Productivity, efficiency and safety opportunities
There is now less than a month to go before FoodManufacturing.Live (1st May, at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham) opens its doors to visitors, with the exhibition’s workshop programme highlighting opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers to boost productivity, increase efficiency and meet current safety and security requirements.
The world class workshop programme has been put together to address real-world engineering requirements and explore the industry’s most pressing concerns, including productivity, efficiency, sustainability, traceability, cleanliness, safety and more.
The programme kicks off at 9:30 am, with six workshops presented by experts in their fields – all highly knowledgeable specialists in food and beverage industry applications:
- 09:30-10:10 – Bearing solutions for the food and beverage industry
- 10:20-11:00 – How data intelligence can drive big gains in food manufacturing
- 11:10-11:50 – Bite-sized digital transformation for food and beverage success
- 12:00-12:40 – Pivotal intersection of technology and environmental responsibility
- 12:50-13:30 – Safety and security compliance for new food machinery
- 13:40-14:20 – Robotic innovations for food and beverage applications
John Casey, regional sales manager for SKF, who presents the opening workshop, says: “Food safety compliance is not just about the critical points in production. Using reliable components is the key to long, trouble-free machine operation with low operating costs.” In his presentation, he will highlight how using food grade products that are lubrication-free means you can take the need for reliable rotation off your list of things to worry about.
With productivity a key issue for businesses, Joe Johnson-Guy, sales manager at Gemba Solutions, explores how data intelligence can drive big gains in food manufacturing. “Focusing on eradicating the top losses can yield big gains, but they are often the hardest to solve quickly,” he says. “They often require time, effort and significant resources to fix. Data intelligence, though, can help food manufacturers identify what is (or should be) easy to fix – and you can share this knowledge throughout the organisation.”
When it comes to unlocking a plant’s potential, there is much to be gained from digital transformation, but knowing where to start isn’t always easy. Andy Graham, solutions manager at SolutionsPT, says: “The buzz of digital transformation can be confusing, but taking simple steps can yield powerful results.” The workshop will break down the process, revealing how to tap into the hidden data in the plant, choose the right technologies and ditch reactive maintenance for proactive solutions, one bite-sized step at a time.
Environmental responsibility
The EU’s Digital Product Passports and Green Deal Initiative will revolutionise product tracking and promote sustainability. Leveraging IoT and blockchain, companies can provide transparent product information, empowering consumers. Robot Pick, business development manager at Zebra, says: “Aligning with the Green Deal’s targets for carbon neutrality and circular economy practices is crucial for businesses. Environmental sensors can be integrated to optimise operations and meet regulations, paving the way for a greener future.”
While we are, without doubt, at a pivotal intersection between technology and environmental responsibility, so too are there enormous developments in safety and security compliance that have significant implications for food manufacturing. Whether buying a complete line or a single machine, the safety and security compliance needs to be considered and managed from the offset. “A systematic approach supporting engineers and project managers from the design and purchasing phases through to validating and certifying the complete installation will ensure compliance,” says Jamie Thomas, key account manager at Pilz. His seminar will take you through proven project methodology to avoid unnecessary and costly remedial actions and production delays.
Rounding off the workshop programme, Simon Miles, account manager for food and beverage at ABB, will provide an insight in the latest robotic innovations for food and drink applications. “There are many key factors and challenges impacting on food production in the UK, including unpredictable supply chains and labour and skills shortages,” he says. “Robots can add value to your business across the whole manufacturing process.” His presentation will explore how you can de-risk robot applications and trends in making robot deployment easier. And it will look at how the use of artificial intelligence and vision can enhance the capability of robot and autonomous mobile robot applications.
Delivering engineering and automation solutions for the food and drink industry, FoodManufacturing.Live opens its doors to visitors at 08:30 on Wednesday 1st May at the National Motorcycle Museum. With the workshop programme proving a key draw, visitors are advised to register early for these free-to-attend presentations to avoid disappointment. Click here to register.
