Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation
This implementation has taken place at the Córdoba bottling plant, the company’s headquarters, and in the area of quality, for example, the company has carried out important modifications, such as the LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) project. “This is an improvement in the management of the entire process, from the moment the oil enters the tanks at our facilities, through the classification phase, placing it in the corresponding tanks and, finally, directing it to the bottling lines,” she says.
In this project, the results have been clear: use of digitization improves sustainability by consuming less paper, ink and energy, a faster time to market with integrated processes and communications, and the elimination of manual input. It also reduces waste due to human errors, expedites quality assurance processes, and promotes better visibility through data capture and analysis.
IBM and improving traceability
Deoleo has also worked with IBM on a product traceability project, through its Food Trust platform with blockchain technology. “With them, we’ve introduced the QR so consumers can learn about the entire process, from manufacturing to marketing,” she says. This has been achieved through developing an application through the Maestros de Hojiblanca brand that allows consumers to know all the information related to the traceability process. “Our idea, in the long term, is we can offer this added value to our consumers in all products and markets where we’re present,” Díaz adds.
In addition, Deoleo has launched the Manufacturing Printer System project, which focuses on the digitization of production lines. With this, it’s possible to automate the process in the bottle, box and pallet. This system is applied to the main Deoleo brands and, according to Díaz, the main benefit is it has a single marking and labeling system, in a way that it’s the system itself that monitors the process from the moment it starts to the end. “This has allowed us to reduce the software to be licensed, as well as drastically reduce manual errors,” she says. “Now we can say our products have undergone a significant improvement from the point of view of quality assurance, and we also see a reduction in labeling and marking errors. This has a direct impact on the reduction of claims by consumers.”
All these projects affect every department, whether it’s industrial, purchasing, quality, logistics, or marketing. So the role of the CIO is crucial. “In the end, we’re a transversal department that has to respond to the entire company,” says Díaz. “The main challenge is to establish priorities. We sit down with all the areas of the company and see which projects to tackle, and what the necessary investments are.” So the CIO, according to Díaz, requires knowledge, an external radar, and the need to combine it with the business needs and associated costs of all projects. “It also requires influence and leadership work because we’re working with processes, people and tools,” she adds.
In the case of IBM, Deoleo has launched the pilot with Maestros de Hojiblanca and Díaz is confident consumers will appreciate efforts made to protect and verify the traceability of product across the entire value chain without any possibility of errors.
