Those of you who are in the food production industry know that food production can be a very difficult and demanding process. While producing food, manufacturers must take several factors into account including: products that must be produced in a timely manner in order to meet customers’ demands, the limits on production capacity, the coordination between raw material purchasing and intermediate production, and the constraints that limit which products can be made on which equipment. Food process manufacturing also requires manufacturers to consider the possibility of spoilage, avoidance of cross contamination, limited storage, and lengthy cleanouts. 

With so many issues to consider while making food products, manufacturers can benefit greatly from effective scheduling. Having a good schedule means more time producing food products and less time performing cleanouts, which in turn will result in increased output and higher revenues. Effective scheduling can also reduce the risks associated with cross contamination and spoilage, and also decrease costs of storing products that are produced too early or shipped late. Manufacturers can manage the issues that come with food process manufacturing with an effective scheduling software like APS, or Advanced Planning and Scheduling. In the following posts, we will discuss the different issues that manufacturers can consider and manage utilizing an APS system.

One of the issues manufacturers can manage with an APS solution is being able to define production capacity, production rates and expected yields. Because the production equipment used in food production is so expensive, and therefore limited, a facility’s maximum production output is limited by many constraints, such as the number of machines available, the production rate of each machine, and the time lost to yield problems, changeovers, and equipment downtime. Furthermore, production capacity can be restrained due to raw materials that may not be available at the right time, or equipment that is not staffed and running during hours of operation. With an APS software, that can be directly incorporated with a facility’s ERP system, manufacturers can input these constraints directly into the program in order to determine the production capacity and production rates. Production equipment can also pose a problem because in many instances the output rate and expected yield for a single product can change depending on the type of equipment used. However, this can easily be handled with an APS software by creating a lookup table that allows manufacturers to specify the capacity, production rate and expected yield of each product on each specific machine. The APS software can schedule jobs using the determined specifications for a certain product on a particular machine, which can be automatically updated if a manufacturer chooses to run the job on another machine.

Interested in what you’ve read so far about an APS solution? Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments about APS scheduling software.

The current industrial crisis has brought about the immense collapse of manufacturing, which is hurting many on a national and global scale. From November of 2008 to February of 2009, industrial production fell by 3.6% in America and 4.4% in Britain. Half-empty freighters are also a sign of a global collapse in manufacturing. Countries like Germany, China, Taiwan, and America have all seen their production orders and output decrease by a significant percentage and many companies within these countries have been forced to shut down and abandon their facilities.

In such a tight economy, many companies within the manufacturing sector are looking to improve efficiency and production, and cut costs in order to avoid closing down their doors for good. So, what can manufacturers of food and beverage products do to stay afloat during these tough economic times? Well, many can look to automated scheduling, specifically Advanced Planning and Scheduling software, also referred to as APS, as an extremely helpful tool to implement into their facilities to assist them in cutting costs. Furthermore, investing in automation technology in the food and beverage manufacturing industry could greatly enhance productivity.With an APS system, companies can ultimately answer when a certain task should be scheduled and what resources should be used to accomplish certain work. APS systems will also help manufacturers create production plans and schedules that can then be used to meet their goals and objectives. 

If you’re interested in implementing an APS system to guide your production processes, you should be aware that there are several available methods used by different APS systems. Most APS software uses either “Rules-based” methods or “Optimization” based methods. APS systems that use the “rules-based” method assign tasks to specific resources. This method is easier for users to understand the actual decision-making process of the engine. This method is better suited for complex scheduling problems that consist of many constraints that need to be followed. Rules-based scheduling also allows you to apply incremental changes to schedules so that you can make changes to a given task. Several downsides to the rules-based methods are that this method doesn’t guarantee the best solution possible and it often relies on experimentation in order to find out what rules would lead to the best results based on a given set of inputs. “Optimization” based methods look to minimize or maximize a mathematical objective and are based on the idea that the best results are output for each planning run. The optimization function usually requires that the cost and penalty factors be used. Unlike the “rules-based” method, this method makes it hard for users to understand the reason behind individual decisions regarding tasks and resources. In addition, because only known variables can be optimized, if an important factor is excluded, results may not be applicable to the real world. When using this method, optimization-based techniques are better suited for more static situations in which the factors are known and understood. 

Despite several differences in the different methods employed by APS software, automated scheduling will help you manage production and capacity constraints, address and solve bottlenecks, minimize excess inventory, and much more  in order for you to efficiently produce and deliver products to consumers so that you may stay competitive in the market.

If you’re interested in purchasing an APS software, but aren’t sure which method is best suited for your company, feel free to ask any questions. Furthermore, if you currently use an APS system, I’d love to hear about your experience with automated scheduling.

When we usually think about automation and robotics and in what industry these tools are used, in most cases the automobile industry comes to mind. Many of us associate robotics with the automobile industry because most of us have seen automobile companies use robotic technology in production processes. We have seen images and clips of large robotic technology and the laborers work together to build a car from top to bottom as it moves through an assembly line. However, with the car industry severely struggling in our down economy, it looks like robotics suppliers are looking to a completely different industry to implement their robotic technology. The Food and Beverage Industry. The introduction of automation and robotics in the food and beverage industry can work in the favor of many companies who look to implement these technologies in their production processes. These robotic systems, which include applications for assembly and material handling, can help companies cut costs, improve production rates, and ensure greater efficiency, all of which are very important factors that many corporations are currently concerned with due to the economy. 

So, you may be thinking, “Can automation and robotics really cut costs, especially since the technology is so expensive?” Yes, robotic technology can be expensive, but companies such as TM Robotics are producing robotic systems that are cheaper and don’t require as much maintenance as other robotics. Furthermore, integrating automation and robotics into your production processes doesn’t always have to be expensive. It doesn’t require a complete transformation in your production processes because you can cater automation to fit into your specific production processes and use small bits of automation to do certain jobs. As many companies cut down their workforce to reduce costs, they can look to robotic technology to replace these jobs. They can also cut costs through better distribution of the workforce by using robotic technology to complete the more monotonous and repetitive tasks, while relocating the workers to jobs that require human skills. 

With automation and robotics, also comes improved productivity and leaner, more efficient processing. Automation and robotics can benefit the food and beverage industry, which utilizes a large human workforce that requires breaks, vacations, days off, etc. If a company fails to find a worker to fill a job, production can be halted, which can lead to more problems like interruptions in scheduling and delivery. Because the use of automated robots does not require companies to abide by labor laws, companies can use robots that are able to work around the clock, thereby increasing and continuing their production output. The use of automation and robotics can also help companies become more efficient because corporations are able to speed up production and assembly lines. Through automation, companies can see greater efficiency and increased productivity, both of which can give corporations a competitive edge over their rival companies.

Comments? Questions? Feel free to let me know what you think about the implementation of robotic technology in the food and beverage industry.