Kick off your promotions with confidence
In the consumer goods industry, the ability to swiftly and accurately update packaging for seasonal events. Automated label verification systems, such as those offered by OAL, play a vital role in managing these changes efficiently.
Why you could benefit from an OAL Automated Verification System.
In the food industry, the ability to swiftly and accurately update packaging for seasonal events such as football tournaments, the Olympics, Christmas or Valentine’s Day is crucial. These occasions often require unique, event-specific designs that attract consumers and enhance brand visibility. Automated label verification systems, such as those offered by OAL, play a vital role in managing these changes securely and efficiently.
The power of the 2D barcode
M&S has adopted 2D barcodes across all its ranges. Typically the 2D barcode sits within the date code box.
But why? 2D barcodes provides food manufacturers with artwork version control.
This means the SKU can have the same 1D EAN barcode but different 2D barcodes, depending on the artwork.
So, artwork with a Team GB flag on has a unique 2D barcode compared to everyday artwork.
OAL’s claim to fame is introducing the first 2D code on pack for label verification. In 2006, we helped First Milk secure its cheese packaging by using 2D barcodes for verification.
18 years later, it’s surprising how many brands still don’t use it!
100% continuous and precise verification
Combining 2D barcodes with an autocoding system puts you in complete control of your packaging.
Your technical team controls which version is available to select on the line. Our system has two users sign off, so any change must be authorised for added protection.
They can also set availability so your promo artwork can only be used during a set date range.
Once the job is selected on the line, a camera will scan the 2D barcode of every pack to ensure you’re using the right artwork.
Here is an example case study of how Edwards the Welsh Butcher eliminated errors with OAL’s AI-driven verification system
But what if I don’t want to put a 2D barcode on my artwork?
An alternative way to verify artwork is machine vision. We’ve been deploying powerful AI Cognex cameras that take a single image of a pack and can verify every detail. For instance:
Packaging artwork text e.g. seedless
Date code, use by or best before
Variable field information, including “Country of Origin” & “Grower”
Promo label presence and content
Finished product (if visible)
Key benefits of automated systems
Quick set-up and integration
These systems are easily integrated into existing workflows, ensuring a smooth transition to new packaging designs.
Allergen tracking
With advanced tracking capabilities, companies can manage allergen information accurately, even with frequent design changes.
Tailored alerts
Immediate feedback and alerts ensure any discrepancies are addressed promptly, keeping the production line running smoothly.
Conclusion
Seasonal events like Euro 2024, the Olympics or special holidays are opportunities for brands to engage with consumers through bespoke packaging. Automated verification systems are essential in managing these changes, ensuring accuracy, reducing errors and maintaining high standards. By leveraging such technology, brands can confidently embrace seasonal marketing strategies without compromising on quality.
OAL utilises its APRIL Eye technology to ensure that customers have the most reliable safety net available, capturing a plethora of required data and verifying at impressive speeds. OAL also helps food manufacturers integrate their ERP systems across a number of applications creating a single source of truth that businesses can rely on.
For more details on automated label verification, contact us by clicking the button.
9 key benefits of ERP Integration with your Packaging Line
Digital transformation within fresh produce and food manufacturing businesses requires enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration with manufacturing and shopfloor operations
Fresh produce and food manufacturing businesses on digital transformation programmes understand the importance of integrating enterprise resource planning (ERP) with manufacturing and shopfloor operations. This blog shares the key benefits of integration, highlights successful applications from other food manufacturers, and explains how the integration is achieved using the Ignition SCADA/MES platform.
Why integrate ERP with your manufacturing operations?
Food manufacturers can improve their profitability, agility, and efficiency by integrating SCADA and ERP. The integration adds real-time data to your ERP system, gives context to shopfloor data, and enables the coordination of schedules, orders, distribution, and more, helping your company comply with regulations, improve efficiency, increase transparency, and accelerate data availability and synchronisation.
If your systems are not integrated and are “siloed” you are likely to suffer from these issues:
Inaccurate information. Manual data input for OEE calculations skews efficiency measures. Teams can lose trust in data and question its reliability.
Higher operating costs. Reliance on manual double entry (sometimes more) of critical information.
Slow decision-making. Changes in customer orders or raw material shortages don’t reach key personnel in a timely manner. For instance, receiving a custom report the day after versus real-time notification.
Increased opportunity for error. Entering information in multiple systems increases the chance of re-keying incorrect data.
Decreased agility and ability to understand the full value stream. Departments and teams struggle to see the bigger picture. Improvements can be made to an asset or area but not the whole value system.
ERP integration will have a transformational impact on your manufacturing business, streamlining and providing critical real-time information. But can it deliver a payback? With rising wages and limited availability, the cost of lost hours and downtime is increasing.
