Future-proof digitalization at Danone Smart Factory

Integrated and automated systems at the service of dairy and plant-based products.

Table of contents

Streamlining Intralogistics Operations for Dairy and Plant-Based Products

Danone, one of the world leaders in four different businesses - essential dairy and plant-based products, early life nutrition, medical nutrition and waters – has been striving since 1919 to build a unique health-focused portfolio of goods. In 2017, the French Group has invested in the development of an avant-garde production plant in Parets, Spain. A few kilometers from Barcelona, its hometown, the 51,000 m2 facility becomes the first Danone center in Europe to develop, along with dairy products, plant-based alternatives to coconut-based and oat-based yoghurt, enhancing the adoption of healthy, sustainable, and inclusive eating and hydration habits.

The food multinational chose our company to integrate and automatize all the intralogistics operations of the new plant, from the management and warehousing of raw & packaging materials up to the end-of-line, where dairy yoghurts and plant-based alternatives are prepared to be shipped.

Goals to Achieve: Achieving Traceability and Efficiency

Danone set ambitious goals to enhance traceability and operational efficiency.

These objectives included achieving complete traceability of materials and flows, minimizing costs associated with raw material turnover, optimizing warehouse performance based on FIFO and FEFO inventory schemes, improving safety levels, and eliminating production downtime.

  • To get complete traceability not only of all the materials managed and handled within the facility but also of all the flows carried out throughout the day.
  • To control and minimize costs related to loss of raw material turnover.
  • To optimize the performance of the warehouses according to FIFO and FEFO inventory schemes.To improve the safety levels of the operations.
  • To eliminate any production downtime.

E80 Group's Integrated Solutions for Material Handling

At E80 Group, our team addressed these challenges by providing Danone with a 360° ecosystem of integrated and automated solutions. Starting from the inbound of raw and packaging materials, our laser guided vehicles (LGVs) collect the barrels of ingredients and transports them to the next stage of the production chain. Here, the trilateral LGVs store pallets onto the Very Narrow Aisles storage, reaching a height of 12 meters. When the ingredients are needed in the processing process, the LGVs will move the products in an exchange area, where they will be later automatically retrieved and handled to the production area.

Ensuring Safety and Quality with E80's Pallet Inspection System

Safety of all operations is fundamental and ensuring that only suitable and compliant pallets are used throughout the operations represents an added value not only for our customers but also for Danone final clients. E80 empty pallet inspection system carries out a complete check of the pallet conditions, thanks to the perfect mix of mechanical checks and the vision technology. This solution is essential to enhance process efficiency as well as to prevent any possible damage to the final products.

Streamlined Palletization and Sustainable Packaging Solutions

Once Danone’s products have been processed, E80 robotic palletizer - tailored and developed accordingly to the type of packaging - streamlines the palletization process by guaranteeing efficiency, reliability, and precision, while also ensuring delicate handling and safety of the operation. Once the load has been palletized, the pallet is carried by the LGVs to the E80 stretch wrapping system. This automated and integrated solution applies the right amount of film needed to give 100% stability to the pallets, reducing the amount of plastic used and therefore improving the sustainability of the operation.

SM.I.LE80: Managing Intralogistics with Smart Software

All the activities just described and the E80 Group ecosystem of solutions listed in this journey are totally managed, coordinated and supervised by SM.I.LE80, the Smart Integrated Logistics software platform.

Added Value and Partnership: Enabling Efficient Dialogue

The added value of this project?

“For Danone team, it has been fundamental to dialogue with only one partner. – Javier Casassas, Industrial Projects Technician at Danone Group - Otherwise, the greater the number of interlocutors, the greater the loss of efficiency of a system. It is an innate, essential condition. The supplier must be competitive in software, hardware, and efficient solutions to meet the industrial customer's needs, which implies great flexibility”. A flexibility and a partnership that we guarantee to Danone’s team 24/7, 365 days a year, with our digital customer service, always ready to promptly address any need.

Conclusion: A Smart Factory Revolution in Intralogistics for Enhanced Efficiency

The success story of Danone's Smart Factory showcases a significant revolution in intralogistics, driving enhanced efficiency. Through integration, automation, and smart solutions, Danone paves the way for the future of intralogistics in the food industry.