DATA-DRIVEN MANUFACTURING


ingredient quantities can have a major impact on product quality, yield, and production costs. Data-driven solutions that are able to provide centralised recipe management and ensuring accurate formulation data is communicated directly to production can help improve consistency, reduce manual errors, minimise waste, and respond more quickly to changing ingredient costs or availability. It is important to be able to make sense


of the vast amounts of production data generated across a facility today. Too often, valuable information sits in siloed systems and so is not used to its full potential. The BRAIN2 software platform from Bizerba helps enable automatic collection and centralises production and process data, giving greater visibility into operations. “This allows teams to monitor performance in real time, identify inefficiencies, and make more informed decisions based on accurate data,” says Craig. Inventory management is equally important according to


Craig.


“Confectionery manufacturers need to maintain the right stock levels while controlling waste and ensuring traceability.” For Craig, the key is connecting these areas together. “When formulation management, production data collection, and stock control are integrated into a single digital ecosystem, manufacturers can gain a clearer picture of their operations which enables them to improve product quality, increase efficiency, strengthen traceability, and ultimately make better business decisions based on reliable,


real-time


information,” he concludes. Ultimately, it appears that the


must be seamlessly integrated into higher- level systems – because even the smallest deviations will have an impact on product quality, material usage and regulatory compliance. “In weighing technology, minimal deviations often determine quality, costs and compliance – which is why it is so important that data is available consistently and without media breaks,” says Nils. The VDMA Guideline 40200 – which


specifically applies the OPC UA Companion Specification for Weighing Technology – defines standardised data models and variable structures so that a load cell or a control system can be consistently integrated into existing production architectures, regardless of the manufacturer. This enables integration to become predictable – individual interface programming and time- consuming adaptations are reduced – and


production systems gain in transparency, flexibility and future-proofing. Integration capability is also becoming increasingly important


for the future


expandability of production systems. Standardised communication will significantly reduces complexity, allowing systems to be commissioned more quickly, expanded more easily and operated more flexibly in the long term. At the same time, data availability improves along the entire value chain.


Recipe management “One area where I can see significant opportunities for the use of process data is recipe and formulation management,” says Craig Bennet, Solutions Software Specialist at Bizerba UK. Why? In confectionery production,


even small variations in


confectionery manufacturers that will gain the greatest value from their process data will not necessarily be those collecting the most information, but those who are using it most effectively. Across every stage of production – from recipe management and weighing to quality inspection, environmental monitoring and packaging, the message remains the same – data only becomes valuable when it is accurate, contextualised, shared and can be translated into practical action. Achieving this depends on strong


data governance, standardised communication, collaboration between production, quality and IT teams, and giving operators the confidence and skills to act on the insights they receive. By taking a targeted, phased approach and focusing on solving real production challenges confectionery manufacturers will be able to use their process data to reduce waste, improve consistency, increase productivity and build the flexibility needed to remain competitive.


JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 31


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