The food industry ranks among the fastest-growing sectors in history. It involves numerous responsibilities, from expediting food production to upholding consistent, high-quality standards. Given the intense competition, your company should anticipate future needs and remain ahead of the curve to sustain a top-tier position in the food market. Fortunately, this objective can be accomplished by implementing automated food packaging systems capable of swiftly handling large quantities to meet supply chain demands.
Recent studies by the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies indicate that nearly a third of food processing operations have already integrated robotics into their facilities. According to a survey by the same organization, 94% of recent food packaging activities have used robotics. Here’s how robotics can improve food packaging automation.
Enhanced Food Safety
Concerns about food safety escalate annually. Recent research reveals that close to one in ten individuals globally fall ill following the consumption of contaminated food, with an alarming 420,000 deaths annually attributable to this cause.
Despite notable enhancements in food safety standards, diseases resulting from tainted food persist as a prevalent issue, even within developed nations. Food manufacturers can enhance the situation by incorporating automated packaging machinery in their production plants to address this pressing matter. You may inquire: how does this implementation offer assistance?
The core issue lies in the potential for food packaging personnel, especially those handling raw materials, to unwittingly transfer various bacteria strains between products or different areas within the factory. By minimizing human involvement in the food packaging, companies within the food industry can significantly reduce the risk of food contamination.
Automated food packaging machines are stationary, reducing the chances of bacterial transmission from external sources. While there exists a slight risk of cross-contamination if these machines are not adequately sanitized, adhering to all necessary hygiene requirements markedly decreases these risks.
Lower Company Expenses
Companies can significantly reduce costs by introducing automated food packaging systems in factories. Here’s how: Recruiting reliable workers willing to operate in food production facilities with high packaging demands can pose challenges. However, automating these processes through packaging machinery doesn’t replace jobs; it simplifies work operations.
With automated machines, the key step is to familiarize your team with their usage. When new team members join, training them on machine operation proves far more efficient than instructing them on manual techniques individually. TDI Packsys offers various robotic packaging systems that can be installed at various points within a factory, allowing for additional space that would otherwise be occupied by manual packaging.
Selecting and Placing Items Randomly
Processed food is typically manufactured in uniform sizes and shapes, facilitating easy handling with grippers on robot arms or gantry systems. Nevertheless, items frequently arrive on the conveyor belt in varying orientations and patterns.
Robots are favored for packaging such products as they can accurately detect, align, and position items without human involvement. Without robots, manufacturers would have to resort to fixturing, which is less flexible and occupies considerable space on the factory floor.
Mitigated Potential Bottlenecks and Interruptions
Human errors can result in production delays in manual food packaging processes. Automated packaging solutions come to the rescue in such scenarios by deploying tailor-made machines that synchronize seamlessly with the production line. This integration significantly minimizes the chances of packaging errors, leading to decreased downtime and smoother operations.
Permitting your staff to take breaks from manual tasks also temporarily halts production, impacting manufacturing productivity. By implementing automated food packaging machinery, you can effectively diminish the duration lost during breaks as these machines operate autonomously, needing only minimal supervision.
Endnote
The time is now for all those in the food industry to utilize food robotics’ capabilities. The effectiveness of robotics in the food sector has been demonstrated, showcasing their impact across different systems within the industry.