Food and beverage producers expect to harness the power of automation to perform dangerous and repetitive tasks with precision and accuracy, as well as to change product quickly in line with market demands, all while complying with stringent health and trade legislation.
The most advanced IoT, AI/ML, GPU, SDN, 5G and MPN technologies are now available to help improve machine effectiveness (OEE) and return on investment (ROI) levels.

Advantech is turning to new automation and AI technology to offer manufacturers greater flexibility in production and management efficiency with robust Industry 4.0 solutions that provide food and beverage companies with flexible and efficient ways to meet demanding product variability requirements while maintaining food and supply safety.

Automation
The highest degree of automation in the food and beverage industry typically involves collecting machine and batch production data, providing it in real time to maintenance and production managers, and displaying the results on the shop floor. Working alongside traditional control systems, these data streams facilitate the optimisation of internal processes, increase machine utilisation and productivity, and improve energy efficiency.

Advantech supplies a wide range of data acquisition, protocol conversion, distributed processing and transmission products that can connect almost any machine in a factory to any IT application. These are industrial products with the longevity, robustness and features required for the demanding environment of a modern food or beverage plant.

Quality control
Checking food quality by visual inspection is subject to fluctuations due to staff turnover, inattention, distractions and fatigue. The introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning to aid inspection by training automated systems with the best human visual inspectors and maximum efficiency can significantly improve inspection accuracy. This, in turn, allows for increased production speed, as well as overall effectiveness and efficiency…