August 28, 2019 High Growth Industry: Food and Beverage

8 technology trends in the food and beverage industry.

August 28, 2019

Food and Beverage is one of the high growth industries and this industry is experiencing a 5% annual growth globally. Incorporating the latest technological trends in the production and management of stocks greatly helps in the process of automation.

Such high consumer demands for food and beverage products leads to mass production. To support mass production needs, high-end technologies and machinery need to be used. We have identified five technological trends that the food and beverage industries are using to keep up with their needs.

1. Robotics

The food and beverage industry is greatly interested in Robotics Technologies where they replace human beings. With the rise in per capita income, living standards and increased labor standards, the cost of acquiring labors has seen a sharp rise. Robots can do tasks perfectly which are to be repeated on a consistent basis. This will reduce human errors in the execution phase.

2. Use of Automated Guided Vehicles

During mass production, tons of products and cartons need to be moved from one place to another. In-house stock movement can be a hectic task if a limited labor force is available. Automated Guided Vehicles can transport goods from one place to another if pick and drop coordinates are well defined. This provides speedy transportation with maximum efficiency for goods movement.

3. Washing and Cleansing Systems

Recycling of bottles is an essential component of the beverage production process. Bottles are required to be super clean in order to be reused. There are technologies available which semi-automate the process. Nowadays, the 100% process can be automated minimizing the human input in the process. Bottles need to be clean from inside and outside both for companies to attract customers to buy their products.

Since companies want to save their resources, an effective washing and cleansing system is required to facilitate the recycling process. High efficient fluid rotary swivels and rotary control valve solutions help in the transmission of different gases and liquids required for the cleaning of bottles.

4. Sortation Systems

The efficient sortation system of goods is the main aspect of handling product movements in warehouses and distribution centers. Flow-Through Sortation technology is cost-effective and reduces human errors in the handling of goods. This system comprises automated vehicles while using robotic palletizing and depalletizing.

Storing and retrieving goods in warehouses and distribution centers becomes an automated process. Bulk handling of products becomes much easier. The food and beverage industry has increased its capacity with the effective implementation of this technology.

5. Customizing Self Owned Equipment’s

Some types of machinery define industry standards and these are mandatory to be purchased for starting the production. However, to gain a competitive advantage and reduce costs, managers need to innovate further. Little modifications to the existing machinery and processes can greatly increase efficiency levels in production.

6. Restaurant Digitalization

CafeX has shown the potential of Robots in the Food and Beverage Industry. With Robotic arms preparing coffee and tea, this has greatly convinced the industry leaders to focus more on this technology. Repeated and automated tasks can be easily executed with the implementation of Robots.

Along with robots, restaurants are now focusing more on online platforms to receive more orders. Giving preference to providing personalized experiences and fast processing of orders is the priority of high-end restaurants. Restaurants with superior customer service now stay in the game to earn more profits and retain their customers.

7. Special Diet Foods

Customers focusing more on healthy foods require special diet foods. Nutrition’s and chefs providing personalized meals for diet programs are getting great margins from this niche. The trend for diet foods and beverages is rising each day as health awareness level is increasing. Since most people don’t know how to cook specialized diet foods so it is one of the top-selling trends in the food and beverage industry.

8. Voice Technology

Artificial Intelligence and voice technology has evolved in leading industries and creating a massive impact. Integration of UX Designs, AI and voice technology has brought a paradigm shift on how warehouses and production centers operate. Machines can interpret voice instructions and carry out tasks without any error.

How companies should approach adapting to new trends?

Human involvement is getting lower day by day in high-end industries. Companies adapting to the latest technology trends increase their chances of survival in the modern world. Innovations and technological advancements continue to erupt our traditional processes.

The challenges that industries face is to train employees to adjust to the latest advancements. Companies now spend a larger share of their budgets to provide special training to their managers and employees.

Employees have a fear of losing their job when there are new advancements to be made internally. This can adversely affect the company’s performance and strong resistance can be made internally. Especially, in the food and beverage industry, where there is still a large gap to be filled by newly introduced technologies. Companies need to act smartly and consider their trained employees as assets.

Moreover, companies need to select their technology suppliers with great care. Any wrong decision can throw companies out of the industry. Limited risks should be taken and proper evaluation process needs to be done before adapting to any new technology. Surveys should be conducted within and outside the company to come to know about the current mindset of people.

All the stakeholders should be involved in the decision-making process when shifting to new technological trends. The costs and Return On Investment(ROI) needs to be carefully examined before giving any go-ahead. Companies providing services related to technology should be made responsible via legal contracts if their provided products fail at crucial stages.

The initial cost for any technology and new machinery is quite high. It is the cost companies pay to reduce human involvement and automate their daily repetitive tasks. The future survival lies behind these advancements and business owners should never underestimate its importance.

Subscribe to Industry Today