FOOD & beVeraGe
pandemic, shortage of skilled workers and efforts to increase efficiency, the “zero touch” trend is now entering a new round: companies and manufacturers worldwide are looking for new ways to automate manual activities, thereby relieving and protecting employees, but also optimising processes and improving product quality. For “zero touch” to succeed, companies in the food, beverage and consumer goods industries need to find appropriate technology support.
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MORe PROTecTION ANd vAlue-AddINg TAsks fOR eMPlOyees Human resources, aka employees, are the most valuable asset for companies in the F&b industry. Food firms should always focus on the skills of the employees and think of strategies on how to deploy or retrain them in order to fulfil more value-adding tasks. Changes in the production environment such as high-mix-low-volume,
lease do not touch!” You have probably encountered prompts like these while shopping. However, with the corona
ZerO TOUCH STraTeGieS FOr FOOD & beVeraGe COmpaNieS
Zero touch strategies help food and beverage companies to improve safety, quality and efficiency. OMRON’s Patricia Torres explains how automation, robotics, AI and image processing all offer support in achieving zero touch processes.
product diversity and sustainability approaches, coupled with an acute shortage of skilled workers, represent a major challenge in this respect. The corona pandemic and the associated social distancing requirements pose additional demands on hygiene and safety. in this context, the many manual tasks in the
production environment tie up staff resources. manual processes are often expensive and even dangerous. manual workflows may increase health and safety risks, such as injuries or accidents but also risks in relation to the ongoing pandemic. Human-machine interactions
are further challenges to address in this respect. moreover, there are many routine tasks that quickly become boring and sometimes even frustrating. instead, the valuable employee might be better trained and deployed for more value-adding tasks. but which processes should be automated to improve efficiency, safety and sustainability?
MANuAl TAsks IN f&B fAcTORIes Typical examples for areas where employees perform manual tasks are those that are repetitive such as sorting and classifying goods, aligning and orienting, as well as the filling and labelling of containers. Since they interact with machines, also taking over transport tasks, and often standing for many hours, there is an increased risk of postural defects or accidents at the conveyor. Furthermore, repetitive tasks can become very expensive in terms of money and productivity due to long term illnesses or heavy rotation in the workforce. adding to these, there are manual tasks where
employees have to lift and handle boxes and cartons in order to palletise, box and unbox goods. Other areas where employees work manually are Wip and replenishment, the moving of finished goods, but also quality inspection and warehousing challenges that can all represent a physical strain and be psychologically stressful due to constant repetition.
INTegRATed, INTellIgeNT ANd INTeRAcTIve AuTOMATION it is essential to make such processes become more efficient, minimising interruptions, while protecting employees and making better use of their talents. robotics and automation solutions can help by transporting, sorting or palletising loads – both in mass and customised production. a concrete practical example: fully automated
solutions can be used in high-speed lines. They consist, for example, of industrial robotics, high-speed pick-and-place applications, smart conveyor belts and integrated machine robot control together with edge ai analysis functions, i.e. data analysis at machine level (ai). in customer-specific environments, on the other hand, collaborative robots provide flexibility, since they can be adapted to new requirements faster and better than permanently mounted industrial robots.
8 april 2021 | FaCTOrY&HaNDliNGSOlUTiONS
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