Process control can only advance as far as technology will let it. Happily, those tools continue to improve.
Improved control of the production process is a never-ending quest in food manufacturing. It is a factor in virtually every processing initiative, whether it involves MES software, advanced sensors or the latest in controls technology.
Granted, the business drivers for supply chain management and other current initiatives in the food industry have more to do with sales and marketing and key performance indicators than improved process control. But unless there is a residual benefit to production and an acknowledgement of the need to produce consistent products, those initiatives seldom yield the results envisioned.