A £50,000 investment needs to save 2,000 hours* per annum to deliver a 1-year payback or just 5.5 hours per day.
*Based on hourly wage rate of £25 per hour taking into account total cost of employment.
So how do we save those hours? Here are some benefits of ERP Integration to consider:
1) Data Integrity
Integration creates a single source of truth for your business. For label and date code verification (Autocoding), this means that you no longer need to manage two product databases. SKU packaging, data code and variable field (country of origin) data can all be held in your ERP.
2) Agile Scheduling
Changes in ERP scheduling or other scheduling software are immediately updated for operations. Time isn’t lost preparing for the wrong job.
In 2020, OAL installed a standalone label and date code verification system at Worldwide Fruit. In 2023, we completed a project integrating the label verification system with their ERP.
Target pack counts update throughout the day based on actual orders received in your ERP.
3) Agile response to customer orders and requirements
Update and respond to changes to customer order volumes and requirements in real-time.
At Driscoll's (formerly Berry Gardens) OAL integrated their packaging line control and provided an OEE system built on Ignition integrated with their ERP, Prophet. Their customer order quantities are updated throughout the day and now operations know as soon as they change!
4) Improved business insight & target-setting
Benefit from real-time information and generated by reports dedicated to your specific data requirements.
Yield and giveaway are key metrics for businesses packing expensive dairy and meat products. Management can see yield in real-time as opposed to a report the day after.
5) Enhanced collaboration with works order visualisation
Align technical, operations, engineering, marketing, and sales with shared real-time data. Receive scheduled works orders from your ERP and visualise works order progress through your factory, including real-time ingredient traceability and consumption.
When raw material delays or shortages occur, you can quickly pull together a new schedule based on what you have on hand and what you need to make. With a better understanding of your overall order pipeline, you can start towards strategies like “just-in-time manufacturing.”
6) Track raw materials and inventory through production
Inventory is an easy win when integrating SCADA and ERP systems. You can track which raw materials are in the warehouse, what you need to produce orders for a given day, and which finished goods will be ready for shipment once production is complete. If you find you are running low on raw materials, you can quickly shift production to another order before the lack of raw materials stops the line. Then, by tracking real-time production, you can trigger the re-ordering of materials and parts during production when inventory starts to get towards your order threshold.
At Premier Foods, Ashford, OAL’s SCADA and MES solution integrates with SAP to track raw materials and report real-time usage.
7) Lower operational costs
By using streamlined business processes and highlighting improved best practices through real-time data, you can also lower management costs through uniform and integrated systems.
8) Consistent cyber secure infrastructure
From the back office to the front office, all business activities will have the same look and feel, making training easier. Ignition features ultra-secure SSL technology and supports modern cyber security protocols such as federated identity infrastructure, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and single sign-on (SSO).
9) Reduce risk with the right product raw material validation
Integration to ERP can validate ingredient usage against live jobs and bill of materials in production. For example, to enable or disable the tip sequence to prevent incorrect materials from being introduced.
How to use Ignition to integrate your ERP with manufacturing operations?
ERP is an IT system, and SCADA is an OT system. Transferring data is difficult as OT and IT use different languages, and their data is stored and gathered in different ways.
Ignition makes the process of connecting SCADA to cloud ERP much easier. Ignition is a web-based SCADA, MES, IIoT, and HMI platform built on open standard technologies, and it is already designed to connect SCADA and OT with IT through an OPC UA server. Depending on the application requirements the integration can be achieved in four different ways.
1. Set up an API (Rest)
Provides a direct network connection between the ERP and the SCADA/MES for real-time, bi-directional information exchange.
OAL’s Label and Date Code Verification and APRIL Robotic Weighing systems have a standard Rest API for communicating with ERPs.
2. Shared Database Table
A database table is established as a common communication point. The ERP system and the SCADA/MES system use this table to exchange information.
OAL has completed many integrations using shared SQL tables. For instance, the Premier Foods SCADA system at Ashford uses shared SQL tables.
3. Stored Procedure or “View"
A stored procedure or “view” is installed in the ERP database for the SCADA/MES application to read and/or modify a specified subset of data from the ERP system.
Where possible we avoid this methodology as it can be difficult to ascertain the origin of a new or changed item of data.
4. Export CSV or XML File (Flat File)
The ERP writes a .csv file to a common location. The SCADA/MES software regularly looks for new files containing needed information. For instance, exporting a CSV schedule of works orders and upload to the SCADA/MES to provide a schedule. This approach is common if you’re running a legacy ERP with no connectivity, for instance, we have used this approach to integrate systems within the UK’s largest flour mill.
