Shortage of skilled workers, product diversity and consumer behavior that is difficult to assess – what first sounds like the issues Automotive industry has to deal with, describes also the major challenges the meat processing and protein industry is facing.
It is therefore all the more important to design the process chain efficiently and economically, in line with the special requirements that the product places on hygiene and quality.
Digitization and automation of processes offer possible solutions. Innovative technologies such as AI, robotics and cloud computing open up new opportunities in industrial production.
Robot use in meat processing
The use of robots in the meat and protein industry is not yet comparable to that in the automotive industry or electronics manufacturing.
Compared to other industries, the food industry still has a low level of automation. Only about three percent of robots are sold to the food industry annually.
However, the switch from specialized machines to industrial robots is in full swing. In companies with 250 to 1000 employees, their share is already around 50 percent, with a smooth transition between conventional machines and those with integrated robotics.
By using industrial robots, the meat industry could benefit from the technological progress being driven by the automotive and electrical engineering industries. The robot is faster than working by hand because: It doesn’t need breaks or vacations, and it doesn’t drop out due to illness. And the shortage of labor, especially in less attractive work environments with repetitive tasks, continues to drive the development and use of robots.
But there are still reservations: too slow, too space-consuming, unsuitable for cold and damp environments – these are the objections, at least in slaughterhouses.
Robots also play their trump cards in the slaughterhouse
But robots are low-maintenance, hygienically designed and equipped with suitable software for control, simulation, visualization, object recognition and much more. These are ideal conditions for contact with food, especially since their versatility also promises considerable productivity gains.
Robots can cut, pack, wrap, sort, pick up and place. In the near future, the meat industry will also see the introduction of what has long been reality in other industrial sectors: humans control and steer, while robots take over all manual tasks. This revolution will transform meat processing to smart meat processing.
2022 is IFFA Time Again
The leading international suppliers of technologies for meat
and protein processing will be showing their innovations on more than 120,000 square metres in Frankfurt am Main from 14 to 19 May.
The focus will be on automation and robotics solutions, efficient technologies, sustainable packaging, new business models
through the Data-Driven Factory and individualisation in the butcher’s trade.
Let’s meet at IFFA
I have to admit that over the course of the last months I become very excited about this exhibition. I’ve been there (my first time) in 2019 when I visited a friend I was working with (or better for) during my time in the packaging industry. Since then a lot has happened. Laws have been changed and exactly as other industries also the meat and protein processing industry is hit by a shortage of labour.
So I am looking forward to discussing these effects of the shortage and the specific requirements for automation systems with the suppliers of this exciting industry – live in Frankfurt. It also will be my first exhibition after the last lock down. So another reason for me to be excited.
Are you also coming to Frankfurt for IFFA? Let me know in the comments below what you expect from your visit – and who knows… maybe I’ll see you there?