Solutions
Food & Beverage
Complexity of Production Processes
Food and beverage production is one of the most complex processes in manufacturing. It truly is a hybrid industry often mixing multiple elements from process/batch control through to discreet packaging. The challenge is to be able to visualize the entire operation so that decisions can be made in a timely manner and their impact on other elements can be evaluated.
Challenges
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Challenge 1How do you see what cannot be seen?
Grasping the operational "picture" in a single glance is one of the challenges of the production manager.
To do this, greater utilization of data networks and SCADA systems is required, even direct integration with the Manufacturing Execution Systems becomes essential. -
Challenge 2Integration with Legacy Systems
Many food and beverage manufacturers have existing manual or semi-automated systems in place which cannot easily be changed.
There are many challenges to seamlessly integrating new automation technologies with legacy systems. Sometimes they are connectivity based involving networks and protocols, sometimes process based involving digital twins and analysis and even sometimes human based, requiring support and training. -
Challenge 3Sustainable manufacturing
Manufacturing sustainability relies on two fundamental aspects. The first is the resilience of the manufacturing process, achieved through efficient maintenance scheduling, proactive monitoring, and streamlined processes, all crucial for optimizing production efficiency and minimizing downtime. The second pillar is energy consumption, which directly impacts operational efficiency and underpins environmental responsibility. Sustainable energy management entails integrating it into automation processes to utilize energy efficiently and judiciously.
Catalog/White paper Download
7 Quick wins for an agile manufacturing future
Many of the smart manufacturing ideas and strategies that are discussed assume a base level of automation and integration that are much easier to achieve in greenfield sites that have been built to be smart from the ground up.
However, there are a number of simple ideas that can be implemented with minimal time and cost that can have a big impact on addressing today’s manufacturing challenges.
Videos
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Mitsubishi Electric & Malte Schlüter – Interpack 2023
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Food and Beverage industry: Can cocoa be smart? | Mitsubishi Electric Podcast
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Digital Journey - with a map | Mitsubishi Electric Podcast
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N&N Nadratowski: Meat production improvement | Mitsubishi Electric
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Food safe robotics and 3D vision combine to create the ultimate depositing solution