Food manufacturing software replaces paper chart recorders —
redundant, audit-ready, in real time
A privately owned Bavarian cheese dairy replaces critical paper documentation with a highly available digital data logger system based on the eco2lot platform.
What is process data acquisition (PDA) in the food industry?
Process data acquisition (PDA) in the food industry means the continuous, automatic recording of physical and chemical measurements during production. Unlike operational data collection — which records who produced what and in which quantity — PDA captures how a product is made: temperatures, pressures, flow rates, pH values, conductivity and further parameters directly at the machine or plant.
In dairy and cheese processing, process data acquisition is a legal and normative obligation rather than a voluntary option. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), IFS Food (International Featured Standards) and ISO 22000 demand complete documentation of all critical control points (CCPs). This includes defined limit values, monitoring procedures and proof of corrective actions — audit-proof, tamper-protected and archived permanently.
Traditionally, these requirements were met with analog paper chart recorders (circular chart recorders, strip chart recorders). Modern digital historian systems — the core of today's food manufacturing software — replace them completely: they record all values automatically, store them redundantly on several levels, raise real-time alarms on limit violations and deliver audit evidence at the push of a button.
Paper chart recorders in food production: reliable — yet pushed beyond their limits
For years, the privately owned Bavarian cheese dairy documented critical process values with classic paper chart recorders. The system worked — but as demands on quality, batch traceability and audit speed grew, the limits of the paper-based approach became visible.
The real challenge was fail-safety. Critical hygiene and production data had to remain fully available and verifiable at all times — even during network problems, server failures or faults on the PLC (programmable logic controller). In industrial environments, a temporary network outage is a regular event. Classic systems that store data only at the historian leave a data gap during that time. A single gap can jeopardize proof of HACCP compliance for an entire production period. In the worst case, that means: the affected production batch must be blocked or destroyed completely — with direct financial damage and the risk of losing certification status.
On top of that came the growing effort for IFS audits. Auditors expected complete evidence reaching back months and years — compiled manually from paper binders, error-prone, time-consuming.
- High maintenance effort — regular manual paper changes
- Error-prone during transfer and archiving
- Zero central availability — data only local at the device
- Hard to evaluate — manual analysis is time-consuming
- Limited audit-proof storage for audits
- Zero redundancy — every network or device failure creates an immediate data gap
- Zero automatic alerting on limit violations
- Long-term archiving is laborious and space-consuming
Critical consequence of data loss
If HACCP records for a production period are missing, the entire affected batch cannot be released. In the worst case it must be scrapped completely — with direct material losses, production downtime and the risk of jeopardizing food safety certification.
A redundant industrial data logger system
based on the eco2lot platform
Together with the cheese dairy, BS-Systeme developed a tailored, highly available system for continuous digital acquisition of all critical production and HACCP data. The core principle: redundancy sits directly behind the PLC — locally at the measuring point, before the network. Existing equipment was fully integrated, with zero hardware replacement.
Seven requirements — one integrated solution
All critical measuring points — complete and automatic
The system records three data categories that are decisive for HACCP and IFS audits.
Milk and process data
- Pasteurization temperatures
- Holding times and pressure conditions
- Flow rates
- Tank, cooling and ripening room temperatures
- Humidity and pH values
- Brine bath parameters
Hygiene and CIP data
- Cleaning temperatures
- Conductivity
- Caustic and acid concentrations
- Rinse times and CIP cycles
- Alarm states on deviations
Energy and utility data
- Steam and electricity consumption
- Refrigeration plant monitoring
- Compressed air and water consumption
- Energy performance indicators
Redundant system architecture — redundancy directly at the measuring point
Paper chart recorders vs. the digital eco2lot solution
A direct comparison shows where the new solution creates clear advantages for production, quality assurance and the audit team.
| Criterion | ❌ Classic paper chart recorder | ✅ Digital eco2lot solution |
|---|---|---|
| Archiving | Paper archives, physical space required | Digital long-term archiving, scales without limits |
| Operation | Manual paper changes required | Fully automatic, low-maintenance |
| Data history | Limited by paper supply and archive capacity | Unlimited historization of all measuring points |
| Analysis | Manual analysis, time-consuming | Instantly analyzable, filtered, exportable |
| Availability | Local at the device, zero remote access | Centrally available to all departments in real time |
| Redundancy | Zero — network or device failure = immediate data gap | Edge buffer directly behind the PLC — data secured locally before the network, automatic synchronization |
| Consequence of data loss | Production batch fails the audit → in the worst case the entire batch is scrapped | Data loss is ruled out — complete batch traceability guaranteed at all times |
| Maintenance effort | High — regular manual intervention | Low — automated operation |
| Remote monitoring | Unavailable | Real-time monitoring and alerting |
| Audit readiness | Limited, manual evidence is laborious | Audit-proof, complete, instantly retrievable |
| Limit-value alerting | Zero automatic detection | Automatic detection and logging |
What changed for the cheese dairy in concrete terms
The new food production monitoring solution works on four levels at once — from daily production to the next audit.
Improved process safety
All HACCP-relevant values are recorded automatically and completely. Limit violations are detected and logged immediately — before products leave the plant.
Simplified IFS and HACCP audits
Auditors receive all required evidence at the push of a button — digital, complete, audit-proof. Preparation time for audits has dropped significantly.
Zero data loss — even during network outages
The data buffer directly behind the PLC secures all values locally — independent of the network. If the connection to the central historian fails, recording keeps running. Synchronization happens automatically as soon as the network is available again.
Less manual effort
Zero paper changes, zero manual archiving, zero manual analysis. Production, quality assurance, energy management and maintenance access the same central data base.
What is under the hood
The eco2lot platform brings all components for food-grade industrial data management — free of proprietary hardware lock-in and with full integration into existing PLC systems (programmable logic controllers).
The scalable architecture grows with your requirements. Additional measuring points, new sites or extra analyses can be added without rebuilding the system — relevant also for CSRD reporting obligations (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) from 2025/2026.
"Especially in regulated sectors like dairy and cheese processing, digital historization offers decisive advantages — for HACCP, IFS Food, batch traceability and energy efficiency alike."
BS-Systeme — project experience in the food industryProcess data acquisition in the food industry
Answers to the most important questions about PDA, HACCP documentation and the digital replacement of paper chart recorders.
Paper documentation was yesterday.
Start with digital process data acquisition.
In a free, no-obligation conversation, we show you how redundant digital data acquisition can look in your production — tailored to your equipment, your processes and your audit requirements.
Industrial digitalization from Zorneding near Munich, Germany
BS-Systeme develops industrial digitalization solutions for production, energy, infrastructure and critical processes. Existing equipment is integrated — free of hardware lock-in, free of vendor dependency.