SMART FACTORIES & AUTOMATION
LIMITING ALLERGEN CONTAMINATION THROUGH AUTOMATION
robotics promise the elimination of non- systematic errors.
This ‘hands free’ environment also allows sensitive areas to be hermetically sealed from others, further limiting the possibility of cross- contamination. For example, both regular and gluten free products could be produced under the same roof on adjacent, restricted production lines – an impossibility if the movement of staff or materials between areas is allowed.
The machines must still be cleaned and maintained, and mechanical breakdowns must still be considered, but a thorough implementation of MOM software allows for part monitoring to predict breakdowns, and planned maintenance to further limit movement through and between restricted areas.
I
n June 2019 a major UK supermarket made a simple error in production, filling spice packets with the wrong product. It was discovered that the packaging didn’t declare that the product now contained lactose, and a recall was issued. Over 40 per cent of adults in the UK suffer from some form of allergy with effects ranging from a mild rash to life threatening anaphylactic shock. Here, Tatjana Milenovic, group vice president, food & beverage at ABB, discusses the role automation can play in safe food production.
The concept of cleanliness shouldn’t need explaining in the food and beverage sector. Modern food plants process a vast number of products per hour, so any contamination can affect thousands of products. Issuing product recalls, apologies and explanations are the first steps in addressing these mistakes, but a cure is always the best treatment. Allergen contamination is most importantly a threat to the health of the customer, but also damaging to company reputation and confidence in the product.
LEFT HAND, RIGHT HAND Modern food processing sites can be square kilometres in area, employ thousands of people and have hundreds of systems performing different processes on various products. Staying organised, efficient and food-safe in such a complex environment is a near impossible task
without oversight software, such as the ABB Ability™ Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) system.
This is likely what happened at the previously mentioned UK supermarket’s factory – an error was made in production and that error was either missed, or that information was not communicated downstream to the packaging system, for example.
Clearly while avoiding the error entirely is the most ideal scenario, if the error was recognized, identified and propagated through the system, individual offending products could be eliminated, or the ingredient list could be updated. Implementation of such a system wouldn’t be simple, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution as every factory floor is unique. The quality of the software is crucial as scalability and flexibility are key features of an ideal MOM system. These are features that we designed into our own MOM system, to ensure it is as adaptable to the needs of the business as possible.
ONLY HUMAN
Humans are fallible, and we make mistakes. A moment of idleness is all it takes to pour the wrong ingredient, press the wrong button, or worse. Automation is a practical solution as it limits the possibility of human errors. With adequate software, power supply and maintenance,
26 FEBRUARY 2020 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
END-TO-END TRACEABILITY A microwave-meal might contain over 30 ingredients, with each of those ingredients having been previously processed or having a complex genealogy. This makes a complex web of accountability that often results in the customer being left in the dark as to the origins of the ingredients. Imagine a system where customers can scan a product with their smartphone and have complete information on what allergens it contains, instead of relying on generic labelling.
The industrial internet of things (IIoT) promises unparalleled interconnectivity between devices, controllers, the systems they’re implemented in and the processes they perform. This brings the possibility that the path of individual items, not just batches, could be tracked end to end. An industry wide standard system, combined with a distributed ledger and token system, could provide a complete picture of where the ingredients were sourced from, when they were processed and who handled them. Further development could also provide information on the proximity of allergenic substances during manufacture, allowing consumers to make informed choices.
Allergen management has traditionally been performed in a similar way to basic hygiene. However, there’s a lot of future changes that could be made with automation to embolden customer confidence in food brands and undo the damage of years of recalls.
ABB
www.abb.com
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