Dairy Processing - May/June 2022 - 45

can spend their time analyzing the data instead of preparing it.
The global market for service robotics is projected to
reach $110.4 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 21.2%.
Mertes also said automated milking systems at farms
are becoming increasingly cost-effective and more widely
adopted, and the process for milk haulers to collect their data
is even becoming paperless and leading to additional realtime
data.
Workers in plants are often more inexperienced than
before and require training, and the training process is
becoming more automated with the help of augmented reality.
Visual systems with glasses are often being used to offer these
new employees training through instant access to videos and
informative materials that instruct the new hire while they are
on the job.
MANAGING FACILITIES REMOTELY
Instead of having numerous staff members walking the floors
of processing facilities, a big focus for dairy plants in the
future will be integrating technologies that enable remote
monitoring of the operation, according to Jim LeClair, fluid
handling commercial manager with Alfa Laval, Richmond, Va.
This switch to a central, control room style setup will allow
management to instantly look at the state of operations and
be informed of the facility's output in real time.
" Instead of manually inspecting the equipment on the line,
you would have someone monitoring the system virtually and
deploying maintenance staff or other resources if a problem is
identified by our technology. " LeClair said. " Instead of always
having someone walking the line making sure something is
running, it's all in a centralized area. "
companies are focusing on products they can produce in
larger volume with less labor.
" Labor constraints have become the great bottleneck for a
lot of the supply chain, " Mertes said. " Now that we don't have
enough people, we've had to rethink our facilities. "
Much of that rethinking has come through automation.
To this end, Mertes sees automated packing, remote access
to facilities and the linking of data systems as three laborreducing
efforts the industry is adopting.
Mertes said instead of manual packing in facilities, many
processors are using palletizers and robotics to reduce the
amount of labor required. Plants have also updated their
remote technology systems so experts can have access to
their floors without having to travel. Additionally, plants are
consolidating their data flow by obtaining information directly
from the floor and combining it electronically with their
systems, so labor is no longer required to obtain data. The
result is a source of real-time information, and back-end staff
Alfa Laval also offers products that alert staff when
preventative maintenance on pumps is required. The
company's condition monitor is a vibration and temperature
sensor fitted to pumps, and by establishing a baseline
vibration level and setting alarm levels, it allows maintenance
staff to identify trends that can lead to pump failure. If it
detects a potential problem, maintenance staff can be directed
to the precise problem.
" With this technology, dairies can focus more on
preventative maintenance cycles and gather performance
" We are convinced that big-picture
wise, the connection of the farm to
the plant is going to be required. "
Ryan Mertes, chief solutions officer, Dairy.com
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | MAY-JUN 2022 45
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Dairy Processing - May/June 2022

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