How will robotics & automation change food processing? For the launch of the APRIL robotic chef, OAL and the University of Lincoln hosted a number of fantastic speakers to discuss "How will robotics & automation change food processing?". Speakers included: Jake Norman, Marketing Manager, OAL Andrea Paoli - Robotics Professor, University of Lincoln Ian Beauchamp - Process Manager, OAL Mark Swainson - Principal Lecturer, OAL Harry Norman - Owner/Managing Director, OAL

1. How will robotics
and automation
change food
processing?
National Centre for Food Manufacturing, 28/04/16

2. Mega Trends
Health
Convenience
Choice
Safety & Trust
Highly Price Sensitive
Retailers price war with
discounters
The Market:
Consumer Driven

3. Impact on manufacturing?
Productivity vs Uncertainty
• Ever-increasing diversity of products
requiring greater flexibility.
• Lower relative volumes of each
product line, more SKUs.
• Fierce competition.
• Increased compliance requirements,
traceability, audits etc.
• Impact of living wage.

4. • Cost pressures
• Flexibility
• Traceability
• Food safety
• Waste
• Adaptability
Why automation? Flexible but low cost
Solving food manufacturers’ biggest challenges

5. "Whilst we are very innovative ... where can I
see it operating"
"We would need to initially run the process in
parallel to ensure continuity of supply"
"Brilliant however we have got too much going
on to look at it seriously“
“Finding suitable space within the current
factory layouts will be challenge, can we stick
it on the 3rd floor?”
“Our products are handmade”
Blue Ocean Thinking

6. Industrial Robotics:
Introduction and Future
Perspectives
Dr. Andrea Paoli
[Illustration by Brucie Rosch]

7. Conclusions
What is a robot?
What is industrial robotics?
Robotic Arms
Mobile Robots
Industry 4.0

8. What is a Robot? 1/2
 1921: Writer Karel Capek introduced the word
‘robot’ from the Czech word ‘ROBOTA’, meaning
‘drudgery’
 A robot is a goal oriented
machine that can sense,
act and plan

9. What is a Robot? 2/2

10. Industrial Robotics
 Re-programmable multi-functional manipulator designed to
move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through
variable programmed motions for the performance of a
variety of tasks, which also acquire information from the
environment and move intelligently in response (Robotic
Institute of America)
Industrial
Automation
Robotics

11. Mobile Robots 2/2
2016: Arla Foods warehouse

12. Robot Economics 1/4
[Barclays Bank – Future Proofing UK Manufacturing, 2015]

13. Robot Economics 2/4
[World Robotics 2015 Industrial Robots, IFR]

14. Robot Economics 3/4
[World Robotics 2015 Industrial Robots, IFR]

15. Robot Economics 4/4
[World Robotics 2015 Industrial Robots, IFR]
What’s going
on here?!?

16. Industry 4.0
[http://www.engineersjournal.ie]

17. Factory of the Future

18. [Courtesy WillowGarage]
Do we trust robots?
Basic Safety-Related
Functions
Supervision
Functions
Intrinsically Safe
Robots
Next Generation
Predictive Robots
We are here!!
Smartness

19. Next Generation Safety
Laser Scanner
Controlled 3D cams
Wearable sensors
Smart glasses
Raw data
Eye tracking
Body segmentation
Parts recognition
Intentions detection Human prediction
Robot movements
adaptation

20. Conclusions
 Industry 4.0 revolution
 Human and Robots work together
 High productivity and availability
 We need to work together
 More investment
 Push robotics in less-explored sectors
 Robotics of the future
 Internet of Things
 Advanced Safety
 Natural Human/Robot interaction

21. Inter-Sector Knowledge Transfer
Opportunities
Jeff Nowill, Kuka Robotics

22. Demonstration & Pods

23. How will robotics change traditional food
manufacturing?
Ian Beauchamp, OAL
Mark Swainson, University of Lincoln

24. • Traditional process / technology base
• Labour intensive
• Established thinking
• Competitive market
How can robotics assist in overcoming these issues?
Potential Impact of Robotics/Automation
Typical food industry issues

25. • Product hold-up
• Burn-on
• Spoilage
• Spillages
Margin erosion and increasing disposal costs
Yield Improvement
Typical areas of loss / cost within food processing

26. • Manual systems / overrides
• Uncontrolled variation / procedure
• Ingredient / product handling damage
• Preference / interpretation
The ‘human’ factor!
Quality Improvement
Typical areas resulting in poor product quality

27. • Small batch size
• Ease of reconfiguration
• Simplification of hygiene requirements
• Reduction in cycle times
Optimised / tailored approach
Requirement for Increased Flexibility
Typical areas to improve flexibility

28. • Traditional processes / technologies
• Labour intensive operations
• Reliance on low skilled contract labour
• Staged increase in the minimum wage
Prepared for the future!
Requirement for Reduced Labour Costs
Typically within food processing

29. • On-line analysis / QA approval
• Handling stability / consistency
• Downstream synergies – cryogenic cooling
• Human / robotic interface
Any questions?
Going Forward
Future developments within food processing

30. The APRIL Vision
Harry Norman, OAL

31. • Consumers want more choice
• Food deflation
• Manufacturers suffering from rising costs
• No major advances in productivity
• Living Wage
• Environmental responsibility
In summary:

32. Ingredients for change:
• Technology costs – Moore’s Law, Economies of Scale
• Technology advances – vision, Artificial intelligence
• Connected world – Internet of Things

33. • $775 million acquisition late
2012 – Kiva.
• Expected to install 10,000
robots at Amazon warehouses
by 2015
• Actual end of 2015 – 30,000
robots!
Other industries continue to invest:
Amazon

34. Create a Global Centre of Excellence for Robotic Food
Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln.
1. Educate the industry.
2. Partner with visionary early adopters.
3. Deliver a disruptive change in manufacturing.
Recipe for food processing automation!

35. • Flexible manufacturing
• Yield enhancement
• Improved product quality / consistency
• Smaller factory footprint
• Leaner labour force
Genuine competitive advantage
The Icing on the Cake
Automated Processing Robotic Ingredient Loading

36. Tours of National Centre for Food
Manufacturing