Industry news mechanical engineering

Digitization in food machinery manufacturing – potential not fully exploited

According to the VDMA, the process of digitizing food processing machinery takes place in four steps, of which most manufacturers have so far only taken the first two.

Manufacturers are already using digitization to collect data using sensors and special software solutions and then to analyze it. What is still missing, however, and should be applied in the future, is intelligent processing via cross-machine links, interpretations and further processing, as well as making data usable, i.e. the user-friendly presentation of analyses. However, this requires users to cooperate closely and be willing to share their live data. Numerous advantages can be generated as a result of close cooperation and joint use of the data. For example, according to the VDMA, this can lead to product improvements in the area of hardware, the development of smart machines and new digital business models, and improved communication between the machines and their integration.

(Source: Strategien für den deutschen Nahrungsmittelmaschinenbau 2035 – Teil 2 der VDMA Future Business Studie „Deutscher Nahrungsmittelmaschinenbau 2035: Branchen-Zukunftsbilder für den Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, p. 22)