Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
AutomationLatest headlines

Automation

The human impact of robots in food

Shifting from a labor focus to automation can offer processors improved safety, efficiency

By Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
Robots
January 4, 2019

According to research by the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, almost a third of food processing operations already use robotics in their facilities. What’s more, half of those surveyed said they will increase their level of automation in the next three to five years. However, not every food manufacturer is an automation convert.

TM Robotics has installed thousands of robots in plants around the world, including North and South America, India, Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. In partnership with Toshiba Machine, the integrator/distributor offers a comprehensive range of six-axis, SCARA and Cartesian robotics systems.

Nigel Smith, managing director of six-axis robot distribution in the UK for TM Robotics, has a few thoughts as to why not all food and beverage manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon as soon as they can.

FE: Why are some food and beverage companies hesitant about employing robots instead of people?

Nigel Smith: The industry tends to fall into two distinct camps: Those who see automation as an opportunity to improve processes, against a smaller minority who perceive it as a threat to their business. But, considering the widespread data that proves the potential productivity rewards of automation, some manufacturers are still hesitant. A common complaint is the concern about reputation and the reduction of jobs.  

FE: Can’t robotics relieve workers of potentially dangerous jobs?

Smith: Many tasks in food manufacturing and processing can easily be automated — think loading, unloading, picking, placing and bagging. In fact, today’s robotics equipment is capable of completing these tasks more quickly and efficiently than a human employee could. Ultimately, the industry needs to see a shift from labor-intensive production, to production focused on enhancing the knowledge and skills of its employees. 

FE: So how does a food processor rethink automation and labor?

Smith: Rather than focusing on the potential job losses caused by automation, these manufacturers should instead ask how they can use their newly freed resources to their advantage. A manufacturer that saves money on labor by using automation has two options. Lower its prices or generate more profit—both of which can result in increased investment, higher demand and in turn, more opportunity for employment.

FE: But, what about a food processor’s reputation? Doesn’t automation hurt a processor’s image?

Smith: Frankly, Europe’s food and drink industry doesn’t have the best reputation for its use of cheap labor, particularly in wealthy nations like the United Kingdom. In fact, Britain’s food manufacturers are reliant on employing migrant workers for 30 per cent of their staff—a larger segment than any other industry in the UK.

By reducing the number of menial roles on the factory floor, this reliance on imported labor is also reduced. Put simply, automation isn’t replacing jobs, but paving the way for better ones. It is vital that food manufacturers make this clear when deploying automation into their facilities.

FE: Can automation reduce accidents?

Smith: Automation doesn’t only improve the quality of jobs on the factory floor but improves the working environment for employees by reducing the likelihood of injuries.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, over 30 per cent of injuries reported in the food and drink industry are related to manual handling. It’s a striking figure, when you consider approximately 120,000 people working in the sector are injured each year.

Many of these injuries are related to packaging, boxing and un-boxing. Manual handling-related injuries include accidents that occur when packing products, pushing wheeled tacks and stacking or un-stacking containers such as boxes and crates. However, all these tasks are easily automated.

FE: Give us an example.

Smith: Take bin picking. Using a six-axis robot with advanced 3D vision software, the bin picking process becomes fully automated—and cycle times can be as fast as 0.7 seconds. Without automation to complete this task, human operators would be required to pick items manually from the box and place them onto the next part of the manufacturing process—a seemingly safe task, but one that carries manual handling risks.

Rather than risk it, automation can also be used before this process by using a robotic box opening solution. The intelligent box opening device (IBOD) is just one example of this kind of automation. Automatically measuring the size of every case or box that comes into the facility, the system can automatically find the programmed cut lines.

The machine is capable of cutting up to 750 boxes per hour—all without requiring a human employee to handle a blade. By automating this process, food manufacturers can completely eliminate the chance of employees being cut or injured by a blade while on the factory floor. Ultimately, the more processes that are automated, the lesser the likelihood of injuries.

FE: Robots have had a successful implementation history, haven’t they?

Smith: Automation has been an essential part of manufacturing since the first six-axis robots were introduced to automotive production in the 1960s. Since then, a growing number of sectors have embraced the technology, including food processors. However, as automation and robotics continually become more affordable and accessible, we’re likely to see an even more widespread uptake of this equipment.

Whether you’re an automation skeptic or enthusiast, there’s no doubting the rise of the robots. The only thing to make sure of is that your facility doesn’t get left behind.

For more information: www.tmrobotics.co.uk.

KEYWORDS: robotics workforce

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Wayne labs 200px
Wayne Labs has more than 30 years of editorial experience in industrial automation. He served as senior technical editor for I&CS/Control Solutions magazine for 18 years where he covered software, control system hardware and sensors/transmitters. Labs ran his own consulting business and contributed feature articles to Electronic Design, Control, Control Design, Industrial Networking and Food Engineering magazines. Before joining Food Engineering, he served as a senior technical editor for Omega Engineering Inc. Labs also worked in wireless systems and served as a field engineer for GE’s Mobile Communications Division and as a systems engineer for Bucks County Emergency Services. In addition to writing technical feature articles, Wayne covers FE’s Engineering R&D section.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Salt

FDA to Amend Standards of Identity to Include Salt Substitutes

Vilter IHP in plant

Industrial Heat Pumps: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Now and the Future

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • food plant construction

    The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the food industry and its supply chains

    See More
  • Rice

    Inorganic arsenic in baby food: Getting to the “root” of the problem

    See More
  • Blockchain

    Extending the applications of Blockchain in the food manufacturing industry

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • June 5, 2025

    Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

    The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 
  • September 9, 2010

    Food Plant of the Future: Surviving and Thriving with Automation

    On-Demand: Forward-thinking plant managers aren’t just reviving their aging plants with automation – they’re building thriving, operationally effective workplaces.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!