Vanguard SystemsVanguard Systems

Food & beverage: production, traceability, packaging

Food lines: keeping pace without sacrificing traceability.

Automation reinforcement for Swiss dairy, meat, beverage and ready-meal manufacturers. New line commissioning, retrofit, MES integration, batch/serialization traceability. Siemens, Rockwell expertise, hygienic environments.

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Field reality

Food & beverage challenges

01

Cycle-time pressure: tight margins, volume growth, few intervention windows. Any intervention on a production line must be planned to the minute.

02

IFS / BRC traceability: every logic change must be traced for food quality and safety certifications. Rigorous documentation required.

03

Hygienic environment: interventions in washdown areas, stainless steel/IP69K constraints, limited access. Specific material preparation and procedures.

04

Serialization and regulation: barcodes, GS1, supplier-to-consumer batch traceability. Non-trivial MES/ERP integration.

Our method

Our food & beverage approach

We adapt our method to production constraints: intervention during maintenance windows, precise runbooks, simulator testing when possible. For new projects (new line, extension), we operate as a design office with turnkey delivery up to ramp-up.

Technical stack used

Technologies we master in this sector

  • Siemens TIA Portal
  • Rockwell ControlLogix
  • FactoryTalk View
  • Wonderware AVEVA
  • Ignition
  • OPC UA
  • Profinet
  • MES SAP / Werum
  • ISA-95
  • GS1 sérialisation
  • Vision industrielle

Project evidence

Illustrative food and beverage use case

  • Industriels romands lait / viande / boissons

    Prepare commissioning, machine retrofit or traceability integration according to equipment and site constraints.

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Related services

Our services for this sector

Industrial automation and PLC/SCADA integration

Vanguard Systems delivers industrial automation projects in French-speaking Switzerland, from engineering to PLC/SCADA programming, testing and commissioning. We work with Siemens, Rockwell, Beckhoff and Emerson on new projects, retrofits and migrations. The project can connect instrumentation, control and energy supervision, with documentation and support after handover within the agreed scope. On special machines, we take the automation, electrical and integration scope; the mechanics stay with the builder or your teams. Work, interfaces and responsibilities are defined before the project starts. A senior automation engineer can also reinforce your engineering office.

Custom tools, automations & AI agents

Many industrial needs justify neither an ERP/MES program nor heavy development: quality deviation tracking, supplier portals, workflows across five legacy systems, AI agents on technical documentation. Vanguard Systems assembles the right mix for the site context: no-code automation (n8n, Make, Power Automate), lightweight databases (Airtable, Dataverse, PostgreSQL), AI agents via LLM APIs deployed on Azure or AWS Bedrock EU zone, custom web apps (Next.js) when no-code reaches its limits. Always with industrial requirements in mind: confidentiality, OT/IT integration, audit trail, lifespan beyond 5 years.

Management and consulting

Project leadership and technical leadership for complex automation projects. Combination of field technical expertise and PMP-certified project management. Ability to coordinate multiple subcontractors, arbitrate schedule / quality / cost trade-offs, and own operational responsibility for a deliverable through to routine production.

Frequently asked

FAQ: food & beverage

Can you intervene on 24/7 production lines?

Work can be planned during a maintenance window, including nights or weekends by agreement. Scheduling, access, safety conditions, testing and rollback are prepared with your maintenance and quality teams.

How do you scope automation documentation for our quality audits?

We define applicable requirements, software versions to track, tests and change procedures with your quality team. The proposal specifies the expected deliverables. This documentation support does not constitute IFS or BRC certification.

Do you handle MES / ERP integration?

Yes, ISA-95 level 3/4 integration with SAP, Werum or custom MES. Event-driven architecture, OPC UA, REST APIs depending on target system. We work with your IT team for OT/IT network security.

Other sectors

Explore other sectors we serve

Pharma & life sciences

Microtechnology & watchmaking

Fine chemistry

Energy & utilities

OEMs & special machines

Contact

Let's discuss your food & beverage project

Initial response within 4 hours from 07:00 to 19:00, every day. Accepted urgent request: intervention within 48 hours. Scope provided by quote.

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