Products
DAISY
Red Meat Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
Daisy (Distributed Abattoir Information System by Yartoo) is an integrated computer based system for managing the production processes in an abattoir. It controls the process from slaughter to despatch.
The principles on which the system are based are:
- Support for plant specific customisations
- Comprehensive user configuration options
- Support for a wide variety of plant preferred equipment
- Reliable computer system for the harsh environment, measured by up-time
- High performance, measured by production throughput
Yartoo Software ensures that these principles are adhered to by working closely with its’ customers to develop the solution that best fits each customer’s business operation, using skilled software designers with industry experience.
Yartoo Software is an approved manufacturer from an AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) perspective. Any plant using the Daisy software to print computer generated marks, such as the Australia Inspected stamp, must follow the AQIS approved code of practice.
Customers with DAISY (MES)
DAISY Key Modules
Click on any of the following topics to read about the key modules of the system in more detail.
Overview
The Daisy system consists of three main areas of operation
- Production stations
- Data access and communications management
- Business management and operations inquiries, reporting, data maintenance and system configuration.
The production stations primary role is to collect measured and observed data and produce bar coded tickets or labels as appropriate to its point on the processing line. All operations are performed in minimal time to enable the highest possible throughput. There is no direct database connectivity and all stations can operate without data loss when the plant network fails. In normal operating conditions, data is typically within the database and available for reporting within one second. There is no batch processing or end of day update in Daisy; all data is available practically immediately after the production station has completed the transaction, e.g. carcase grading or carton labelling.
Data access and communications are controlled by the Daisy server. This software ensures that all data collected by the production stations is stored securely in the database and forwarded to other stations that require it for their operation.
The Daisy support application is used by plant business and operations managers to control the production stations and report on the production data that is collected.
Live Weight
This station collects the weight of the just dead body.
This weight can be used for slaughter floor and overall yield and producer feedback.
The location of the load cell is as close as practical to the knocking box. If that is after the body has been bled, then the station adds the estimated weight of the blood to get a live weight.
The Live Weight station does not require an operator. Usually the software is run on a KCD – Tags station so that the operator can monitor the live weight as well.
KCD Station
The Kill Chain Data (KCD) stations are used to collect data about bodies or carcases at various points on the kill chain.
This enables the system to collect data when it is available while the bodies / carcases are dismantled as they move along the chain. The data is then available to the grading station for the final analysis and grading of the carcase.
This means more data can be collected for more accurate and comprehensive grading without slowing the chain and requiring the grading station operator to enter large numbers of data points, many of which will not be readily available to them.
The KCD Station software is configured to the requirements of its location. The software can collect any combination of:
- Sex
- Dentition
- Tail Tag
- Tag Colour
- Ear Tag
- RFID (NLIS) (via scanner or manual entry)
- HGP Test Result
- P8 Fat Depth (as cypher or millimetre measurement)
- Butt Shape
The station is configured to collect data by whole body or each side.
All data is validated before being submitted to the Daisy Server.
All KCD stations and the Grading station communicate via the KCD Net which is managed by the Daisy Server. Each station is aware of its peers and shares details of their progress and the data collected.
There is a facility to show data from one KCD station on others as a cross reference and check for the station operators.
Grading Station
The primary roles of the Grading station are:
- Grade a carcase based on data collected by the KCD stations registered to it
- Print a bar coded ticket for identification
- Submit the data to the Daisy server for recording
The ticket printing is optional. It may not be required for small stock.
The data items collected on the grading station or extracted from the KCD data are those required for AusMeat grading and others that the plant operation requires. There is a high level of customization for data validation, requirement, measurement system etc.
The station utilizes objective grade plans to grade carcases to what is required while fully complying with AusMeat specifications. This means carcases can be graded to a sales order that meets customer requirements.
The grading process is scheduled by a kill agenda. This is used to identify the source of the stock and provide some initial grading details.
