Milk tracking system with GE Historian/MES integration for dairy compliance.
Industry: Food & Beverage / Dairy
Quick Facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Facility | Milk Processing Plant |
| Departments | 4 (Intake, HTST, Make, Load Out) |
| Lines | 11 total |
| PLC Tags | ~85 totalizers (0-1,000,000 pounds) |
| Historian | GE Historian (500 Tag Enterprise) |
| MES | GE Plant Applications |
| Front End | FrameworX (500 Tag license) |
The Challenge
Challenge: Implement unified tracking system for milk across entire production process — receiving, transfers, pasteurization, and cheese-making — for compliance, loss management, and operational efficiency.
Specific pain points:
- Milk receiving, transfers, pasteurization, and cheese-making lacked unified tracking
- Gaps in visibility for compliance requirements
- No system for loss management and operational efficiency tracking
- Manual recordkeeping and fragmented system data
- Insufficient accuracy and traceability for modern dairy operations
Impact: Without unified tracking, facility cannot meet compliance requirements, identify losses, or optimize operations.
The Solution
Architecture
| Tier | Component | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Field | PLC (85 tags) | Flow totalizers (0-1,000,000 lbs) |
| Connectivity | GE IGS Server | PLC-to-Historian bridge |
| Historian | GE Historian (500 tags) | Time-series data storage |
| MES | GE Plant Applications | Events, routes, batches |
| Front End | FrameworX Dashboards | Work order screens by department |
Department Hierarchy
| Department | Lines | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Intake | TB01-TB03 | Milk receiving |
| HTST | PA01-PA02 | Pasteurization |
| Make | CM01-CM02 | Cheese production |
| Load Out | MLO/WLO/WCLO/SCLO | Product shipping |
Data Flow
PLC (85 Milk Tags) → GE IGS Server → GE Historian (500 Tags)
↓
GE Plant Applications (Events, Routes, Batches)
↓
FrameworX Dashboards & Work Order Screens
Intake → HTST → Make → Load Out (4–5 screens)
Key Features
- Tracks pounds of milk at every transfer point
- Work orders tied to Milk Ticket, Batch, or Purchase Order
- 500 transactions per screen storage
- SQL integration with ThoughtSpot and Snowflake for analytics
Key Enablers
FrameworX capabilities that made this solution possible:
| Capability | Application |
|---|---|
| Dedicated Operator Interface | FrameworX as sole GUI for milk tracking |
| Event & Route Integration | Production events tied to orders, tickets, batches |
| Historian Connectivity | GE Historian for time-series trending and replay |
| Work Order Management | Entry and admin pages for each department and line |
| Department Hierarchy | Plant → Department → Line model for standardization |
| Scalability | ~85 PLC tags, 500 historian tags, 500 transactions per screen |
The Results
- First Dedicated Tracking System — Established unified milk tracking at the facility
- Compliance Achievement — Improved compliance with complete traceability from tanker receipt to cheese making
- Real-time Visibility — Provided operators and managers with instant access to milk flows and losses
- Reduced Manual Effort — Automated transfer totals, differences, and batch tracking
- Scalable Foundation — Delivered historian-backed solution ready for enterprise integration
This case demonstrates dairy production tracking with GE Historian/MES integration for compliance and operational visibility.
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