Dairy Processing - November/December 2023 - 21

top investment
prorities
Respondents were asked: How important
are the following goals when leveraging
automation and technology investments
to help reduce workforce challenges and
create greater operating efficiencies?*
Increasing revenue potential
More consistent product quality
Improving downtime/uptime ratios
Faster, more efficient automated
processes comparted to human labor
Increasing capacity
Eliminating need for manual labor
73%
65%
Reducing time to product and implement
engineering change notices
59%
Controling every aspect of part revisions
and in-activations (through ERP)
48%
(4 or 5 on 5-point scale where 5='Extremely important')
*Multiple responses accepted
86%
85%
80%
74%
Plans are in place to upgrade current
equipment and technology, or companies
are considering first-time purchases.
Large, mid-size and smaller processors all
prioritize investments in:
* Automated cleaning/sanitation
systems
* Recipe handling and traceability
software
* Microfiltration and membrane
technology
* Quality inspection software
* Complete robotic automation systems
for primary and secondary packaging,
palletizing
* Progress with cloud-based Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) systems
Just more than 30% are considering firsttime
company purchases in AI, while a share
of professionals with mid-size and smaller
processors are making progress with at-machine
display technologies. These processors are
considering first-time purchases of at-machine
OEM portal access, remote machine operation
and observation, and purchases related to the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and AI.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
When isolating investment areas directly tied
to moving the dairy industry forward through
automation and modernization across the
processing journey, from beginning to end,
including investments in digital tools and
technology, there are some key similarities,
regardless of company size.
* Investments in digital tools, including
at-machine display technologies, OEM
portal access and AI in facilities
Survey respondents were also asked,
" What dream innovation/technology
would you expect to find in the dairy
processing facility of the future? "
Responses varied and included items
such as equipment and technologyspecific
upgrades, including total clean
in place solutions, monitored by smart
AI and integration with customer ERP for
supply chain management. Sustainabilityfocused
upgrades included cold pasteurization,
where as automation-related responses included
automated lines being run by skeleton crews
and complete facility automation.
The study reinforced that automation is
a key component not only for optimizing the
current work force and reducing risk, but also
providing significant opportunities to lower
costs and enhance profitability by driving
efficiencies. However, cost of automated
systems can be a barrier for some companies,
especially when comparing the small-tomedium
processors to the larger processors,
but that could change in the future with further
innovation that could make these types of
investments less cost prohibitive down the line.
Hellmer noted this study will help establish a
baseline of where the industry is in terms of its
modernization investments.
She added: " As we revisit the industry's
activity in future studies, it will be interesting to
see how these trends change over time. "
INTERESTED
IN LEARNING
MORE?
To view more in-depth
information about the
Modernization of the
US Dairy Processing
Industry study, an ondemand
webinar breaking
down the survey results
is available to view at
https://shorturl.at/yHJKQ
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | NOV-DEC 2023 21
2023 Modernization of the Dairy Processing Industry | Cypress Research
https://shorturl.at/yHJKQ http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - November/December 2023

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