An increasing demand by suppliers, manufacturers and consumers for an integrated, efficient and cost-effective approach to producing food and drinks on a mass scale could be resolved through increased uptake in the Internet of Things in the realm of food production.
Industrial automation is ubiquitous across many industries – from food and drink, to steel production, to car manufacturing – as a means by which to produce the maximum output of goods through an automated electronic system. The aim is to increase efficiency through developing lots of products in a short space of time. This is as well as ensuring health and safety regulation are uniform across the production area and also that man power is utilised less, in order to cut costs for the plant in question. In the food processing industry, the equipment needed to ensure an even and satisfactory output of any given good tend to all have similar automation needs. Cooking processes such as heating, blanching, pasteurising and freezing must be ingrained within the production system, as well as ensuring the facilities are in place to provide a uniform finish.
Further to this, pressure, treatment times and other integral features of food preparation need to be built into such system to ensure health and safety regulations are being adhered to. Some sectors of the food and beverage supply market, namely the meat and dairy industries, have also developed integrated, high-speed packaging and labelling equipment which is the end process of the overall food development. The ever-increasing need for more sophisticated approaches to industrial automation in the food and beverage industry, driven by increasing demand from developing countries, has led to a compound annual growth rate forecast of 9.37% between 2013 and 2018.
The global automation market almost doubled between 2004 and 2014, and by 2015 it is expected to have grown by just over $200Bn. This can be put down to the expansion of the world’s economy, the aforementioned pressure from developing countries to satisfy their desires for different food stuffs, and increasing technological innovations in the field.
One such innovation is the ‘Internet of Things’. It is expected that by 2030 the Internet of Things – whereby everyday devices will have connectivity to allow constant interconnectedness – will underpin the linkages between intelligent software systems and ‘smart’ devices such as mobile phones. The composition of the Internet of Things, which is constructed mainly through sensors, networks, applications and services, can be utilised by the food and drink automation industry for many positive trait. Sophisticated integrated software will allow the food industry to track and count everything going through the production systems, leading to a reduction in the amount of waste produced. It should also ensure costs are looked after more keenly, ultimately saving money for companies.
The main hindrance to uptake of the Internet of Things is that only between 5% and 10% of food industry automotive producers have been able to develop the technology to support it. It handles such large volumes of data that a sophisticated management system is essential to keep track of what is being produced; for the food and drink industry, efficient data collection is of paramount importance.
Industrial automation in the food industry is now an integral approach to sustaining long-established traditions in the supply and manufacturing of foods. Perhaps increasing investment in more niche technological innovations is the key to allowing this industry to diversify even further.
Interested in the food packaging industry? Read our latest: Changes in the Global Industrial Food and Beverage Automation Industry
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The 'Internet of Things' could transform industrial automation throughout the ... - Companiesandmarkets.com
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