Truck Scheduling Module

The Truck Scheduling Module is used to schedule flock pickups. The schedule is then passed to the Live Bird Weighing module.

Live Bird Weighing and Receiving

The Live Bird Weighing Module integrates to the road scale to record the tare and gross weights for each truck transporting live birds to the processing plant. Yard shrink loss is calculated by weighing the truck a second time before the birds are unloaded if the truck had to wait in the fan bays for an extended period of time.

The LBW module picks up data, such as Gross Weight, Tare Weight, Second Gross, Truck ID, Driver ID, Date & Time on Farm, Date & Time at Plant, Temperature, and Heat Index. The system provides key information, like Net Weight, Average Live Weight, and Yard Shrink.

The Live Bird Receiving Module is placed at the live bird hanging area. As a truck is weighed at the weighbridge, an entry appears in the Hauling Queue on the LBR screen. This is a list of trucks that have been weighed and are waiting to be processed. The operator simply moves the truck from the Hauling Queue to the Hanging Queue to identify the next truck to be processed.

As the last bird from a truck is hung, the bird hanger presses a button placed at the hanging line to inform the system that the current truck is complete and the next truck in the queue will be activated. A light flashs on the button for a period to acknowledge the flock change. A time limit may be defined in which the button may not be pressed again. This assures the operator does not press the button more than once for a single flock.

The LBR module picks up the data from the line and shackle counters to log actual counts against each truck and to track the progress of the delivery through the process. Statistics such as bird count, line speed and utilization may be viewed on the LBR Touch Screen PC’s.

Counter arrays are used on the Kill and Evisceration line to count the number of birds passing each point and track the progress of the delivery through the process. Each counter array consists of a counter to count the shackle and two counters to count the birds. This data is reported back to a PLC where specific logic is applied to ensure accurate bird counts. This format is required as birds travel past the counters very close to each other and at high speeds. The logic applied by the PLC program caters for movement by the bird, no space between birds and the speed at which the birds pass the counters.

Due to the fact that shackles are also counted at each point on the Kill and EV lines, we calculate line speed and utilization. Line stoppages are automatically logged as well. Shackle counts are used to keep track of the separation between trucks and flocks as they move through the process. This allows us to calculate bird counts and yield figures by truck.

Inspection and Disposition

This module locates on the evisceration line uses touch screen computers in the plant at each inspection point. These computers are stainless steel, designed to last in harsh environments. The PC connects to the network by a network cable or may be placed on the RF network by means on an internal RF card The monitored parameters are all user configured. Each "screen" on the computer has 15 "soft" buttons. The user assigns parameters to the buttons in a sensible order for the inspection station. Should parameters change, added or deleted, any user with sufficient privileges can simply re-configures the parameters on the screen. "Pages" of data accommodates an unlimited number of parameters. As the system will be keeping track of the progress of each delivery through the process, it will automatically queue the stations when each delivery is complete. Data recorded at the stations are logged against that delivery and will be available for review or reporting in real-time.

All these features creates a completely flexible SPC monitoring and reporting system, fully integrated into the overall HACCP plan. Defects are then logged against the specific flock and delivery and used in yield as well as grower settlement calculations.

Pre-Chill Weighing

Yield is one of the key performance indicators in any processing plant. The CAT2 suite of software ensures that all data required to do timely and accurate yield calculation and reporting is collected in real-time.

The Pre-Chill Weighing Module integrates with line counters and hopper scales before the chiller to monitor water pickup on an ongoing basis. Live to Pre-Chill Yield calculates by flock and even by delivery. Evisceration or primary yield is monitored closely as it is a good indication of the efficiency of the EV equipment as well as the efficiency of the grower.

Daily yield reports are generated for summarizing yield by flock and by grower. Once the birds pass through the chiller, they are either hung on the Overhead Scale lines or tanked off and stored in WIP coolers. Data from the Overhead Scale interface and WIP scales updates the post chill weight. This allows us to calculate water pickup and weight to process.

Overhead Sizing Interface

This module simply interfaces with the Overhead knock-off system to record counts and weights at each knock-off point. This information is passed to the Yield module for yield calculations.

