A Leader in the Chocolate Industry
Barry Callebaut is the global leader in chocolate and cocoa, renowned for its industrial excellence and commitment to sustainability. Operating in over 40 countries with more than 60 production sites, the company controls the entire value chain to ensure quality and reliability for its customers.
Its “Forever Chocolate” strategy aims to make chocolate sustainable by 2025 by reducing its environmental footprint and improving production conditions.
Through innovation and process optimization, Barry Callebaut combines industrial performance with responsibility, meeting the growing demands of the food industry.
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We no longer wanted to suffer breakdowns and operate in firefighter mode, but on the contrary, be able to anticipate them. This is what we can do thanks to the I-care installations on our cocoa grinders.
Philippe Beringuet — Reliability Manager, Barry Callebaut
Challenges
- Strict production deadlines
- High operational pressure
- Complex infrastructure
- Product quality
Tight Schedules and Breakdowns: A Major Challenge
The chocolate processing industry operates on a tight schedule: when customers place an order, they expect delivery the next day. The workflow leaves little room for delays—“The trucks are waiting outside the gate,” explains Philippe Beringuet, Reliability Manager at the Louviers site. However, any breakdown disrupts this well-oiled process and impacts all production sectors.
At Barry Callebaut’s Louviers site, which employs 350 people, there are approximately 4,000 assets, each with complex processes, divided between solid and liquid processing streams.
“It was important to have complete control of our installations and to be sure of their reliability. We also needed to establish preventive maintenance plans. The objective? To no longer suffer breakdowns and have an overview of the health of each machine, which impacts the entire production chain in case of failure,” continues Ph. Beringuet.
Solutions
- Criticality Analysis
- Collecting real-time data
- Onsite & remote monitoring
- Implementing structured diagnostics
A Data-Driven Approach to Prevent Breakdowns
To address recurring breakdowns on critical machines, Barry Callebaut Louviers turned to I-care for a precise and data-driven solution. The collaboration began with an initial assessment of the issue and the deployment of monitoring technology.
Philippe Beringuet explains: “I contacted I-care when our strategic machines broke down. I sent them a sketch, and we started renting Wi-care sensors. We were then able to monitor the engine of a machine and maintain it in good condition until its programmed technical stop. We replaced the engine: the production was not impacted, and we didn’t have any breakdowns.”
I-care’s team conducted an on-site evaluation and implemented a tailored monitoring setup. The Wi-care sensors were strategically placed on key assets to capture relevant data on machine performance and potential failure indicators.
Laurent Lesnard, Branch Manager at I-care, adds: “We went to the Louviers site and collected all the relevant data using our I-care sensors and solutions. This allowed us to analyze the data and determine the cause of the breakdown.”
By leveraging advanced diagnostics and real-time data collection, I-care provided Barry Callebaut with a structured methodology to track equipment conditions and pinpoint mechanical issues before they escalated.
Benefits
- New diagnostic processes
- Predictive maintenance plans
- 150.000€ savings for one asset
- Optimized spare parts
- Gearbox lifespan extended
Enhanced Reliability and Optimized Maintenance
The partnership with I-care has transformed operations at Barry Callebaut’s Louviers site, introducing new processes such as diagnostic support, a proactive maintenance approach, and predictive maintenance plans. Employees now have direct access to detailed reports on the company’s dedicated platform, giving them a clear overview of each implemented process.
This collaboration has significantly improved the reliability of critical machines. One major success was preventing 30 hours of downtime on cacao grinders—an essential achievement, considering that just one hour of downtime costs €5,000. The impact of I-care’s solutions is evident in both efficiency and cost savings.
Additionally, spare parts management has been optimized. For example, the service life of the Thouet gearboxes on rotating machines has increased dramatically, extending from just three months to two years thanks to I-care’s predictive maintenance.
Looking ahead, Barry Callebaut plans to expand this approach even further. By 2021, 50 Wi-care sensors will be installed across key machines at the Louviers site, including on the roasters, which are considered the diamonds of the production line.
