LNS Research, a leading research and consulting company, has
found that since 2013, an issue that remains at the forefront for the food and
beverage industry is compliance with the Food Modernization and Safety Act.
According to their survey, 60% cite this as their top concern, along with
supply chain issues, customer preferences, raw material prices, etc..
The food processing industry is addressing these challenges
by focusing on improving asset performance to improve production efficiency and
improve regulatory compliance. Given the many factors, this is not an easy task
for the industry. And companies with outdated technology, or even, as the LNS
puts it, “spreadsheet-based systems,” are at a particular disadvantage.
Due to old and changed technical structures, the problem of
incorporating new applications creates anxiety and insecurity. For example,
when a new asset performance appraisal such as an analytics suite emerges,
concerns arise about whether it will work well with existing systems.
The LNS rightly states that the flip side of this is that
"no industry will benefit more than the food and beverage sector if it
focuses on the right opportunities." Eliminating the “what if” fear of
outdated technology allows food companies to focus on growth and compliance.
We believe the potential downtime that obsolete or
fragmented technology inevitably brings is one of the biggest threats to the
success of the food and beverage industry. Inefficient assets mean the
inability to produce at a competitive level, which negatively impacts profit
margins and worries shareholders and investors.
Downtime disrupts the continuous supply chain in the food
industry. Behind the curtain; profits and regulatory compliance are at risk
when the production floor is shut down. Safety also becomes an issue as
injuries often occur when equipment fails, plant managers have limited
visibility, or systems are in maintenance mode.
In the first place, companies at risk of downtime may seem
irrelevant to a customer base that is quick to spot problems on social media.
Even food giant Hershey learned that downtime can be an expensive public
relations event when they were unable to deliver $ 100 million worth of
Halloween candy in 1999 due to technical issues.
Our previously recorded webinar with the food engineering
media addresses the asset performance challenges facing the food and beverage
industry and identifying possible solutions. During the webcast, we covered how
to reduce the complexity of existing and legacy systems and add built-in
redundancy to avoid downtime.
In addition, viewers will learn how the food and beverage
industry can prepare for the expansion that Industry 4.0 brings. This includes
advanced computing, a concept that is poised for explosive growth in the IIoT
(Industrial Internet of Things) world.
beautifullhouse computerworldblog readwriteart instylishworld getworldbeauty