In process industries, where production downtime leads to increased outlays and lost opportunities, reliable manufacturing equipment backed by high-end service and support is critical to business success. Businesses that rely on mechatronic drive technology to keep their product lines moving offer a prime example of this principle in action.
Australia’s food and beverage processing industries are worth approximately $26 billion to the economy and employ almost 235,000 people. It is a vital industry because it not only produces goods for the local market, it is also a net exporter of foodstuffs and beverages. When combined with the related industries of agriculture, forestry and fishing, then the figure balloons to almost $54 billion.
All food processing businesses need plant and equipment that not only does the job but are reliable and designed to meet the environments in which they work. This includes an array of plant – from conveyors belts and packaging equipment, through to sorting and mixing machinery. Any hiccup can have catastrophic consequences. One slight mishap can cause the whole operation to close, deadlines to be missed, or food and beverage produce to spoil. It’s money down the drain. What preventative plant and maintenance managers need to have are the tools to make sure this never happens.
Designing and building a single flow meter to cover a wide range of installations and other specific applications whilst keeping it affordable for the masses may seem near impossible. Fortunately, the German-made Kobold MIM Magnetic Induction Flow Meter is one of few devices on the market to achieve this goal.
Consumers around the world believe companies are the most responsible for a whole host of sustainability issues, but also acknowledge that consumer behaviour can make a difference, according to the latest research from the newly-released Mintel Sustainability Barometer.
As we all adapt to the ‘new normal’ the Food & Beverage industry has been gradually integrating Industry 4.0 into production processes and across their value chains. The volatility we see in the market, combined with new demands to quickly improve agility and resiliency in plants and across supply chains will serve to accelerate digitization and adoption of IIoT. This report documents four core benefits of digital transformation in food & beverage, based on real-time aggregated data of companies within the industry. The results reveal that efficiency gains, reliability improvements, and cost savings are realistic and achievable using these solutions.
The art of brewing a fine beer demands time and patience. Equally important, selecting the right processing equipment will ensure that the taste is always as expected. Although the craft beer market in Australia is still new, the beer brewing industry is expanding rapidly across the country.
Dave Delany from ifm Australia likens the process of digitalising a factory to that of a kitchen pantry. The pantry may be filled with ingredients, but without a recipe or cooking experience, how do you go about prepping a meal? Where do you start?
According to Delany, you don’t need to have the equivalent of a chef’s expertise in IT to get your business Industry 4.0 ready. Read more on how ifm has created a simple platform and ready-to-go software package that will protect what’s important to you, and allow you to start small, and scale fast.
Food safety management systems described in the ISO 22000 standard and such laws as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) have helped drive a transformation in how the global food and beverage industry views and achieves food safety. The focus shifted from reacting to problems after they occur to proactively preventing incidents through a variety of mandates, recommendations, and controls.
When it comes to balancing between food and beverage productivity and compliance with safety regulations, selecting the right lubricant system for use with food and beverage processing equipment such as chain driven roller conveyors, is highly critical and can be challenging.
Nitrogen gas has numerous applications in food and beverage industries. Primarily, it is used to preserve or prevent product from spoiling from oxidisation. It has applications that range from food packaging and storage, to wine, beer and fruit juice production. While widely used, many food and beverage businesses rely on the delivery of bottled nitrogen gas as their source. This white paper examines the applications of nitrogen gas in Australian food and beverage operations and the business case for generating nitrogen onsite.
Finding ways to minimise breakdowns and downtime is of great advantage. Unplanned work stoppages cost industries billions of dollars in lost revenue every year, as well as creating unsafe workplaces, accidents and health issues. There are ways you can minimise the chance of a breakdown as well as speed up repair time, find out how well-maintained motors are the key to success by downloading the white paper.
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