced that it will end support for ONVIF Profile S and recommends using its successor, Profile T. Profile S is the first-ever profile introduced by ONVIF in 2011.
Read more...
IQ and AI
Leaderware
Editor's Choice Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Following his presentation at the Estate Security Conference in October, Craig Donald delves into the challenge of balancing human operator ‘IQ’ and AI system detection within CCTV control rooms.
Read more...
New Edge AI Plus PTZ cameras with analytics
Products & Solutions Surveillance
IDIS has unveiled two new PTZ cameras that are NDAA-compliant, delivering AI auto-tracking, rapid 40x zoom, EIS image stabilisation, and advanced automated AI functionality.
Read more...
Intuitive CNC HMIs with simulation functionality
Beckhoff Automation
SCADA/HMI
The TwinCAT 3 automation software from Beckhoff offers two new function libraries for CNC-specific user interfaces. These were used to create an advanced, intuitive HMI application specifically for CNC purposes and to simulate part machining using real-time data.
Read more...
printer friendly version