According to Ipos Report, in 2024, Vietnam's F&B industry will grow by 10 - 12% compared to 2023, and is currently ranked 3rd in Southeast Asia in terms of revenue.

This puts great pressure on F&B businesses to both expand production and ensure product quality in the context of rising costs and labor shortages due to supply chain disruptions.

To continue to compete effectively in the market, F&B businesses are prioritizing the application of digital transformation and automation solutions to increase capacity, optimize investment and operating costs to create high-quality products at competitive prices.

With 30 years of presence in Vietnam, Tetra Pak has accompanied F&B businesses to solve challenges in optimizing production costs and improving product quality with comprehensive packaging and processing solutions. In particular, this business has introduced and applied the automation and digitalization solution Tetra Pak PlantMaster and the service Tetra Pak Plant Perform to help businesses easily control the entire operation of the factory from input materials to the supply chain, ensuring consistent product quality, increasing efficiency with reasonable investment costs.

Manufacturing Automation - the Key to Optimizing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Automation helps handle repetitive tasks, freeing up time for employees to focus on more complex tasks. This technology not only saves time, reduces errors, improves quality, but also helps reduce costs and limit overtime.

Specifically, in 2013, in order to meet the increasing demand for milk consumption from the market, Tetra Pak and Vietnam's leading dairy partner introduced a factory with a capacity of up to 800 million liters of milk/year. All equipment and machinery systems, especially LGV (Laser Guided Vehicle) robots, operate automatically, controlled by a central computer system that helps the factory control the entire production process at all stages of operation.

One of the core control systems is the Tetra Pak PlantMaster operating system, with the core being the manufacturing execution and automation system - MES (Manufacturing Execution System) that allows continuous monitoring, control and quality improvement. In addition, the warehouse management system - WMS (Warehouse Management System) integrated with ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) - an enterprise resource planning system that helps collect and analyze data in real time, supporting quick decision making and reducing waste.

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Tetra Pak PlantMaster automation and digitalization solution enables continuous monitoring, control and quality improvement

“This system provides comprehensive control of production processes, including recipe management, production reporting, traceability and quality control to ensure that every step in the production process is optimized, from raw material preparation to product packaging,” said Mr. Ngo Minh Thanh - Director of Tetra Pak Vietnam Processing Solutions.

To further increase the production efficiency gained from applying these automation technologies, Tetra Pak also developed the Tetra Pak Plant Perform service solution.

Ensure factory equipment is maintained in standard condition, improving operating efficiency

Losses incurred in the factory such as machine downtime due to breakdowns leading to production delays, affecting factory capacity, placing a burden on the overall cost of production.

To promptly resolve issues related to technical failures and spare parts replacement, in 2013, Tetra Pak introduced the Tetra Pak Plant Care solution, which includes comprehensive maintenance planning, preventive maintenance, spare parts management and 24/7 production support. This solution has helped plants achieve high stability in operation.

Tetra Pak continues to develop the Tetra Pak Plant Perform solution to provide proactive maintenance services that predict potential risks to machinery, ensure continuous production line operation, and control operating costs through a fixed cost structure.

The ability to manage performance through continuous improvement processes and a commitment to achieving output targets is a hallmark of Tetra Pak Plant Perform. Tetra Pak and manufacturers jointly define clear targets, reduce incidents and waste and improve productivity. In addition, the fixed cost structure makes it easier for businesses to forecast costs and manage budgets more effectively.

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Tetra Pak Plant Perform solutions ensure uninterrupted production lines

Specifically, this solution has brought efficiency to the Italac dairy plant in Brazil, helping to reduce quality-related incidents by 46%, reduce packaging losses by 20% and increase productivity by 6 million boxes per year. In addition to improving operational efficiency, Tetra Pak Plant Perform also brought in additional revenue of up to 9.7 million Euros thanks to process optimization and minimizing other losses across the plant.

“Tetra Pak’s service solutions maintain current performance while promoting continuous improvement through Total Productive Management (TPM) including: reducing energy and water consumption, reducing carbon emissions per product package and improving overall operational efficiency by overcoming losses in other stages of the factory,” added Mr. Nguyen Van - Director of Tetra Pak Vietnam Service Department.

With integrated automation and digitalization solutions, Tetra Pak pioneers in accompanying food and beverage manufacturers and brands to solve production cost and plant-wide loss issues and improve operational efficiency, thereby enhancing product quality to best meet consumer needs.

Learn more about Tetra Pak's comprehensive processing, packaging and service solutions at: https://www.tetrapak.com/en-vn/solutions.

Doan Phong