"Silos of information" is one of those shopworn automation phrases guaranteed to make a food processing professional cringe, but the reality of today's operating environment makes the integration of software systems from the shop floor to the top floor a critical objective.
The ability to more efficiently manage the storage and retrieval of information is morphing from competitive edge to a business requirement. Whether it's the drama of December's BSE tracking and tracing crisis or label mix up requiring a product recall, food manufacturers are under the gun to access and apply the data they have been generating.