We would love to share more with you about the benefits of ERP Integration.
If you would like to discuss more about how ERP integration would be beneficial to your operation, then reach out to the OAL team.
Five challenges to running a profitable fresh produce business...and how automation can help
Fresh produce businesses are facing a “perfect storm of challenges” tackling erratic weather and soaring input costs exacerbated by shocks including Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Discover how automation helps fresh produce businesses succeed.
According to the Grocer, fresh produce businesses are facing a “perfect storm of challenges” tackling erratic weather and soaring input costs exacerbated by shocks including Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. This blog explores how automation emerges as a key ally, bolstering success in this dynamic sector.
Over the last 5 years OAL has helped fresh produce businesses automate including key industry players such as Driscoll's, MM Flowers, Wealmoor, and Worldwide Fruit with a combined turnover in excess of £3bn.
Learn more about Worldwide Fruit’s journey here
Fresh Produce Challenges
1 - Limited labour availability
Key workers, essential during peak months, are limited in number by UK government rules for “Special Workers”. Automation can significantly boost productivity, offsetting these limits and upskilling local talent.
2 - Rising labour, raw material and energy costs.
Input costs have risen across the board. And with the minimum wage set to increase from £10 to £11.45, they’ll continue to rise in 2024. Automation can curb and even reverse the trend of rising costs in the industry.
3 - Supply chain complexity
Natural disasters and weather shocks mean businesses must maintain flexibility of supply and be able to react fast to any changes.
4 - Product diversification
Experimentation with new packaging formats to drive revenue and profitability with key targeting for snacking. Automation gives you the confidence to introduce more complexity like artwork variations as each can be easily tracked and verified.
5 - Retailer requirements
Retailers' stringent requirements for food safety, product integrity and traceability can be effectively met through automated solutions including vision.
Is automation and digitalisation the answer?
Whilst automation isn’t a “golden bullet”, it’s a key enabler. People are the heart of fresh produce businesses and it’s their ability to adopt and benefit from technology which is critical to success. At OAL we promise to make it easy to adopt new technologies, for instance, our best-in-class 24/7 support and training.
We’re big believers that modern fresh produce businesses will be digital (no paperwork), and integrated (systems talking to each other) and artificial intelligence (AI) will have a significant role to play.
Tackling labour availability and scarcity with a major productivity boost.
Creating a modern, digital working environment can empower shop floor operations and help recruitment. “Digital natives” prefer iPads and tablets to paper and pen, so will prefer a modern automated packhouse making recruitment an easier process!
Automation can also simplify and shorten workflows with a big impact on the bottom line. Take grower code changes. If you’re manually setting up printers, each grower change takes up to 5 minutes as an operator keys the information into the printer and stops the line. Multiplied by 30 changes per day across multiple lines, it can be a costly source of downtime. At the UK’s largest avocado packhouse, OAL has helped them reduce changeover times from 5 minutes to 2 seconds, a saving of approximately 10,000 hours per annum across all lines.
OAL customers have a “Grower Change button.” They simply load a SKU, and click the button to change the grower information from a pre-defined list on the fly!
But it doesn’t end there! With ERP integration, we can pull this information directly from the works order. Talk about a time saver!
Meeting and exceeding retailer requirements.
100% Packaging verification. Automation can help reduce human error, resulting in a higher-quality product that meets customer expectations consistently. The aim is 100% verification of all pack formats (flow wrapper, PLU, etc.)
For more information about how OAL can help you achieve 100% packaging verification, read our recent blog on “Top 10 AI Verification Quality Checks for Food Packaging”
Business agility with a single source of truth.
Change is a fact of life in the food industry! We can build the capability to react fast and effectively. By integrating systems together, fresh produce businesses can create a single source of truth. Any changes are instant and updated across all systems giving you confidence in your slick operations.
Want to learn more? Worldwide Fruit partnered with OAL in 2020 to automate its packhouse operations. Starting with label and date code verification, we’ve worked together to integrate their ERP system.
If you would like to discuss beginning, or enhancing your automation journey, please reach out to the OAL team today.
OAL are joint hosting an event with the University of Lincoln to talk about automation and sustainability. Interested? Register your interest here.
Top 10 AI Verification Quality Checks for Food Packaging
AI has the potential to transform every process in every industry; the secret is not to simply view it as what manual processes can AI replace, but how AI can transform what you do.
The world of AI has exploded in recent years and whether it excites you or scares you, we cannot ignore the transformational impact that it is having. AI is touching everyone, from personalising our online shopping experiences to powering natural language chatbots. From self-parking cars to intelligent navigation, from editing photos we take on our smartphones, to transforming the diagnosis of major illnesses.
