1. The Problem
A Milk processing facility needed a way to track and account for milk across its entire production process. Milk receiving, transfers, pasteurization, and cheese-making lacked a unified tracking system, leaving gaps in visibility for compliance, loss management, and operational efficiency. Manual recordkeeping and fragmented system data could not provide the accuracy or traceability required for modern dairy operations.
2. The Solution:
A new Milk Tracking System was implemented using Tatsoft FrameworX as the sole operator interface, fully integrated with GE Plant Applications and GE Historian. The system tracks pounds of milk at every transfer point, with approximately 85 tags created in the PLC to totalize flows up to 1,000,000 pounds.
Work orders and identifiers (Milk Ticket, Batch, or Purchase Order) are tied to each department and line, ensuring complete end-to-end traceability. Operators enter order data directly into FrameworX screens, which are organized by department (Intake, HTST, Make, Load Out) and line hierarchy (TB01–TB03, PA01–PA02, CM01–CM02, MLO/WLO/WCLO/SCLO).
FrameworX dashboards store up to 500 transactions per screen, providing real-time monitoring, historian-backed trending, and compliance-ready records of milk movement.
Simple Architecture Diagram:
PLC (85 Milk Tags) → GE IGS Server → GE Historian (500 Tags)
↓
GE Plant Applications (Events, Routes, Batches)
↓
FrameworX Dashboards & Work Order Screens
Intake → HTST → Make → Load Out (4–5 screens)
Technical Specifications:
Facility: Milk Processing Plant
Departments: Intake, HTST, Make, Load Out
Lines: 11 total (TB01–TB03, PA01–PA02, CM01–CM02, MLO/WLO/WCLO/SCLO)
PLC Tags: ~85 totalizers (0–1,000,000 pounds)
Historian: GE Historian (500 Tag Enterprise license)
MES Backbone: GE Plant Applications (routes, production events)
Front End: Tatsoft FrameworX (500 Tag license)
Integration: GE IGS Driver connects PLCs → Historian → PPA → FrameworX GUI
Dashboards: 4–5 Factory Studio screens by department, storing up to 500 transactions each
Reporting: SQL integration with ThoughtSpot and Snowflake for analytics
3. Key Enablers:
Dedicated Operator Interface: FrameworX as the sole GUI for milk tracking
Event & Route Integration: Production events tied to orders, tickets, and batches
Historian Connectivity: GE Historian provides time-series trending and replay
Work Order Management: Entry and admin pages for each department and line
Department Hierarchy: Plant → Department → Line model for standardization
Scalability: ~85 PLC tags, 500 historian tags, and 500 transaction storage per screen
4. The Results:
Established the first dedicated milk tracking system at the Milk Processing facility
Improved compliance with complete traceability from tanker receipt to cheese making
Provided real-time visibility of milk flows and losses for operators and managers
Reduced manual effort by automating transfer totals, differences, and batch tracking
Delivered a scalable, historian-backed solution ready for future enterprise integration