FrieslandCampina: Gaining Control Faster
“We are seeing a clear decrease in the number of support requests”
Jeroen Hamminga
Processing Team Leader
Resolving production issues as quickly as possible
At the FrieslandCampina processing department in Beilen, liquid raw materials are processed. These include milk, whey, and fat for infant formula base powders. These base powders are further processed in another part of the factory or sent directly to B2B customers. Jeroen Hamminga is the Processing Team Leader. He discusses effective process control and the value ELICIT provides in this regard.
The challenges of non-standard situations
Jeroen: “We work according to standards and fixed work instructions. Nevertheless, we regularly encounter non-standard situations. Sometimes these occur at night, sometimes during the day. For the operator, it is often the first time, and while you can learn from mistakes, I would prefer that operators know how to act when deviations occur. They need the knowledge of an experienced expert, but one is not always available. Furthermore, valuable knowledge is lost when people retire. We therefore had to find a solution for this.”
The value of a digital knowledge system
Jeroen continues: “We ended up with ELICIT. They ‘extract knowledge from heads,’ as they call it. Through interviews, they quickly gathered important information from our most experienced operators and technologists. Now we have an online tool with action guides for deviations. For example, not everyone knows how to manage a moisture deviation in powder, as this does not happen often. Now, the operator opens ELICIT, navigates to the topic of moisture deviation, and sees which parameters can be adjusted to regain control.”
Improvements in the production process
“We are also improving our standard process. For instance, we now always handle deviations in the same way. We used to have frequent issues with foaming, but now operators follow fixed steps, which leads to better production. We resolve deviations faster, which reduces the error margin and improves quality. To be honest, some employees need time to get used to the system. However, we are seeing a clear decrease in the number of support requests. The tool facilitates this; ELICIT is clear and easy to use.”
Benefits of the system
“The most valuable aspect is the learning function. You learn new procedures, and it clarifies cause-and-effect relationships. For example, our drying tower process is fully documented in the system and can be viewed at a glance. You can also use ELICIT to test knowledge. We use it to generate reports for deviations. Such a report is mandatory for environmental violations, such as wastewater deviations. We enter the data, and the program sends a report to the relevant people. The support is also excellent; if we have a question, we receive prompt and sound advice. In short, we are very satisfied because, with ELICIT, we have found a way to handle non-standard situations, and the action suggestions are available on the spot, quickly and easily.”
