ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION: FDF & BARA
robot allowed Fosters to increase production capacity by 80 per cent but has also provided an energy saving of 50 per cent. Honeytop Speciality Foods Ltd,
based inDunstable, is theUK’s leading privately ownedNaan bread producer and producesmore than 100,000 artisanal breads an
hour.An automated system, supplied by RGLuma, has helped transformthe production of pancakes. ThiswasHoneytop’s first investment in robotic technology and despite initial apprehension there has not been one problemwith the installation. Changeover time between products has been dramatically reduced allowing the company to meet tight deadlineswithout problems.Honeytop has also been able tomeet its own stringent requirements for the hygienic handling of food, aswell as achieving reduced labour costs and improved health and safety levels. Even items as fragile as
poppadums have been packed successfully using robots. The systempicks newly fried poppadums froma conveyor at 100 picks perminute, operating for 24 hours per day, seven days per week. This replaced a highly manual intensive process and not only achieved a return on investment of under two years but also increased the production capacity and significantly reduced the breakage rate. Ginsters are a leading example
of companies who have gained significant benefit from automation by making automation a key element of their manufacturing strategy. Not only have they introduced automation but they have organised and trained their staff to ensure they achieve maximum benefit from the investment. As a result they have significantly tightened the tolerances of manufacturing, reducing the giveaway in each product and increasing profitability. Barbers Farmhouse
Cheesemakers, a traditional cheesemaker, has also benefited from automation. By the implementation of an automated weighing and cutting system Barbers has been able to reduce the giveaway from between four per cent and five per cent down to less than one per cent.With an output of 14 tonnes of cheese per day this saving is equivalent to 2,600 extra portions in a single shift and worth up to £3,000 per
day dependent on the type of cheese being produced.
WHERE AREWE TODAY? Although robots are only one element of automation they provide a measureable indication of automation use. Given the recession, it was not surprising that robot sales in the UK in 2009 were the lowest for many years. However, what is surprising is the bounce back in 2010 and 2011. Overall sales grew by 65 per cent in 2010 and 68 per cent in 2011. Perhaps disappointingly, sales into the food and drink sector did not achieve the same growth rates with 12 per cent in 2010 and a decline of 8 per cent in 2011. This is in contrast to the
progress in ourmain competitors, who continue to growthe use of robots in their food and drink sectors. It isworth noting the UK is a longway behind ourmain competitors.
BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION Most of the technical challenges to implementing automation can now be solved and there are many applications for which solutions not only exist, but are proven in production. However, many manufacturing companies, particularly the smaller businesses, have limited engineering resources which are usually focused on the day-to day-operations. They have therefore been slow to implement automation solutions. Those companies that do
make the first step and contact automation system suppliers are often highly reliant on the knowledge and expertise of those suppliers. Few customers prepare a detailed specification prior to involving the automation suppliers. They provide a basic description and are then reliant on the supplier interpreting the requirements correctly and also investigating and identifying all the other issues which may affect the automation solution. This can cause difficulties when a supplier is new to the factory and does not fully understand the actual operation and can lead to items being omitted from the specification which may have a significant impact on the performance later. It is also often the case that
the customer will not understand the importance of
FMCGNews.co.uk | FMCG News | 27
some of the items within the specification, in particular, the tolerances specified by the supplier. Automation can and will provide highly reliable performance but it does not have the same adaptability as humans and there must be some control of all the factors that can affect that performance.
AUTOMATING MANUFACTURING PROGRAMME Following recommendations made in an industry study last year, The Application of Automation in UK Manufacturing, the government has awarded £600,000 to fund an AutomatingManufacturing Programmemanaged by BARA which aims to encourage the uptake of automation among UK manufacturers of all sectors. The programme, which
commenced on 1 Sept 2011 and runs until 31March 2013, offers independent, impartial advice to assistmanufacturers in their implementation of automation solutions. The primary objective of the programme is to help UK manufacturers increase their competitive edge and gain from
the benefits that automation offers including increased productivity, reduced waste and greater profitability. Although the programme primarily looks to assist SMEs, larger companies with limited knowledge of and expertise in automation are also eligible. This government-funded programis a rare opportunity for UK companies to take what is a risk-free plunge into the automation arena.
THE FUTURE Automation is not just for the larger companies.Within our competitors it is being applied across all sectors and all sizes of businesses. For food manufacturing to thrive in the UK we need all businesses to enhance their competitiveness by utilising all the available tools including automation. But it needs to be applied correctly to achieve the benefits. Support is available, via the Automating Manufacturing Programme (
www.automatingmanufacturing
.co.uk) to assist those companies who wish to investigate the improvements they can make to their operations and realise the benefits of automation.
Automation working to load bread at Barnsley-based Fosters Bakery. The new solution now allows the oven to be at full capacity at all times
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