Ben&Jerrys-1

Non-Dairy Equipment Installation

Hallam-ICS has been a long-time partner of Ben & Jerry’s, supporting their automation and engineering needs. As a 100% employee owned company and a commitment to their own Social Mission, Hallam-ICS admires what Ben & Jerry’s represents and values being able to support their operations.

Challenge

Ben & Jerry’s is an iconic brand. They are well-known and loved for the scrumptious ice cream and their creative combinations of ingredients and flavors with favorites such as Cherry Garcia and Chubby Hubby. They have also been pioneers in leading the way for Social Responsibility and deeply understanding the wishes of their customers. This care for their customers extended to introducing a new line Non-Dairy frozen desserts. 

Introduction of the Non-Dairy product line required the installation of new equipment in an existing frozen dessert manufacturing facility. There were several important aspects to the project, including schedule, product yield and maintaining on-going operations without interruption. Experienced with similar project requirements, Hallam-ICS was selected to support the control system implementation for the project.

Solution

The control system required significant changes, including upgrading the Allen-Bradley PLC processors from PLC-5 to ControlLogix, incorporating FactoryTalk Batch recipe management and adding new PLC code for the new process and equipment, including drives, pumps, valves and instrumentation to support new batch tanks, a homogenizer and HTST pasteurization.

Hallam-ICS assembled an experienced team including a project manager, process control system engineers and technicians who thrive in fast-paced, challenging environments. The team worked closely with Ben & Jerry’s engineering and operation staff to fully understand the new process and how to seamlessly integrate into existing systems. This up-front effort paid dividends, as the first run of the Non-Dairy products met the yield goals, allowing the product to get to market as scheduled and allowing Ben & Jerry’s to deliver a new option to their loyal customer base.

Results

Our team accomplished the following:

  • Seamless System Integration: Upgraded the Allen-Bradley PLC processors to ControlLogix, implemented FactoryTalk Batch recipe management, and developed new PLC code to integrate new equipment, ensuring smooth operation of batch tanks, a homogenizer, and HTST pasteurization.
  • On-Schedule Delivery with High Product Yield: Collaborated with Ben & Jerry’s teams to ensure the first production run of the Non-Dairy line met yield goals, enabling timely product launch and fulfilling customer expectations.
  • Uninterrupted Facility Operations: Successfully executed complex control system upgrades and equipment installations while maintaining ongoing facility operations, minimizing disruptions and aligning with Ben & Jerry’s commitment to quality and reliability.

Partial Project Team

Pete-Niarchos_sq
Pete Niarchos
Sr. Controls & Automation Project Manager