Spurred on by innovations in Europe, this world-wide phenomenon has generated many benefits for machine builders and their customers alike. The Packaging Automation Review series has documented such manufacturing benefits as flexibility, faster time to market, increased uptime and improved diagnostics for troubleshooting.
Processing machine designers, especially in food products and pharmaceuticals, have also embraced automation in a big way. And in many plants, the lines are physically tied together—or at least they should be. Another benefit of automation lies in the ability to tie the machines together in order to manage the entire line, not just individual machines. This improves productivity, which improves profits for manufacturers. This issue investigates some applications. Watch for more coverage in the future.
