Everywhere we look today, we run across bits of the digital revolution. We connect devices, and we collect data, to improve the quality of our lives and enhance the comfort of our day-to-day living.
IoT is reshaping the way we live and work. Many industries have been positively influenced by Internet of Things and the food and beverage industries make no exception. By adopting digitization, food processors can unfold opportunities, improving operational efficiency and overall, leading to business growth.
By implementing IoT, food and agri-food companies enable superior levels of traceability of goods and assets, increasing food safety along the entire supply chain. As a result, waste is reduced, costs are lower, and risks are smaller, in all stages of the production process.
With IoT, the food industry becomes smarter and part of a more connected supply chain.
Raw Material & Inventory Control
IoT can be used to monitor the stock in inventory areas and facilitate the ordering of new supplies when these are needed. Such optimization can reduce waste by tracking demand and ordering raw materials, only, if they are required. Integrating schedules and ordering with production data will minimize downtime and increase production efficiency.
Production, storage, and food safety
Various IoT sensors can help for increased quality control by tracking workers’ activities or a number of products and providing real-time information about production. For example, sensors could monitor working hours of machinery, identify excessive load or unnecessary idle times and help in defining perhaps an improved workflow and a better schedule of mandatory maintenance works. Overall, this would lead to increased machine utilization and savings by reducing maintenance costs due to unforeseen outages.
Sensors could measure humidity or temperature along a process chain and allow real-time optimization of the production procedure. Or during storage, provide alerts in case of out-of-range values. Ultimately, this would also translate into better product quality, waste reduction, and cost savings.
Companies that closely monitor food safety data points, ensuring efficient cold chain management, will have access to meaningful data that in turn empower them to implement reliable food safety solutions.
Increased consumer loyalty
Consumers expect transparency from the companies they buy from. And this is particularly true in the food industry. Implementing traceability along the global production and supply chain will help food companies to win business through consumer trust and loyalty.
IoT can help the food industry to uncover ways to connect the food supply chain to real-time product data, creating endless opportunities for food manufacturers and retailers. Companies will benefit by finding and solving inefficiencies in the supply chain, meeting food safety regulations, and providing transparency to consumers.
Conclusion
With the availability of IoT solutions and services, the food and beverage industries will experience key transformations, particularly in terms of production efficiency and food safety. Leveraging the IoT technology to keep up the highest quality standards, food manufacturing can rest assured of having the same product, with similar higher quality at any time and anywhere.
If you work in the food industry, from food production to storage or retail, and are interested in more details about how our IoT and smart solutions can help you, contact us at sales@deltatelgroup.com.
