INDUSTRY FOCUS Food & beverage
Gary Kirk, Northern Region End User Sales Manager, Consumer Packaged Goods at Rockwell Automation, discusses bringing control and clarity to high- variability food and beverage production
A
s product diversity accelerates and resource constraints tighten, food and beverage manufacturers are discovering that traditional control
models no longer hold. The shift is forcing a rethink of how visibility, energy and consistency are managed at the point of production. Production complexity rarely arrives as a single disruption. It accumulates, in additional SKUs, shorter production runs, tighter energy margins and a growing set of constraints that no longer behave independently. At a certain point, incremental change begins to alter the nature of control itself, and systems designed for stability start to struggle under the weight of constant adjustment. This pressure is increasingly visible in plant- based production, where formulation diversity and rapid changeovers are now routine. Control environments that once assumed predictability must now accommodate continual variation, and the cost of limited visibility is no longer confined to inefficiency. It extends into inconsistency, waste and an inability to respond quickly enough when conditions shift. The collaboration between Liquats Vegetals,
a producer of plant-based beverages, and Rockwell Automation reflects how some manufacturers are responding to that shift. The emphasis is not on digitalisation as an abstract goal, but on whether operational data can be structured and surfaced in a way that supports decisions as conditions change on the plant floor. In high-variability environments, visibility becomes an operational capability rather than a reporting function. Liquats Vegetals has focused on creating a clearer picture of how production and energy interact in real time, rather than treating them as separate domains. This distinction matters because fragmentation often hides the relationships that drive inefficiency. When process data and energy consumption are analysed in isolation, optimisation efforts
26 June 2026 | Automation
MANAGING VARIABILITY IN FOOD
tend to be localised. Gains in one area can introduce unintended consequences in another, particularly during frequent changeovers. Bringing these datasets together changes the dynamic, allowing operators to see how adjustments affect the system as a whole. This is where integrated control and data platforms begin to play a more significant role. They do not simply collect information, they provide context, reducing the gap between event and response. In environments where conditions are constantly shifting, that immediacy becomes essential. Energy is no longer a passive input. As
cost pressures increase and sustainability expectations rise, it is becoming part of the operational equation. Liquats Vegetals’ approach to energy transparency reflects this shift, treating consumption as something that can be understood and influenced alongside production performance. The implications are practical. Variations
in energy use often mirror changes in process behaviour, particularly in thermally intensive operations. When that information is visible in context, it becomes a diagnostic tool rather than a retrospective metric. Operators can identify inefficiencies earlier and respond before they affect output or quality. This also changes how sustainability is applied at plant level. Rather than existing as a reporting layer, it becomes embedded in day- to-day decisions. The challenge is ensuring that insight translates into action, and that data is presented to support timely intervention. Maintaining consistency in a high-variability
environment requires a different approach from traditional production models. Fixed parameters and periodic adjustments are no longer sufficient when conditions are continually evolving. Flexibility becomes necessary, but it introduces its own risks. Each adjustment carries the potential for
deviation, particularly if it is made without a full understanding of how the system is behaving. This is where unified operational data becomes critical. By consolidating production, energy and performance metrics, manufacturers can better understand the impact of change in real time. The objective is not to remove variability, which is often driven by market demand, but to manage it without compromising product integrity. Digitalisation, in this context, is less about automation and more about maintaining control in an environment where stability can no longer be assumed. As systems become more interconnected,
the role of human judgement becomes more important. Digital tools do not eliminate decision-making; they reshape it by improving the quality of information available. When data is fragmented, responses are reactive. When it is unified and contextualised, decisions can be made with greater confidence. This has implications for how digital transformation is measured. Efficiency gains remain important, but they are no longer the only metric. The ability to respond to variability without losing control is becoming equally significant. In practice, that means building systems that support interpretation as much as execution.
The experience of Liquats Vegetals highlights a broader shift across the sector. Digitalisation is moving beyond implementation towards operational capability, where visibility, energy, and consistency are treated as interconnected elements of the same system. In environments where change is constant, that integration is becoming a prerequisite for sustained performance.
Rockwell Automation
www.rockwellautomation.com/en-gb
automationmagazine.co.uk
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