BRIEFING
programming expertise will need to be available for any changes in requirement. The cobot can be programmed with a number of different tasks that may require switching over during the day, plugging in different tools to get maximum benefit from the investment. However, in the case of a hospital foodservice where 800 meals are plated three times a day the unit(s) would be working almost continuously. The introduction of robots into the staff workspace will require gaining the confidence of the staff, however there would be no need to specifically upskill existing food handling employees to work alongside them: give each cobot a name, they soon become part of the team. Unlike other industries, there are none of the traditional added cost associated with robot programming, set-up and dedicated shielded work cells, meaning the average payback on investment could even be well under 12 months.
Conveyor systems could possibly not only contribute to efficiency, but also help avoid food safety issues
Automating the kitchen
One basic area of automation seldom used in commercial kitchens, but which could be used to improve productivity and occupational safety, is the use of conveyors. Simple, flexible, and cost effective: powered or unpowered, they can be used to avoid repetitive lifting and carrying between work areas. But the recognition of the benefit of their use and their application has to be designed into the facility from the very beginning of the design process. It is, more often than not, impossible to introduce conveyors as an effective afterthought. One familiar conveyor in a foodservice setting, is the Rotation Sushi conveyor, which evolved into the familiar pattern in the 1990’s: as much as a selling feature as an efficiency measure. Another familiar application are the conveyors used in the dishwash area and hospital plating rooms. Less often seen are conveyors used for the storage and handling of pallets in the storage areas of large facilities. But conveyors are seldom considered as a means of transfer from one workstation to the next within the
kitchen food preparation areas. A potential application of
conveyors could be in overcoming issues requiring the separation between the clean kitchen food preparation and handling area and potentially contaminated external areas. Generally supplies for the kitchen are manually transferred across the barrier between the two areas with the employee having to put on hat and gloves and wash their hands every time they move between one area and the other: although frequently, through necessity or inconvenience, not fulfilling the full safety protocols. If a conveyor were to be used between the two work areas to transfer supplies, thus avoiding the necessity for staff movement, it would not only be an efficiency measure but also a food safety benefit. The conveyor may not necessarily be a set of rollers or a belt, it could also be an overhead system for moving handling carts. The possibilities are endless if we are open to them. Cost will always be seen as an
issue, however by exploring other industry conveying system manufacturers, particularly those supplying the garment industry where cost is a significant issue, the limited requirement for a
commercial kitchen compared with a manufacturing or distribution business, means the implementation could be cost effectively, but would require considerable interaction between the client, robotics specialist, system integrator and the foodservice consultant during the early stages of concept development. The first step is for the
foodservice consultant to imagine the possibilities and tell the client the story. But keep in mind Bill Gates’ advice: “Automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
124 For more go to
fcsi.org
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