Page 38 - FMT_March

Processing

Automation in

the Food Industry

By Sudhanshu Chaubey*

he automation of manu-
facturing food has been
Tactively pursued for more
than 50 years. And it will continue
to be so, even more aggressively,
during the next 50 years.

The increased zeal in industrial look towards automating their that do require an almost unique
automation is mainly due to the manufacturing processes? Automa- approach due to the natural and
explosive growth in computer ting food production can obtain highly variable features of food
hardware and software technology. many benefits. The ability to repli- products. In considering these
As computers invade almost every cate the appearance and quality of needs, this chapter has, therefore,
aspect of our daily lives, the public at a product with the minimum use approached the specific automation
large has come to expect a high level of ingredients not only improve requirements of food production
of automation in every facet of the line efficiencies leading to bottom- from two perspectives. Firstly, it
manufacturing processes. The extent line profit but also can potentially will be shown that in many cases
of industrial automation depends increase sales. At the same time, there are generic automation
a great deal on the type of industry. improving the traceability of raw solutions that could be valuably
The automobile and semiconductor ingredients will provide the added used across the industry ranging
industries represent the most benefit of improved food safety. from small cottage facilities to
mature in adopting plant automation large multinational manufacturers.
principles with nearly all processes Factory-based food production Examples of generic types of
having been automated and fairly and processing globally form automation well suited across the
well integrated. At the other end of one of the largest economic and industry will be provided. Besides, for
the spectrum is perhaps the food employment sectors. Within it, some very specific difficult handling
industry, representing lower levels of current automation and engineering operations, customized solutions
automation, which has traditionally practice are highly variable, ranging will be shown to give opportunities to
lagged in adopting technological from completely manual operations study the problems/risks/demands
advances. There are many reasons to the use of the most advanced associated with food handling and to
for this lack of uptake and this article manufacturing systems. Yet overall provide an insight into the solution,
will initially discuss the factors that there is a general lagging the use of thereby demonstrating that in most
make automation of food production automation technology compared instances the difficult/impossible
so essential and at the same time with other industries. In particular, can indeed be achieved.
consider counter influences that have the article will focus on the diversity
prevented this automation uptake. of an industry covering areas such PasT, PresenT and FuTure
The current level of automation in as bakery, dairy, confectionery, If there is one industry that we
the food industry has been described snacks, meat, poultry, seafood, just cannot do without, it has to
as “islands of automation.” produce, sauce/condiments, frozen, be the food industry. Today’s food
and refrigerated products, which processing and packaging are so
Highly competitive retailers means that generic solutions are much different, and the efficiency
constantly squeezing down prices, often (considered by the industry) bar has been raised much higher.
rising raw material costs and soaring difficult or impossible to obtain. Automation has taken over where
utility charges in a labor-intensive almost completely generic, such as humans were once commonplace.
manufacturing environment; why labeling, quality/safety automation, Industry decision-makers know that
shouldn’t food manufacturers and palletization, and others plant systems must constantly evolve

Food Marketing & Technology 38 March 2020