ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION: FDF & BARA
Automation offersmany benefits, and it is usually a combination of these whichmake it such a useful tool for any FMCGmanufacturer
Sowhat’s the big deal, then? MikeWilson of BARA and the FDF’sAngela Coleshill look at the possibilities of automation in the FMCG industry
Automation can provide many benefits for food and drinkmanufacturing businesses, such as reduced labour costs, increased production rates and a reduction in health and safety risks in theworkplace.
MikeWilson is chairman of the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA). For more information, visit
www.bara.org.uk.
Angela Coleshill is director of competitiveness at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). For more information, visit
www.fdf.org.uk.
Engineering andMachinery Alliance, found that UK companies lag far behind their European counterparts in adopting such technology. Lack of knowledge and skills, plus an aversion to risk, are cited as key factors behind the difference in take-up, particularly among smallermanufacturers. If the UK food and drink sector is to continue to grow and reach its potential, it is vital that businesses engage with automation where possible, and use it as a tool to drive productivity and efficiencies.
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FMCGNews.co.uk
benchmarking study published in 2010, and commissioned by the
BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION Whilst the obvious labour costs savings are a benefit, it is amuch more complex issue, as automation can also provide the opportunity to enhance staff skill utilisation and reduce health and safety risks in theworkplace. UK businesses often apply very short payback constraints to capital projects and it can be difficult to achieve these if only labour costs are considered, particularly on single shift operations. Automation can perform
repetitive tasks reliably over long periods of time, eliminating the risk of human error which is often due to lapses in concentration and tiredness. This also reduces the risk of injuries to staff, which in turn can minimise the need for insurance claims. Also, vision used for inspection also removes the risk of humans missing rejects, again reducing costs. The automated system performs exactly as required which often
reduces waste and increases yield from the input materials. Companies often do not consider that the automation system will still be performing reliably after 10 years and therefore significantly enhances the business beyond the initial payback period. It is often a combination of
factors that provide the real benefit to the business. Fosters Bakery, based in Barnsley, UK has automated an oven loading application (see right). The shelves in the reel oven move continuously through a vertical loop making it impossible for an operator to unload a full tray of baked product and reload the same shelf with a new tray. Therefore the oven would operate at reduced capacity as shelves would rotate without product. The robot is able to unload and reload trays within the available two second cycle time and the oven now operates at full capacity. Not only has the
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