Cocatrel digitalizes its production: automation and SAP S/4HANA in the Dairy Industry

A Cocatrel, one of the largest coffee grower cooperatives in Brazil, with 63 years of history, has undergone one of its biggest transformations in recent years. Seeking to optimize processes and ensure greater efficiency, clean technology, traceability, and production control in its dairy unit, the cooperative found in Meta the ideal partner for its digital transformation journey.

By adopting technology based on the Clean Core model, which makes the system more agile, accessible, and sustainable, Cocatrel and Meta implemented an industrial automation solution with SAP S/4HANA that eliminated manual processes and brought more precision and efficiency to dairy production. This ensured greater agility in shipping, accurate inventory control, more assertive costing, and greater compliance with market demands.

The evolution of dairy production at Cocatrel

Seeking to further enhance operational efficiency and keep pace with the digital transformation of the sector, Cocatrel invested in automation and process integration. With Meta’s partnership, the cooperative implemented a solution based on SAP S/4HANA, optimizing inventory management, product traceability, and shipping agility.

This modernization brought strategic gains, such as even more assertive inventory control, optimized product traceability, reduced data verification time, and integrated management aligned with the industry’s best practices.

With a focus on innovation and operational excellence, Cocatrel and Meta continue to advance in the digitalization of production, ensuring even greater quality and efficiency for the cooperative.

The solution: automation and integration with Meta

Meta developed and implemented an integrated solution, connecting the dairy’s shop floor to the SAP S/4HANA system. With automation through SAP S/4HANA, Cocatrel eliminated human errors and gained full real-time control of production.

According to Antonio Lopes, SAP Architecture Manager at Meta, the goal was simple yet transformative:

Our focus was to eliminate manual tasks and integrate production processes into the SAP system. Now, all production movements happen digitally, ensuring full traceability, inventory control, and much more efficient planning.

Main changes with digitalization:

• Operators started using mobile devices and automated scales connected to the system;

• All production is now recorded in real time, eliminating the need for manual notes;

• The system automatically generates labels, ensuring total traceability from milk collection to the final product;

• Shipping became much faster, as products are already labeled and ready to be sent to the market;

• Significant reduction in inventory errors, ensuring more accurate information;

• The cost closing process has become reliable.

According to Cristina Lima, SAP Functional Analyst at Cocatrel, the change was revolutionary:

Today, as soon as production ends, the product is already in stock, ready for shipping. Before, we had to register everything manually, which caused delays and issues. Now, data accuracy and agility have been optimized in an impressive way.

The benefits of Digital Transformation

Since the implementation of Meta’s solution, Cocatrel has already observed significant improvements:

• Reduction of operational errors: automation eliminated human errors in data verification and recording;

• Accuracy in inventory control: digital inventory now faithfully reflects physical inventory;

• Efficiency and agility: shipping happens immediately after production, with no waiting time;

• Greater traceability: the entire production chain is now traceable, ensuring compliance with the Ministry of Agriculture’s regulations;

• Cost and waste reduction: eliminating manual processes saved both time and resources.

According to Cristina, this transformation was a watershed moment:

Before, we faced many challenges in inventory control. The system was never aligned with the factory’s reality, and every verification required manual adjustments. Today, we have a real and accurate view of production, optimizing time and reducing losses.

The future of digitalization at Cocatrel

The implementation in the dairy unit was just the first step of a more ambitious plan. Cocatrel and Meta are already working on automating milk collection from farms, bringing digitized data from the origin of the raw material to the final product.

Now that we’ve automated the shop floor, our next step is to digitize milk collection. This will eliminate manual processes and integrate the entire production chain, from the farm to distribution. – says Gladival Marcelo Marques, Cocatrel’s IT Manager.

In addition, Meta is homologating the solution in the SAP Store, allowing other companies to adopt this digitalization model. As Antonio Lopes highlights:

What we developed with Cocatrel is so innovative that we are making this solution available in the SAP Store, so other companies can benefit from the same advantages.

A partnership for the future

Cocatrel’s digitalization journey with Meta is an example of how technology can transform traditional businesses. With optimized processes, improved traceability, and much more efficient operational control, the cooperative is prepared to grow and further expand its operations.

Working together since the beginning of the cooperative’s digital transformation, Meta and Cocatrel will continue side by side, always seeking new solutions to modernize the agricultural market and bring benefits to members.

Our technology area is very satisfied with the partnership, as Meta always brings innovation and solutions that add value to our operation. We are confident that this relationship will bring even more advancements for Cocatrel in the coming years. – concludes Gladival.