Danish Crown ensures stable and future-proof production

Danish Crown replaces the heart of production at their largest slaughterhouse with an advanced MES platform

Danish Crown’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is absolutely crucial and central to the operation of their slaughterhouses and production lines. However, the food company’s existing MES system is approaching ‘end-of-life’. With the implementation of a new MES solution, they have now ensured that the slaughterhouse in Horsens is fully digitally equipped for future production.

MES plays a crucial role in ensuring that all incoming orders from the ERP system are correctly processed, so that customers receive the expected products on time. It is also MES that ensures traceability and transparency in processes and products, which is especially vital for a large food company like Danish Crown.

With an existing MES approaching end of life, the decision to implement a new system is not a difficult one. Danish Crown chooses a 1:1 solution that mirrors the existing functionality into a new system based on a modern platform, but with individual elements that are optimized to future-proof the new system. They themselves describe the project as a heart operation, as it is the most comprehensive MES platform in Danish Crown that needs to be replaced. A platform that also needs to be replaced during ongoing production, without causing downtime at the factory.

Danish Crown needs an experienced partner to manage the business-critical project and guide the MES supplier so that Danish Crown’s needs and requirements for the system are taken into account.

Read more about how Danish Crown and kaastrup|andersen, in collaboration with the supplier, ensure a successful implementation of a future-proof MES platform.

Challenge

Danish Crown’s existing MES platform has for 20 years ensured that the planned orders in the ERP system can be sent to the factory, where they can then be finely planned, produced, documented and reported as complete. With an ‘end of life’ system, Danish Crown is therefore faced with the business-critical challenge of having to secure future production.

To ensure the right new MES solution for Danish Crown, it is a key task to create an overview of the functionality of the existing MES and the specific tasks that the system helps to solve. The first proposal to solve that challenge is already ready at project start in the form of a preliminary analysis, prepared by the MES supplier, which shows that the system delivers at the top in connection with planning, production, traceability and logistics. Therefore, the decision is made for a 1:1 solution.

Danish Crown also wants both quality and functionality of the new system to be in place from day one of operation – without errors or production stops. The system will therefore undergo thorough testing with the MES supplier and be live-tested on weekends outside of normal production in all key areas of the factory, which handles 18,000 pigs daily.

Solution

Business goals, customer requirements and employee work processes are closely linked and all play major roles in the design and development of a new MES. The initial preliminary analysis is a good starting point, but it quickly becomes clear that further in-depth studies of work processes and functionality are necessary for kaastrup|andersen to manage the project safely to its goals for Danish Crown.

kaastrup|andersen provides a team with strong skills in project management of large-scale IT solutions, a fundamental understanding of the task that MES performs, and deep technical understanding, which ensures good advice in connection with the implementation. The team starts building the necessary knowledge. This involves closer studies of the different production steps, dialogue with employees and analyses of the cross-cutting processes and dependencies. The detailed information forms the basis for the close collaboration between Danish Crown, kaastrup|andersen and the supplier.

The newly developed MES is being thoroughly tested by kaastrup|andersen, who will quality assure the maturity of the software before it is put into operation. The testing phase consists of thorough ‘unit tests’ (pre-FAT tests) to ensure the functionality of the individual units, and a more comprehensive ‘Factory Acceptance Test’ (FAT) to guarantee the robustness, performance, processes and functionality of the system across, covering the usage scenarios that employees face in their daily work.

The project also focuses on improving the functionality of the new system in three areas:

Templates for order generation: The employees responsible for planning orders are designing the new templates, which will form the basis for over 80% of production in the future. The use of templates reduces the time spent on creating the production basis and creates an overview in the planning process.
Locking the system: In the previous MES, one user could lock an element, such as a process order, which meant that not only the specific order but the entire production area was locked for all other users. This created significant challenges in daily work. In the new solution, individual orders can be locked without affecting other elements or areas, allowing other employees to continue working without hindrance.
Better system customization options: Previously, Danish Crown had to contact the MES vendor for even minor system changes. With the new system, Danish Crown will have greater control and will be able to customize their MES to support any new production lines, multiple units and factories.

The project also includes an upgrade of both the underlying technology and the user interface to make the system modern in all areas.

In connection with the actual implementation of the new MES, Kaastrup|Andersen provides information about the new system, training of the affected employees and documentation of the system and its processes.

Project management is handled by kaastrup|andersen using an agile kanban setup – a hybrid project management form that balances a traditional and agile approach. This setup enables constant adaptation and improvement of processes. In addition, strong visual tools are used to create an overview, and tasks are structured and managed in a task-oriented manner using the Microsoft Azure DevOps tool.

Result

Danish Crown has now implemented a new and improved MES platform that maintains the existing functionality while enhancing functionality in several areas. The increased functionality makes the system more flexible and supports more efficient production processes. Particularly important is the increased flexibility that allows Danish Crown to make changes to the system, which provides business advantages in a dynamic market that requires continuous adaptation.

The new solution also eliminates person-critical dependencies in relation to support, which strengthens the system’s reliability and operational stability.

The project setup, with close collaboration between internal employees at Danish Crown, consultants and project manager from kaastrup|andersen, and the external MES supplier, ensures a successful replacement of the critical MES. Danish Crown now has a solid and future-proof MES platform that can be further developed as new needs arise.

We have been really happy with the collaboration with kaastrup|andersen during the implementation of our new MES solution. Their professionalism and project management were top notch, and it was crucial for the success of this “IT heart surgery.