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FOOD & BEVERAGE UPGRADING THANKS TO DATA ANALYSIS


Cleca chose OMRON and its new IoT data analysis service to optimise the efficiency of its ready-made broth line


Adding data to the mix has increased productivity by 8% at Italian food processor Cleca. The improvements were made thanks to the use of i-BELT data analysis from OMRON


new IoT data analysis service to optimise the efficiency of its ready-made broth line, which was considered insufficient to meet current demand. The upgrade, performed without installing new machinery, has enabled the Mantuan brand to produce over 800,000 cartons from the line per month. In recent years, Cleca's business has


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adapted to new market trends and, in particular to the high demand for ready- made convenience products. The focus was mainly on ready-to-use broth, a product with double-digit growth factors that prompted the company to review its technological infrastructure. Assisting Cleca on its quest for


technological modernisation was the OMRON team that for several years has been overseeing i-BELT, a service that uses the principles of the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analysis to improve the efficiency of automated systems. Cleca's objective for revamping its ready-


to-use broth line was to achieve an increase of at least 3–4 percentage points compared to the first line launched in 2018.. In the initial phase, two options were considered: either overhaul the entire line by investing in new machinery or optimise the performance of the existing system through targeted improvements. "Thanks to OMRON's assurances, we went


for the second option straight away, and not just because of the cost," explained Michele


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leca, the San Martino-based company known for its sweets mix, savory dishes and seasonings, chose OMRON and its


Franceschini, Chief Information Officer and Bakery General Manager at Cleca. "Right from the outset, we were aware we were losing efficiency due to the complexity of the line, which has six substations and a whole host of components from various brands, all of which need to be able to communicate with each other. We therefore called on OMRON to determine which parts of the line were being under-utilised or misused in order to boost efficiency." "In response to Cleca's request, we


evaluated every aspect of the line as if it were a chain made up of several links," explained Paolo Cavallanti, i-BELT Project Manager at OMRON. "We have a good understanding when it comes to the processes of the various machines and substations, but the only way to truly pinpoint the weak link in the chain is to analyse its strength and performance. However, while this step is key, it's still not enough to go ahead and make adjustments to the line's operation. The other factor to consider is how the individual elements are interconnected. Any corrective


5 JULY/AUGUST 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL


action could in fact negatively impact the outcome or even the operation of the line itself. This led us to see the process not so much as a linear path from input A to output B, but as a result of a complex network of several inputs and outputs, all of which determine the resilience of the line." The Cleca line is the first of its kind in Europe


to use i-BELT, the OMRON service that leverages IoT solutions to gather, view and analyse data on site in order to optimise the manufacturing process. This represents a paradigm shift, which, combined with OMRON automation, serves to make projects scalable, replicable and above all consistent. The engineers focused on the various


stages of the complex line, which consists of six substations — pasteurisation, filling, capping, X-ray checks, packaging and palletisation — and is equipped with multiple automation components on the Sysmac platform, including NX1 controller machines and OMRON 1S Series servo motors. The work plan specifically offered the possibility of analysing the performance of


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