Coffee Production Gains Integrated Manufacturing Data

Arriyadh Roaster is deploying the Plex manufacturing execution system (MES) from Rockwell Automation across its coffee production operations in Saudi Arabia. GulfNet Solutions Company Limited is supporting the implementation and has developed middleware connecting the MES with the producer’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

The project targets production visibility, traceability and coordination as Arriyadh Roaster expands its manufacturing capacity and introduces additional coffee products and production lines.

Manufacturing Expansion Requires Connected Data
Adding production lines and product variants increases the amount of manufacturing information that must be coordinated between operators, production management and enterprise systems. Arriyadh Roaster selected a cloud-based MES to establish a common digital layer for managing this information.

The system provides production personnel with real-time information covering work in progress, inventory movements, order status and quality management. Centralizing these data flows is intended to reduce information gaps between production activities and higher-level planning processes.

MES Connects Production and Enterprise Systems
Rockwell Automation provides the Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform and its MES capabilities. The platform is designed to connect manufacturing operations while supporting interoperability between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments.

GulfNet Solutions is responsible for an important integration component of the deployment. The system integrator developed a middleware layer that exchanges information between Plex MES and Arriyadh Roaster’s ERP system.

This architecture allows production information generated on the shop floor to be shared with enterprise-level systems instead of being maintained in separate data environments. Corresponding ERP information can also be made available to manufacturing processes, supporting consistent production and business records.

Supporting Production Control and Traceability
For coffee manufacturing, the MES provides visibility into the status of production orders, material and inventory movements, work in progress and quality-related information. These functions become increasingly relevant as additional manufacturing lines and product types are introduced.

Real-time production data can also support planning by allowing operators and managers to identify deviations or changes in production status without waiting for manually consolidated reports.

The deployment uses a modular, cloud-native MES architecture, allowing manufacturing capabilities to be extended as production requirements change. This provides Arriyadh Roaster with a common manufacturing data infrastructure while retaining integration with its existing ERP environment.

Local Integration Supports System Deployment
The project combines Rockwell Automation’s manufacturing software with GulfNet Solutions’ local system integration capabilities and Arriyadh Roaster’s production requirements.

The implementation is one of the early partner-led Plex deployments in Saudi Arabia. Its architecture demonstrates how an MES and an existing ERP platform can be connected through middleware to establish coordinated information flows between shop-floor operations and enterprise management as manufacturing capacity expands.

Edited by Sucithra Mani, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.rockwellautomation.com