AI has the potential to transform every process in every industry; the secret is not to simply view it as what manual processes can AI replace, but how AI can transform what you do.
Here we take a look at our top 10 verification checks, where AI cameras can help you.
Rule #1: AI + camera technology = quality game changer!
Original 1D barcode verification in 2001
For decades, the quality control of packaging and labelling has been a manual task, reliant on human attention to detail and often a factor that slows down the speed of the production line.
In 2001, we introduced the first barcode verification system with Tesco and Bakkavor.
In 2019 we introduced APRIL Eye, the world’s first AI-based date code verification system.
Prior to that there had been a reluctance as OCR vision couldn’t handle the variation of the fast-moving food industry.
By combining AI with vision camera technology, the game has changed. The best way to understand the impact that AI-powered cameras can have on packaging and labelling quality assurance is through real-life use cases.
1) That’s not an apple!
The worst nightmare - an item placed in the wrong packaging. AI-powered cameras are able to see beyond clear packaging and recognise the items inside. Is the item in the apple packaging actually apples? Or are they pears?; or maybe even the wrong type of apples? – the AI-powered camera can spot this.
2) Where are my croutons?
When there are multiple components required to be placed inside the packaging, a key quality step is to ensure that everything is included.
Verify the presence of components like croutons in bags of salad.
3) I can’t eat that without a fork
You’re packing a meal kit; has everything been included?
Verify the presence of objects like forks and spoons.
4) Where were these made?
Read and verify printed text on the packaging.
Check the country of origin matches the works order.
Conduct multiple checks simultaneously to include the presence of the finished product.
6) Are we on promo?
An AI camera can check the presence and content of a promo label.
7) Check allergens on WIP product
Ensure WIP product brought to the packaging line is correct by reading the printed information on the film.
8) Is the lid on tight?
With AI, you can verify every product to ensure rare events like bad lidding is caught in the factory.
9) Is the seal intact?
Verify the seal integrity of finished products using AI cameras.
10) Italian or cheesy?
The label on the bread says “Italian”, but is it really? Checking that the right type of bread is in the correct packaging with the right label is another great example.
Leveraging AI To Make A Big Impact
These are just some of the areas where AI-powered cameras and packaging and label verification solutions are having a big impact on food manufacturing. Yet this is only scratching the surface of what is now possible.
Have you considered ERP integration? By integrating your ERP with line devices you can make the most of AI to ensure your business is running off one single source of truth.
We can help analyse your process to understand the impact AI cameras can have on your quality. If you would like to discuss any of the use cases please do get in touch.
Digitalisation Is The Secret To Traceability - Right First Time Ingredients Drives Finished Product Quality
Traceability is key for any manufacturing process. Regardless of whether you are a food and beverage manufacturer, a pharmaceutical company or creating paints and coverings, it is vital that you track the constituent parts of your finished product and can trace these back to source ingredients.
Why Is Traceability Such A Challenge
Accurate traceability continues to be a major challenge for manufacturers, simply because most of the tracking is done manually and there are so many steps where things can go wrong.
For example, if you are performing manual powder weighing of ingredients, how do you know that each ingredient comes solely from the same batch? What happens if the operator records the wrong details or wrongly labels the dosed batch?
The challenge does not stop there; tracking the ingredients through your production line can be a little like following which cup has the coin under it, and then when your finished product flows off the production line, how confident are you that it has the right label and the right batch code?
The Answer Is Digitalising Traceability
Works orders from SAP are tracked and visualised through a bakery
Like every other sector, manufacturing is on a journey of digitalisation, connecting processes together and seamlessly flowing data between these electronically. For manufacturing, this has not been as easy compared to other sectors, as there are still many tasks that are fully manual and a reliance on operatives to pass data from one step to another naturally introduces high occurrences of errors.
Most manufacturers now have ERP and specialist manufacturing systems in place that can track the process from start to finish; the challenge is how you integrate what is physically happening with what digitally is thought to be happening.
Automating Powder Weighing
Let’s start at the very beginning of the process: powder weighing of source ingredients and batching. OAL’s APRILTM Robotics is fully automating this process; each source ingredient is kept separate, with no cross-contamination, so as the robotic arm weighs out each batch, an accurate record is kept of the constituent parts.
With the ability to integrate this into both ERP and manufacturing systems, the APRIL solution takes human intervention out of the equation. Each batch is uniquely coded and the component of each batch along with their origins are automatically captured.
This means that your manufacturing process starts with the right data that can then be automatically tracked across the entire process.
Labelling & Verification
Date code verification with AI based vision using APRIL Eye
At the other end of the process, we have the challenge of ensuring that the finished product has the right label on it, whether that be a container of soup or a pot of paint. The fact that you have accurate traceability data flowing digitally through your manufacturing system while the produce flows down your production line, you can be confident in knowing the contents of each product. The challenge now is ensuring it is labelled correctly.
