Food & Beverage

Automation solutions for food processing

NorthWind’s experience in the food processing industry includes dough mixing, extruded snacks, grain milling, specialty ingredients, and much more. We use this experience to provide comprehensive automation solutions for food processes.

NorthWind has years of experience providing controls and automation solutions for food processing facilities. We have the process knowledge to effectively control ingredient transfer, mixing and batching systems, continuous extrusion, and everything in between. Our software solutions include recipe management, lot tracking, reporting, and ERP integration.

Batch Logix Logo

Recipe Management

NorthWind’s Recipe Management software has the flexibility you need with an easy to use interface.

Making bread dough is not the same as making pizza dough and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality because of your recipe management tool. With BatchLOGIX®, recipe management software, recipes include both machine and ingredient set points, as well as hand-add ingredients. By incorporating these factors into the recipes, consistency is achieved for all products.

Lot Tracking

Lot numbers and ingredients are traced from the time they enter the facility through packaging.

Trace ingredients through your entire manufacturing process with lot tracking, storage, and reporting capabilities. Lot numbers for liquid and dry ingredients can be traced through multiple systems from source to finished product.


Written tracking methods for lot numbers of hand-add micro ingredients is subject to errors and data gaps. BatchMATE, NorthWind’s automated hand-add station, is connected to the recipe management and lot tracking software. Scan ingredient lot and part numbers are scanned into the system, increasing the accuracy of ingredient management while reducing the time involved.

Data Management

NorthWind makes it easy to collect and use the data that is already available in your plant operation so you can make better, more informed decisions.

We collect information about everything from critical control points and run parameters to ingredient usage and system alarms. With this information we provide KPI dashboards and setup equipment maintenance alerts. All information is stored and ready for analysis and comparison to real-time data. Our online web reporter tool makes this easy!

Redundancy

One of the best ways to ensure uninterrupted operations is through redundancy.

Redundancy increases run time by keeping common interruptions such as a server failure, a power outage, or a failed component from shutting the whole operation down.


Common hardware components to achieve redundancy

  • Server Cluster
  • Battery Backups
  • Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Common software backups to achieve redundancy

  • HMI/Thin Client Modules
  • BatchLOGIX Modules


Control system troubleshooting is just a phone call away.

Dough Temperature Optimization

Reaching ideal dough temperature is critical to making quality baked products.

Our system reads product temperatures entering the dough mixer and makes proactive adjustments to the temperature of the added water and can even call for specific amounts of ice to reach the optimum dough temperature.

NorthWind Technical Services is an Associate Member of the American Bakers Association

ABA Member

American Bakers Association connects, educates and provides resources for its members and the industries they serve. ABA creates authentic connections that improve its members’ businesses and the baking industry. Its members utilize the value they gain through ABA networking and educational events to provide their customers with the most effective, innovative solutions in baking.

NorthWind PlantLOGIX™ Software Suite

NorthWind PlantLOGIX® software is explicitly designed to simplify and streamline your factory process. PlantLOGIXSecurity®, BatchLOGIX®, and BatchMATE® were created specifically for the food industry to provide more visibility of your plant, seamless lot tracking and time savings.

Alarm Logix Logo
Batch Logix Logo
Batch Mate Logo

What's Next?

Service & Support at NorthWind Technical Services
Want to learn more about working with NorthWind Technical Services to automate your baking organization?

White Papers

Identifying Critical System Data with High-Performance Graphics

Identifying Critical System Data with High-Performance Graphics

By Sydney Bosworth • July 9, 2021
Manufacturing plants consist of many different pieces of equipment working together to make a product – from building materials like PVC pipe to food items like tortillas. The control system’s human machine interface (HMI)...
Temperature Measurement in Industry

Temperature Measurement in Industry

By Ben Drew • February 12, 2016
There are many different choices that can be made when selecting temperature measurement devices for industrial systems. When faced with these decisions, there are many factors to consider: accuracy, sensitivity, price, temperature range needed, etc. This article will discuss three types of temperature...
What is a Lot Number and Why Do I Care?

What is a Lot Number and Why Do I Care?

By Andrew Scoby • May 12, 2014
We hear a lot about product recalls these days. Everything from cars to children’s toys to dog food gets recalled for various reasons. Sometimes you get a notice in the mail telling you that to take your car to the nearest dealer to...