Eliminating Production Blind Spots: How a Major Dairy Producer Gained Full Process Visibility
A major dairy producer lacked real-time visibility into milk movement across receiving, pasteurization, production, and loadout due to siloed systems and manual spreadsheet tracking. INS3 implemented a Unified Namespace-based Milk Tracking System, integrating plant-floor and business data into a single, secure, real-time view. The result: 900,000+ pounds of daily milk flow tracked live, full traceability from intake to finished product, and a scalable architecture designed for rollout across future facilities.
From Manual Reconciliation to End-to-End Traceability
100%
visibility from intake to finished product
By organizing plant-floor and business data into a single contextual model, the producer gained real-time tracking of work orders, tank utilization, and milk movement—enabling faster decisions and audit-ready traceability.
Technologies Involved: Tatsoft FrameworX, GE Proficy Historian, MES, SAP
The Challenge
A major dairy manufacturer felt like they were operating blind. With milk moving through tanker receiving, pasteurization, production, and output across the facility, they had no unified way to see what was happening—or where losses were occurring.
The consequences were significant:
- Fragmented systems and siloed data — Control systems, MES, and ERP couldn’t talk to each other, leaving operators and managers piecing together information manually.
- Manual tracking — Milk batches and transfers were tracked on spreadsheets, introducing delays and errors that cost time and money.
- No real-time view — Tank status, milk flow, and batch progress are unknowable at the moment. Problems were discovered after the fact, not prevented.
- Security concerns — Recent audits raised IT and OT security issues that needed to be addressed in any new system.
- Scalability requirements — They needed a solution that could be deployed across different types of operations and multiple locations.
The Solution
INS3 designed and implemented a complete Milk Tracking System that gave this producer what they’d never had: real-time visibility into every pound of milk moving through their operation.
How It Works
We built the system around a Unified Namespace (UNS) architecture, which means every data point—from tank sensors to ERP transactions—is organized, contextualized, and accessible in one place. This wasn’t just an integration project; it was a foundation for how this company will use data for years to come.
- Asset model that mirrors the plant — Every department (intake, HTST, loadout, make, silos) is represented in the system exactly as it exists on the floor. Data makes sense because it’s organized by the way operators think.
- Reusable templates for fast deployment — New information from the process can be added by configuring a reusable template, significantly reducing deployment of new assets.
- Real-time tracking operators use — Work orders start and stop from the HMI. Milk flow through tanks and pasteurizers updates live. Cumulative totals by work order, destination, and day are always current.
- Security that satisfies IT — The implementation met strict OPC UA, VPN, and authentication requirements without compromising operational performance.
- Dashboards for every level — Overhead screens show operators what’s happening now. Supervisors drill into OEE, quality, and tank utilization. Management sees daily and batch-level performance at a glance.
The Results
- 900,000+ pounds of milk tracked daily across multiple departments—visible in real time for the first time.
- Manual reconciliation eliminated — No more spreadsheets. No more guessing. One unified view of production.
- A standardized architecture ready for rollout — The system was designed to scale. Future facilities can be brought online using the same proven approach.
- Expandable with templates— New information and departments integrate rapidly because the foundation is already in place.
- Full traceability from intake to finished product — The data infrastructure now supports compliance requirements and enables data-driven decisions across the operation.
Why This Matters
This project solved an immediate problem—lack of visibility—but it also positioned this dairy producer for what comes next. The architecture INS3 implemented is:
- Data-centric and future-ready — Ready to support MES expansion, advanced analytics, and AI initiatives as the business grows.
- Aligned with modern industrial standards — Built on Unified Namespace principles that are becoming the standard for industrial digitalization.
- Repeatable — This isn’t a custom solution that only works in one place. It’s a blueprint for digital transformation that INS3 can apply to other food and beverage manufacturers facing similar challenges.
Technologies Used
Tatsoft FrameworX (SCADA/visualization platform), integrated with the client’s existing GE Proficy Historian and MES and SAP systems.