At Orkla’s Haraldsby facility in Åland, numerous systems were operating with antiquated machinery. To accomplish effective, secure, and long-lasting production, Orkla had to guarantee uptime and operation. By utilizing Siemens panels and visualization software within the Simatic WinCC Unified System, PMA has lifted the bar with a new, standardized HMI platform in collaboration with Rosenqvists Food Technologies.

“We like to be at the cutting edge. To do so, we have to go out on a limb and test new technology,” according to Christer Söderström, factory manager at Orkla.

Orkla can manufacture the same amounts more effectively while keeping an eye on key performance indicators to react to deviations more quickly. Throughout the process feeder, user-friendliness is increased, resource consumption is optimized, waste is decreased, quality is enhanced, and safety standards are strengthened.

“This is how you keep a step ahead of the competition,” says Thomas Nilsson, operating manager at Rosenqvists Food Technologies, who has worked with Orkla for many years and specializes in building machines and process lines for snacks and frozen potato products.

At the Haraldsby facility, 38,000 tonnes of potatoes are utilized annually to make 15,000 tonnes of finished potato products, including chips, French fries, and pyttipanna hash. The factory has now made a move in the direction of safer, more effective, and environmentally friendly production.

“Enhanced data collection capabilities enable Orkla to reduce its energy use and media consumption, in the form of process water for example, and give operators a better overview of what is happening in the process. Orkla gets better quality and a reduction in resource losses, resulting in a greener footprint,” Niklas Möllerstedt, account manager for Orkla at Rosenqvists, mentioned.

A Long-lasting Partnership

Since implementing automated manufacturing lines in the 1990s, Rosenqvists has been progressively bringing itself up to date with the latest technological advancements. Since 2009, the company has collaborated closely with PMA to develop control modules, electrical documentation, software, and commissioning support.

To replace the Simatic Step 7 Classic programming tool, PMA implemented the TIA Portal automation platform as standard at Rosenqvists in 2015. In 2013, PMA deployed Simatic S7-300 control systems with Simatic HMI MP panels at Orkla.

“The S7-300 systems were programmed in Simatic Step 7 and were not compatible with newer systems, holding back the development of Orkla’s process feeder. It was time to modernize the feeder to future-proof availability of spare parts and to create an overall boost,” says Calle Lundin, one of four partners, and process and food industry operations manager and sales manager at PMA.

To achieve more sustainable and reliable production, Orkla was eager to improve the visualization and user interfaces for its KPI monitoring system. This would allow for a quicker response to deviations by simplifying and expediting work for both management and operators.

“This is in line with the digital transformation journey we want to and must embrace to get better control of our process feeders, so we can reduce waste and consumption of electricity, water, steam, and oil along the feeders. We want to know where we stand at the moment to be able to make improvements and respond quickly to what is happening right now. For this, we needed an intuitive interface. Everything needs to be as simple as possible so you know immediately what to do. Push notifications and information work better than having the operatives themselves retrieve the information,” Söderström declared.

In 2021, work began to phase out Orkla’s Simatic S7-300 control systems using Simatic ET 200S-Profibus nodes and the old MP panels, to switch to Simatic S7-1500 control systems with built-in security, Simatic ET 200SP nodes on Profinet and new Simatic WinCC Unified panels and runtime. PMA developed the brand-new, scalable HMI platform that will become the new standard for all Rosenqvists’ machines in future projects. Tests were performed and evaluated in a lab environment and on small-scale projects to obtain the previously used functionalities, whereupon the system was implemented live at full scale to see how far it could be developed.

“The standard we have developed for Rosenqvists can then be customized as needed. The new standard reduces Rosenqvists’ development time in all projects, and we all know that time is money. Rosenqvists has the Siemens Simatic S7-1500 control system as standard for 99% of all its equipment shipped around the world. Orkla’s new control system in Godby is truly cutting edge, with a clean interface and massive development potential for add-on systems such as the Simatic Notifier app,” Lundin concluded.