Food & Beverage


can be customised with special add-ons and accessories that allow for even more flexibility. In fact, the latest solution from Omron combines cobot and mobile technology to offer a mobile manipulator or MoMa solution.


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on the way to sustainable Food manuFacturing


producers going forward. Furthermore, automation can fill a lack of experts in the labour market. Collaborative and mobile robots working alongside their human colleagues to assist in lifting or transporting goods and materials while fulfilling tasks employees cannot do because of distance or safety rules.


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Product quality and traceability Play an increasingly


imPortant role


Product and production quality as well as traceability are further aspects that are increasingly important for both manufacturers and customers alike. Barcode quality is one example that is a key element in many applications. Regulations from international organisations like ISO or GS1 are widely adopted, but in addition there may be further project specific specifications driven by suppliers and customers. This leads to a need for reliable systems and tools that ensure a barcode is correct and readable. Additionally, solutions can be adapted so they can also check pack design aspects and package integrity and completeness. Alberto Giordani, product and project manager at Omron Solution Partner Alfacod, explains: “Moreover, innovative solutions can understand the quality grade and if it's decreasing before it's too late. They can therefore plan preventive maintenance actions to avoid potentially costly errors. In the food industry, it’s useful to check labels while they are printed by a thermal transfer machine with an integrated barcode verifier on the printer. Customers, especially large distribution companies, want to receive only products with the correct information, labelling and barcodes. If this information is wrong or incomplete, they might return the goods or levy a fine on the supplier.” Information taken from the packaging in the


form of codes is also becoming increasingly useful for consumers at the point of purchase. When reading the code at a self-scanning system or in the retailer, they can get information about allergens or other specific ingredients such as gluten. Furthermore, consumers are increasingly taking an interest


UKManufacturing January 2021


in information such as country of origin and of course manufacturers want to engage with consumers via information provided on the item. There is a close link between automation and traceability [both internal and external to the manufacturer], ultimately protecting the brand reputation of the producer and reducing costs. Omron’s Robert Brooks adds: “Another simple example is a verification solution using vision systems or RFID which, linked into the production management software, can help to reduce issues connected with false codes or labels.”


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Flexibility as the engine oF Future Food manuFacturing


Whereas in other industries “batch size 1” (also known as “lot size 1”) is one of the trending topics and a goal for manufacturers, the food and beverage industry is still very closely connected to volumes. But it should still be a priority to act in an increasingly flexible and agile way to fulfil growing customer demand and changing regulations. Mobile robots and flexible production lines provide companies with valuable support. Daniela Moles describes an LCS customer producing coffee pods: “Our customer receives requests for very different pods, such as normal plastic or reusable, eco-friendly, different colours and different sizes. By implementing a fleet of Omron’s mobile robots that can manage the fluctuating demand across periods of time or two entirely different requests, we were able to help them to achieve a more flexible environment within the plant. Being able to adapt and evolve will become even more relevant and important in the future.” Many solutions still rely on inflexible conveyor


systems, whereas mobile robots provide the manufacturer with the flexibility to move stock and consumables to the required locations at the right time. Furthermore, cobots are very easy to train, easy to deploy and transportable, making them a useful companion in achieving more flexibility. Additionally, mobile robots can change routes quickly, dynamically avoiding obstacles or working on different priorities. They


According to PwC, three quarters of supermarket customers want to buy products with as little packaging as possible, but packaging also protects the item and informs the customer, so it is a balance between differing drivers. However, it will come as no surprise that flexible plastic or flexible packaging is still expected to grow in the future. For this reason, companies in the F&B industry must increasingly think about the materials they use for packaging their products. Automation is closely connected with sustainability, a simple and widespread example being that it can control temperature and pressures, ensuring a product is correctly packaged and reducing waste and scrap. A more detailed example could be a scenario in which a producer must consider multiple variables such as packaging thickness, ambient temperature and packaging film speeds. This approach requires a system to capture data in real-time, analyse it and make decisions. “If we are able to process and read through this data, we have all the guidelines in order to work better and implement sustainable actions to achieve a sustainable future,“ says Robert Brooks. In the case of innovative technology, Omron’s


Sysmac AI Controller is a smart Artificial Intelligence solution that collects, analyses and utilises data on ‘Edge’ devices within a controller to prolong equipment longevity and detect abnormalities to prevent failures. It combines control functions of manufacturing lines and equipment with AI processing at manufacturing sites in real-time.


real-time insights are driving the Food Factory oF the Future Looking to the future, with the additional experience of the corona pandemic, companies in the food industry are now called upon to take a close look at new systems and technologies that will help them to reduce the workload on employees, increase the quality of their processes and products and act more flexibly and sustainably. They need to look out for smart and connected systems, combining robotics, cobots, vision and sensor technology, as well as strong data collection and analytical capabilities, human machine interaction and full traceability to provide them with real-time insights for a successful and customer-focused future.


Omron industrial.omron.eu/en/home


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