Founded 172 years ago, Carlsberg is a Danish Brewing company with a global presence that is one of the world’s leaders in the brewing industry. With over 140 brewed beverages, including core beers, specialty and craft beers, alcohol-free brews, and local brands from numerous countries, Carlsberg has a diverse and globalized beer portfolio.
Having grown through multiple acquisitions, Carlsberg faced some challenges common to manufacturers that operate sites in different regions of the world. Namely, there was little consistency in how various sites tracked production data. Consequently, the lack of consistent data and outdated methods meant they couldn’t fully optimize machine performance, which led to unplanned downtime, longer lead times, increased costs, and decreased throughput—all of which negatively impacted overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Despite having a full manufacturing execution system (MES) in 10 factories, Carlsberg knew they needed a lighter solution that would scale quickly and easily, one that would help them standardize data collection across their global facilities to improve production performance.
Carlsberg与AutoWare合作，利用IoT解决方案并改善OEE
Carlsberg turned to Autoware, an Italian software company focused on implementing digital transformation in the manufacturing sector, as the technology partner to help them improve their data collection and processes. To do so, Autoware leveraged PTC technology to design an IoT-based application for real-time performance monitoring. The application could be used by machine operators to easily assess production performance across different facilities via real-time data and alerts.
To develop the application, Autoware utilized Kepware, a software that automatically pulls data from a variety of automation devices and software applications and aggregates it into a uniform data model. In addition, Autoware used ThingWorx, an end-to-end industrial IoT platform which provides visibility into production and asset health with real-time data analytics and a rich array of insights and production reporting. Together, the technologies allowed Carlsberg to monitor machine data and project it onto dashboards.
The data gives operators a clear understanding of how the line is performing against targets, while real-time alerts help them quickly identify and resolve any production issues. Similarly, some floor operators have tablets equipped with an app that leverages ThingWorx data to track the downtime of a specific machine and proposes the reason in real time; the operator can then confirm next actions to take, even from a remote location in the facility.
Autoware’s solution helps Carlsberg standardize and scale with efficiency
Carlsberg had already laid much of the groundwork toward standardization across facilities, but their new solution would better address the gaps created by legacy equipment and variations in data collection, architecture, and software. Importantly, the standardization of data and metrics would allow Carlsberg to evaluate machine performance and productivity relative to other factories. After launching in just three months, it would also help satisfy the need to scale quickly across multiple facilities.
值得注意的是,Kepware是价值和实现的关键working within a centrally configured data environment. It allowed them to import and export configuration information and easily adapt any particular facility’s variances to meet the application’s data standards. Kepware collects data from the PLCs throughout the regional sites, and ThingWorx utilizes the data from Kepware and visualizes it for real-time monitoring and diagnosis at each site.
The team chose a cloud-based architecture for the new solution, which offered some significant benefits over the previous on-premise solution in their other facilities. A cloud-based solution makes it easier to evolve the system and add new features. Any updates to the application only need to be deployed once, and the cloud-based architecture makes those same changes immediately available to any site. At the same time, they can make some site-specific features available only to certain locations and deploy them at others later.
This flexibility to configure the solution as needed— thus being more efficient and saving time—greatly improves the total cost of ownership. “The footprint of the new solution is much smaller than the footprint of an on-premise solution—it takes fewer resources to manage,” says Marco Faltracco, Technical Lead at Autoware. “The architecture enables them to scale to so many more plants, and now they’re considering further expansion because it’s easy to do that,” he continues. “In terms of total cost of ownership, it’s much lower than having an on-premise solution.”
Carlsberg在规划更可持续的未来的同时实现了提高的性能和生产力
迄今为止，申请已于28个Carlsberg设施推出。最终，议程将包括在剩下的啤酒厂中实施。虽然Carlsberg的数字转型之旅仍然展开，但他们已经看到了整个业务的实时性能监控的明显好处。首先，他们看到了改进的运营程序和更高质量的产品，以及更高的能见度的线条中断更少。此外，Carlsberg经历了更好的预防性维护的设备停机时间。另一个正面结果是减少废物，积极贡献碳排放和可持续性的公司目标。
Notably, the power of partnership has made all the difference in Carlsberg’s ability to roll out their solution with confidence and efficiency, which only stands to benefit all parties in the long run.
For Carlsberg, advancing their digital journey has been a confirmation of the company’s consistent place in the brewing industry as not just an innovator, but as a company looking to create a better, more sustainable future—and they look forward to partnering with Autoware for continued success.
