Hormel’s Progressive Processing plant is built for the long haul. A quarter century had passed since Hormel Foods had commissioned a new production facility. In designing its Dubuque plant, engineers aimed to create a facility that would be contemporary for the next 25 years.
Flexibility is an increasingly important attribute, but manufacturing professionals must strike a balance between the need for high-speed automation and production adaptability.
Faster fill times are nice, but a host of other considerations also are part of manufacturers’ value calculations. Those needs are evident in the systems being developed.
Every process needs connectivity-the right “circulation system” to provide optimum hygiene, flexibility, fast changeovers and ease of maintenance at the lowest possible cost.
Human machine interface technology has advanced by leaps and bounds-to the point where food manufacturers can now control and monitor plants from virtually anywhere.
