The 4th Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0 as it is known, is also a reality in the food and beverage sector. Within this new production concept, the entire food industry chain, from the farm to the consumer’s table, is being analyzed, controlled, and continuously evolving.
With this integrated production line monitored in real-time, the Fourth Industrial Revolution also brings energy and raw material savings, since it provides greater control over operating costs and prevents waste.
For managers in the field, Industry 4.0 also provides remote monitoring and remote equipment maintenance. Furthermore, it allows the food and beverage sector to produce with quality, safety, economy, and in a sustainable manner. Understand this better:
The Potential for the Food Sector
In the 20th century, industrial food manufacturing enabled production to increase 100-fold, going from 100 bottles produced exclusively by human means per hour to 10,000 units per hour with the help of machines. Industry 4.0 brings a milestone of the same magnitude to global production.
New technologies and new ways of producing provide increases in quality, efficiency, and yield. In addition, they ensure minimal downtime.
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Another major advantage of Industry 4.0 in the food and beverage sector is allowing organizations to control their processes down to the smallest detail. This capability to map each step in advance and control all processes makes it possible to address macro-level global issues, such as crop failures, changing food safety requirements, and shifting customer demands.
At the micro level, manufacturers can improve resource distribution and utilization, configure productive workflows, and reduce environmental impact.
Information sharing about products, greatly facilitated by Industry 4.0, also meets global compliance requirements, which demand that producers share key information about food and beverages with other links in the production chain. All information is available on virtual platforms that can be accessed by any stakeholder in real time.
The high level of integration provided by Industry 4.0 also allows for better safety controls on the factory floor. Technology helps identify danger zones or moments and appropriate safety measures. Equipment can be programmed to identify critical limits and can be designed to self-correct.
What is the industry landscape?
There are still many other benefits of Industry 4.0 to be discovered over the coming years. However, good forecasts can already be made regarding the use of this Revolution within industries. The Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) conducted a study showing the possibility of saving R$ 73 billion in Brazil through the use of Industry 4.0 concepts.
Data from McKinsey indicates that, by 2025, Industry 4.0 could globally reduce equipment maintenance costs by 10% to 40%, decrease energy consumption by 10% to 20%, and increase labor efficiency by 10% to 25%.
There will also be benefits for the consumer. On a day-to-day basis, it will be possible to monitor products via mobile phone, as well as find out from the packaging code where the raw material came from, how it was transported to the company, how it was transformed into the final product, and how it was transported to the point of sale.
Advantages
Among the main advantages of Industry 4.0 for the food sector, we can highlight:
- Reduction of costs, energy, and raw materials through system development. Error-free operation generates less waste and, consequently, lower energy consumption;
- Creation of new professions and more qualified professionals;
- Increased corporate intelligence with precise data analysis;
- Optimization of natural resource usage and reduction of environmental impact from activities;
- Remote monitoring and maintenance of equipment;
- Safety through traceability, which locates faults in the process and prompts devices to resolve them quickly;
- Possibility of product personalization and customization according to customer needs;
Challenges
To remain competitive, food and beverage industries must be prepared for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In addition, it is essential to rely on qualified partnerships to perform the necessary integrations between production line equipment and the systems used.
Another fundamental point of Industry 4.0 for the food and beverage sector is team training. Staff must be capable of adapting to changes, possess a multidisciplinary technical vision with skills in mechanics, electrical engineering, and automation, and view processes systemically. Professionals must understand how machines and processes work in order to interpret and compile information comprehensively and accurately.
What to do now?
The work of industry managers at this moment is to be proactive and embrace change, primarily promoting a cultural shift within the business. Seeking appropriate partnerships that have experience and can assist with transformations and the management of the new production and business model is crucial. To make it all happen, besides the right machinery and a qualified team, appropriate software and processes are required to enable interaction across the entire production ecosystem.
Advanced analysis of the massive amount of data provided by Industry 4.0 is another fundamental point for tackling these new challenges.
Those who take the lead in adopting Industry 4.0 in the food and beverage sector will be the ones who reap the benefits of this new production method the earliest.
Written by: Aloisio Arbegaus — Commercial Director at Teclógica
