Despite this, David Jahn says farmers
should seize every opportunity to
move to the forefront of automation
and robotics. “UK agriculture is in dire
need of innovation, investment, and
a productivity boost,” he adds. “While
fresh produce and crop farming is
ahead of overall agriculture in terms
of productivity, there is still room
for improvement and investment in
automation can deliver significant
returns on investment, something that
is critical during times of uncertainty.” 4.
Industry recognises the
importance of automation
Automating manual tasks like
case loading and palletising has
long been proposed as a solution
to labour shortages and a way of
increasing productivity. For the
uninitiated there have been many
uncertainties about investing in
suitable technology, from questions
about flexibility and managing
new machinery, to queries over the
return on investment.
He stresses that ROI is not purely
about labour savings, and that the
impending Brexit deadline provides
an opportunity for UK packing
operations to review their entire
productivity. “If and when we do
leave the EU, the strongest food
manufacturing plants and packhouses
will survive,” he adds. “If the recession
that some economists are foretelling
happens, or if Brexit turns out to be
a disaster, food costs will inevitably
rise. Those with the foresight to
invest in automation will be more
able to absorb production and
wage increases, potentially opening
their company up to new contract
opportunities. Equally, if Brexit is a
success, then these businesses will be
optimised for future growth.” One thing the recent labour crunch
has done is to focus the whole
industry on what technology can
currently deliver, and what it may
be capable of in the future. AHDB
Horticulture is currently organising
its first ever event to focus on
technological advances and
overcoming labour issues, with its
SmartHort event scheduled for early
March 2019.
There are compelling economic
gains to invest in automation in
order to achieve UK productivity
gains, improve grower returns
and enhance routes to market,
emphasises David.
Having focused its R&D efforts
almost entirely on fresh produce
case loading in recent years,
Brillopak’s most popular systems
comprise its PPMA award-winning
Semi-Automated Packstation, the
P160 three or four axis robotic duel
cell single pick automated case
loading system which applies a
combination of robotics, encoders,
vision and mechanics to load
100 packs per minute into retail
containers, plus its newest addition
- the mechanical-style BR Punnet
Packer, which can handle 180 top
seal punnets and top seal trays p/m.
David concludes: “Brexit is
presenting UK food businesses with
an exciting opportunity to get back
to the basics and do what we do
best. The migrant labour argument
looks set to rattle on for months
to come. Yet, if food packhouses
don’t act now and examine how
automation can make them more
cost competitive and productive,
they may not have a sustainability
business when we leave the EU. By
that stage, lack of labour effectively
becomes a moot point!”
23