Step one is tight integration into your ERP and/or manufacturing system to ensure that the correct data is being used to generate the label. For instance, if you’re printing county of origin (COO) information you need to ensure you can track COO to the batch/works order. Having a smart labelling solution is also key. At OAL, we provide solutions to not only ensure labels are produced in line with legislative and your customers’ requirements, but also verify that what should be printed is actually printed using APRIL Eye.
The final step is ensuring that the right label is placed on the right container or packaging; here again OAL label verification solutions integrate tightly with the ERP and/or manufacturing system so at the end of the production line, AI-powered software can be used to take image feeds from cameras and verify that every product leaving your production line is labelled correctly.
Smarter Traceability, Greater Productivity
Digitalising Traceability in the ways outlined above significantly reduces the risk of errors and ensures you can track each batch to the finest detail of its constituent parts.
By automating the flow of data between the manufacturing steps through your ERP/manufacturing system, you eliminate paperwork and many of the manual tasks that currently slow down your production process.
By leveraging the technology available to digitalise this critical part of manufacturing, you can reduce risk and increase the accuracy of traceability while increasing the efficiency and productivity of your end-to-end process.
Read our client success story HERE.
If you would like to discuss more about how these solutions work and how they would be beneficial to your operation, then simply reach out to the OAL team – contact us.
6 Ways To Make Cooking Soups and Sauces More Efficient In Food Manufacturing
Efficiency, taste, and sustainability are paramount in food manufacturing, particularly when producing soups and sauces. Traditional methods often fall short, being labor-intensive and energy-consuming. Discover how Steam Infusion can redefine your production metrics—reach out to the OAL team today.
For food manufacturers, the cooking process is fundamental to producing high-quality finished soups, sauces and other liquid products. However, traditional processes and technologies mean that this can be lengthy, labour-intensive and highly inefficient in terms of energy consumption.
The good news is that this does not have to be the case. Over the past few years, more organisations have transitioned away from traditional steam jacketed kettles to utilising Steam Infusion technology; this is significantly reducing cooking time and cleaning in place (CIP) time while improving the quality of the cooked product. Plus reducing water consumption in the cleaning processes by up to 90%.
How much energy should I be using to cook?
To heat 1,000KG of a typical sauce from 20 to 85 Degrees C require c76 kWh of input energy. A similar amount of input energy is required to clean the vessel using hot water and cleaning solution.
From studies with our partners at the University of Lincoln, real-world usage is considerably higher, with energy consumption varying from 500 kWh per 1,000KG of finished product to 1,200 kWh+.
In the Netherlands, combining Steam Infusion with OALs robotic chef, APRIL has achieved sub 250kWh per tonne of finished product. These technologies form part of a Carbon Trust project to improve efficiencies further as we move towards a net zero economy.
Here we take a closer look at how Steam Infusion cooking can make you more efficient:
What is Steam Infusion cooking?
Steam Infusion is a direct contact heating process whereby steam condenses on the surface of a liquid, gently yet rapidly cooking a range of food and beverages up to a temperature of 140oC. The patented Steam Infusion VactionTM Pump rapidly heats, mixes and pumps food ingredients and products, offering near perfect energy transfer. By varying the steam pressure and flow rate through the pump, the processing conditions change, from gentle cooking to intense mixing and pumping with a homogenising effect,
In simple terms, rather than heating the vessel that the product is in and utilising a secondary mixing process, steam infusion injects the heat directly into the product in-vessel or in-pipe.
Benefit 1: It tastes better
Slow cooking times can lead to loss of vibrant colours and flavours during the cooking process. With Steam Infusion this is not the case, as the rapid heating process ensures that vital nutrients and colour are not simply boiled away but retained. This not only ensures that your finished product tastes great but also enables you to reduce the quantities of ingredients used. For example, we have seen certain products(recipe dependent) achieving a 50% reduction in required spices to achieve the optimum taste.
Benefit 2: Reduced cooking time
Steam Infusion is a far quicker way to cook. For example, a 1,000kg batch of soup can be heated from 20 to 85 degrees C within 10 minutes. When combined with reduced cleaning time and robotic batch processing product through-put can be increased by 6x, driving far greater cooking capacity for manufacturers.
Benefit 3: Reduce Clean-In-Production time
As Steam Infusion is not heating the vessel, but heating its contents, this approach prevents burn-on, which is a major issue that lengthens CIP time. When this is combined with robotic automated pouring, rather than traditional pump and piping technology, the end-to-end cleaning process is simplified and shortened, with a CIP water reduction of greater than 90% not being uncommon.
