Manually extracting figures from separate customer order systems and then manually re-entering them into the system that controls production is a risky and problematic process that is time consuming and prone to error, as AarhusKarlshamn Sweden AB (AAK), a leading manufacturer of high-value-added specialty vegetable fats discovered.
A leader in high-value-added speciality vegetable fats
AarhusKarlshamn manufactures high-value-added speciality vegetable fats. Its products are used as substitutes for butterfat and cocoa butter, trans-free solutions for fillings in chocolate and confectionary products, and in the cosmetics industry.
The company has production plants in several countries and is organized in three business areas: Chocolate & Confectionery Fats, Food Ingredients & Technical Products and Feed.
Its hydration plant is where the fats’ melting points are determined according to intended application.
The information, from customer order through production planning, was previously entered manually by the
operators. This naturally increased the risk of human error and sometimes resulted in us running out of material, with a production stop as the inevitable consequence. One of the major goals of the automation project has thus been to minimize manual operations as much as possible