About the project

Molenbergnatie needed robust integration between the bulk container tipping equipment (from Maxpac) and their ERP system. When bulk containers are emptied using the Maxpac tip frame, crucial data — customs labels, lot numbers, container numbers and timestamps — had to be linked and recorded completely correctly.

The existing workflow did not offer sufficient traceability, and operators did not have an intuitive interface for selecting containers and accurately validating actions.

Challenge

The project involved several key challenges:

• There was no efficient link between the MaxPac tilt frame installation and the ERP system.
• Customs data, container numbers and lot information could not be reliably linked
• Operators did not have a user-friendly interface for container selection
• Timestamps of tilt frame actions were not automatically registered in the ERP system
• Data from source containers had to be flawlessly linked to destination containers
• Traceability and data quality had to be greatly improved

Our contribution:

Interface & Automation:

• Integration of a Siemens Comfort Panel with the container tip frame installation
• Enabling scripting for data exchange between tip frame and ERP
• Clear HMI interface for operators with container selection and status information

Data Communication & File Exchange:

• Automatic file transfer from the ERP system to the container tip frame installation
• Real-time feedback of tipping operations timestamps to the ERP
• Implementation of validations to check source and target container data

Traceability & Workflow optimisation:

• Logic developed to correctly link source containers to target containers
• Fail-safe checks that block the process in case of invalid data
• Clear feedback and warnings in the HMI visualisation

Results for Molenbergnatie:

• Seamless integration between container tipping frame and ERP
• Improved traceability thanks to correct linking of source and target containers
• Complete and accurate timestamps for all tipping frame actions
• Intuitive operation for operators via the HMI
• Better data quality and increased operational efficiency
• Much smoother workflow and higher reliability in compliance processes

REDI pillars in this project:

R – Retrofit
Integration of new communication and linking logic on existing tipping equipment
E – Engineering
Configuration of HMI, scripting, validation mechanisms and process controls
D – Digitisation
ERP link, real-time data transfer, data validation & traceability