A filling machine dispensing liquid chocolate cream into cups on a conveyor belt.
Dairy & Cheese

Vegan: The next level – Automating a vegan production expansion for high-protein desserts.

Vegan: The next level – automating a vegan production expansion for high-protein desserts.

Launching the production of vegan, soy-based products was just the beginning. Building on the existing soy product line of our long-standing customer, we expanded the product portfolio to include various vegan desserts, including high-protein options—with the clear goal of making the line more versatile and market-ready. The particular challenge: new products, new equipment, and a new product segment.

How do you expand an existing vegan soy product line to include a completely new product segment? With an automation concept that seamlessly integrates new equipment into the existing PLC while leaving room for product development and process optimization.

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Step sequences programmed

Requirement

Seamless process integration at all levels.

Numerous new programs had to be translated into step sequences based on the process plants and their process descriptions provided by our partner, VA GmbH Gesellschaft für Food Processing, and mapped into the existing PLC. In addition, we had to integrate additional plant components—some with their own control systems—into our process control system, planemos OS, and synchronize them with the existing CIP system. The particular challenge was that all interfaces had to be precisely defined, and the existing production processes had to remain fully operational at all times.

How does the viscosity of a high-protein pudding change at certain temperatures or when ingredients are added in different sequences? It was clear from the start that our programming would have to adapt flexibly to the customer’s recipe development.

Solution

A highly flexible automation concept, integrated in a synergistic and secure manner.

The project was carried out in close cooperation with the VA GmbH Gesellschaft für Food Processing, which, as the responsible process developer and plant engineer, carried out and managed the process engineering design, mechanical installation, control cabinet construction, and cabling. Our task was to precisely implement these specifications in terms of control technology within a jointly developed, highly flexible automation concept.

quality assurance

Focus on process reliability and future viability.

No matter what production processes are used in a modern dairy, automation must ensure that it functions reliably in every product area and can be dynamically adjusted as needed.
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Interface management & system integration

A key aspect of the solution was the integration of standalone plant components such as cutters and silos. These were integrated into the planemos OS process control system both visually and in terms of data. The communication structure developed enables bidirectional data exchange: recipe parameters are transferred precisely, process data is reliably reported back, and production processes are synchronized across all control levels.
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Quality assurance and joint commissioning

In a multi-stage Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), the programs were tested in collaboration with VA GmbH and the customer, and customer-specific adjustments were implemented directly in the control logic. During on-site commissioning, we optimized the processes in close coordination with all parties involved until the desired product quality was consistently achieved.
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Maximum flexibility for the future

Thanks to the flexible program structure in planemos OS, recipe changes and parameter adjustments for a wide variety of product groups—from traditional dairy products to vegan high-protein desserts—can be implemented efficiently and reliably.

”Our task was to integrate equipment from various manufacturers into an existing PLC and configure the interfaces so that the system would work flexibly with any product—whether it’s sliced cheese made from milk or vegan high-protein pudding.

Frederic DornProjektleiter

Advantages

It doesn’t matter what is being produced. What matters is that the product changeover is fast, safe, and reliable.

Seamless integration

New system components from our partner, VA Food Processing, were integrated into the existing PLC—without disrupting the existing infrastructure.

Flexible automation concept

The software was designed so that various product variants—from high-protein pudding to semolina pudding and rice pudding—can be produced on the same line.

Reliable connection to third-party systems

Systems from various manufacturers communicate with the higher-level system via defined interfaces.

Flexible recipe management

Product changes and parameter adjustments can be implemented efficiently without altering the basic structure of the programming.

Our partner

VA Food Processing GmbH

A well-established partnership.

Successful integration depends entirely on the collaboration between automation specialists and plant manufacturers.

We have established a close, collaborative working relationship with VA GmbH Gesellschaft für Food Processing in Stuttgart: short decision-making paths, clearly defined interfaces, and a shared understanding of how plant engineering and control systems must work together. This close coordination is crucial, especially for complex projects involving many new components—from the design phase through the FAT process to on-site commissioning. VA provides the process development and plant engineering, while we handle the automation—and together, we ensure that everything works together reliably in the end.

Lächelnder Mann mit blonden Haaren, Bart und verschränkten Armen vor weißem Hintergrund.

Frederic Dorn

Email: hub@planemos.de
Phone: +49 9131 92 796 0

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