Written by dudaAugust 20, 2025

Customer Case – Automation Success in the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industry

How a Global Industry Leader Cut Engineering Time and Bridged Sales–Engineering Collaboration with Symbolic AI in Product Specification

Client Background
Our client is a prominent European company specializing in advanced process technologies for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. With more than 18.000 employees worldwide, the company is recognized for its high standards in engineering and its dedication to delivering reliable, high-quality production systems.

Our global team, working together with the client’s teams in India and in Denmark configured several products, covering cyclones, dispersers, fluid beds and bag filters. The long list of products in the portfolio all require a high level of engineering and customization to meet customer-specific requirements.

The Challenge
As with many complex engineering-driven organizations, the client was facing structural inefficiencies that were slowing down delivery and impacting the quality of delivered products. Key issues included:

  • Inconsistent documentation and inaccuracies in bills of materials
  • Lengthy lead times for generating technical drawings
  • A frequent disconnect between what was quoted during the sales process and what could be produced within technical constraints

These challenges not only increased operational costs but also placed a heavy burden on the engineering department, which had to spend valuable time correcting and reworking data and designs.

Showing their expectation with the project and with our CONFIG2 platform the client stated that:

“We are looking for repeatability, scalability to support our product portfolio, also flexibility, a 24/7 online configurator and a team to provide a quality product through up-to date engineering process and tools.”

Client Project Manager

Our Approach
To address these issues, Scandinavian Digital implemented its five-phase rollout model over the course of a year. The program was designed and executed in close collaboration with the client’s cross-functional team, including product managers, engineering teams and product specialists. This ensured a high degree of alignment across departments from the very beginning.

 

Scandinavian Digital 5 Phase Model

 

Main Obstacles Identified
During the initial assessment phase, several systemic issues became clear:

  • Product rules were undocumented or scattered across departments
  • Communication gaps existed between sales, engineering, layout designers and procurement
  • There was no standard process for translating customer requirements into technically feasible solutions
  • Engineering bottlenecks since few key resources possessed critical product knowledge

The Solution
To overcome these challenges, Scandinavian Digital delivered an end-to-end solution that included:

  • Automated generation of 2D CAD drawings and 3D CAD models
  • Server-side modelling through CONFIG2 for centralized rule and logic management
  • Standardization of modular components across product families
  • A symbolic AI-powered product model to capture continuous learning, validation, and refinement of rules

Running the configuration model on the server through CONFIG2 provided the client with a scalable, flexible architecture that significantly reduced the workload on the engineering team.

“This project was a great example of what can be achieved through close collaboration and mutual trust. Thanks to our strong partnership with the customer, we not only delivered a successful engineering solution but also helped save significant hours through smart, efficient design. Success like this is always a team effort.”

Project Manager, Scandinavian Digital 

 

Deliverables and Results
The impact of the solution was substantial. Key achievements included:

  • Reduction in engineering hours by 80 to 95 % across target products removing engineering bottlenecks
  • Introduction of a smart configurator with built-in product constraints securing technical feasible products are sold
  • Delivery of validated, consistent, and complete technical documentation to secure product knowledge is captured
  • Reusable automation logic that enhanced stability and speed.

    Full alignment between the sold product and the technically feasible solution is the main deliverable, before the miscommunication and the lack of proper documentation prevented end-to-end alignment.

    Rather than us telling what was delivered and the value it brought, we believe the best way to show it is through our client’s own words, here’s their feedback: We achieved an overall reduction in engineering effort and lead time, along with improvements in three key areas: quality and documentation, standardization and flexibility, and data reporting and quality.

    It is important to highlight that this was presented as a customer case by the client’s project manager, showcasing the project delivered during an event to a large audience.

    Business Outcomes
    The engineering team is now equipped to deliver high-quality, technically accurate designs at speed. Internal collaboration has improved, with a shared understanding of constraints and deliverables across sales, engineering, and procurement. The solution not only resolves current inefficiencies but also provides a strong, scalable foundation for future digital transformation initiatives.

    To conclude this absolute success, our PM comments on our delivery:

    “Our proven project management framework, combined with deep experience in configuration projects, ensured full control of scope, schedule, and resources. By applying structured methods and industry know-how, we delivered the project within target and on time — with no surprises.”

