Eckes-Granini Deutschland GmbH, Germany

Full vertical integration – from ERP through MES to control level – has been achieved at two facilities owned by Eckes-Granini Deutschland GmbH (Bad Fallingbostel, Bröl).

After replacing the existing line management system of the bottling plant with ProLeiT Plant iT LMS, Plant Batch iT and Plant integrate iT were installed to control fruit juice mixing and to act as the MES level between business management and production / bottling respectively. When the installed solution went live, it ensured vertical and horizontal integration, from received materials right through to pallet transfer to the high bay warehouse.

Thanks to the comprehensive interfaces between the systems, material master data, raw material orders and production and bottling orders from the ERP system now reach subordinate levels seamlessly. After being modified at ERP level, material master data is transferred automatically to the subordinate systems where it is then updated. Raw material orders are accepted in the MES. This is also where received materials, among other things, are processed using integrated scanners and barcode printers, and from where respective data (delivery note data, quantity of raw materials, storage, etc.) is fed back to subordinate systems and the business management level.

Production and bottling orders are approved in the MES and processed in the Process Control System or Line Management System. Feedback about applied raw and packaging materials and actual quantities produced is initially sent to the MES during and upon completion of orders. Consumption data is also transferred automatically to the ERP system after carrying out a plausibility check.

Batch tracking occurs at MES level – from received materials to the transfer of palleted finished products to the storage system. A comprehensive and extensive reporting system in the three installed Plant iT modules complements the installed solution. 

The vertical and horizontal integration of our process control system Plant iT allows Eckes-Granini to achieve maximum transparency at its plants. This enables the continuous optimisation of processes at the various levels of the hierarchy.