Almi
30,000 m² spice production: A challenge for process control technology.
The innovative plant design of the production site and the company headquarters led to a tripling of production.
The entire process control is carried out by powerful networked SIMATIC S7 control systems, which receive the order data and process parameters from the overarching ESAweight process control system and provide actual data for booking, logging, and optimization directly to the process control system.
First priority in processing: Preserve aroma!
To process the raw materials intact, Almi uses the extremely gentle cold grinding process. During grinding, the raw materials are cooled using nitrogen. All data required for these important process steps can be freely defined in a so-called grinding recipe and are fully automatically processed by powerful PLC controls. For extensive and convenient operation, all mill workstations are equipped with a touch screen and corresponding ESAmill operating module.
Key position in the company: Container logistics of up to 70 containers in parallel
Throughout the entire plant, up to 70 containers are moving on conveyor belts. Each of them is assigned to an order. Depending on the order, the individual container collects the automatically pre-dosed individual components from a total of 40 raw material silos. Using a fully automated crane system, the respective container is positioned over the mixing lines, docked, and emptied residue-free by a container emptying system. Cameras are used to check the containers for residues. The entire logistics of the containers on their way through production is controlled by the ESAweight process control system, ensuring that manipulations are carried out with high precision and absolutely error-free.
Requirements for process automation
- 80 dosing stations
- 40 automatic scales
- 30 manual dosing stations
- 15 mixer stations
- 5 mill workstations
The new production system is considered a best practice example not only in terms of performance, but also in terms of flexibility.
Custom orders can be produced and delivered at short notice, recipe changes or additional orders can be implemented in production within a very short time.
The ESAweight production control system, currently installed on multiple servers and over 80 dosing stations, provides a solid foundation for this.
Modules at Almi.
Manager
ESAruntime
ESAcom
ESAlogistics
ESAmix
ESApack
Data exchange
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The container system enables flexible production with maximum efficiency, which is crucial especially in the case of so many different customer-specific recipes or orders. In systems with fixed containers, the entire line must be cleaned after each order, resulting in downtime. In our approach, however, the plant remains constantly in operation due to the high number of containers available, significantly increasing the utilization rate.
Robert Leeb | Almi, Head of Technical Department
