Felten Group to supply Pilot MES system globally to Symrise

Dr Ludwig Tumbrink, Supply Chain Director for F&N Liquid Compounding EAME at Symrise, states: "With this agreement, we are able to extend our successful co-operation across the whole scope of our operations worldwide. The beneficial effects of the previously-implemented solutions and, most importantly, the culture of the co-operation have proven to be very fruitful in the past. That is why it was a logical step for us to use these positive experiences for our other international production facilities as well. As an example of this co-operation, the implementation of a Felten MES system in our Singapore plant has only recently been completed."

The worldwide framework agreement is recognition of the success already enjoyed by Felten - a specialist in the process industry - in providing Symrise with systems that increase efficiency in the company's production management. These have included the implementation of customised systems for production management (MES) with an SAP interface, a radio interface for hazardous areas, and a weighing and dispensing system (WDS).

All of the above were developed using Felten's Pilot Suite. The Pilot is said to be special because of its focus on production intelligence (PI). In order to achieve this, the Pilot MES (manufacturing execution system), Pilot BDE (operating and process data acquisition) and Pilot WDS (weighing and dispensing system) products, with their individual function modules, were customised to meet the requirements of production intelligence.

Special tools

By integrating these products into a framework that also includes special PI tools, an innovative platform was created that results in the intelligent co-ordination of production management. The holistic approach of production intelligence differentiates itself significantly from the classical concepts generally associated with MES products by the fact that these classical concepts give a very isolated view of the planning and control processes. As a result, the conventional models have clear limitations for optimally exhausting productivity potentials.

PI opens up these previously isolated perspectives and makes way for the true integration of business and production processes, which are uniformly controlled by characteristic values. By doing so, performance potentials can be exhausted in a more targeted and comprehensive manner. At the same time, the technological advances of the Pilot products ensure that companies flexibly create their workflows according to individual demand and that they can change their workflows in a matter of minutes. This results in an optimum ratio between automation and the flexibility for each process.

Paul Hurst, Managing Director of P4A, describes the problem this way: "Despite their integration into ERP and other infrastructure systems, conventional methods for production management have always worked with a very limited focus." He sees this as a significant limitation in exhausting the possibilities for increasing productivity.

Hurst continues: "The processes are the real capital in production management, because they do not just determine the relationship between quality and quantity in the output, they also determine the economic efficiency. Up until now, processes were not given enough attention because of a strong technical focus. Suitable software solutions are important, but they must focus on the processes. As the first product strategy for production management, the Pilot Suite, in conjunction with the PI framework, completely fulfills the holistic requirements of production intelligence and therefore we are a significant step ahead in the market."