Danone – digitalisation of a new oat drink plant
Oat drink production: into the future with AS-i and IO-Link
Danone relies on digitalization solutions from ifm to modernize a production plant
Danone is one of the world’s leading suppliers of dairy products. The growing consumer demand for plant-based beverages, which Danone offers in markets worldwide, prompted the company to convert one of its largest plants in France from dairy production to oat drink production.
Thierry Pasquet, director of the Danone plant in Villecomtal-sur-Arros, explains the reasons behind the conversion: “Eighty percent of our customers say they want to shift their diet from animal-based to plant-based proteins. Naturally, we want to accommodate this demand by increasing our oat drink production capacity. This decision also aligns with Danone’s global corporate goals of reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption by 80%.” The company has invested approximately 50 million euros in the plant in southwestern France. “When modernizing the production facilities, we chose the best available technologies on the market to ensure that this investment—and the plant itself—remains viable for decades to come,” says Pasquet.
Image 1: The distinct yellow AS-i flat cable runs through the entire process chain. Information from Definox’s Sorio valve control heads is seamlessly transmitted.
Image 2: AS-i meets IO-Link—these two digital communication technologies integrate seamlessly, leveraging the benefits of both. For example, flow, pressure, and temperature data are transmitted to AS-i via IO-Link.
Digitalizing the future with ifm
From storage tanks to pipelines, valve islands and CIP systems, everything was converted from milk to oats—within just twelve months. “During this period, all the old equipment had to be dismantled and reassembled at other locations,” says Sébastien Peres, who oversees automation at the plant.
“At the same time, new plant components for oat drink production, including automation technology, were gradually installed.” Danone’s selection of ifm as the automation partner for the plant’s modernization was no coincidence. The company has collaborated with ifm in Villecomtal-sur-Arros for about 20 years.
“So, it was almost a given that we would work together again on this project.” For digitalization, Peres’ team, supported by integrator Boccard, relied on two automation technologies: AS-Interface and IO-Link. “Compared to a conventional wired system, AS-i and IO-Link offer the advantage of simple cabling. AS-i allows us to lay cables over long distances and flexibly connect sensors wherever needed,” says Peres.
Danone also uses AS-i Safety to manage safety-related sensors, which monitor whether manholes or other process access points are properly closed.
AS-i: digital data transmission over long distances
A key feature of AS-i is the yellow, two-core flat cable, which can be laid over distances of up to 1,000 meters and in both line and star topologies. With the addition of fiber optics, distances of up to 3,000 meters can be covered. Sensors and actuators can be easily connected to the flat cable at any point using AS-i modules and insulation displacement technology.
Optionally, actuators with higher power requirements can be supplied with additional energy through a separate 24-volt flat cable running parallel to the data cable and through the modules. Another advantage of AS-i technology is its IO-Link connection capability. Special field-compatible IO-Link masters consolidate digital signals from IO-Link sensors and transmit them to the AS-i level.
Image 1: The LDL200 conductivity sensor ensures proper and efficient execution of the CIP process.
Image 2: Interface between OT and IT—the control cabinet houses the AS-i power supply, safe AS-i output modules, and AS-i Ethernet/IP gateways.
Image 3: Centralized process monitoring—digital communication via AS-i and IO-Link enables real-time monitoring of the entire process.
IO-Link: greater transparency and more data per measuring point
“IO-Link technology was new to us, but we embraced it for digital data transmission to future-proof our plant and maximize efficiency,” says Peres. “IO-Link sensors provide significantly more diagnostic options than conventional automation systems, resulting in a high level of process transparency. We also benefit from simple cabling with standardized M12 connectors.”
Many IO-Link sensors transmit additional data beyond the primary measurement. For example, a pressure sensor can also measure temperature at the same point. Flow meters can transmit flow rate, pressure, temperature, and total flow as digital values via IO-Link.
Another useful feature of IO-Link is the option to store the parameters of a sensor on the IO-Link master that the sensor is connected to. “This makes it very easy for us to replace the sensor if it becomes defective. Thanks to the automatic transmission of the stored setting parameters to the new sensor, sensors can also be replaced by non-specialist colleagues.” This relieves the burden on specialists, who can now concentrate on their core tasks thanks to the simple replacement process.
To select the initial sensors, Danone sought external expertise: “With our integrator Boccard and ifm as automation specialist, we have set standards for all the necessary sensors for measuring pressure, temperature, flow and conductivity,” says Peres. “By working closely with ifm, and thanks to the comprehensive range of product variants available, we were able to ensure that we always use exactly the right type of sensor.”
Thanks to a long-standing collaboration between Definox and ifm, the seamless integration of Definox’s Sorio valve heads, which are also used in the modernized system, via AS-i and IO-Link, is ensured.
Successful Digitalization and Transition to Oat-Based Products
Oat drink production has now begun, with all information centrally monitored in real time. “Through digitalization, we have full visibility into all processes and key metrics. This allows us to respond quickly to deviations,” says Peres. “As a result, we can produce efficiently, safely, and at the required high quality. Overall, we are very satisfied with the implementation of the digitalization project. The collaboration met all our expectations for a project of this scale.”
Conclusion
As a long-term automation partner of the Villecomtal-sur-Arros plant, ifm leveraged its expertise in food production to support Danone in its modernization and transition from dairy production to oat drink manufacturing. The strong customer relationship reflected in the slogan “ifm – close to you” was once again evident in this successful collaboration.