Benefit 4: Removing Cross-Contamination
Following on from the fact that Steam Infusion prevents burn-on and also enables more effective cleaning, a significant benefit is removing cross-contamination. You eliminate the risk that vessels or pipes being used still have the remanence of your last batch, therefore avoiding compromise of taste and, more importantly, the health risk of cross-contamination of allergens or other ingredients.
Benefit 5: Reduce Energy Consumption
As the cost of energy continues to rise and food manufacturers are under growing pressure to be more sustainable, anything that can be done to reduce energy consumption is a significant benefit. OAL is part of the Souper Green project in partnership with Solina, supported by Marks and Spencer PLC, the Department for Energy Security, and Net Zero’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA). By incorporating a lightweight cooking vessel, this programme provided a more efficient heating operation and easier cleaning, leading to an impressive 80% energy savings from production trials.
Benefit 6: Greater reliability
Any failure of your cooking technology results in a significant loss of production – cooking time is money after all. By removing the complexity of traditional processes and equipment, Steam Infusion is making the whole process more reliable. Less failures result in continuity of productivity, while greater accuracy of the cooking process reduces wastage both of failed batches and reduced quantities, as a result of burn-on.
Steam Infusion is generating some impressive results for food manufacturers across the globe, improving product differentiation factors while delivering tangible operational benefits. We would love to share more with you about the benefits OAL Steam Infusion technology can bring to your operation and to show you how this would work on your recipes in our test centre.
Simply reach out to the OAL team – contact us.
Breaking The Myths of Robots in Powder Weighing
Our focus in this blog is to challenge the myths preventing the adoption of robotic automation in powder weighing and handling. Fear of the unknown and failure often deter progress, but by confronting these misconceptions, we can ease the path towards inevitable automation across various industries.
We all know that one day we will make the move to an electric vehicle; it is inevitable - it is the way the world is going. However, it is estimated that currently only 1 in 250 cars on the road are electric. There are two key factors that hinders change, ‘the fear of the unknown’ and the ‘fear of failure.’
It is a similar story in the world of manufacturing. We all know that the future will be “automated” and in contrast to our digital robotic everyday lives (think smartphones, robotic vacuum cleaners) the pace of adoption of these new technologies in industry can often seem slow due to the same two fears.
When we fear change, the coping mechanism is to create myths…well they are not really myths; they are excuses for not making a decision or taking action. In this blog we look to break some of the so-called myths that are delaying manufacturers from making the inevitable step on the journey to robotic automation.
Our focus is on the area of robotic automation in powder handling and weighing as this is the area in which we are specialists in and it covers a broad spectrum of industries from food and beverage to tyre manufacturers, from cosmetics to paint and coverings.
Myth: We don’t have room in our factory for a robot
One of the benefits of robotic automation is that it can operate in a very compact cell. OAL’s APRIL Robotics standard cell can store 6,000kg and weigh powders in a space of only 7m x 7m which is normally less space than taken up by existing powder weighing operations.
Myth: The powders we work with are too cohesive for automation
The precise movement of the robotic arm and powerful software alogithims means that even the most cohesive powders can be handled accurately. With APRIL, we have tested over hundred of different powdesr types and consistently achieve accuracy of +/-1%, often more. We always welcome organisations to provide samples for us to test.
Myth: We have too many ingredients
Simplifying the complex is where robotic automation excels. A single APRIL cell can store up to 120 different raw materials in the cell with unlimited raw materials stored in ASCs offline. One of the benefits of robots is that they always remember where they have put things, unlike humans.
Myth: We make lots and lots of different batch types
Robots are far better at repetitive tasks than humans as they never get bored or distracted. They are also better than humans at constantly changing batch types. They do not have to learn new recipes; every batch is digitally instructed.
Myth: We don’t have staff who can operate robots
Most manufacturers have packaging line robots and understand the training and maintenance requirements. Using robots upsteam provides opportunities to upskill operatives and engage teams with modern digital technologies.
Myth: The required investment is too great and payback period too long
Most powder weighing applications can achieve a payback in two years through reduced operating costs and improved raw material yield. Other key benefits to consider are improved agility, quality and traceability security, and the reduction in health and safety risks. Add all of these together and an attractive business case can be created.
We would love to hear any other myths you may have about robotic automation, and always happy to discuss these with you. Simply reach out to the OAL team – contact us.
Meet Harry
Celebrate OAL's 30th anniversary by getting to know our founder, Harry Norman. A visionary who fell in love with robotics, Harry saw its potential in the food and beverage industry and founded OAL at just 28. His knack for innovation led to groundbreaking solutions like OAL Connected and Steam Infusion, transforming food manufacturing. Today, Harry's passion for robotics and automation continues to drive OAL's success.
