autOmatION & RObOtICs


WaReHOuse autOmatION OFFeRs sOlutION tO RaIsINg FOOD saFety staNDaRDs


By Thomas Swovick, global market development manager – Food & Beverage at Dematic


globally every year. In the uK alone, the Food standards agency (Fsa) estimates that there are 2.4 million annual cases. these alarming figures highlight the need for enhanced food safety management protocols, particularly for perishable goods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. these spoilable items are often imported and


F


typically stored for prolonged periods of time making stringent food hygiene standards essential. In addition, the global COVID-19 pandemic has created further pressure on suppliers as it has stimulated a huge surge in demand for online food shopping, a trend likely to continue. the industry recognises that failing to meet


food safety standards is not an option for grocery suppliers, and as online markets and imports continue to grow, so will the challenges associated with ensuring produce remains fresh and fit for consumption. the uK and eu follow rigorous protocols in


processing, transportation, and distribution of food products. Increasingly, food suppliers are looking at automated solutions to meet tougher hygiene standards. Fortunately, automation can provide the answer.


It seamlessly manages the logistical process from an order placement to the point of delivery, protecting the produce from potential contamination from human contact, while adjusting storage conditions such as temperature to maintain the freshness of perishable items.


BeneFiTS oF warehouSe SoFTware throughout the food and beverage industry, software is


oodborne diseases are increasingly becoming a major public health concern with more than 600 million cases reported


increasingly being recognised as the future of effective storage and distribution. sophisticated warehouse management systems unify the intralogistics supply chain – fulfilment, operations, maintenance, and analytics – by streamlining complex processes and monitoring adherence to food safety practices throughout the order. software can automate these processes to improve food storage procedures and provides detailed, up- to-date data to make it easier to recall items that have quality control issues. Contamination remains a leading concern for


food and beverage suppliers. With the need to stock many more diverse products to meet customer demand, warehouse software can better manage multiple items to avoid storing them near each another. this is critical in preventing certain food products that may have harmful bacteria from spreading that bacteria. to give an example, a warehouse may stock


fresh meat and fresh vegetables, both of which may release unsanitary liquid. a software solution can automatically segregate the meat and vegetables to reduce the opportunity for cross- contamination thereby reducing a health risk. using software throughout the supply chain also


allows for better FIFO inventory rotation, easier recall of substandard or out-of-date products and can be used to quarantine warehouse sections in the event of a breach of food safety protocols. barcode scanning individual items ensures the


software can track crates and food types, knowing exactly where items are with up-to-the-minute track-and-trace capabilities. this provides detailed information on product location, allowing for fast and efficient recalls anywhere within the supply chain – from distributor to consumer.


workForce challengeS With the pandemic, suppliers face a further challenge of a reduced workforce when healthcare rules required workers to self-isolate. During the initial spike in infection rates, 300,000 short-term grocery workers were hired to plug the labour gap across the uK. this issue is not likely to


resolve immediately, despite a robust vaccination programme. there were initial fears about contaminating


food products with the virus, which has proved to be of lesser concern. but even as we understand far more about how the virus is transmitted, preventing infections within the warehouse teams remains a priority. automation by design keeps people and food separated, and in the event of a food safety breach, makes the process of product recall more efficient with up-to-the-minute track- and-trace functionality.


SoFTware aS a SoluTion In recent years there has been a notable shift in the food and beverage industry, away from manual solutions and toward automated solutions for complicated and delicate processes. temperature control is a critical part of meeting hygiene standards that can be accurately regulated by software automation. automated storage and retrieval systems (as/Rss) can be designed with ‘active Chill and Freeze’ capabilities, for example, and operate by moving cold air through individually cooled products to ensure that they are cooled quickly and maintain their target temperatures once the initial cooling has been completed. Dematic has designed a software solution with


temperature management specifically in mind. the solution features its multishuttle as/Rs technology – widely used by food processors and distributors globally – to provide a high-performance case storage, packaging, and despatch processing solution tailored for chilled and frozen produce. the best way to ensure progress in raising


food hygiene standards is to give people the best tools and solutions to make inherently safer choices. the COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to the food industry, but it has also underscored the necessity of strict hygiene protocols. We can learn from this and apply those same lessons to the food production process. embracing the power of automation facilitates safer food handling practices so consumers can trust the food they eat is meeting the very highest health standards. Food safety should never be an afterthought - it should be fully integrated into the design of a facility, into the equipment and the programs that run in that facility. Watch Dematic’s 20- minute webinar to learn how to achieve a safe and operational facility, understand how to prevent a food safety incident and in the event, how to deal with it. to watch the webinar and find out more, please visit www.dematic.com/en- gb/news-and-events/events/webinars/.


Dematic www.dematic.com


10 july/august 2021 | FaCtORy&HaNDlINgsOlutIONs


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74