Food manufacturers and distributors often have a narrow business scope and high quality standards. Robot automation is a natural choice when it comes to increasing profits while providing consumers with better products. Despite this, it has not yet fully realized its potential.

Until recently, it was almost unthinkable to leave food for planting, preparation, and distribution to machines. However, robotic systems are now emerging that can speed up and simplify all of these processes. Full automation from the soil to the board is achievable.

From automated agriculture to automated processing plants

In the past decade, automated farm equipment and crop monitoring systems have made farmers' jobs easier. Robots help ensure that land is used effectively, reducing pests, soil depletion and tiring labor.

Automation systems are being developed, tested and tested to address food science challenges in the supply chain. Although there may still be some distance from widespread adoption, there are already promising signs in these areas:

QC

Quality is a common concern for food producers and consumers. Defects can be more easily discovered and isolated when processing and packaging are automated. This helps ensure that defective products do not enter the market and correct potential manufacturing defects.

Improve security

Automation and machine vision work together to provide a more detailed view of every step of food processing. Leaders can adapt more quickly to changes in security standards because changes in one process do not introduce unintended consequences in other areas.

End-to-end traceability

Traceability is a growing concern in many industries. When the product is traceable, the company can immediately get better quality, safety and profitability. By simplifying traceability, food producers can reduce regulatory compliance costs and continually improve key processes.

Brand protection

Food producers rely on their brand reputation to maintain good relationships with end consumers. A product recall or disease outbreak is enough to cause a business to close down and may confuse customers' lives. Therefore, automation means brand protection.