SERIES Reducing costs
Balancing people and production
By Kati Hope, Global Account Manager, Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection A
s advanced product inspection technology takes centre stage, food manufacturers are rethinking how they harness
the full potential of their workforce. In food manufacturing, optimising human resources is about striking the right balance between people and technology – a synergy where human skills complement production line and product inspection systems, adding unique value that only competent, well-trained and motivated employees can provide.
Let’s dive into this shift, understanding
the strengths inherent in both humans and machines. Machines excel at automating manual processes, eliminating the risk of human error. Take label inspection, for instance. While human operators may make mistakes, vision inspection systems, when set up correctly and well- maintained, are designed not to fail. This not only reduces the chances of product recalls and associated costs, but also supports compliance with food safety focus on other critical tasks within the production process.
Several other food manufacturing
processes showcase the superiority of accuracy compared to manual tasks. Consider manually weighing or visually checking product batches for correct endeavour. Dynamic checkweighing and vision inspection technologies present consistent quality control and allowing of the business.
Employee turnover challenges for many in the food business, leading to a skills shortage amongst the workforce – particularly in current business climates. When it comes to operating production line and product inspection machinery, errors and downtime can prove costly to
10 May 2024 | Automation
the food manufacturer. It takes time to learn the skills required to manually set up product inspection systems such as x-ray and metal detection for each job, so the increasing use of pre-programmed and automated changeover procedures helps to relieve the concern brought about by this skills shortage.
Operators can also be supported by
the introduction of automatic testing capabilities in product inspection machinery. For example, ATS (Automatic Test System) on vertical metal detectors manufacturer, tests can be carried out more quickly and accurately, with data being automatically collected during the process. For the operator, there is no need to work at height to insert test pieces manually into systems, meaning there is less chance of
The experience of Italian manufacturer automatic testing of product inspection systems. The company uses ATS from vertical metal detectors, allowing it to complete end-to-end tests in under 40 seconds, compared to three minutes for manual testing. As well as enhancing its
the number of tests it carries out every day quality and safety. This has also translated to a labour saving of 1,600 hours per year in operator time. Additionally, testing will happen
regularly with data being collected and stored automatically. The quality and completeness of this testing data can prove invaluable in meeting compliance audits, further down the line.
Your most valuable resource Acknowledging employees as the most valuable resource might sound like a cliché, but it holds undeniable truth. To really home in on their potential, businesses need to invest in good recruitment, comprehensive training and a realistic assessment of where employees can contribute the greatest value. Technology advances have made this evaluation urgent, steering businesses towards a smarter mix of talent and technology. The evolution is not about replacing people with machines but crafting a synergy that boosts productivity, magic we’re all chasing.
automationmagazine.co.uk
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