Industry

Batch traceability, filling line performance and process records for food and beverage plants

We bring batch data, process values and line performance into one record, from raw material intake to filling and packaging.

Let's talk about your project → What we deliver

Our clients

Siemens
Anadolu Isuzu
BSH
Tofaş
Toyotetsu
Martur
Turkcell
Vodafone
Doğadan
Pakmaya
Bross
Abdi İbrahim
Nobel İlaç
Plastimak
Dalgıç Kalıp
Barbaros Motor
Magneti Marelli
Rözmaş
Sanel

Two questions never go away in food and beverage plants: which raw material lots and process conditions went into this batch, and why did the line not reach today's plan? The answers usually live in paper batch sheets, a chart recorder on the pasteurizer, the filler's screen and the ERP, all separately.

VOLSOFT reads data from the PLCs of process and packaging machines without touching their control logic and links temperatures, times, flows, fill counts, checkweigher and label data to the batch number. CIP cycles and hygiene steps go into the same record.

During a recall exercise or a customer audit, batch history is then pulled from recorded data, and stoppages, format changes and waste on filling and packaging lines become visible. Every project is built on Proxus.

What we deliver

Food and beverage

Batch and lot traceability

Raw material lots, recipe, process tanks and the filled batch are linked. Backward and forward tracing during a recall exercise is done from recorded data.
Filling and packaging line OEE

Downtime, speed loss and waste are measured on fillers, cappers, labelers and case packers, so the bottleneck machine is visible for each line.
Pasteurization, cooking and cooling records

Temperatures and hold times at critical control points are stored per batch. Out-of-limit values are flagged as alarms and records.
CIP and hygiene cycles

Temperature, conductivity and duration of each CIP step are recorded, so you know which cleaning cycle preceded which batch.
Checkweigher and label data

Checkweigher weights and label and best-before data are added to the batch record, and underfill and reject rates are reported.

Processes we work on

Where the data starts in food and beverage

Raw material intake and weighing
Mixing and batch preparation
Pasteurization and UHT
Cooking, drying and cooling
Bottle, can and cup filling lines
Packaging, labeling and case packing
Checkweighers and metal detectors
CIP cleaning systems
Cold room and warehouse temperature monitoring

How a project runs

From discovery to live, step by step

01
Process and line map

We map the flow from intake to dispatch, the critical control points and the machine PLCs on site, and decide where the batch number must travel for traceability.
02
Pilot filling or packaging line

OEE, downtime tracking and batch records go live on one line. The operator panel and shift report are shaped with the people who use them.
03
Process and CIP records

Data from process tanks, pasteurizers and the CIP skid is linked to the batch record.
04
ERP integration and rollout

Recipes, work orders and production confirmations are connected to the ERP, and further lines are added on the same data model.

Built on Proxus

Proxus collects process and packaging machine data with batch context, stores it in its historian and passes it to the ERP, SQL databases or reporting tools.

Proxus is the industrial data platform built by the VOLSOFT team.

Proxus integrations ↗

From the field

One of the clients we work with in this industry

References →

Doğadan

OEE monitoring and alarms for tea packaging machines

An OEE monitoring and alarm system was built for the tea packaging machines, with predictive maintenance planned as the next stage.

“They are very open to new ideas and challenging requests.”

Ebru Kaya Yaşar · Senior Production Manager, Doğadan

Source: the client’s review on Clutch

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

How is traceability done in food production?

Traceability in food production means linking raw material lots, recipe, process values and the filled batch in one record. When machine data is collected automatically, batch history no longer depends on paper sheets. These records feed the documentation that food safety schemes such as ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 ask for.

How is OEE measured on a filling line?

Run, stop and counter signals are read from the PLCs of the filler, capper, labeler and case packer. Availability, performance and quality are calculated from that data per line and per machine.

What food industry work has VOLSOFT done?

At Doğadan, an OEE monitoring and alarm system was built for the tea packaging machines. According to the client's review on Clutch, predictive maintenance was planned as the next stage.

Can CIP records be linked to production records?

Yes. Step, temperature, conductivity and duration values are read from the CIP skid and matched to the tank or line. The record then shows which cleaning cycle was completed before each batch.

How long does a production monitoring project take in a food plant?

It depends on the number of lines, the traceability scope and the ERP integration. Most projects start with a pilot on one filling or packaging line, and the scope is set during the discovery call.