This year, OAL will be celebrating its 30th birthday, so we thought it would be fitting to turn the spotlight on our founder and share a little about our very own Harry Norman.
The story begins, as Harry puts it, "when he stumbled on a robotics course at Coventry University." He instantly fell in love with the technology to which he was exposed and quickly saw its potential for application in the food and beverage industry; this sparked the entrepreneur within him.
For most people, being newly married with two young children to support might discourage them from following their dream, but not Harry. He was excited and convinced he could make a difference, so in 1993, at just 28, he founded OAL.
Initially, Harry's company developed software for machine builders and directly for food manufacturers. It quickly became successful, delivering profit within its first year of operation.
The Early Years
Propelled by customer demand for automation, Harry evolved OAL to offer turnkey processing solutions and quickly established a customer base that included some of the leading brands in the food and beverage sector.
Harry's extraordinary talent lies in innovation – the ability to look at something and instantly see a better way of doing it. Where others might walk past a process on a factory floor, dismissing it as 'the way it has always been done,' Harry sees all the inherent problems and immediately considers what could be possible. This ability has led to a wide range of innovations that have been instrumental to OAL’s success.
In 2001, Harry identified the significant risk associated with the labelling of food items. OAL set to work and launched OAL Connected – an automated way to verify labels and data coding on food packaging. This has become a market-leading solution for OAL, preventing labelling errors across 1,200+ food packaging lines, including leading manufacturers like Bakkavor, Pilgrim’s Food Masters, and Worldwide Fruit.
Full Steam Ahead
Harry is driven by success; each innovation that makes a difference only motivates him to strive for the next solution that will disrupt for the better. Observing an industry that was facing rising labour costs and increasing ingredient prices, Harry was convinced that food manufacturing needed to change. He believed that OAL could play a key role in driving such change and decided to set-up a dedicated innovation team and invest in new technologies that could make a difference.
The first result of this investment in R&D was ‘Steam Infusion’ that OAL launched in 2013. This heating, mixing and homogenising technology uses steam as the motive force delivering significant benefits over the traditional steam jacket cooking process. With the ability to double cooking capacity and develop exciting new food products, OAL’s Steam Infusion is now being used by food manufacturers across the globe.
Robotic Automation
While continually looking to spot trends and opportunities for change in the manufacturing process, it would appear that Harry never forgot that Robotic course at University. Today, OAL is leading the market with its APRIL Robotics solutions that look to automate many steps in the food manufacturing process, radically improving productivity, food safety and traceability.
OAL’s APRIL is being used to modernise powder weighing and batching and to automate key steps in the cooking process.
Thirty years on, Harry’s passion has not wavered; if anything, his desire to innovate and make a difference has only grown. The capabilities of APRIL Robotics is applicable to many other industry sectors from cosmetics to tire manufacturing, from paints to pharmaceuticals. As Harry’s company goes from strength to strength, he gets closer to his vision of transforming sustainability and manufacturing operations with robotics and automation.
If you would like to discover more about our innovations and how they would be beneficial to your operation, then simply reach out to the OAL team – contact us.
Top 5 Reasons to Automate Powder Weighing
Self-contained pods capable of storing 100+ raw materials, along with a central robot for automatic ingredient selection, weighing, and pouring, have digitalized and modernized the crucial Powder Weighing step in manufacturing. This automation offers key benefits you should be aware of.
Whether you are manufacturing food, beverages, cosmetics, paint or even tyres, step one of your process is likely to be powder weighing. Taking all of the raw materials and combining the right quantities of each of these to create your batches for processing.
Traditionally, this has been a manual task; sacks, drums, scales, scoops and a lot of powder scattered all over the place. However, while William or Wilhelmina the weighers have been sweeping up the spills, technology has been happening to create AI-driven Robots to automate and modernise powder weighing.
Self-contained pods that can store over 100 raw materials, with a central robot that can automatically select, weigh and pour ingredients into accurate batches for processing, robotic Powder Weighing is enabling this critical step in the manufacturing process to be digitalised, automated and modernised and this is delivering some fundamental benefits that you should know about.
Here the top 5 reasons manufacturers are automating their powder weighing process.
1. Address Operative Health & Safety
Powder weighing is a hazardous task, even innocuous ingredients can be an irritant if repeatedly inhaled and as for toxic substances, regardless of the precautions you take, there is always a risk to health. By taking operatives outside of the weighing zone and replacing them with a robot, you fully address your duty of care and remove the risk. (Read more)
2. Scale Productivity
It goes without saying that a robot does not take holidays, is never sick and does not require lunch breaks. They can also run 24x7 ensuring they are always ahead of demand and never hold up your production line. This increases throughput while reducing labour costs and dependences. One robot running 24x7 can be the equivalent of 10 to 20 operatives when shifts, holidays and sickness are taken into account.
