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New pet food production plant

Our client’s goal was to create a pet food production plant with a 4.0 vision, capable of maximizing productivity and integrating strategic human resource management. The company, a pioneer in the pet food industry in Quebec, set out to build a state-of-the-art plant, automating over 80% of its production chain.

The aim was to meet recruitment challenges, optimize production accuracy and strengthen its competitiveness on the market. To achieve this ambitious goal, the company called on NEXRUN’s expertise to design and integrate the automation systems required for this facility.

  • Industrial process automation
  • Control panel design and manufacture
  • Industrial software configuration
  • Machine safety management and analysis
  • Installation of machine vision systems

Context

NEXRUN was involved from the earliest stages of the plant’s design to ensure optimal process automation. NEXRUN’s support included supervision of equipment installation, management of electrical systems and implementation of state-of-the-art automation solutions. NEXRUN took on the task of unravelling these complex configurations and delivered a fully automated system. A critical data monitoring dashboard was also developed to optimize management of key parameters such as temperature and humidity, ensuring exemplary traceability in production.

Challenges encountered

The main challenge was to implement 4.0 technologies in a new plant while dealing with equipment delays caused by the pandemic. In addition, several pieces of equipment arrived misidentified, and no overseas manufacturers’ representatives could travel to attend their installation. NEXRUN then took on the complex task of unravelling, installing and configuring these systems, despite the lack of direct support from suppliers.

Thanks to its expertise and ingenuity, NEXRUN not only overcame these obstacles, but also ensured a smooth commissioning of the plant, guaranteeing a high level of efficiency and traceability of operations.

Suggested solutions

NEXRUN was involved right from the pre-engineering phase to design and integrate the automation systems, supervise the electrical installations and commission the plant. This flexibility and ingenuity enabled the plant to operate efficiently with only eight employees.

Concrete benefits

The construction of the new plant, with its 4.0 vision, not only affords higher productivity, but also greater process accuracy. This results in much more efficient real-time tracking, so that every step of production, from raw materials to the shipment of finished products, can be monitored. This increased accuracy helps minimize errors, ensures consistent product quality and provides full traceability, essential for regulatory compliance in the industry.

In addition to improving quality and traceability, automation also helps to quickly detect potential problems, which improves food safety and product recall management. Automated systems ensure consistency in manufacturing procedures and rigorous performance monitoring, thus increasing overall plant efficiency and strengthening the company’s reputation on the market.

Automation also enables talent to be refocused on higher value-added tasks. Instead of concentrating on repetitive actions, employees can now focus on more strategic and creative activities that contribute to innovation and business growth. 

This new distribution of human resources enables the company to stand out in the market by optimizing the overall efficiency of its plant. As a result, the plant has attracted potential new customers and has started exporting to Asia. It continues to strengthen its position in the international pet food industry.