Solving Flow Measurement Challenges in the Food & Beverage Industry
In 2016 Emerson launched Advanced Phase Measurement (APM), a software that adapts – in AI fashion – to the process it’s monitoring, and it will map out the air entrainment trends, concentrations (ABV, Brix, etc.) or bubbles in the flow. This solution solves some of the more challenging flow measurement issues we’ve been seeing our customers struggle with.
After we launched APM, the value of the technology across multiple industries became immediately clear. We noted the significant value of APM to the Food & Beverage industry, which was not something we had initially anticipated. And at first glance it might not seem obvious, but a closer look will show you what we mean.
Trends in Food & Beverage
One of the biggest trends we’re seeing across Food & Beverage today is flavors. The consumer wants more than just vanilla. They want different flavors of yogurt, ice cream, sodas, vodka, wine, chocolates and confections. The list of products now offered in a greater variety of flavors is staggering and continues to grow.
That growing demand impacts the producer of these products in significant ways.
Not Just Vanilla Yogurt
Let’s look at yogurt as an example. To produce yogurts in the varieties the market wants, means a manufacturer needs different recipes, formulations and techniques. They also need to be able to quickly changeover between ingredients and additives, without loss of production time or worse, incurring unplanned downtime.
The demand for variety means that equipment needs to be cleaned and set up quickly and efficiently between batches and changeovers. This changeover can be an automated process or a manual one, but in either situation, the flow needs to be clear and clean before a new batch is started. During operations, if there are changes in the flow of ingredients or the blended ingredients, it helps to know that throughout the process, not after a batch is done.
Advanced Phase Measurement Adapts
The unique quality of APM is that it adapts to your operating processes. It can both identify and quantify excess gas and allow accurate measurement continuously without the threat of process upsets. APM gives you insight into what is happening in the lines at any given time. This insight reduces the need for manual sampling and gives greater peace of mind.
Peace of Mind
As you know, peace of mind is a precious commodity in any business, especially one where you rely on mechanical equipment and processes. Being able to know when and where a problem starts, means you can quickly make the necessary corrections in real-time; saving you money, time and material.
Learn more about Advanced Phase Measurement here!