Dairy Processing - November/December 2024 - 56

SUPPLY CHAIN
the likelihood of stockouts, which can be detrimental in the
perishable dairy sector.
" Robotics and advanced software technologies are crucial
in enhancing efficiency within the dairy supply chain, " said
Raymond Pan, general manager for the Americas at Pudu
Robotics, which provides this tech to dairy companies.
For instance, the PUDU T300 automates the delivery of
packaging materials, thus reducing operational bottlenecks
and improving workflow efficiency.
" The T300's advanced maneuverability allows it to
navigate narrow corridors often found in dairy processing
facilities, contributing to streamlined material handling, "
Pan said. " Combined with software solutions like inventory
management systems, which provide real-time tracking
of inventory levels, these technologies facilitate timely
restocking and minimize stockouts. "
Mathias Konne, North America business head, food,
for Stäubli, a Switzerland-based company that provides
robots to dairy processors, noted industrial
cheese production presents several challenges;
including direct contact with unpackaged
food, high hygiene standards and regular
rigorous cleaning procedures.
The company's robotic solutions, from
delivery to processing and packaging, do away
with these concerns by offering safe, flexible
automated production of dairy products.
Among its clients are Big Drum Engineering
GmbH, which uses Stäubli TX90
HE robots to manufacture equipment
for ice cream packing and filling
56 NOV-DEC 2024 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
operations; an Argentinian dairy that uses robots to handle six
tons of unpackaged soft cheese per hour; and a Dutch dairy
processor that utilizes two robots for de-rinding cheese wheels,
impressively removing the rind in less than 30 seconds.
" Our extensive portfolio of four- and six-axis robots
guarantees the systematic automation of every process on a
hard cheese production line, " Konne said. " From the infeed
of Euro blocks or cheese wheels, through dividing, cutting
and portioning, to primary and secondary packaging with
subsequent pallet stacking, Stäubli robots enable ultraefficient
hard cheese production. "
Furthermore, Stäubli WFT's highly flexible AGV solutions
transport finished pallets to the warehouse or directly to the
shipping department without any human intervention.
James Newman is head of product and portfolio marketing
at Augury, which offers prescriptive AI for some of the world's
largest manufacturers. He said for repetitive tasks, robotics
both free up employees to work on other tasks that
aren't as easily automated, and reduce task-related
injuries. Plus, because robots can improve
precision and control, companies may also see
higher product quality.
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
From a software perspective, the introduction of
AI-driven analytics into the dairy supply chain can
have significant impacts.
" One dairy producer used AI-driven
insights on a single process line, in
real-time, to improve throughput
and yield by 1.6% annually, without
Infor, Pudu Robotics
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Dairy Processing - November/December 2024

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