3. Improve Accuracy/Reduce Waste
It is not just about the spillage in manual operations, it is about the cost of getting it wrong. When an error occurs in the weighing and batching process, this is often only caught at the end of the production cycle creating wastage of both raw materials and processing time. With Robotic Weighing, human error is eliminated, the robot never gets tired or distracted and they weigh accurately every single time to within 1g.
4. Digitalise Traceability
Across every industry, traceability of source ingredients is critical. If there is an issue, it needs to be traced back to source, identifying any other batches that could be at risk, and driving continuous quality improvement. By eradicating paper and manual tracking, you are able to drive far better and more granular traceability. Through seamless integration of the Robot Weighing system with your manufacturing/production system, every batch can be tracked and analysed against its source ingredients.
5. Prevent Cross-Contamination
Anyone who has walked past the powder weighing area is well familiar of the risk of cross-contamination; it is inevitable with manual scooping and even when some form of piped dosing is being used. The precision of Robot Weighing and batching removes all of these points of cross-contamination, preventing it happening and significantly reducing risk.
These five points are just some of the ways that robotic powder weighing is delivering significant value and benefits to manufacturers. We know this because OAL is the leading innovator in this area and are helping organisations across a wide variety of sectors to modernise powder weighing to drive greater efficiency across their operation.
If you would like to discuss more about how these solutions work and how they would be beneficial to your operation, then simply reach out to the OAL team – contact us.
Pre-Weigh Automation is Key to Resolving Labour and Safety Challenges in Personal Care Manufacturing
Personal care manufacturing has two big problems on its hands: not enough workers and the need for safer working conditions. These issues meet head-on in pre-weigh operations - an area that hasn't seen much digital change yet.
This key area of production, traditionally reliant on manual labour, has its fair share of safety concerns and efficiency issues. However, there's a clear answer to these challenges: automation.
Personal care manufacturing has two critical risks: insufficient workers and the need for safer working conditions. These issues meet head-on in pre-weigh operations - an area that has seen limited digitalisation.
This key area of production, traditionally reliant on manual labour, has its fair share of safety concerns and efficiency issues. However, there's a clear answer to these challenges: automation.
Confronting the Labour Shortage Head-On
Shortage of workers isn't just a small problem, it's a serious concern. Manual pre-weigh processes require multiple workers per shift, which is neither sustainable nor efficient in the current scenario. Here's where the APRIL™ Robotics System steps in, automating these laborious processes, and freeing up your workforce for areas that cannot be automated, and truly need human insight and intervention. This ensures that production levels remain steady, irrespective of fluctuations in labour availability.
A Direct Response to Safety Concerns
Safety is not a matter to be taken lightly. Manual pre-weigh operations involve regular exposure to powders and potentially harmful raw materials, posing clear health and safety risks. The answer to this is as clear as it is urgent: automation. By incorporating the APRIL™ Robotics System into these operations, we can significantly reduce exposure to potential hazards. With its guarantee of precise dosing and reduced human intervention, the system minimises the risk of operator error, injuries, and fatigue. This simple solution enhances both employee wellbeing and overall company performance.
Customer story: Explore Agrana Fruit's transformative journey from manual to automated weighing, reducing workplace safety concerns and cross-contamination issues with April Robotics' weighing system.
Increasing Accuracy and Efficiency: No Half Measures
In the personal care manufacturing industry, there's zero tolerance for error or inefficiency. However, manual pre-weigh processes can often leave room for inaccuracies and inconsistencies. That's where the APRIL™ Robotics System comes into play. With its precise, repeatable measures, it offers a direct solution to these problems, reducing waste, minimising error, and ultimately leading to cost savings.
Real-time Data Integration with ERP Systems: The Key to Smoother Operations
The APRIL™ Robotics System isn't just an automation solution; it's a gateway to a more streamlined, data-driven approach to manufacturing. With the ability to integrate with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, the system offers real-time data insight, contributing significantly to smoother, more informed decision-making processes. This integration with ERP systems makes your entire operation more transparent and efficient and can significantly simplify managerial oversight and quality control.
In essence, the APRIL™ Robotics System presents a clear, compelling solution to the labour shortages and safety challenges currently facing the personal care manufacturing industry. The benefits are significant: enhanced safety, improved accuracy, increased efficiency, and streamlined data management. With the mounting pressures of labour shortages and health and safety demands, the way forward is clear and necessary: it's time to modernise and automate pre-weigh operations.