‘The challenge is to produce in a sustainable way for more and more people’

Clever IT solutions for Smart Factories in Food, Chemistry and Pharma

The demand for high-quality safe food, chemical products and medicines is increasing and evolving all the time. However, resources are scarce and the environment must be protected. To fulfil the demand, you need clever factories. Factories that, thanks to fully automated processes, can produce as energy-efficiently and resource-efficiently as possible. And that, through continuous process monitoring and adjustment, manufacture products that always fulfil the right customer specifications and statutory quality and safety norms.

ICT Group can help you produce in a smart way with innovative software and hardware solutions. We take care of the link to your ERP, the implementation of the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) up to and including direct control at process level. We also enable you to control optimally on result by modelling processes using Model Predictive Control. Thanks to the use of these smart automated solutions, information in the factory is always up to date and available immediately. In this way you can increase the speed and flexibility of your production process.

We also help you to bring IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operations Technolgy) together. Due to growing international competition, pressure on margins and changes in the chain, many manufacturing companies are experiencing the pressure to work even more efficiently. Much efficiency improvement is hidden in better collaboration between IT and OT. Read here how to ensure complete alignment between IT and OT in 4 steps.

Benefits

Customer Satisfaction

Higher quality
Systems that send out the right quality parameters
Shorter lead time
Systems that flexibly control manufacturing processes
Increased efficiency
Systems with innovative process technology

Use of resource

Reduced operational costs
The right costs through less inventory, less waste and less consumption of raw materials
Reliable systems
Through secure systems operating on the basis of standardized processes
Effective processes
Efficient control through systems with big data storage, KPI dashboards and advanced analytics

Food

The so-called healthy eaters grow in numbers on the other hand, there is a large group of people who do not go beyond actual ideologies. Concern for pure water, pure food, GMOs and the way the food industry deals with nutrition and sustainability, binds people together and brings challenges for companies operating in these markets.

In the food industry, products are often made in batches or in a continuous process in the processing department. They are then turned into consumer packaged goods in packaging lines. Both departments require specific solutions for Tracking-and-Tracing, barcode and RFID, order management, recipe management, OEE calculations, changeovers and cleaning, sampling, analysis provisions and delivery and transport of bulk and warehouse goods.

Animal Feed is a special branch of industry which large volumes and short delivery times require the maximum operating efficiency for its bulk processes.

Chemicals and Pharma

The right skills and industry-specific knowledge of the market we operate in, are essential as safety and accuracy are crucial in these markets. Over the years, we have developed and gained specific expertise in continuous and batch processes in the field of bulk and fine chemicals. We provide total solutions with DCS, (safety) PLC and MES. Prolonged production runs and long start-up times demand specific automation solutions and a focus on safety and the environment, including the use of SIL and ATEX.

Our professionals are skilled and experienced in control, information and knowledge technologies. In practice, we can realise advanced applications, including those for optimisation by:

Model Predictive Control (MPC)
Statistical Proces Control (SPC)
Asset Management (AM)
Recipe- and Transition Management

Solutions

To create a smart production company with the crucial connection between manufacturing and business. And at the heart of the production activities useful information should be shared for both processes via a smart connection.