Bakisto automates important tasks in retail bakeries , such as loading the baking tray , inserting and removing the tray from the oven , and stocking the displays . ( Copyright Wanzl )
How robots are set to shape the future of food manufacturing
By Paul Carter , Sales Manager System Automation – Robotics , FANUC UK
For decades , robots have been helping to increase production efficiency , improve quality and consistency , and alleviate labour shortages in industries such as automotive , machinery , and plastics . Other sectors however , including food and beverage , have been slower to wake up to the benefits of automation , with many food producers still heavily reliant
48 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk on manual labour and semiautomated equipment . Figures from the IFR 2022 World Robotics Industrial Robots Report show that only 3 % of global industrial robot installations are for food and beverage applications , compared with 23 % for automotive . Fortunately , the tide is beginning to turn – global robot installations in the food and beverage industry grew by 12 % year on year from 2016 to 2021 . And in the UK , of the 2,054 industrial robot installations in 2021 , 164 were in the food and beverage industry , representing a total of 8 % – well above the global average .
Most robot installations in food production lines are for packaging , picking and placing tasks . However , there is a lot more that robots can do . At FANUC , we believe the adoption of robotics is set to change the face of food manufacturing for the better , both for primary and secondary processing and packaging tasks . Here , we look at four ways in which food production lines could look very different in 2033 thanks to the increased use of robots and automation …
1 Increased use of cobots
Lightweight and simple to use , collaborative robots , or cobots , are becoming increasingly popular within food factories , especially where space is restricted . Extremely slimline and with a base not much bigger than an A4 sheet of paper , they fit easily into crowded areas , such as loading / palletising environments , and can work alongside humans . Despite their size , they lend themselves well to lifting applications , such as palletising and material handling