2019-05-13

​​​​​​​​​​​​​A seamless solution:

Hellenic Dairies sees the benefits of integrated plant management

The story in brief

Greek dairy producer Hellenic Dairies is a longstanding Tetra Pak customer with seven filling lines and extensive processing equipment. The company holds a strong position in south-east Europe for liquid dairy products, cheese, yoghurt and juices, nectars and still drinks. In 2016, a major investment in their plant in Brasov, Romania, working closely with Tetra Pak and our strategic supplier Elettric80, resulted in the installation of a comprehensive range of end-of-line and warehousing equipment. As a result, all operations within the plant are now automated, virtually eliminating errors, enhancing productivity and delivering significant cost savings.​

Building on strong traditions

Hellenic Dairies was established in 1985 and initially focused on making high quality products from local milk for sale in its home region, Thessaly. As the product portfolio has expanded to include new types of cheese, yoghurt, juices, butter and dairy alternatives, so has its geographical reach: in 2000, the company began selling across Greece, and today products are exported to nearly 20 countries with significant markets including Germany, Italy, UK, Sweden and China. Hellenic Dairies has worked with Tetra Pak for more than 25 years, establishing its processing business too, and today the company runs seven filling lines including three Tetra Pak® A3/Flex, two Tetra Pak® A3/CompactFlex, one Tetra Pak® TR/27​ and one Tetra Pak® TR/G7 lines.​

The challenge:

Lack of end-of-line automation leading to many errors

Hellenic Dairies established its presence in Romania in 1999. In 2011 it decided to invest in a greenfield site in Brasov and since then it has continued investing to expand its product portfolio and capabilities in the region. Nevertheless, they faced several challenges to the efficient running of the plant. The high staff turnover (a consequence of Romania’s strikingly low unemployment rate), the absence of automised processes and the suboptimal structure in the workspace was leading to inefficiencies, including wasted energy and space but also errors in palletisation. The flow of information between the ERP system and production was done manually, leading to errors in order handling. Overall, these issues were costing Hellenic Dairies around €250,000 per year. Productivity was affected, traceability was difficult and there was a largely reactive approach to tackling problems. The company’s response was to set out to automate the plant, introducing automated procedures throughout and making the best possible use of its existing infrastructure.​

A tailor-made solution

Hellenic Dairies considered proposals from several suppliers, choosing Elettric80 for its expertise, and the fact that the proposed solution was perfectly tailored to the size and layout of the site. Elettric80’s plan involved automating virtually all the end-of-line and warehouse operations in the Brasov plant: palletising; pallet wrapping; labelling; warehousing; preparing orders; pallet inspection; and picking. The Smart Decision Maker software provided by Elettric80 acts as the “brain” for the entire automatic warehouse system, offering instant access to feedback and information that can then be used to further improve performance. It also integrates seamlessly with Tetra Pak® Batch Manager and Tetra Pak® Line Controller,​ enabling total integration and synchronisation of all operations from finished goods department to logistics. Delivery and installation were split into two phases: the two robot palletisers and the pallet wrapper were up and running at full capacity within three months of delivery. The remaining nine laser guided vehicles and automatic warehouse passed final validation, with all operators trained, just six months after delivery. The implementation was done seamlessly, without disrupting the factory’s normal production output.​