Food and Pharma Execs Should Embrace Automation Benefits

Jan. 12, 2018
OEMs are partnering with technology providers to deliver smarter machines, says a new study from PMMI Business Intelligence. Engineers need to make the ROI clear to C-level executives.

As OEMs partner with automation suppliers, technology improvements in processing and packaging machines benefit food and pharmaceutical operations by addressing worker safety, electronic documentation, energy savings, quicker changeover, improved performance, clean-in-place, lower maintenance costs, mobile access and more.

Though actionable data is gathered and shared with the enterprise, communicating benefits to financial management can sometimes be a challenge for engineers, and the return on investment for automation needs to be made clear, according to a new study from PMMI Business Intelligence, 2017 Evolution of Automation. The study also stresses the investment is long-term, and there are barriers to overcome.

The 58-page report details specific goals for OEMs and control suppliers to deliver smarter machines to processing and packaging teams:

  • Clear and simple instructions on the human-machine interface (HMI)—intuitive, with graphics and a dashboard view.
  • More mobile connectivity, enabling viewing of the HMI dashboard from a smartphone or tablet.
  • Sensors should move from optical sensing into more magnetic sensing to achieve greater reliability.
  • Open safety; fully automated safety communications for flexible production lines.
  • Intuitive programming software—software compatibility to achieve more production and less maintenance.
  • Rapid changeover and cleanability for flexible production.
  • Self-tuning or self-calibration for more machine flexibility for varied product applications.
  • Digital simulation in controllers to simulate robotics and motion control on the line.
  • Greater access and analysis of real-time machine performance data to calculate overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Download a free OEE calculator.

For more information, download the executive summary or full report of 2017 Evolution of Automation.

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