The Advantages of Digitizing the Food Manufacturing Process

Food Processing

5 Ways New Technology Can Help Your Production Process

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With the growth of technology seeming to be limitless, we are always faced with the question: Are these advancements helping or hurting us?

Here are five ways that the food manufacturing process can benefit from digitization:

1. Improved Communication

As you know, communication is key. Preventing issues, misunderstandings, inaccuracies, and more within the food production process starts with proper communication between team members. The good news is, today’s technology makes many tools available for this to be an improved aspect within your operation, including software available to make sure messages are efficiently passed throughout your entire team without any time being wasted.

Along with internal communication, external communication is just as vital. Many customer-relationship management software are available to make sure you understand your consumers’ reactions to your products and can adjust your operation to optimize success, based on their demand.

2. Added Innovation

Digital tools can introduce new ways to go about your food production process. Drones, for example, can contribute greatly to precision agriculture—a way of using satellite imagery and GPS technology to monitor soil levels, weather patterns, and crop success. Another instance is the use of 3D printing, which can make more options available for your operation to be able to produce. The movement of “going green” has resulted in sustainable technology advancements, such as edible or bacteria-fighting packaging. Almost all of these innovations do not entirely replace the efforts of a human workforce, but rather give them more tools to work with to increase efficiency and safety efforts.

Even the concept of robotic machines can help in food production. In 2016, a tech company replaced certain cuts of their meats originally done by human workers with these machines to reduce the chances of severe workplace injury.

3. Enhanced Analytics

Recording data of your results is incredibly important when it comes to food production. Making sure standards are met and your products are of the highest quality is a top priority, and especially important when aiming for repeated achievements. Using data tools to show and analyze real-time numbers of your operation will help you stay on top of things and prevent any problems from leaving your facility.

4. Simplified Compliance

Tracking and tracing methods have improved with the growth of digital technology in the food production process. Hector Bonilla from SWK Technologies said, “Tainted products can be traced back to their package shipments, these shipments can be followed back to their point of origin, and the processing factors involved in production (such as the recipe data used) can be reviewed to prevent repeat incidents.” Make sure to see how the implementation of technology can ensure food safety and production efficiency.

5. Increased Profits

Not only do these tools prevent an expensive recall from happening (and the following possibility of brand reputation damage), they also reduce the extra use of any ingredients during the food production process with specific data to lessen the margin of any wasted time or materials. There are many ways you can get on board—consider digitizing various parts of your food production process today.