Batenburg Beenen and Batenburg IAS, Stronger Together for DOC Kaas

DOC Kaas is a Dutch cheese producer founded in 1895. They annually produce Dutch cheese at two production sites in Hoogeveen that is sold worldwide. Batenburg IAS and Batenburg Beenen started work on replacing the existing process automation of the cheese production at the 'Zuivelpark' production site in Hoogeveen in mid-2019. This production site processes 2 million litres of raw milk into rectangular cheeses every day.

The current process automation at the production site was composed of a combination of PLC and SCADA systems that were technically very outdated and no longer met today's requirements. For instance, expansions and optimisations were difficult to implement and there was a continuity risk due to the lack of (full) redundancy and unsupported hardware.

High time for replacement!

From old to new
The replacement system did have to meet several requirements. For instance, the existing functionality had to be preserved as a minimum and converted to the new operating platform in a very short period of time (48h!). Production could only be interrupted for a limited time, as cheese making is a time-critical process. The lead time from intake of raw milk to the finished product is short and not much can be buffered (for a long time). This meant that there was a lot of time and quality pressure on the conversion period, also due to its size (+/-2400 actuators). Moreover, the new control platform had to be seamlessly integrated into DOC Kaas' office automation and, in addition to recipes and Tracking & Trace reports, also contains the necessary MES functionalities.

In close cooperation with a team of specialists from DOC cheese, Batenburg IAS and Beenen started by recording the existing functionalities in technical specifications. After a test, the development of the application software for the new systems was started, which was then tested, validated in a simulation environment and accepted by DOC Kaas by means of a FAT (Factory Acceptance Test). After a thorough preparation, in which the functionalities of the various sub-units and the infrastructure of the new control platform were checked in short production stops of less than 8 hours, the conversion started on 10 October and the new control platform was put into operation. Within 16 hours, the first trays of cheese were again produced and in the following period production capacity was further scaled up to nominal levels.

Batenburg IAS and Beenen replaced the existing process automation with an 800xA DCS system from ABB. Indeed, the predecessor of this system had already proven itself at DOC Kaas' other production site at the Alteveerstraat in Hoogeveen. The new control platform is less error-prone and gives more information to the process operators for control and status of the production process. The new DCS system also provides more possibilities to further optimise the current processes.

Stronger together
The replacement of the existing process automation of the cheese production at DOC Kaas is a nice example of joining forces between different companies in the Batenburg Industrial Automation division. Our mutual cooperation increases our specialist knowledge, strength and the ability to advise and support existing and new customers even better. Together we are stronger!