Mastering the Three Fundamental Disciplines of Digitalization

It is no coincidence that a triathlon consists of three very different disciplines. Only the complete athlete who masters all three will be able to master this sporting challenge. The digitalization of the salmon processing line requires this know-how to get the most out of the raw material and to constantly optimize processing. For this reason, BAADER invests a lot of time and resources in data analysis to record, analyze and continuously learn along the entire process.

In the processing of salmon, a huge amount of data is collected; enough to refer to as ‘big data’. The first step being the automation and the acquisition of all production-relevant and sensory data.

Automation - the basis of digitalization

BAADER knows how to keep control of the entire process employing efficient machine and line automation. The BAADER way goes beyond simple and standardized machine-to-machine communication. “We customize the automation to our customer demands”, explains Senior Software Architect, Jan-Patrick Herbst. That is why “our applications can be applied for small and large factory setups over several rooms and different floors”.  

No matter the scope, the BAADER solutions ensure the following elements:  

• Product flow under all circumstances - even with missing data connection or defects in individual areas thereby minimizing preparation times and downtimes
• Horizontal connection of data across machines with industrial field busses but also connection of data in vertical, superordinate systems allowing for individual fish tracking throughout the entire factory with collection of photos, data, etc. right into the polystyrene box - for every single fish produced
• Speed optimization support through simple diagrams for the machine operators
• Overview of the entire factory in one system

Through consistent use of bus technology, BAADER keeps the amount of cable inside the factory to a minimum – a benefit not only from a health & safety perspective but also for increased analysis options. Cloud-enabled smart sensors based on industrial communications networking standard IO-Link are consistently generating information like operating hour, status, temperatures and much more. For standardized and secure data communication from the factory device to the cloud, BAADER uses an Open Platform Communications United Architecture (OPC UA) across the board, a key element for industry 4.0 standards. Packaging Machine Language (PackML) serves as a communication interface for status and product information. Besides the deployment of these various industry standards, the automation experts at BAADER know how to combine their software expertise with industry and process understanding. This combination allows them to deploy grading algorithms to guide the fish through the process, to introduce intelligent machine-to-machine communication with data encryption in the horizontal plane and to further develop servo technology instead of pneumatics for gentler fish handling and longer lifetime of the equipment to name just a few.

Monitoring and production data analysis is the heart of digital processing management

Gathering and processing data in the factory, right along the processing line is a key qualification of good data management. At BAADER, the software solution for an on-premise wall-to-wall digitalization is the B’Logic Navigator. BAADER gave its key software for monitoring the entire production process a major update to share and access key performance reports. The update to version 1.6 of the Navigator Air supports performance and diagnostics reports for the following machines in the salmon processing line:

• BAADER 101
• BAADER 144
• BAADER 581/BAADER 988

Customized reports are offered for projects/solutions for a complete process area - like the gutting area. The enhanced features for the BAADER 101 consist of an improved view of where the stunner head is docked. The Process Navigator for the BAADER 101 now comes with the ability to enter the stroke count for the stunner head in case of a required correction. B’Logic tracks and analysis key performance data from wall-to-wall and always specifics for every step in the process.

The main success factor BAADER monitors is the Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE); the queen of KPIs is displayed for each machine which allows to compare it to benchmarks and optimize the entire gutting process. OEE is a standard of measuring machines, a process or an entire factory and it consists of three key indicators: 

1. Performance – the number of fish in the clamp vs. the filling rate of the machine

2. Availability - considers the actual run time and eventual stops in production vs. planned production time

3. Quality – the number of correct processed fish vs. the number of fish rejected related to machine malfunction and cleaning rejects

Customers with an active B’Logic service level agreement can upgrade freely to the 1.6version.  

The protected cloud as the place of data analysis and business intelligence

BAADER collects data from multiple points and sources. These are gateways in the machines, sensors and 3rd party data, like weather conditions. In this third step of digitization, the data is stored in a modern cloud environment, built around a platform that analyses this data to make the process transparent and calculate reliable projections for future process optimizations. This is important especially when it comes to production errors or flaws.

BAADER transfers all available data to the cloud to generate a status dashboard of all machines a customer possesses.  A first application is now market-ready: the “Asset Manager”. The customer can view the condition of all machines and entire factories on a world map, zoom in into a factory view down to a single machine. All relevant data is at hand anytime and anywhere.

“In case of a problem, the Asset Manager shows the specific status of a factory. Yellow is for minor flaws for example and red for severe problems” highlights Carlotta Rönnau, Digital Product Manager.

The BAADER Asset Manager app provides detailed data on food production status and performance. BAADER enables its customers to establish an end-to-end enterprise asset management for continuous process optimization.

• Shows status of all assets in the food processing line and entire factory
• Monitors all BAADER machines and 3rd party assets
• Supports process optimization through real-time monitoring and data visualization
• Uses state-of-the-art cloud technology

For the people at BAADER, digitization is like an endurance race, in which technical excellence and long-term cooperation between all components and stakeholders are most important.

More insights to the BAADER triad of digitalization is captured in the latest episode of the Salmon Session. The Digital Solution Session is available for on demand-streaming on BAADER Stream.

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Meet our experts

Jan-Patrick Herbst, Senior Software Architect

Jan-Patrick Herbst is a double graduate in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Engineering from Kiel University, Germany. After developing industrial PC hardware for heavy environments and special-purpose engineering projects for the transportation, food and medical industry, Jan-Patrick joined BAADER in 2007 and has been an integral part of the Projects Department at the company since. Not only does he accompany important installations worldwide on-site, but he also develops new project solutions – some even patented. As a sailor in leisure times, he has a natural connection to the sea. 

Henning Pedersen, Managing Director, BAADER Logistix

Henning Pedersen joined BAADER in 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience within food automation and food production software. As Managing Director for BAADER Logistix, he provides production software to optimize and control production from fish to final product with full traceability. He believes that collaboration and an open information flow is key to reach the next level of food production. As a team-player, he considers BAADER as family. With his wife and kid, he shares a passion for horses, enjoys dressage riding and travelling.‍

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Carlotta Rönnau, Digital Product Manager

Carlotta Rönnau is a Digital Product Manager since 2019 and a driving factor behind the development of new digital products and features at BAADER. She oversees the entire product life cycle, from defining the scope, buildingthe technology, creating a great customer experience and acquiring customers. This requires her to run and fly from the design team to the development team, Marketing, Sales and back. It seems no big stretch for her since she is a sportswoman through and through. And even more so, she convinces with a consistent positive attitude.

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