Royal Avebe and Greywise: The start of a long-standing collaboration

Royal Avebe UA and Greywise

The start of a long-term collaboration

Avebe felt the need to work even more efficiently in production. Jan Spijkerman, Manufacturing IT manager at Avebe, explains: “Within the production domain, corrective actions were often required and the reporting was not always accurate. For that reason, there was still an unexplored area in terms of automation and administration.” The MES knowledge was lacking within Avebe, that was when Avebe started talking to Greywise.

Together with Greywise, a selection process was carried out to determine which software best suited Avebe’s wishes.

Greywise is the independent pivot between Avebe and the right MES supplier

“After selecting the right software, a pilot was started. “At the time, we opted to carry out the selection under the leadership of Greywise. The experience of Greywise and the suppliers’ independent status they have in particular was decisive. We have not regretted the collaboration for a moment. The knowledge of the market and expertise of Greywise is absolutely distinctive”, says Jan.

After the MES was selected for Avebe, Greywise created the templates and supervised the implementation. When defining the templates, we looked directly at the processes in the other Avebe factories, so that the same template can also be used for these factories at a later date. Jan explains: “Thanks to the templates that Greywise has designed for us, the rollout of MES in our other factories has become much faster and easier for us.

“Changes can be uncertain for employees in the workplace. The method that Greywise uses ensures that the processes are transparent and that employees understand what is happening. Jan explains: “Stakeholders are included in the automation process. In the design phase, process technologists and operators contribute ideas and feedback is included. This leads to adjustments that make the employees feel involved in the changes.”

Greywise’s template idea

The templates that Greywise has designed are of great importance to Jan. “I am still reaping the benefits of this process today. Greywise decided to standardize early in the process by building templates. The templates are of value to us during the rollout of MES and the associated integration with automation. We can use the templates during the roll-out of a new factory or production line.

Jan: “It was important for Avebe that the advice was independent and fact-based. And that the consultants can give honest advice, without additional interests.The strength of Greywise is that they are supplier independent. This means I don’t have to worry about Greywise choosing a solution that suits them best (financially). But that there will be a solution that actually helps us further.”

Avebe Jan Spijkerman

“It was important to Avebe that the advice should be independent and fact-based. And that the consultants can give honest advice, without additional interests.”

Jan Spijkerman
Avebe

Vertical integration: link between the MES, ERP and control

Jan explains what vertical integration means for Avebe: “Thanks to the link between the MES, the ERP and control, we have complete vertical integration. This means that we have removed an awful lot of administrative actions from the operators. MES structures the data from control and automatically links it back to ERP. This means that information is available earlier and more accurately in the ERP and MES.”

Greywise provides results

Greywise is an independent supplier and market expert. Thanks in part to Greywise’s approach with regard to the vertical integration of MES, ERP and control, a major improvement has been achieved at Avebe in automation and administration. Greywise now functions as the flexible shell for the Manufacturing IT department within Avebe.

Greywise’s consultants supervise the MES implementation and, on the basis of the templates created, roll out MES across the various locations, together with Avebe’s Manufacturing IT department.

Greywise as a flexible shell within Avebe

A flexible shell: what exactly does that mean? Jan explains: “I use Greywise as a flexible shell that allows us to maintain a compact team at Avebe. When we see that a new project is coming up for which we need extra support, I switch to the flexible layer. This flexible layer is in the form of a Greywise consultant who supports and advises us. This keeps the basic Manufacturing IT team small and costs manageable: the collaboration with Greywise fits in very well with this.”

Being able to switch quickly: accessible and short lines

Jan describes Greywise as an accessible and flexible organization: “It is nice to have short lines of communication so that you can quickly switch, consult and adjust. This makes it very pleasant to work with Greywise.”

Jan explains that he is satisfied with Greywise and the team. According to Jan, there is a Greywise DNA in owner Jos Hensen but also in his employees: “Asking critical questions, listening carefully to the customer’s wishes and having a broad knowledge of the production process, MES system and the ERP And not only do they have the knowledge in-house: the practical application is also well mastered by the Greywise team.”

Do you have any questions about this case or are you curious about what Greywise can do for you. Please contact Jos.