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From Paper Logs to Real-Time Genealogy

To help a major global beverage producer overcome the limitations of manual, paper-based tracking, SkyIO implemented a specialized MES layer that unified the brewery’s SAP, MES, and PCS 7 systems into a single, governed data flow. This transformation eliminated disconnected Excel sheets and handwritten logs, providing the manufacturer with 100% end-to-end material traceability and an AI-ready, orchestrated IT/OT environment.

CASE STUDY

Capabilities Demonstrated

The Client:
Global Brewing Manufacturer


View services

~ 20,000
DCS Tags Harvested
25
Virtual Machines in Digital Twin
~ 12%
Cost vs.
Hardware-in-loop
100%

End-to-end
Traceability

Challenge

A major global beverage producer was running massive brewing operations, yet critical production data still lived on clipboards, handwritten logs, and disconnected Excel sheets. Batch orders were keyed in by hand. Ingredient reception and consumption were manual. SAP, the PCS 7 control system, and the shop floor each held a piece of the truth, and none of them talked to each other. The result: no real-time inventory, no end-to-end genealogy, and no data foundation to build on. The data existed. It just wasn’t connected, digital, or usable.

The Approach

As a Platinum Siemens Solution Partner with the most PCS 7–certified engineers in the Americas, SkyIO implemented an MES layer that orchestrates SAP, the MES, and PCS 7 into one governed data flow, all without disrupting the existing brewing code.


  • Instrument the plant floor | New SkyIO MES function blocks & ~ 20,000 mapped tags capture data directly from PCS7, segregated from the brewing code, upgrade-friendly, with the client owning the source and data buffering built in to ride out interface outages.

  • Connect the systems | OpenPCS7 OPC UA links the control system to the MES; a REST API links the MES to SAP. Route Control location data drives full material tracking and SAP beer orders now auto-create batch orders in Simatic Batch, replacing manual entry.

  • Prove it before go-live | A 21-VM integrated test environment using Siemens SIMIT Virtual Controllers ran batches from the brewhouse until the beer sent to packaging at roughly 12% of the cost of a hardware-in-the-loop rig.

The Outcome

Manual paper and Excel reports are now automated in the MES: filterable, searchable, printable, and downloadable with click-through to detail. Automated inbound reception and handheld-driven consumption feed real-time inventory and historical data, while Route Control genealogy delivers end-to-end traceability for every raw material and every batch of beer.

 

The brewery now has the orchestrated IT/OT environment — and the data lake — that makes advanced analytics and AI the logical next step.

Software Developed


  • Custom MES function blocks & 20k+ mapped tags

  • OPC UA & REST API system integration

  • Automated batch order creation

  • Full material genealogy & traceability

  • Electronic MES reporting

  • SIMIT-based integrated test environment

Technologies


  • Siemens PCS 7

  • Simatic Batch & Route Control

  • SIMIT Virtual Controller

  • OPC UA & REST API

  • SAP ERP

  • AVEVA MDM

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