ForFarmers: Optimising the operational performance of this leader in animal nutrition through Smart Factory
ForFarmers: Optimising the operational performance of this leader in animal nutrition through Smart Factory
ForFarmers Accelerates the Digitalisation and Automation of Its Production Plants
As a European leader in animal nutrition, ForFarmers supports livestock producers with innovative and sustainable feed solutions. Operating in several European countries, the group produces several million metric tons of animal feed each year and relies on an extensive network of industrial sites.
As part of its strategy of continuous improvement, ForFarmers sought to modernize the automation of its plants in order to support its growth, strengthen the standardisation of its processes, and sustainably improve its production performance.
One of the major challenges involved the Lochem site, the largest compound feed plant in the Netherlands.
Addressing Challenges in Performance, Traceability, and Operational Continuity
ForFarmers had to address several industry challenges:
- Increase production capacity at industrial sites;
- Reduce interruptions and disruptions affecting service continuity;
- Standardise production management processes across different plants;
- Improve visibility into industrial performance;
- Enhance traceability of raw materials and finished products;
- Fully integrate production management systems with the existing IT ecosystem.
The goal was to create a more efficient, more reliable, and more data-driven industrial environment.
An MES, SCADA, and Data Factory platform designed to enhance industrial performance
Since 2012, Equans Digital has been supporting ForFarmers in the gradual modernisation of several of its production sites in the Netherlands. Following an initial success at the Deventer site, the model was expanded to the sites in Almelo, Delden, Lochem, and then Reudink.
To address the group’s challenges, Equans Digital deployed the Smart Factory platform, an integrated industrial solution combining automation, monitoring, Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and OT data analytics.
The solution includes, in particular:
- Full integration of the (Programmable Logic Controller) PLC, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), and MES into a single environment;
- Implementation of an architecture based on international standards (ISA-88 and ISA-95);
- The integration of industrial processes into a single operational platform;
- Connection with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to streamline communication between OT and IT;
- Implementation of Business Intelligence tools, dashboards, and industrial KPI tracking;
- Integration of real-time performance measurement capabilities;
- Implementation of comprehensive traceability for raw materials and finished products;
- Centralisation of production data to improve operational management.
Thanks to Smart Factory, ForFarmers now has a platform capable of connecting field data to business metrics to facilitate decision-making and continuous improvement.
Tangible results through the use of industrial data
The modernisation of its various industrial sites has enabled ForFarmers to achieve tangible results:
The overhaul of automation systems and process optimisation have improved the overall performance of the affected plants.
The goal of reducing production downtime was achieved through improved operational control and greater reliability of industrial systems.
ForFarmers now benefits from a consistent approach to automation across multiple industrial sites, making operation, maintenance, and future upgrades easier.
Teams have access to real-time metrics, advanced analytics tools, and greater visibility into industrial performance.
Traceability of raw materials and finished products contributes to higher production quality and enhanced compliance.
Smart Factory Benefits for Production Teams
- More Efficient Industrial Production
- Reduced operational disruptions
- OT-Data-Driven Plant Control
- Full IT-OT integration
- End-to-end traceability
- Standardisation of industrial processes
- Continuous improvement through KPIs and Business Intelligence
- Scalable and future-proof architecture
Key Figures for the Smart Factory Project at ForFarmers
Would you like to improve the performance of your industrial operations?
Discover how Smart Factory can help you leverage your OT data, optimize your production processes, and improve the performance of your industrial sites. Talk to our experts today.Would you like to improve the performance of your industrial operations?
Discover how Smart Factory can help you leverage your OT data, optimize your production processes, and improve the performance of your industrial sites. Talk to our experts today.