What does MES mean for the food and beverage industry?
An MES for the food and beverage industry helps companies manage production processes transparently and make information from production, quality, and traceability operationally usable.
The Böhme & Weihs MES combines production, quality, and process data into an integrated system for the digital shop floor (networked process control with automation and AI). Production managers receive up-to-date information on equipment status, production volumes, OEE metrics, downtime, or deviations—directly during ongoing operations. This helps stabilize processes, shorten response times, and make more targeted decisions.
Why isn’t production data alone enough?
Many companies already have extensive production data. The real challenge, however, is making that information available where processes are managed and decisions are made.
In food production in particular, requirements are constantly increasing: volatile demand, high cost pressure, rising quality standards, and the need to respond more quickly to deviations.
Therefore, it is not only the collection of data that is crucial, but also its operational usability on the shop floor.
Leveraging Transparency on the Shop Floor in a Targeted Manner
The Böhme & Weihs MES creates transparency throughout the entire production process. Production, quality, and traceability data are consolidated and made available right where decisions are made.
Companies receive up-to-date information on production processes, material and batch flows, as well as OEE and quality metrics. This allows deviations to be identified more quickly and processes to be controlled more effectively. The result is a networked control system for the digital shop floor—from production to management.
Background: Why Transparency Alone Is Not Enough
Transparency is about more than simply collecting data. The real value lies in making information quickly actionable during day-to-day operations, especially when dealing with deviations, quality issues, or production downtime.
Why Giveaways Are Economically Significant
In food production in particular, overfilling—known as “giveaways”—plays an important role. Even small deviations can result in significant costs when production volumes are high.
The Böhme & Weihs MES helps companies precisely monitor overfills and reduce them in a targeted manner. Integrated scales continuously provide up-to-date weight and process data. This makes deviations visible early on and allows production processes to be managed more economically. In addition to quality and process reliability, this also places greater emphasis on production efficiency.
Practical Tip: Reduce Giveaway Losses Strategically
Continuous weight monitoring provides transparency into product overfill and helps companies optimize material usage and production costs in a targeted manner. By identifying deviations at an early stage, manufacturers can reduce giveaway losses while maintaining product quality and compliance with specifications.
Batches and formulas are traceable at all times
In food production, batches, materials, recipes, and process data must remain traceable at all times. This facilitates the analysis of deviations, the identification of causes, stable production processes, and more targeted decisions during ongoing operations. The transparent integration of production and quality data creates a consistent information base for production, quality assurance, and shop floor management.
What advantages does specialized food and beverage expertise offer?
The Böhme & Weihs MES is distinguished by its highly specialized food and beverage expertise. With Mapex, the MES has been specifically realigned to meet the requirements of the food industry. With over 20 years of experience and more than 200 customers in the food industry, Mapex is one of the leading MES providers in the Spanish market. This expertise is complemented by Böhme & Weihs’ many years of experience in quality management and the networked control of the digital shop floor. The result is a high-performance MES for food and beverage—with a clear focus on transparency, process stability, and operational control.
AI Support Directly on the Shop Floor
The shop floor also receives support from the AI assistant Maik. He makes production data and documentation immediately accessible and helps employees respond more quickly to deviations and malfunctions. The focus here is not on automation at any cost, but on providing targeted support for decision-making during ongoing operations.
