Automation in the Food Industry
The use of automation and robotics across almost every industry has grown exponentially in the last few years. And as technological advances accumulate this will continue in the years to come.
In the food industry particularly, automated equipment that gives the ability to do with just machinery what used to be done entirely by hand is becoming a priority for business owners.
However, why should this matter to you and your business? Why is it worth it for a small or medium size food business to use valuable money and resources automating some of their workload?
There are three key reasons why an investment in automation is a bargain at any price.
Deskilling
The labour shortage of skilled workers across the food and beverage industry is phenomenal.
For meat processors and butchers in particular, this dearth of available hires is at near unsustainable levels. A career as a butcher is increasingly unpopular with school leavers entering the work force.
However, deskilling the repetitive processes at your company using automated machinery, means you no longer need to do search for highly trained, skilled labour. Swapping to automation allows any member of staff to run the process with comparative ease.
This removes a huge risk to your business, as you are no longer at the mercy of an increasingly scarce hiring pool. It also allows you to utilise your staff more efficiently where their skills are most useful.
Consistency
The simplest, yet most important metric for success in any business in the food industry is consistency.
You want your products to all be the same size, to all taste, look, and be packaged the same.
Unwavering commitment to consistency is the secret behind the success of some of the biggest businesses in food. McDonalds is a great example – you get the same product whenever and wherever you purchase – and this constant meeting of customer expectations keeps them coming back.
How can you achieve such precise consistency? Well, the best way to do so is with automation. Machines, unlike humans, will do something that exact way they have been programmed, every single time. This brings a very high level of consistency to your processes.
Output
Automation has another simple advantage – speed.
The right machine will complete a task far faster than human hands could. Furthermore, if a company gets points 1 and 2 correct – deskilling a task and bringing in greater consistency – the speed of their process will increase regardless.
With speed comes greater cost control and increased efficiency. Not only does this help increase business profits, it also provides opportunity and a reliable support to scale your business.
Automation that allows you streamline key production processes is always a valuable investment. It increases efficiency, provides greater stability and is a key driver for business growth.
Equipping the food industry to grow with food processing and packaging solutions
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