GEA has launched Changeover Assist, a digital application designed to help food manufacturers reduce errors and downtime during product changeovers. The application provides standardized instructions through the SmartControl human-machine interface, guiding operators through each stage of a changeover.
Product changeovers can be a challenging stage of food production, particularly as manufacturers manage increasingly diverse product ranges and high employee turnover. Errors such as selecting incorrect packaging materials or missing individual changeover steps can result in wasted product and materials, rework, quality issues, and production interruptions.
Changeover Assist is intended to standardize the process by displaying only the instructions relevant to a particular product changeover. Operators confirm each completed step, with the process documented to provide greater traceability. The system also supports multiple languages and allows manufacturers to add images, videos, and other work instructions to individual steps.
The application integrates with GEA’s cloud-based InsightPartner platform, allowing manufacturers to centrally manage their changeover instructions and update them as processes evolve. Instructions can be enhanced with multimedia content, creating a digital knowledge base that can be shared across production sites.
This approach helps manufacturers retain operational knowledge while providing a consistent process for operators working across different facilities. GEA has also introduced an InsightPartner Notification Service and associated mobile app, which can deliver real-time machine notifications to designated personnel.
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Michel Theiss, product manager, Digital Solutions at GEA, said: “With Changeover Assist, we make valuable machine and process knowledge available at all times. This helps our customers carry out changeovers safely and efficiently, regardless of individual experience levels. The result is fewer operator errors, less material and food waste, faster onboarding of new employees, and greater overall production reliability.”
GEA will continue to develop Changeover Assist at its Biedenkopf-Wallau site in Germany, expanding the application to additional machines. They also plan to consolidate the slicing and loading systems portfolio of its Food Solutions business unit at the German site.
By April 2028, GEA plans to consolidate customer-facing functions, including sales, service, and final customer acceptance testing, at Biedenkopf-Wallau. This consolidation is expected to reduce interfaces between functions and support more closely integrated development of individual machines and complete line solutions.
As the food industry continues to evolve, digital solutions like Changeover Assist are becoming increasingly important for manufacturers looking to improve efficiency and reduce waste. By providing standardized instructions and real-time notifications, GEA’s application is helping to address some of the key challenges faced by food manufacturers during product changeovers.
