GEA introduces Changeover Assist for food lines

GEA is introducing Changeover Assist, a new digital application that provides standardized support for product and recipe changeovers on SmartControl-based machines. The software guides operators step by step through the changeover process, helping reduce operator errors, product waste and unplanned downtime. The digital assistant was developed primarily at GEA’s production site in Biedenkopf-Wallau, Germany, the company’s center of excellence for horizontal packaging machines. The software is initially available for GEA PowerPak thermoformers and the GEA MaxiFormer drum former, with a phased rollout to additional machines, including the GEA OptiSlicer, planned. Going forward, GEA also intends to consolidate the slicing and loading systems portfolio of its Food Solutions business unit in Biedenkopf-Wallau. This is intended to reduce interfaces and better align future development work for individual machines as well as integrated line solutions.

Product changeovers in food production

For many food manufacturers and packaging operations, product and format changeovers are among the most demanding steps in industrial production. High employee turnover, the use of seasonal labor and growing product variety add further complexity. Every deviation, such as using the wrong packaging materials or skipping individual changeover steps, can result in waste, rework, quality deviations or production interruptions.

Recipe-based operator guidance at the machine

Changeover Assist addresses these challenges with digital, recipe-based operator guidance directly on the SmartControl HMI. The application displays only the steps relevant to the specific product changeover, supports multiple languages and can be enhanced with images, videos and additional work instructions. Each completed step is confirmed and documented, increasing transparency, traceability and process reliability throughout the changeover. The machine can only restart once all required steps have been properly confirmed.

"With Changeover Assist, we make valuable machine and process knowledge available at all times, which helps our customers carry out changeovers safely and efficiently, regardless of individual experience levels," says Michel Theiss, Product Manager Digital Solutions at GEA. "The result is fewer operator errors, less material and food waste, faster onboarding of new employees and greater overall production reliability."

Central management via InsightPartner

A key component is the integration with the cloud-based InsightPartner solution. Customers can centrally manage and update their own changeover instructions there and enrich them with multimedia content. This creates a digital knowledge base that can be used across sites and continuously developed over time. In addition, the new InsightPartner Notification Service, together with the corresponding Mobile App, provides an integrated solution for sending real-time machine notifications directly to responsible personnel.

Digital process reliability and line expertise

Changeover Assist is another element of GEA’s digitalization strategy. The application supports the company’s goal of developing connected, user-friendly and process-reliable solutions for food processing and packaging, helping strengthen customers’ industrial value creation over the long term. Changeover Assist is being continuously developed further at the Biedenkopf-Wallau site. This development work is increasingly benefiting from the planned centralization of customer-facing functions at the site, creating greater proximity to end customers and better conditions for integrated working. By April 2028, functions including sales, service and customer final acceptance testing are to be consolidated at the site in Hesse.