Beverage makers face many challenges including rising costs, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, unscheduled downtime, rapidly changing consumer preferences, and demands for more sustainable practices. Automation can help address each of these challenges by increasing operational efficiency and flexibility, cutting costs, enabling workers to shift to more value-added tasks, and reducing waste.
Automation has become an increasingly important strategy for beverage manufacturers because it can help provide the flexibility they need to quickly change products and pack sizes and troubleshoot the unexpected, according to The Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing, a report from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. With the rapidly shifting demands of consumers and the increasing complexity of products, manufacturers need to be able to adapt quickly. To support this agility, automation needs to be easy to reconfigure to accommodate changes in production requirements. As a result, modular design is an increasingly desirable attribute, allowing manufacturers to quickly add or remove modules as needed. Modular design also makes it easier to scale up output as demand increases.
Typically, beverage companies want to automate processes that are repetitive and unchanging, so automating a flexible line where product sizes, materials, and formats change regularly is seen as a challenge. Smaller firms, which don’t run high-volume batches and need to make frequent product changeovers, can find the requirement for flexibility limits automation choices, so they stick to manual processing. But with labor shortages a fact of life, together with the need for increased speed and efficiency on production lines, the growing expectation from consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms is that automation companies will develop technologies that enable flexibility, such as adaptable machines that can address changing needs quickly, even multiple times a day if necessary.
The report identifies several key automation trends: adoption of robotics, particularly collaborative robots (cobots); increased reliance on artificial intelligence (AI); greater use of data analytics; and tighter operational integration across the entire value chain.
Cobots work alongside human workers, performing tasks that are repetitive, strenuous, or dangerous. Designed to be flexible and easy to program, cobots can be used for a wide range of applications in processing and packaging. This trend is expected to continue as the use of cobots is becoming more widespread, particularly in packaging and palletizing operations. In fact, cobot sales will see particularly strong growth with usage more than doubling from 27% in 2022 to 57% in 2027, according to another PMMI report, Robots & Cobots, An Automated Future. It predicts functional improvements such as vision, feedback sensors, self-learning, mobility, and AI will spur adoption. Systems are increasingly compact, and many newer units are designed to handle heavier payloads at higher rates. Some cobots can move payloads of 30 kilograms or more and automatically switch between standard and collaborative modes. On-board data collection enables operators to identify fault trends to improve productivity.
The use of AI also is highlighted in The Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing report along with machine learning, and data analytics. Beverage makers are using these technologies to optimize processes, reduce downtime, and improve quality control. With the increasing use of sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), beverage manufacturing operations are generating a growing amount of data. By analyzing data, AI can identify patterns and make predictions. This gives manufacturers valuable insights into their processes, helps identify areas for improvement, and enables data-driven decision-making.
The use of AI also is leading to the development of predictive maintenance systems that can identify potential problems before they occur, reducing the risk of equipment failure and unscheduled downtime. This reduces downtime and product loss, the major drivers pushing the implementation of predictive maintenance, according to another PMMI report, Packaging and Predictive Maintenance. Other benefits of adopting a predictive maintenance scheme include longer machine life and a reduction in parts requirements because replacements are installed as needed rather than on an arbitrary schedule.
One of the most significant trends identified in the Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing report is the integration of automation across the value chain. This includes the linkage of manufacturing, packaging, and logistics operations, as well as suppliers and customers. With supplier-to-customer integration, beverage manufacturers can achieve greater efficiency, reduce costs, and improve their overall competitiveness.
The need for this seamless connectivity has become more evident as e-commerce sales gain market share. As the complexity of fulfillment operations increases, the need for automation grows. The Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing report notes that nearly half of CPG companies are feeling the impact of e-commerce on their operations. The higher variability in orders and smaller order quantities are slowing throughput, in some cases as much as 50%. In addition, the last mile has become more challenging, as consumers have become accustomed to higher levels of order transparency and conveniences such as the short delivery times offered by companies like Amazon.
Automation can deliver the operational flexibility needed to efficiently manage this channel. Being able to quickly shift production to meet demand and ship products directly from the factory to consumers means there is no need for inventory, saving money and space. However, it’s not always practical to handle this level of fulfillment complexity in-house. In that situation, many CPG firms are opting to hire third-party warehousing and distribution companies to fulfill orders, and a growing number of retailers are turning to third-party consulting services to help design efficient automated fulfillment networks. This outsourcing approach could help expedite order turnaround with the added benefit of reduced inventory and storage — thus increasing flexibility for beverage makers.
With consumers wanting a more personalized experience, such as the ability to choose recipe ingredients or products in a variety pack, new plants designed for end-to-end automation may need to be built with the e-commerce factor in mind. Industry 4.0 could play its part in re-tooling manufacturing and distribution systems to enable e-commerce to be a standard distribution method, rather than an add-on to the wholesale channel.
Lastly, as the use of automation increases, it is important to ensure that workers are safe and that the risk of accidents is minimized. This requires the use of safety systems such as sensors, safety gates, and emergency stop buttons, as well as the training to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of these automated systems.
PMMI’s Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing report provides valuable insights into the trends and developments that are shaping the packaging and processing industry. As technology continues to evolve, the use of automation is becoming an increasingly important tool to help beverage manufacturers remain competitive, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve sustainability.
Beverage companies will be able to find the hardware, software, and services they need to automate their value chain at PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3–6; McCormick Place, Chicago). The most expansive and all-encompassing packaging and processing industry event in 2024, PACK EXPO International will feature 2,500 exhibitors offering solutions to many of today’s biggest manufacturing needs from an intersection of industries to 40-plus vertical markets. More than 45,000 attendees from CPG and life sciences companies worldwide will converge, searching for innovation, connection, and insight. For more information, visit packexpointernational.com.