It is not just the maize mixed with vitamins supplements and other grains, the feed mill manufacturing is a scientific process enabled by the different automation at the machinery level. The technology matrix can be depicted as per table below:
| Process | Automation/Technology |
| Material Receipt at Gate | Electronic Weigh Bridge |
| Quality check of the material | Different equipment for key parameters |
| Storage of the Material | Electronic Silos & Pallet based warehouses |
| Batching | Scada Based Machines |
| Milling | Scada Based Machines |
| Pre Mix | Scada Based Machines |
| Mixing | Scada Based Machines |
| Pelleting | Scada Based Machines |
| Cooling | Scada Based Machines |
| Packing | Scada Based Machines |
| Storage | Bar Code/ Batch Printing |
| Quality | Different equipment for key parameters |
| Dispatch | Electronic Weigh Bridge |
This technology matrix helps millers in improving the manufacturing process efficiency. The real challenge or competitive edge is to address the business issue pertaining to the process leakages such as revenue loss, poor purchase planning, unstructured purchase process etc. These process challenges can overcome by the use of “ERP- Enterprise Resource Planning” Applications. An ERP is a software which tightly integrates all business functions across value chain along with core finance & accounting. The process cycle post ERP will look like:
| Process | Automation/Technology | ERP Benefits |
| Purchase Cycle | ERP | Automated Approval
Purchase Price History |
| Material Receipt at Gate | Electronic Weigh Bridge | Integration with the Purchase Order & Warehouse |
| Quality check of the material | Different equipment for key parameters | Integration with Purchase Order
Centralized test reports |
| Storage of the Material | Electronic Silos & Pallet based warehouses | Integration with Finance, Purchase
Lot wise tracking Shelf life etc. |
| Purchase/Production Planning | ERP | Integrated purchase/production plan based on the planned consumption |
| Production Execution | ERP | Planned production order to shop floor for better execution |
| Batching | Scada Based Machines | Each Production batch can have different mix as per the quality. Hence you can keep history.
Integration with the SCADA of the ERP, help in keeping formulations secure & confidential. Storage of the pre mix as per the specification & desired locations |
| Milling | Scada Based Machines | |
| Pre Mix | Scada Based Machines | |
| Mixing | Scada Based Machines | |
| Pelleting | Scada Based Machines | |
| Cooling | Scada Based Machines | |
| Packing | Scada Based Machines | |
| Storage | Bar Code/ Batch Printing | Helps in providing complete tracking of the Bar Code or Batch |
| Quality | Different equipment for key parameters | |
| Sales | ERP | Sales Order Booking as per pre-defined price matrix
Approval for the deviations |
| Dispatch | Electronic Weigh Bridge | A control on the price & quantity |
| Finance & Accounting | ERP | Complete accounting cycle like GL, AP, AR, Fixed Assets, Banks
AP/AR Aging Cash Flows Management Dashboards Cost & Profit Analysis |
As you can visualize from above picture that you can achieve a complete automation in the livestock feed manufacturingby using the effective machine automation along with the ERP software. A process efficiency yields good results across the complete value chain helping organizations to focus on the growth.
