Chocolates Valor boosts industrial process digitalisation with Opcenter APS Preactor
Tradition, quality and excellence. A chocolate leader with more than a century of history
Since 1881, Chocolates Valor has been a company with strong national prestige, distributing its products in more than 60 countries. It has two plants in Spain where it produces more than 21,000 tonnes of chocolate per year. Its production process is focused on using the highest quality raw materials—selected at origin and processed 100% in its facilities to guarantee full traceability.
The main competitive advantage of Chocolates Valor is its drive to preserve a long-standing chocolate-making tradition, combined with a manufacturing strategy aimed at achieving excellence.
A step forward in the digitalisation of the production process
Chocolates Valor manufactures all products in-house. Its production process—from transforming cocoa beans to packaging—is key to achieving a high-quality product.
That is why the system requires full, real-time control of production and precise information to make agile decisions that optimise manufacturing processes. Chocolates Valor therefore decided to invest in a digital solution in the production environment such as Opcenter APS Preactor to gain visibility and control.
Before implementing this advanced production planning and scheduling software, Chocolates Valor relied on Excel spreadsheets. Firstly, it was a system that consumed time and resources. Secondly, it did not provide the required level of accuracy for decision-making. And finally, it did not offer visibility across different production processes, making the supply chain cycle less transparent.
Opcenter APS Preactor is a family of advanced planning and scheduling products that helps improve synchronisation of manufacturing processes and provides greater visibility and control of the production process—supporting the digitalisation of industrial processes.
Benefits and future plans: continuing the path to excellence through digitalisation
The benefits achieved with the implementation of Opcenter APS Preactor have been significant in terms of productivity and customer service excellence.
- faster sequencing of production orders
- more accurate production planning
- better updates to master production schedules
- improved interdepartmental communication
With Opcenter APS Preactor we have gained 16 hours per week of planner time for sequencing production. Jordi Barbero, Supply Chain Manager, Chocolates Valor.
With Opcenter APS Preactor we have helped increase service level. Two years ago it was 97.8% and now it is 98.5%. Jordi Barbero, Supply Chain Manager, Chocolates Valor.
At MAVAL, we have spent more than 20 years putting new technologies at the service of industry to drive productivity and transformation. As a Siemens Partner, we have extensive experience with Opcenter APS Preactor and we specialise in integrating this software with SAP® ERP systems—providing added value to companies taking this step in their digital transformation.
Chocolates Valor has trusted us as its technology partner due to our experience, and we continue to support them in the continuous improvement of their APS systems. In a recent update, we improved communication between SAP® ERP and Opcenter APS Preactor with a new interface that reduced information transfer time between systems by more than 75%.
Chocolates Valor continues to advance the digitalisation of its plants so that the entire supply chain can visualise data in real time, becoming a more agile organisation. They know that efficient processes are not enough: they must also be agile and flexible—and industrial digitalisation is fundamental to achieve that.
If you want to start your journey towards digital transformation, we want to be there with you.