A recent Food Navigator Europe article highlights numerous challenges faced by manufacturers in the food & beverage industry. These include labor shortages, rapidly changing technologies, rising energy and commodity prices, the effects of climate change on crop yields, and the impact of cybercrime and geopolitical unrest on global supply chains.
The article’s author cites research indicating that a majority of manufacturers are addressing these challenges through automation, supply chain collaboration, and more agile operating models.
Four ways Emerson automation technology and expertise can enable improved manufacturing performance are by allowing greater flexibility to maximize production, reducing quality risks, increasing reliability, and improving sustainability.
Solutions to maximize production include monitoring the health of machinery using analytics, upgrading measurement instrumentation to monitor performance in real-time, using smart sensing in clean-in-place operations, and accelerating new product startups with digital twin simulation technology.
To help ensure quality, it is imperative to detect issues in real-time by monitoring the progress of batches, identifying leaks and points of contamination, measuring critical parameters, tracking transit temperatures, and ensuring secure access for perishable products.
Reliability and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) are closely tied to maximizing production. It begins with enhanced insight into equipment and processes, enabling a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance. Technologies to drive reliability improvements include edge analytics, machinery health monitoring, smart pneumatics, and self-diagnosing instrumentation.
Eliminating excessive waste and reducing energy consumption are cornerstones on the path to greater sustainability for food and beverage manufacturers. Mass balance technologies enable more efficient processes, reduce waste, and ensure the desired yields.
Visit the Food and Beverage section on Emerson.com for more information on how to support your strategies for overcoming challenges in your manufacturing operations.
