Feature sponsored by
FEATURE Food & Beverage
Advanced automation for the food
and drink sector by Advantech There’s been a shift in recent times in the food and beverage industry, with suppliers – including machine builders and systems integrators – being called upon to deliver 21st-century solutions to the sector
F
or decades now, producers in the food and beverage (F&B) market have been keen to use the power of automation to carry out
repetitive tasks precisely and accurately. Automation can also enable them to change product lines rapidly depending on demand while meeting stringent health and trade legal requirements. More recently, F&B producers started to embrace the opportunities provided by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artifi cial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and much more. Effi ciency, eff ectiveness and safety
are key drivers in the F&B market, and producers around the world have been looking to maximise levels in these key areas. Users have been demanding a minimum of 99.9% accuracy in some of their systems and they have also been calling on solutions providers to augment their machines and equipment with speedy and reliable connectivity. Of course, having the most accurate and up-to-date data is essential when dealing with food and drink, including the need to have full traceability for every item that comes off the production line. By adding robust connectivity to their production systems, F&B companies can introduce greater automation into their processes and take machine and batch production data collection in the factory to new highs by integrating advanced technology seamlessly into their overall IT environment.
Advantech works with a range of equipment manufacturers to deliver automation solutions boasting AI technology, so they can help customers to maximise production fl exibility and management effi ciency. Rugged Industry 4.0 solutions have been developed to enable machine builders to supply specialist equipment to F&B manufacturers to satisfy the high demands in product variability while continuing to maintain the highest possible safety levels.
automationmagazine.co.uk
Full factory connectivity helps to eliminate many problems in traditional food factories, including the all-too-common issue of disrupted data collection and transmission caused by high temperatures and humidity. Equipment durability can also be aff ected while devices such as touch computers and switches have often proved inadequate in terms of translating data and operating effi ciently in a factory environment. Through greater automation across the food and drink industry, production and maintenance managers now have access to real-time data which can be displayed clearly in the work area. Working alongside traditional control systems, these new data streams are capable of boosting internal processes, increasing productivity and effi ciency of machinery and maximising the use of energy. Advantech off ers a range of data acquisition, protocol conversion, edge processing and onward transmission products capable of connecting almost any existing F&B factory machinery to any IT application. Ensuring longevity and robustness in demanding factory environments, these products include gateways or edge computers that connect physically to machines or PLCs to collect data. Protocol convertors are able to
convert machine data into readable format while local and wide area communication equipment enables time-sensitive data to be sent to the Cloud or a local server. In one factory, for example, Advantech worked with systems integrators to deliver a manufacturing execution system that helped maximise automation of food by ensuring stable data acquisition and transmission. A series of devices capable of operating in temperatures from -40°C to +75°C allowed operators to check and enter the most up-to- date information via the Internet. In another application, Advantech’s expertise in AI/ML enabled a machine supplier to provide its customer with automated optical inspection (AOI) for intelligent fruit sorting.
AOI is also ideal for supporting product traceability. Advantech enables equipment manufacturers to provide end-to-end AI solutions using a range of edge servers and AI inference systems. These examples demonstrate the importance of working with a reputable solutions provider – one that understands the demanding requirements of today’s F&B industry.
CONTACT:
Advantech Europe
www.advantech.eu
Automation | July/August 2022
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