'OPTI' Plant Design Tools
Capacity Design Tool for Dairy and Brewing
Identifying bottlenecks and expanding production
Lorien Engineering Solutions has launched an interactive tool that enables food and drink producers to identify bottlenecks and expand production.
The ‘Opti’ suite of software tools (Opti-Brew and Opti-Milk) models the manufacturing process to demonstrate theoretical capacity and the impact of phased expansion to meet future production targets.
The detailed data provided can be utilised throughout the manufacturing process from raw ingredients to the finished product.
Opti tools are based on the principle that good, strategic decisions are made with good information.
Nick Jones, Project Manager
We take responsibility
By adding empirical Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) figures and known process conditions, timings and restrictions, we can show maximum capacities.
When a step change in production capacity is planned, Opti-Milk and Opti-Brew highlight the pinch points in the process and identify the extra plant and equipment needed.
The software can be easily reconfigured for different scenarios, such as varying OEE figures or by understanding the impact on capacity by taking key equipment out of service for maintenance or failure.
When running scenarios, the model can identify the maximum utilisation possible, before plant capacity forces processing restrictions.
Cross-sector application
The nature of its open framework means it can be adapted for other processes across the food and drink industry and enables one process to cascade into another.
The software was originally developed for the brewing industry as Opti-Brew, but has been modified to enable Dairy manufacturers (Opti-Milk) to drive efficiencies in their production process.
The tools have also been applied to the Health & Well-Being sector, through the capacity review of manufacturing utilities including steam, chilled water, and process water.
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