Lantmännen — AXA controls equipment from a smartphone and responds to alarm systems 3 times faster thanks to SmartEAM from IT-Enterprise

Lantmännen AXA is part of the Lantmännen Group — one of Northern Europe’s leading corporations in agriculture, food production, machinery, and bioenergy.

The company is a major producer of cereal-based breakfast products under well-known brands and exports its products to multiple international markets across Europe and the Middle East.

 

Challenges & Business Context

Lantmännen AXA operates under Scandinavian production management standards, combining structured processes, modern equipment, and professional engineering teams.

The production is based on advanced extrusion technology supplied by APV Baker. The process is fully automated and closed-loop, with strict quality control parameters measured every 90 minutes.

However, such a technologically advanced environment creates its own challenges:

· High dependency on equipment reliability

· Strict maintenance requirements

· Risk of production line stoppages in case of component failure

· The need for real-time monitoring and fast decision-making

The equipment fleet requires continuous inspections, diagnostics, and preventive actions. Even minor component failures can lead to costly downtime and operational disruption. To ensure stable 24/7 production performance and proactive maintenance management, Lantmännen AXA partnered with the SmartEAM team (IT-Enterprise).

Project Roadmap

The project covered Maintenance & Repair (MRO) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) modules within SmartEAM and was implemented in three stages.

 

 

Stage 1 — Asset Structuring and Digital Foundation

Equipment Classification

· Creation of a structured asset hierarchy: technical locations, equipment units, models

· Detailed breakdown down to critical and serialized components

Serialized Component Tracking

· Definition of maintenance standards and time-based service schedules

Result: Launch of the mobile application for operational use.

Technical Documentation Archive

· Upload of drawings, schematics, manuals, photos, and technical instructions

Result: Creation of a centralized digital documentation archive.

Maintenance Task Cards

· Implementation of detailed maintenance procedures with defined standards

· Use of modular maintenance task cards

Operational Statistics & Predictive Maintenance

· Monitoring of inspection and diagnostic parameters

· Introduction of predictive maintenance practices

Result: Full visibility of assets down to component and spare part level.

 

Stage 2 — Planning, Control, and Performance Monitoring

Inspection Planning & Centralized Scheduling

Result: Automated calculation of preventive maintenance plans.

Condition-Based Planning

Result: Systematic control and analysis of inspection results.

OEE Monitoring (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)

Result: Control of downtime levels and compliance with performance standards.

Work Order & Request Management Component-Level Planning Failure Investigation

Result: Structured root cause analysis and faster resolution of equipment issues.

 

Stage 3 — Cost Control and Integration

Work Permit Management Resource Planning and Maintenance Cost Accounting

Result: Data-driven justification of spare parts procurement.

Target Spare Parts Inventory Management Plan vs. Actual Cost Analysis

Result: Transparent maintenance cost control.

Integration with Accounting System

Result: Seamless data exchange between operational and financial systems.

 

100% Mobile Adoption

A distinctive feature of the project was full adoption of the SmartEAM mobile application by all maintenance specialists.

The mobile app became the primary operational tool due to:

· simplicity and usability

· real-time access to asset data

· immediate reporting and task confirmation

Specialists manage tasks, inspections, and documentation directly from their smartphones.

Mobile Application — The Core Tool for Equipment Management

The implementation of SmartEAM enabled full mobile-based control of production assets and delivered tangible business benefits:

Instant Access to Equipment Data

Maintenance teams access real-time information about equipment condition directly from their smartphones — including service instructions, maintenance regulations, and full operational history (failures, inspections, deviations).

System-Driven Inspection Planning

Based on predefined maintenance task cards, the system automatically generates inspection schedules — from oil level checks to filter condition control — ensuring consistent and disciplined execution.

AI-Based Predictive Maintenance

The company’s goal was uninterrupted operation of production lines through predictive maintenance.

Today, at the beginning of each shift, employees receive automatically generated service tasks calculated by AI based on equipment condition and historical data.

This approach:

· reduces unplanned downtime

· lowers maintenance costs

· optimizes spare parts delivery timing

· supports data-driven operational decisions

Inspection Discipline Control

The system automatically reminds specialists about required inspections according to defined intervals. After task completion, employees record results directly in the mobile application, ensuring full traceability and compliance.

Instant Defect Reporting

Abnormal equipment behavior — noise, vibration, overheating, leaks, electrical issues — can be documented immediately via smartphone (photo/video). Service requests are created in seconds and routed directly to responsible specialists.

QR-Code Based Equipment Access

Each equipment unit is labeled with a QR code linked to its digital profile. By scanning the code, employees instantly access technical documentation, maintenance history, and service procedures.

This creates a single digital knowledge environment accessible to all maintenance staff.

IIoT — Real-Time Equipment Performance Control

The next stage of digital transformation was the implementation of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) module within the SmartEAM ecosystem.

This solution enables:

· automatic monitoring of equipment performance

· real-time data collection from machines via smart IIoT devices

· a unified, connected data environment accessible through the mobile application and QR-code scanning

 

For a company operating in 2–3 production shifts, continuous visibility into equipment performance is critical. Management requires accurate data on:

· actual production time

· equipment utilization

· energy consumption

· operational deviations

 

OEE as the Core Performance Metric

The key performance indicator is Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) — the globally recognized standard for measuring equipment productivity.

 

OEE is calculated based on three factors:

· Availability (A)

· Performance (P)

· Quality (Q)

 

Formula: OEE = A × P × Q

 

Integrated Data Ecosystem

To ensure full control over equipment efficiency, the SmartEAM team created an integrated ecosystem:

 

equipment → IIoT devices → digital asset management platform → IIoT devices → equipment

 

This architecture allows continuous collection and processing of production data directly from machines.

Based on enriched IIoT data, the company gains the ability to:

· optimize production load distribution across shifts

· improve energy management

· detect anomalies early

· make data-driven operational decisions

As a result, equipment performance becomes transparent, measurable, and actively manageable — rather than reactive.

 

Results

The implementation of SmartEAM together with IIoT capabilities provided Lantmännen AXA with full digital control over production assets and enabled real-time operational decision-making.

The company can now respond faster to market changes, process deviations, and performance gaps while maintaining stable production output.

Key Business Effects

Reduced equipment failure risks

Maintenance control and adherence to operational procedures are now managed within SmartEAM, minimizing unexpected breakdowns and production interruptions.

3× faster response to alarm signals

According to internal statistics, equipment failures and incidents are resolved three times faster in a digital environment compared to tradi

Full digitalization of equipment knowledge

All maintenance instructions, operational standards, inspection history, and best-practice scenarios are stored and structured in a unified digital system.

Single, open knowledge base

Critical expertise is no longer dependent on individual specialists. All authorized employees have access to up-to-date equipment data, eliminating knowledge loss risks.

24/7/365 remote equipment management

Production assets can be monitored and managed from anywhere in the world at any time, ensuring operational continuity and transparency.