Automation in the Food Industry

The automation of manufacturing food has been actively pursued for more than 50 years. And it will continue to be so, even more aggressively, during the next 50 years.

- Sudhanshu Chaubey*

The increased zeal in industrial automation is mainly due to the explosive growth in computer hardware and software technology. As computers invade almost every aspect of our daily lives, the public at large has come to expect a high level of automation in every facet of the manufacturing processes. The extent of industrial automation depends a great deal on the type of industry. The automobile and semiconductor industries represent the most mature in adopting plant automation principles with nearly all processes having been automated and fairly well integrated. At the other end of the spectrum is perhaps the food industry, representing lower levels of automation, which has traditionally lagged in adopting technological advances. There are many reasons for this lack of uptake and this article will initially discuss the factors that make automation of food production so essential and at the same time consider counter influences that have prevented this automation uptake. The current level of automation in the food industry has been described as “islands of automation.”

Highly competitive retailers constantly squeezing down prices, rising raw material costs and soaring utility charges in a labor-intensive manufacturing environment; why shouldn’t food manufacturers look towards automating their manufacturing processes? Automating food production can obtain many benefits. The ability to replicate the appearance and quality of a product with the minimum use of ingredients not only improve line efficiencies leading to bottomline profit but also can potentially increase sales. At the same time, improving the traceability of raw ingredients will provide the added benefit of improved food safety.