The station has interfaces for:
- One or two barcode label printers
- Weigh scales
- Video image analysis (both sheep and beef)
- PLC for chain hook detection and eject ram activation
By configuring two barcode label printers the station can use all labels on a roll and be switched over to the other printer to continue grading without interruption. The first printer can then have a new roll of labels put in it during a scheduled break.
Chiller Assessment
Uses handheld scanners to scan slaughter floor tickets.
Data entered by the chiller assessor includes:
- Eye muscle area
- Rib fat
- Marbling (AusMeat and MSA)
- Fat colour
- Meat colour
- Ossification
- pH
- Loin temperature
- Hump height (Bos Indicus)
- Rib measurement point
Whereas other values, such as dark cutter and MSA grade, are calculated based on other data as required. For the MSA grade, Yartoo Software is an approved MSA software development company.
Radio coverage is not required in the chillers for data entry. The operator simply enters the data and then uploads it all as a batched operation.
Data is recorded with the carcase details.
Weigh-in Station
This station weighs the carcases into the boning room.
The station has interfaces for:
- Weigh scales
- PLC for chain hook detection and eject ram activation
- Barcode scanner
The fixed station with its weigh scale can be operated remotely from a wireless hand-held computer in the chillers for easier selection and collation of carcases for boning room input scheduling.
Packing Station
The Packing station weighs and labels cartons.
It can be configured for manual operation through to a fully automated station.
Each product can have a unique label design assigned to it. This means customers can have their own labeling requirements for text, language, barcode, graphics, shipping marks, and so on. All designs are available during production time. Products may be required to be in an order – in that case if there is no order suitable for a product that product cannot be produced.
The station is designed to achieve high availability and throughput.
The station has interfaces for:
- Barcode scanners
- Weigh scales
- Barcode label printers
- Label applicators
- Verification scanners
- PLC for reject ram activation
- Fat analysis (MQ27 or Smith’s Eagle FA)
The barcode scanners are used to identify the product in the carton. Cartons, and therefore tare can be of different specifications.
Two barcode label printers can be configured to support labelled piece packing of cartons.
Routing barcodes can also be printed to allow automatic conveyor systems to route cartons to their destination,
for example cold store or chillers.
Despatch and Warehousing
The warehousing system utilises rugged hand held computers to scan cartons and carcases either for on-plant storage or shipment. Pallets can be automatically put away or allocated to locations within the warehouse. Subsequently, pallets can then be automatically picked and allocated to a load based on user defined criteria such as the product’s pack date, storage life, travel time, and so on.
Pallet (SSCC) labels may be printed on a barcode printer attached to the despatch supervisor’s PC or printing may be initiated from the hand held computer itself as pallets are completed.
System Management
The Daisy support program allows for suitably authorised users to manage the system. Example data includes package types, tares, product specifications, objective grade plans, label designs, production runs and user access.
Configuration data such as the plant’s MSA number, NLIS access information, chain names and functions, external system interfaces is also user modifiable.
Enquiries and Reporting
An extensive list of enquiries and reports is provided in the Daisy Support system.
Examples include:
- Production and slaughter floor details
- Inventory
- Boning input
- Despatch and warehouse
- Event logs
- Reprocessed product
- Part cartons
- MSA producer feedback
- Orders
- EU seal audit
- AQIS stamp usage
Security
All user access to the system is controlled via username and password. Once a user is authenticated by their respective application (packing station, grading station etc), further controls are applied. Users may not be allowed to delete cartons for example or may be required to use a selected list of product codes at a packing station and so on.
Many different events are recorded in the system’s event log for auditing purposes.
AQIS
As mentioned previously, the Daisy system has been approved by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) to print AQIS controlled stamps. The ability to print AQIS controlled stamps is enabled or disabled using the AQIS support program. This program is run either by AQIS onplant staff or specified plant management staff.
There are several stamp usage and auditing reports available.