Production Tracking and Inventory Control

The Production Control Module integrates with Labeling Stations on the plant floor to record all production transactions in real-time. DataCAT labeling stations will be located at each finished goods labeling point on the plant floor. The DataCAT consists of a Nema 4X RF enabled touch screen PC integrated with a thermal transfer printer and a 20X20 base scale with an optional roller bed. The scale is connected to a GSE 465 indicator. The touch screen, scale indicator and printer are housed in a stainless steel enclosure with a flip up lid. Although all the equipment is Nema 4X rated, the lid can be closed during wash down to offer the equipment additional protection. All labeling stations will be connected to the central database by means of an 802.11b RF network. The labeling stations use the store and forward method of data collection to ensure that production will not be affected in case of network errors or outages.

The production control module monitors production for each department against orders. These orders may either be actual customer orders in the case of a make-to-order environment or production orders in the case of a make-to-inventory environment. In the latter case, the production orders for each department is a summary of the product required from that department for the specific production date and shift. Actual production is tracked against these orders in real time and variances may be viewed at any time. The operators may also see these variances on the production scales or on their palm computers. As orders are processed, they change status. Orders are color coded on the main order screen to identify their current status. This status is updated in real time. If an order has multiple items, each item’s status is also updated in real time. An order is only flagged as complete once all items on that order are flagged as complete.

A key ingredient in the success of any manufacturing execution system is the ability to track Work-in-Progress movement and maintain accurate WIP inventories at all times. When defining a product in the product master, it may be defined as a WIP product. WIP products are managed similar to final products, but are used to track the movement of WIP on the plant floor and into inventory. The actual production date and time is recorded for each product unit manufactured. This is used to keep track of inventory aging and to ensure FIFO rotation of both final product and WIP inventories. Rules may be defined to ensure that product older than a certain date cannot be used in the manufacturing process. QC also has the ability to place cases, combos or pallets on hold. These will then not be able to be scanned back into production until QC has released the hold.

Primary Yield Management System

The Primary Yield Module uses weights from the Live Bird Weighing and Live Bird Receiving modules together with the Pre-Chill Weighing module to calculate evisceration yield for each flock. Once the birds pass through the chiller, it becomes impossible to calculate flock yield figures. Weights from the knock-off system, work-in-progress and final product scales are used to calculate departmental and final product yield. The user configures “Yield Points” in the system. A "yield Point" has input weights from one or more knock-off (drop) point/s, and or scales on the plant floor. Output weights from a "yield point" are collected from scales on the plant floor. Provision is made to control work-in-progress, for example meat in maturation, or holding areas. Recording of all movements across the factory floor scales and the knock-off system will provide an audit trail on a daily basis of all products and counts weighed in and out of "yield points", facilitating the explanation of each "yield point" percentage. By bringing all this data together, we will be able to generate detail yield reports by department & product.

Inventory Management

Cold Store Manager module is responsible for the management of both finished products and WIP inventories. Any number of storage locations may be defined in the CSM; these may include coolers, freezers, blast cells or floor space.

Each case or tote produced is labeled with a barcode label and a record is created for the case in the production database. This record is keyed by a unique serial number and contains information such as lot number, pallet number, production date, shift, time, scale ID, gross weight, packaging tare, meat tare etc. A barcode label is produced for the item which may include any of this information. A barcode containing the unique serial number of the item is printed on the label and is used for all scanning transactions related to the item.

Product that has been produced, but not yet positioned in a storage area will show up as inventory not yet positioned.

Various aging reports are available. These, together with inventory rules will assure that FIFO inventory rotation is practiced for both WIP and Final Products. Items may also be placed on QC hold. The system allows these items to be used in production or shipped to customers until the hold is released.

Shipping

Cold Store Manager handles all shipping requirements. The Cold Store Manager (CSM), freezer inventory control system, integrates to the Make-To-Order and Palletizing systems to provide seamless integration, flow of products, and information. Placement of the product from palletizing through to picking orders is controlled to reduce handling and related costs. The CSM is designed to receive pallets (mixed or same products) from the plant floor systems, and either locate or dispatch the products.

Dispatch is done by pallet, or individual cases, using hand-held bar-code scanners. By means of these RF scanners, the operator can pick products for orders, scan cases or entire pallets out against and order and receive product returns. The system stores the weight of each case, for fixed or catch weight. This unique case label is key to the weight, dates and origin of the product.

The system updates orders in real time so that progress may be viewed through either the production control module or the CSM. An updated load manifest may be printed at any time to show this progress as well.