Founded in 1927 as a family-owned business, Angel Bakeries has become a global household brand in Israel. Angel Bakeries has always been interested in new, innovative solutions. They were the first to introduce the Israeli market to sliced bread, plant-based emulsifiers, and new baking technologies like the first automated weighing machine in 1927. Today, it has 4 industrial bakeries around Israel, 20 local bakeries, 150 distribution lines across Israel, and is an approved supplier for some of the world's leading fast-food chains, including McDonalds. The bakery exports its products around the world and produces frozen product in its US plant for distribution across the USA.
Over the last 95 years, Angel Bakeries has continued to grow and increase daily production of loaves and rolls. The US plant specializes in the bakery’s famous pita bread, flash freezing immediately after baking to preserve quality for customers with a recipe that is a generational family secret. Publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: ANGL), Angel Bakeries is becoming a known name in the global market.
The challenge
To ensure product freshness, bakery and bread products cannot be stored so the bakery needed a way to closely monitor production floor data to perfectly match consumer demand. Angel Bakeries sought a solution to accurately calculate production quantities and obtain inventory reports in real time while reducing product waste. The bakery also wanted better control of work performed on their production lines, including reporting of stoppages or failures, in order to improve line usage and facilitate more precise planning. Angel Bakeries wanted a solution that would keep costs low while maintaining quality and consistency in bakery products. As a solution for the increasing demands of the global market while maintaining accuracy and efficiency, Angel Bakeries turned to FactoryEye, a division of Magic Software which is an Israeli-based software company that has been in business over 40 years. FactoryEye is now a global leader with their Industry 4.0 solution that incorporates forward thinking and industry expertise for customers around the world.
The solution
Magic Software’s FactoryEye was selected because it provides an advanced, easy-to-use machine connection, data visibility, and a smart IoT solution for production efficiency. FactoryEye sensors connect directly with equipment, facilitate remote communications between workstations and operators, and deliver analytics-driven dashboards to managers at all levels. This technology is empowering Angel Bakeries to digitize control and reporting processes in production. They utilize RFID stickers that are automatically scanned and used to update data in the computer systems. This has significantly reduced the time spent on manual reporting, as well as solving the problem of inaccuracies. At the two production sites with this solution, automatic gates that are opened by reading the stickers have been installed, thus reducing human involvement in reporting to a minimum. There are future plans to expand the FactoryEye solution to all 4 industrial bakeries.
Before FactoryEye, Angel Bakeries’ production personnel were dependent on manually produced reports for reporting on problems, shortages and inaccuracies. Now they can guarantee the availability of stock for distribution during the night, when the delivery trucks set out, or when the products are transferred to a temporary warehouse on the way to loading. And at the start of delivery rounds each day, the contents of each delivery truck are identical to the contents listed in system records, making inventory control and internal processes far more efficient. The FactoryEye solution helps Angel Bakeries establish and manage KPIs, at each level of the business, while improving visibility and control of factory floor operations.
“The most drastic improvement derived from FactoryEye’s solutions is that we know the inventory situation at any point in time without manual intervention,” said Yoni Shor, vice president of operations at Angel Bakeries. “Significantly less time is dedicated to reporting and the handover from production to distribution is considerably smoother. As a factory that operates according to a strict schedule to preserve the freshness and quality of our products, online real-time tracking of the production system is vitally important for optimal utilization of our resources.”
In addition to transparency regarding inventory at any point in time and the smooth flow of information, FactoryEye also offers better monitoring of deliveries in the supply chain, as well as making it easier to investigate incidents while preparing for future disruptions.
Niva Kalish, manager of information systems at Angel Bakeries added, “We chose Magic based on years of working with them and the significant advantages of their systems, which are very user-friendly. Our users are busy production workers, so the accessibility and ease of using FactoryEye makes the process much easier for them. In Magic we have a real partner and an attentive ear.”
Results and benefits
FactoryEye’s Industry 4.0 solution has enabled Angel Bakeries’ production to be more efficient and reliable than ever before, ultimately saving the bakery time, labor and money. This solution allows Angel Bakeries to have access to real-time data and transparency from raw product to customer delivery with cell phones, consoles and dashboard to give managers a single view of how the product is measuring to previously set KPI’s. Angel Bakeries has seen many improvements since partnering with FactoryEye, such as:
- Greater access to real-time data: FactoryEye sensors can leverage mobile phone technology to keep everyone in the loop, in real time to predict problems and address issues with actionable intelligence. With these sensors, Angel Bakeries can respond both smarter and faster to changes in production flow while reducing time spent on manual reporting.
- Increased accuracy: FactoryEye’s solution upgraded Angel Bakeries control process to increase accuracy in production quantities and reporting. This digitally captured data is timelier and more reliable for employees and management.
- Improved control and reliability: FactoryEye’s integration tools ensure full transparency into production and enable better control of the factory, either on-site or remotely. Their solution fits Angel Bakeries unique needs allowing better control over delivery times and inventory management. This control improved efficiency, accuracy, reliability, and productivity on the production floor.
For Angel Bakeries, FactoryEye’s solution has improved production efficiency and information flow for management by analyzing the cause of disruptions and losses in production. They have always invested in new baking technology to improve processes, so it made sense for them to invest in Industry 4.0. FactoryEye will continue to help Angel Bakeries prepare for future disruptions while keeping production running smoothly.
