In a recent food processing market research report by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, 50 percent of food manufacturers indicated that operational improvements involving automation would receive the most attention over the next three to five years.
Additionally, 20 percent indicated an interest in upgrading the use of robotics on their production lines. These initiatives come from a variety of factors driving innovation across both automation and robotic equipment investment and development. In fact, 30 percent of processing operations and 94 percent of packaging operations use robotics, with both sectors predicting growth. Food processors and manufacturers are anticipating investments in these areas due to unique consumer demands, employee retention and training challenges, recall management, track and trace and remote equipment diagnosis to name a few. However, it all seems to boil down to one thing across all parties, and that is convenience.