Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA-headquartered Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, is helping make one of the most energy-intensive processes in frozen food manufacturing more efficient. Its PlantPAx modern distributed control system (DCS) powers a new autonomous AI-application developed by PartnerNetwork member Actemium which continuously selects energy‑efficient operating configurations for industrial refrigeration equipment.
Actemium created the solution, known as Real-Time Coefficient of Performance (RtCOP), for a large producer of frozen french fry products. To date, it has reportedly helped the company increase energy efficiency by 17%, delivering an estimated $130,000 annual savings per site. It also reduces strain on refrigeration assets, helping improve long‑term equipment reliability.
RtCOP functions like an always-on virtual operator, continuously analyzing system capacities, efficiencies and environmental conditions in real time to determine and implement energy-efficient combinations of compressors, condensers and evaporators.
“Autonomous optimization can help food producers conserve energy, reduce costs and ease demands on their workforce,” said Jim Gillis, general manager, Actemium Atlantic Canada. “Energy‑based equipment ranking that is performed continuously and consistently is something human operators simply can’t do in real time. This has the potential to transform refrigeration across food manufacturing.”
The solution runs on Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx DCS, which provides real-time data access, processing speed and system transparency to enable continuous, autonomous optimization.
Industrial refrigeration accounts for up to 70% of a plant’s electricity consumption, making it one of the largest opportunities for energy optimization in food manufacturing. Historically, these systems are operated to meet cooling demand rather than maximize energy efficiency, in part because operators lack the time and tools to continuously evaluate performance shifts.
“Solutions like RtCOP are increasingly needed as food producers face skills shortages, particularly in specialized areas like refrigeration, and pressure to operate more efficiently and sustainably,” said Kris Dornan, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation. “Technologies like the PlantPAx modern DCS make AI-driven autonomous applications possible, and experienced partners like Actemium make them happen.”
Actemium is helping the food producer scale the solution across its fleet of refrigeration plants. Key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards enable site-to-site visibility into performance and benchmarking of system efficiency.
