Invest in automation

Suppliers and manufacturers alike should investigate and invest in automation production lines, according to a new report.

The study was carried out by the University of Lincoln in association with the
Fraunhofer Institute in German and the Institut des Sciences de la Nature et de
l'Agroalimentaire de Bordeaux (ISNAB) in France, to try and understand how the
food industry in Europe is using automation.
In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with 250 companies in the UK,
Germany and France across a variety of food sectors including snacks, meat,
poultry, ready meals, salads, pasta, biscuits, confectionery and frozen food.
 When asked which aspects of automation
give the best return on capital, the respondents identified filling, packing
and labelling as the major areas.
 For manufacturers of short shelf life
products, there is a perception that automation can restrict flexibility,
particularly where there are short production runs and frequent product
changeovers.

Automation is becoming more prevalent in the food industry,
as manufacturers aim to improve competitiveness and productivity.