    Project Manager, Scandinavian Digital

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    Written by dudaMay 4, 2023

    GEA Process Engineering A/S speeds up engineering with Scandinavian Digital’s solutions

    Scandinavian Digital was chosen as partner to help GEA PE A/S automate engineering processes to improve quality and reduce engineering time. GEA´s purpose is “Engineering for a better world” and together with SD GEA PE A/S has embarked on a journey of true digital transformation which both delivers better products for the market as well as a leaner and better workplace for GEA PE A/S’s employees with a reduction of trivial repetitive work and elimination of rework.  

    At its core, the “Automation of the Engineer-To-Order process” automates all technical CAD 3D models and 2D drawings during engineering execution. Time savings for GEA PE A/S are significant, but even better is the fact that the documentation is now consistent throughout all stages of the engineering execution, ultimately leading to the customer receiving a better product faster. 

    Kári Holgarsson, Director Engineering Support, Rune Skovgaard-Petersen, Vice President Technology, Simon Nielsen, Scandinavian Digital CEO and Sten Krog Duerlund
    Senior Director Product Engineering, Technology

    The SD team has a profound experience in the successful automation of CAD engineering for complex products. In the past many years, the SD team has automated 250+ complex products – either very large engineering constructions and/or a complex combination of engineering components with a multitude of rules. At GEA PE A/S, SD is currently doing the same and rolling out the concept for 18 of GEA PE A/S’s key products. 

    According to Rune Skovgaard-Petersen, Vice President Technology (TECH) the “automation of the engineering processes of these products will be a significant improvement for our entire organisation”. 

    Beyond the simple automation of engineering processes, GEA PE A/S can now build on the existing solutions to further reduce cost and lead time in other areas. Building the foundation for systems engineering and collaborate globally to further drive productivity and results.
     

    GEA Group is a EUR 5.2 billion company on the German MDAX, headquartered in Düsseldorf. More than 18,000 employees across 62 countries and 5 divisions develop and deliver highly specialised process equipment for Powder, Liquid, Separation, Flow Refrigeration and Monitoring with the Food, Chemical, Farming, Dairy and Healthcare industries. 


    Simon Nielsen, CEO, Scandinavian Digital. 

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    Written by dudaMarch 7, 2023

    Engineering Design Automation improving food safety and sustainability for the food industry

    Engineering automation can provide numerous benefits to the food industry, including improvements in food safety and sustainability. By automating the engineering process, the industry can better control contamination during food and ingredient processing. This involves adhering to safety and hygiene regulations during the design or redesign of machines, taking into account the specific requirements of each location, size, and product.

    Additionally, EDA (Engineering Design Automation) aid companies to match regulatory compliance as well and ensures that production processes are documented.

    Another important aspect to consider is the safety of workers who operate the equipment. Just as parameters are established for food safety, rules are also created to maintain the safety of those who operate the machines. During the design of automation systems, new safety features such as doors, alarms, and lockers can be installed to monitor key parameters such as temperature and pressure in real-time. This ensures that food is processed under controlled conditions while also protecting the safety of workers.

    High-quality food products can be achieved not only through safety measures but also by ensuring accurate measurement and control of ingredients. A well-configured equipment or system can achieve this, resulting in consistent and superior food products. This consistency is particularly valuable for companies that have established themselves in the market or are striving to do so. With a consistent product, clients receive the same high-quality food repeatedly, or even an improved version of it. Additionally, the configuration of these systems can monitor and control the entire production process, ensuring that each step meets the necessary specifications.

    Sustainability is another crucial topic that has become a global trend and necessity. Automated systems can play a key role in reducing waste by optimizing the utilization of resources like energy and water, as well as reducing spoilage and waste during the production process. These systems can also help minimize food waste by ensuring that products are packaged and transported in a manner that reduces spoilage and waste. Investing in automation is an excellent way to drive innovation and growth in the food industry while also promoting sustainability.

    The main countries where engineering automation is a focus are US as a leader, Germany that is known for its advanced manufacturing industry, Japan has a long history of automation as well as the Netherlands that is a leader in agricultural technology and automation and some others as Australia, Canada and China.

    The Scandinavian Digital Team has experience in the food industry, with one of the most skillful teams in configuration and automation in the world, we can affirm that one of our clients saved at least 20.000 men hours last year and achieved consistency and a higher quality in at least 17 equipment.

    Watch our industrial filter being configured, this is one of our products for the food industry to dry powder.

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