Artificial Intelligence to improve sustainability at French fries producer Lamb Weston
Experts from Radboud University and HAI join forces to help one of the world’s leading French Fries producers Lamb Weston…
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High Expectations, Demanding Operations
You’re expected to maximize output, minimize downtime, and run lean — while optimizing yield, product consistency, and quality to stay competitive.
Sorting: A Critical Step
Optimizing sorting and grading unlocks the full potential of your raw materials:
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Sorting identifies the best input blend to meet specific product specs (e.g. fry length, colour).
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Grading determines if potatoes are suitable for French fries or better used for flakes or granules.
Ensuring the right potatoes go to the right line means reducing waste and boosting yield and quality.
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“With HAI we now detect process issues in real time, in fact the system tells us if it’s an incident or a trend. For example an increase in tuber size or dry matter is detected and the system alerts the operator when (and where) to make process changes to avoid off-spec product and improve yield.”
Quote from a process technologist
Data-Driven Process Control
- Full visibility
from raw potato quality to end-product performance. - Real-time monitoring
track yield, energy, oil use, and batch cost. - Consistent quality
ensure output meets specs every time. - Total traceability
link every batch to its source and process history. - Smarter sustainability
reduce waste, reduce energy/water consumption, and monitor waste water treatment.
HAI: From Data to Decisions
HAI brings clarity to complexity. The software collects and analyzes all critical process and quality data, delivering:
- Real-time dashboards, trends, and early warnings for operators (French fries: trending of dry matter, lenghts, and defects)
- AI-powered insights, reports, and deep analytics for production and quality teams (predictions based on potato variety, under water weight and lengths).
- Faster, more consistent batch release
- Continuous improvement through troubleshooting and optimization
With HAI, you gain full control of your process—turning data into action and performance into profit.
“If you can increase the yield on the potato and maximize your output, you can significantly boost the profitability of the factory. With HAI we have a real-time view on Line Rate, Recovery, Average Packed Weight, Electricity- Gas- and Water-consumption.”
Quote from Bas van Damme, Plant Manager LambWeston
Your benefits
- One central database
instant access to all quality and process data; no more searching through SCADA, ERP, Excel, or lab systems. - Real-time dashboards
instantly detect deviations and ensure compliance. - Fewer rejected batches
improve yield and reduce waste. - Consistent product quality
every batch, every time.
- Optimized process settings
enable faster, more stable production. - Maximum performance
increase uptime, speed, and OEE.
- Smarter operations
reduce energy and water use while optimizing CIP and maintenance. - Deep process insight
track every step: sorting, grading, steam peeling, cutting, blanching, drying, frying, freezing, and packing.
What you’ll have
- Centralize all production and quality data in one real-time operational datastore
- HAI integrates seamlessly with PLC/SCADA, Historians, ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Infor, Microsoft, Oracle), LIMS, and in-line inspection equipment such as weighing scales, vision systems, metal detectors etc.
- Operator quality control checks
- Start-up and cleaning checklists
- QA inspections & Product Quality tests (e.g., organoleptic tests, visual inspections)
Replace Excel-based lab and production logs with intuitive data-entry screens directly in the HAI Platform.
- Interactive real-time logsheets combining production-, lab-, equipment-, and operator-data
- Compliance dashboards for process parameters, energy/water consumption, and quality standards
- Real-time trending, SPC, and correlation tools for early warnings and root-cause analysis
- Real-time KPIs (e.g., OEE, First Time Right), yield, mass balance, runtimes, downtime, cost per batch
- Predictive analytics on end-product quality
- Comprehensive tracking & tracing, exception reporting, and cost validation tools
Simply available in the Cloud …. No capital investment …. Subscription-based.
Intuitive, yet powerful
- Fast implementation – up and running quickly across lines and sites.
- Easy to manage – intuitive interface, no complex IT skills required.
- User-driven – after brief training, users can fully operate and adapt the system on their own.
- Custom dashboards – build logsheets and views tailored to any role or workstation.
- Context-rich insights – data from multiple sources is linked to real production conditions, making insights instantly meaningful and actionable.
