Omnicon and Barry Callebaut join forces to revolutionize operations with cutting-edge MES solutions, paving the way for efficient manufacturing and industry recognition
Omnicon, a global system integrator of industrial automation, smart manufacturing, consulting, and data management solutions, has announced that the company is providing a team of engineering experts to work alongside Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products. Since July 2022, Omnicon has been implementing MES solutions across Barry Callebaut’s plants worldwide, utilizing information from newly-imported PLC data to create reports and dashboards. The team is utilizing AVEVA MES Suite, as well as PLCs from Rockwell Automation and Siemens.
“Omnicon has the resources and skills that are compatible with what we need around all aspects of MES implementation, going from modifications on the PLC to the MES design, development, and integration. When we need additional resources, they are usually able to meet those needs quickly,” says Bram Van Genabet, a Corporate Digital Innovation Manager at Barry Callebaut. “They have an edge over their competition in terms of agility. As a result of our digital transformation initiatives, we are identifying potential capacity and throughput increases in production processes.”
Omnicon’s work has impacted eight to ten plants directly and enabled Barry Callebaut to establish KPIs and measure chocolate production with dashboards and reports. This allows the company to identify and address any issues in the production process, resulting in more efficient operations. Omnicon’s primary objective is to optimize machine efficiency, measure material movement, and maximize process efficiency across the organization. Recently, Barry Callebaut received a prestigious award for Smart Manufacturing: the 2023 Factory of the Future award in January 2023. Omnicon takes pride in their completed projects in MES solutions, automation, and digitalization, and is pleased to see Barry Callebaut achieve this milestone.
“At Omnicon, we are proud to continue providing our expertise and resources to assist Barry Callebaut in their MES implementation and digital transformation initiatives. It is rewarding to see our work making a tangible impact on their operations, with increased efficiency and stability in production processes,” says Daniel Gomez, Chief Operating Officer at Omnicon. “Our ability to quickly address and resolve technical challenges and communicate effectively with teams across the globe has been a significant factor in our success.”
The MES project management faced communication challenges due to the complexity of the international organization, which includes teams in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Latin America. However, Omnicon’s ability to speak both Spanish and English has been a huge advantage, as well as its ability to quickly address and resolve technical challenges to deliver quality work.
“Barry Callebaut is a worldwide example of best practices and a good understanding of the main KPIs of the business. They know that processes are always susceptible to improvement, and they understand that to generate greater positive impacts on production and return on investments, the key factor is timely information that leads to timely and accurate decisions,” says Rafael De Vega, Account Manager at Omnicon. “It has been great to work hand in hand with a company that is so passionate about constant improvement and that keeps its eyes on the future.”
