Avebe announces that it will produce Etenia potato starch derivative at the food processing plant in Ter Apelkanaal, using a line on which other starch derivatives are also produced.
Due to the growing demand for this innovative product, there was no longer efficient room, so a solution was needed, the company explains. It was found in the expansion of the former Minerale-Lactaten-Fabriek (MILP), a few steps away, on the same production location.
Etenia is used in foods for example as a gelatin substitute. It makes yoghurt creamy, but can also be used to make wine gums. It is entirely vegetable-based. Avebe has responded to the strong demand for this product by setting up a new production line in the former MILP in Ter Apelkanaal. Anton Venema, project manager of the Etenia MILP expansion: “The MILP wasn’t being used much anymore and is already equipped with a spray drier, which will now become part of Etenia’s production line.”
The conversion of the production location started in March 2017. Venema added: “The first step was to take out the old equipment, and now the new production line is being built. Because it is based on an existing factory situation, we call this a ‘brown field project’. This is as opposed to a ‘green field project’, in which everything is built from scratch. Brown field projects are trickier because they involve more challenges. You have to make sure that everything connects up properly. It’s precisely those challenges that make the project so enjoyable. We’ve made good progress up to now. We expect to have the production line ready on a short notice”.
Improving Customers Service
On the other hand, last year Avebe took some important steps towards improving the service to its customers. This resulted in significant cost reductions and fewer customer-related complaints. Edwin de Jonge, director site operations Foxhol, explained the most important supply chain management developments.
Supply chain management focuses on reducing customer-related complaints. During the past year good results have been achieved with first-time-right distribution to customers in the paper industry, explains de Jonge: “We used a special app technology with QR codes and scanners. This innovative technology will reduce the chance of errors in this important part of the supply chain.”
Besides the app technology, the department has also worked on another great innovative project. “We’ve succeeded in creating a distribution concept for our liquid protein product Solanic. We’re now able to transport the refrigerated product in a new form of packaging. The new distribution concept was completed in less than 6 months, which is something we’re hugely proud of!”
The Avebe also worked to make the supply chain more sustainable. Agreements have been made on a new logistics hub close to Rotterdam in partner-ship with one of Avebe’s service providers. “During the course of 2018 our products will be shipped directly from this point to the customers. This will save more than 500,000 road kilometers a year from and to the warehouse in the Northern Netherlands. Our goal this year was to save a total of 3 million km of road transport, and we even overachieved that,” says de Jonge.
In February 2017 Avebe successfully implemented a new sales and financial planning system: SAP Integrated Business Planning system (IBP). Avebe received the SAP Quality Innovation Award for this innovative aspect and the way it was achieved. Edwin: “This system makes it possible for us to calculate the effects of scenarios more quickly, and makes the figures more accurate. We expect this to contribute to customer satisfaction and an improvement in delivery reliability.”
