Case Study · Pet Food
Pet Food Batch Process and Packaging Control
Automating a new manufacturing facility from the ground up.
Project Summary
Natura Pet Products/Natura Manufacturing was founded in 1989 by John and Ann Rademakers and Peter Atkins in Santa Clara, California, and produces some of the healthiest pet food products in the world. That commitment to quality and health is reflected in Natura's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fremont, Nebraska.
The company uses only top-quality, natural ingredients, avoiding artificial preservatives or additives to maintain the freshness and quality of its products. Delivering those products with consistency is therefore critical. When Natura elected to automate the entire manufacturing plant and distribution center, it put its faith in Bachelor Controls to provide systems integration and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) services for the complex batching and packaging systems components.
Challenge
Building a new facility, Natura sought to automate their entire operation from the ground up.
I am convinced that Bachelor Controls' value to the project — considering all aspects; from design concept through start-up and commissioning — is among the best in the industry. The next time I am involved in a complex, high-risk project, I would expect to look to BCI to provide the leadership and guidance needed to meet our objectives.
Solution & Benefits
Bachelor Controls' understanding of how the business and enterprise system relates to plant floor operations allowed BCI to provide an integrated solution for Natura's entire process.
From the receiving ticket that inventories unloading grain trucks to the mechanized packaging and palleting operation that readies product for warehousing and delivery, BCI systems provide near real-time information tracking and exchange. Natura leaders use those data and reporting tools to make critical inventory and production decisions. Ingredient history and information move without interruption from grain truck to grocery store delivery truck.
Results
- Flexible batching capabilities to enable optimum utilization of plant equipment
- Integration of manufacturing and business systems
- Process control and integration of the packaging systems
- Tools for monitoring, measuring and reporting process performance and quality, including lot tracking and genealogy
What the Customer Said
I am impressed with both the design and the project management skills delivered by Bachelor Controls to create a highly functional, user-friendly, and extremely performant batching system for Natura Manufacturing. BCI personnel were very proactive in obtaining and developing the details necessary to advance the project, on time and within budget.
Automating a New Plant?
Bring us in early. Tell us what the whole operation has to do on day one.