Businesses in all industries constantly seek new ways to maximize profits by lowering production costs whenever possible. Many industries do so by substituting pricey materials with more affordable options or finding more competitively priced suppliers.
However, the food and beverage industry is unique in that its customers are quick to notice a drop in product quality, and using cheaper ingredients may drive business away even if it makes your product more affordable.
If lower-quality ingredients change the nutritional value of the food or the way the food tastes, your company will lose customers.
With those effects in mind, the only real option food and beverage manufacturers have to lower costs is through the use of automation.
From processing to packaging, food and beverage manufacturers consistently turn to automation to improve their bottom line. By using automated equipment, food processing workers can more easily build and personalize their products, and new tools such as Industry 4.0 and the IIoT grant them the flexibility to pursue innovative ways to get their products into customers’ hands.
The Benefits of Automation
Choosing the correct robots and software options for your processes will help widen your profit margin, allowing you to dedicate more resources to branding and R&D. Many tasks that previously were only possible through the use of human labor can now be done by machines.
For example, until recently, food packaging employees needed to carefully place items in containers. Humans can quickly decide the order in which to place items, and they can arrange them attractively and consistently. Now, however, 3D vision systems enable robots to position these items intelligently, as they can carefully measure a product’s size, weight, and even its aesthetic appeal within the package. Software can also scan these items to ensure all labels are affixed properly much faster than what human eyes can achieve.
Programming these machines is a precise endeavor that requires professional skills. This sets automation apart from the popular narrative that it steals manufacturers’ jobs, as the machinery requires humans to maintain equipment and to teach it what to do.
Once the programs are set, you have a long-term automated solution for high-volume production capable of producing items at much tighter tolerances and within industry regulations. And once the automated processes are in place, programmers can make changes at the push of a button to keep up with industry changes.
Flexibility Through Automation
Although food processing facilities will always handle high volumes of products, the changing preferences and demands of the consumers require greater flexibility within the processes that handle them. As technology continues to evolve, new machinery will need to be created to take advantage of previously undiscovered niches.
Many companies prepare their equipment for the future by creating a centralized control system that handles many automated tasks at once. Instead of requiring multiple control centers, one center manages all the equipment simultaneously, making it easier to identify areas for upgrades and improvement. This brings all technologies together in real time and allows you to configure and program everything from logic to motion to safety. Past configurations can be saved within the project while revisions are designed and implemented.
Coordinating every step of the process from a central location allows programmers to make quick changes depending on the facility’s shifting requirements. For example, many businesses aim to implement a more personalized approach to their product marketing; they want products and packaging that makes each customer feel unique and appreciated. The ability to automatically change the items in a package to customer specifications increases both process efficiency and customer retention, as the person on the receiving end will feel that their wishes were noticed and granted. Automation also reduces labor costs and the risk of error.
The Future of the Food and Beverage Industry
Industrial automation will continue to play a large role in food production and packaging. It allows for precise tracking and measurements to keep up with industry regulations and quality standards, while also reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
As automation options become more sophisticated, it’s becoming increasingly clear that those who stay ahead of the automation wave will continue to be swept to higher profit margins and larger market shares.