As the physical landscape of
manufacturing shifts to accommodate
the increased presence of technology,
so too will our approaches to safety and
cleanliness.
This leads us to our next topic: the
presence and proliferation of technology
in food production spaces.
FOOD SUSTAINABILITY AND
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
There’s no denying that we all have a
responsibility to implement sustainable
environmental practices. But from a
commercial perspective, it’s also worth
your time to embrace sustainability as
millennials and Gen Z begin to dominate
the consumer market.
The consumers of the future will
place huge value on environmental
sustainability, and they’ll also go out of
their way to support companies who
follow environmentally friendly practices.
Manufacturers that want to reach this
audience will need to implement changes
that reflect this shift in consumer
priorities and effectively communicate
the changes that have been made. To
do this, you’ll need to streamline every
aspect of your business with a new focus
on environmental sustainability.
Whether it’s recycling production
materials to close the loop on waste
outputs, or reducing the energy
consumed during cleaning, every part of
your process should be moving towards
a more sustainable future, either directly
or indirectly. For example, Rittal’s HD
enclosures are specifically designed
to make them quicker and easier to
clean. HD enclosures are typically power
washed, so reducing the time it takes
to clean them will lower both water and
energy usage.
In order to offset the cost increases
associated with making these transitions,
industry leaders are continuing to refine
efficiency-boosting practices like CIP to
make production facilities greener.
TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION
At this point, we can consider the massive
impact that the Internet of Things (IoT)
will have on manufacturing is a sure
thing.
Telstra puts it very clearly when they
state that “In an increasingly automated
manufacturing environment, having
multiple machines communicating with
each other and being managed and
diagnosed remotely offers benefits that
are self-evident.”
These smart machines pose a unique
challenge to the food and beverage
industry; their delicate circuitry and
sensors must be on the production
floor but must also be protected from
contaminating or being contaminated by
the manufacturing process.
Additionally, these complex computer
systems need to be compliant with
current and future food safety regulations
and be well-suited to withstand
increasingly ambitious CIP procedures.
Now is the time to consider how you
can update your existing manufacturing
systems to try and account for the
changes that are taking place in the
industry. Whether it’s investigating new,
sustainable production methods, or
investing in physical infrastructure that
supports new technologies, now is the
time to move confidently forward or get
left behind.
Optimising every piece of the
manufacturing puzzle is essential to
maintain a competitive advantage.
Further information at www.rittal.co.uk
and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com or
on twitter @rittal_ltd.
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