Success stories

Food industry · Gurb, Barcelona

From paper records to real-time defect recording.

Immediate defect recording during in-line inspection, using colour-coded pushbuttons and visual quality monitoring. No paper notes or repeated data entry at the end of the shift.

Illustrative food production line with a ceiling-suspended quality monitor beside the aisle, outside the line, showing demonstration data.
Illustrative images generated from the project context and application screenshots, using demonstration data. They are not photographs of the customer's facilities.

The challenge

Defects were identified visually during production, but recorded on paper and entered into the system at the end of the shift. This duplicated work delayed access to information. The challenge was to digitise recording in a cleanroom environment without interfering with the operator's main task: inspecting products and removing defective units while the line keeps running.

The implemented solution

A suite of applications connects the inspection point with quality monitoring. From the same position, the operator removes an incorrect product with one hand and records the defect type with the other using pushbuttons within reach, without moving to a separate terminal. A touchscreen enables product selection and an RFID reader identifies the operator. A ceiling-mounted monitor outside the line displays information during the shift.

Record

Record without interrupting inspection

Detection remains visual and human. When the operator identifies a defect, she removes the unit to an adjacent tray and presses the corresponding colour-coded button: product appearance, misplaced label, incorrect batch code or missing label. Controls are integrated into the inspection station so she does not have to turn away or leave the product flow. The touchscreen and RFID reader provide product and operator context, without requiring screen interaction for every defect.

Illustrative operator removing a defective sealed pack with one hand and pressing a pushbutton with the other from the same inspection position.

Visualise

Quality information while the line is running

The large display is suspended from the ceiling beside the line, visible from the work area without occupying the inspection point. It shows hourly defect trends and breakdowns by type, product and operator. Information is no longer available only at the end of the shift: it is available in real time to line and quality teams.

Illustrative view from the aisle showing a ceiling-mounted monitor outside the food production line and the inspection station in the background.

Digitise recording without interfering with inspection.

The complexity went beyond connecting pushbuttons. The recording station had to fit a cleanroom environment, taking hygiene and cleaning needs, available space and ergonomics into account. The operator needed to stay focused on the products, with rejection and defect classification within reach from the same position.

  • Cleanroom environment

    Integration shaped by hygiene, cleaning and equipment placement requirements.

  • No duplicate entry

    Immediate recording replaces paper tallies and end-of-shift transcription.

  • Production context

    RFID identification and product selection from the touchscreen.

  • Shared information

    Real-time defect trends visible to line and quality teams.