SMART COFFEE PRODUCTION. WHAT ELSE?
NESPRESSO | 01.09.2022

Nespresso’s Vertuo coffee capsules continue to gain market share. They are made exclusively at Nespresso’s production center in Romont, from where they are exported to 24 countries in North America, Asia and Europe.

Synonymous with innovation, quality and expertise, ‘Made in Switzerland’ is a core value at Nespresso. Today, the brand, whose famous capsules are exported around the world, produces its entire coffee range in Switzerland. As Guillaume Fraysse, manager of Nespresso’s factory in Romont explains, “Over the past 10 years, Nespresso has invested 900 million Swiss francs in production, logistics, IT and commercial operations in Switzerland, including 700 million in its three production centers.” By the end of 2022, Romont will double its production capacity thanks to the gradual introduction of 10 new filling and packaging lines.

When asked whether the Fribourg production facility benefits from Industry 4.0 technologies, Fraysse’s answer is unequivocal, “Every critical parameter of every single line is relayed to servers in real time   so as to record and guarantee the quality of our products. These data allow us to monitor equipment, predict when maintenance is needed and make improvements like cutting our energy consumption.”

Improved product quality and consistency

The Internet of Things has also arrived at the group’s production centers. To ensure that the facilities maintain their high standards of industrial excellence, WiFi sensors and radio signals gather detailed information on the vibration behavior and thermodynamics. As Fraysse enthusiastically explains, “When analyzed in aggregate, the recorded parameters allow us to find correlations which would have been unthinkable not that long ago, as well as open up potential for improvements, particularly as regards the interplay between humidity, granulometry, density and percolation time.”

Other tools deployed at the Nespresso plant in Romont include predictive modeling and machine learning, “During the roasting process, for example, our system suggests to the operator what the ideal temperature profile should be for optimizing the taste of our coffees. We are talking about a complex natural product, which can vary from one valley and one harvest to another. These models guarantee accurate results.” Even after the coffee is put into a capsule, it continues to undergo physical and chemical changes for seven days, “With machine learning, we are able to predict the final result and thus maximize the sensory performance of the coffee.” George Clooney is impressed!