Reading time 3 Minuten

The FASTEC 4 PRO Software Solution at Rügenwalder Mühle GmbH & Co. KG

Based in Bad Zwischenahn in Lower Saxony, Rügenwalder Mühle is one of the best-known food manufacturers in Germany. Since 2014, the company has also been known for its vegan and vegetarian products in addition to sausage and ham. It is now the market leader in Germany in this segment. In 2021, for the first time, more sales were generated with meat alternatives than with products made from meat. Products are manufactured for distribution throughout Germany at a total of four locations. The FASTEC 4 PRO software solution is used at both production sites at the Group headquarters in Bad Zwischenahn.

For the family-owned company Rügenwalder Mühle, applying responsibility means not acting today at the expense of tomorrow and not acting here at the expense of elsewhere. Rügenwalder Mühle has therefore set itself the goal of making its food production climate-neutral by 2025. Reducing the environmental impact of emissions and conserving resources, which goes hand in hand with reducing packaging waste, are particularly important.

Sustainable Production: Why an MES is an Indispensable Tool

1. Transparency Across all Processes

In the past, production was “blind” in many areas of the production process, as there was no process transparency. The possible production volume was also estimated. A randomly determined number of units was produced both in the morning and in the afternoon.

2. Uncovering Potential, Implementing Optimizations

The performance of the production facilities was unknown as well. The downtimes that occurred at the plants each year were not transparent. As a result, waste due to production downtime could not be avoided, potential could not be uncovered and consequently performance could not be improved due to a lack of a basis for assessment. “Acting on gut feeling” was the daily business.

3. Making the Best Use of Resources

When demand increased, additional resources were made available in the form of equipment or staff. It was not known whether potential was still available in existing resources.

4. Avoiding Rejects and Waste

In order to conserve resources and avoid waste, evaluations of current data from production are indispensable. By analyzing this data, sources of error in the production process can be identified at an early stage and the need for action can be specifically recognized. Production management can take targeted countermeasures and completely avoid or significantly reduce rejects. As a well-known, innovative company, Rügenwalder Mühle has secured its long-term competitiveness thanks to the introduction of an MES solution.

5. Ensuring Quality

As the machine data is continuously recorded in terms of quantity and quality produced, Rügenwalder Mühle’s quality management has transparent data on compliance with defined quantity and quality parameters. This reduces material waste and ensures the high quality standard.

6. Increasing Efficiency

Digitalization makes a major contribution to increasing material efficiency – during production, packaging and through paperless manufacturing.

 

FASTEC 4 PRO has Become an Integral Part of Everyday Life

A few years ago, experience was already gained in digital data acquisition with easyOEE. With the construction of the new packaging plant, both plants were then equipped with the integrated software solution FASTEC 4 PRO. The OEE value is the key performance indicator at Rügenwalder Mühle and is used as a basis for assessment at all levels.

Almost all areas of the company work with data from FASTEC 4 PRO, for example packaging, production, research and development and engineering. A continuous improvement process is anchored in the corporate culture.

The aim is to increase both the productivity and the resilience of the systems. Evaluations of risks associated with increased volumes on lines are also essential. If certain lines have problems with large production volumes, production orders can be distributed differently in order to harmonize the load and increase efficiency in the long term. 

Supply Planning also uses the data, for example, to provide a basis for decisions on investments in the expansion of resources.

The diverse graphical display options are very convincing. We can always assemble the views flexibly, just as we need them.

– Sergej Oks, Lean Change Agent, Rügenwalder Mühle

Result: Production is Fit for the Future

The sustainability aspect, which is deeply rooted in the company’s values, is reinforced by the digitalization of production. When systems run without malfunctions, less waste is produced and production capacities are fully utilized. This conserves resources such as packaging material and CO2 and makes production more sustainable in the long term. Waste that was previously not transparent is now specifically identified and avoided.

FASTEC 4 PRO has definitely paid for itself, as many savings as we have been able to make through fact-based decisions.

– Sergej Oks, Lean Change Agent, Rügenwalder Mühle

For detailed information on the optimization projects implemented and the use of the software solution, read the entire user report.

You can find this and other success stories from our customers in our download center.

Author: Linda Bauer

Team Lead Marketing
Experience in B2B communication and target group-specific copywriting in print and online since 2019.

Also interesting:

OEE, OEE-Berechnung, GAE, OEE Kennzahl, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, Gesamtanlageneffektivität, OEE-Wert
OEE Calculation – Explained

Availability, performance and quality determine OEE

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a key figure for measuring the productivity and efficiency of production systems.
FASTEC Forum, MES, Industrie 4.0, FASTEC, MDE, BDE, Event
Humans and Machines in the Factory of the Future

Practical presentations on the successful implementation of an MES

We are almost there: On November 12, 2024, we will hold the FASTEC Forum in Paderborn. Participation in the event is free of charge – but registration is required at www.fastec.de/event/fastec-forum/.
MES, Softwareupdate, Industrie 4.0, IoT, ERP, MDE, BDE
Version 3.4.7: FASTEC 4 PRO Optimizes Production

Record personnel times quickly and easily thanks to RFID

Version 3.4.7 brings a number of optimizations for FASTEC 4 PRO users: production data can be recorded and reported even more easily.

Chapter

FASTedge SFT15

The 15-inch touch terminal is required for each machine. It has a universal RFID reader and two digital inputs for machine connection as standard.

Terminal, Shopfloor, Tablet, Produktion, FASTedge, MES, MES-Einstieg, FASTEC

FASTedge Box

Both the terminals and the machines are connected to the EdgeBox via LAN or WiFi. The cloud connection is made via your network or mobile communications. At least one EdgeBox is required. The system can later be moved to your own server.

Edgebox, MES-Einstieg, MES, Edge, Hardware, FASTEC, FASTedge

User

Personal users are required to report the collected data. The number of employees involved in data acquisition in your production does not matter.

Systems

Each line and machine in your production is licensed individually.

Thank You for Your Interest in FASTEC

Please confirm your data for the free download. After filling out this form, you can directly download our User Reports and Whitepapers.

  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • * = Required Field
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.