According to a research study by Sophos, a UK-based IT security services and hardware provider, cyber insurance policies are changing the way manufacturing is protecting their networks. As ransomware threats keep coming, companies are buying cyber insurance policies to protect against costly ransomware attacks that can drive them out of business. Seventy percent of hacked food and beverage companies will go out of business within a year of the attack, according to Capstone Logistics.

Small- and mid-size food businesses/manufacturers (SMBs) are in dire need of automated solutions for end-of-line packaging, primary packaging or processing. “Graybeards” have a considerable presence in manufacturing, and “10,000 boomers reach retirement age every day and represent 27% of the U.S. manufacturing workforce,” according to 2022 Bureau of Labor, Delottie and PEW Research. Plus, companies are experiencing a skills gap with the existing workforce, while also having challenges attracting younger workers to manufacturing jobs.