FDBusiness.com

With Industry 4.0 becoming a major topic in the meat industry, at IFFA 2016 the CSB group of companies will present software, image processing and automation solutions for the production environment of the future, under the title “Global IT Excellence for the Smart Meat Factory” on stand B-81 in hall 11-1.

While today’s industrial systems are still controlled from one central point, the future will see intelligent manufacturing systems with communication between machines, equipment and products. The software, image processing and automation solutions from CSB will successfully manage this digital transformation.

The ERP system, which will also be available from the cloud, takes over a key function. Being a data management system, it not only administers master data and transaction data, but also product data, machine data and process data without any exceptions. This facilitates the consistent use of the data in all applications throughout the entire order processing flow, for example in customer relationship management, production planning, picking or business intelligence.

It is this integration of the ERP system and manufacturing execution system that smooths the transition towards an independent production facility. It establishes the connection between business management and production control and simplifies machine-to-machine networking. “Even in the age of the Smart Meat Factory the ERP system will continue to be the IT backbone of the enterprise,” explains Sarah Vanessa Kröner, member of the board of directors of CSB-System AG

Fully automated image processing systems, as demonstrated on the CSB stand D-70 in hall 11.1, are also key components of Industry 4.0. The CSB-Vision product line has been developed to optimise the use of raw materials. This is critical to success in the meat industry due to the fact that costs for input material are much higher than in most other sectors. Moreover, using fully automated analysis and valuation methods improves the quality of the final products and increases added value. One example of the new possibilities from computer-aided image processing is the visual and perfectly hygienic grading of pig carcasses with a completely automated classification process. Any pertinent data is directly documented in the CSB ERP software.

Such ground-breaking methods also include the entirely automatic identification, sorting and routing of items by means of image analysis, for example at the cutting exit or at the entry of meat production as well as for the quality assessment of raw materials. While tests performed by humans are prone to errors, this solution guarantees constant and consistent quality measurements.

CSB’s third key topic at IFFA will be integrated automation solutions for production and intralogistics. The focus is on solutions with a high level of integration and automation – from innovative storage systems via flexible, fully automatic picking in limited space up to controlling high-performance machine and system environments. CSB linecontrol optimally links production and packaging machines in line with Industry 4.0. With the control station module, users can monitor the machines and facilities in operation from beginning to end and ensure optimal utilisation of capacities. This in turn minimises production stoppages and downtime. As a result, equipment effectiveness remains at a constantly high level, as is demonstrated on the IFFA stand of the Robotik-Pack-Line.

“The international meat industry is eagerly awaiting IFFA 2016 with its focus on ideas, concepts and trends for the years to come,” concludes Sarah Vanessa Kröner.

“We will show concrete step-by-step approaches for establishing the Smart Meat Factory.”