Let’s Get the Conversation Going About Your Automation Headaches

Automation is becoming more essential than ever, but that doesn’t make it easy. Join us on LinkedIn to tell us what’s giving you the most problems as you make your transition.

My apologies if I’ve been talking about automation a lot lately. But, frankly, the whole food and beverage industry has been talking about automation a lot lately. And we go where the story is.

Though manual labor is still plenty common throughout the industry, automation in today’s environment has moved from a nice to have to a must have. That’s the view from CRB’s Jerry Steenhoek, who I sat down with to get some insight from his decades of experience in automation and system design (see “Automation Advice for Food and Beverage Manufacturing,” page 9). As a rule, it has become essential to incorporate automation into your production lines if you have any hope of meeting the demands that customers are placing on you.

But like any rule, there are exceptions. And it’s particularly important to remember that this is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Automation brings with it its share of complications, and it can be di cult to strike a balance between the level of automation you’re seeking and the flexibility you need. This point came up in a recent panel discussion organized by belt manufacturer Intralox.

As OEMs have tried to accommodate demands for more customized orders, the machines are growing more complex and more di cult to maintain, says Ken Vonderhaar of Anheuser-Busch. The situation gets even more complex from a co-packer’s point of view, notes Cory Gardner of Shearer’s Snacks, which had to first simplify its material flexibility before moving to a semi-automated model.

Where are you on your automation journey? What roadblocks are you finding as you try to incorporate more automation into your lines? What are the things keeping you up at night? Join us on LinkedIn, where I’ve posed these questions for you to chime in on at your leisure. Find us at www.linkedin. com/showcase/profoodworld.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

CHRISTINE BENSE

CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER

Turkey Hill

GREG FLICKINGER

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Nobell Foods

JOHN HILKER

FORMER DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING

Blommer Chocolate Company

VINCE NASTI

VP, OPERATIONS

Nation Pizza & Foods

JIM PRUNESTI

VP, ENGINEERING

Conagra Brands

LISA RATHBURN

VP, ENGINEERING

T. Marzetti

MARK SHAYE

VP, ENGINEERING

Ken’s Foods

TONY VANDENOEVER

FORMER DIRECTOR, SUPPLY

CHAIN ENGINEERING

PepsiCo

DIANE WOLF

FORMER VP OF ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS

Kraft Foods

BROOKE WYNN

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY

Smithfield Foods ahand@pmmimediagroup.com

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