Bulk Ingredient Control Automation

Historically, clipboards and manual observation were the primary means to record data on-site. This is inherently flawed compared to control automation. Integrated control systems record production data electronically. This avoids manual data input and inevitable typographic errors. Barcoding ingredients allows the machine to confirm and interact with the operator to verify the right ingredient has been measured to the precise amount required by the recipe.

Automated processes can be easily audited, which ensures superior record keeping and more reliable production results. This, in turn, makes compliance with regulatory agencies — if required of a manufacturer — much easier. With a fully automated system, a manufacturer gets complete product and batch genealogy, all stored electronically and easily accessible. This is particularly helpful when reporting to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or other regulatory agencies. 

Advanced manufacturing control systems in the food and pharmaceutical industries help to avoid product recalls and meet required verification processes. Information stored electronically can be backlogged, saved for years, and retrieved quickly. This facilitates reporting for the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which requires companies to “shift focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it.”

In the pharmaceutical world, 21 CFR part 11 requires companies to validate electronic systems for quality and compliance. Bulk ingredient control automation ensures effective track and trace of each specific product. It documents not only to the batch level, but also down to pallets, cases, and even individual cartons of each ingredient used to manufacture the product. Variances and other anomalies can be easily spotted and analyzed, leading to faster decision making. Production can then be adjusted or stopped faster, halting the manufacture of an out-of-spec product and reducing the probability of product recalls.

Manufacturing plants tend to put their best people in the most critical roles. But that isn’t enough to prevent human errors. Further, with today’s limited labor availability, the long-standing challenge of finding enough workers to staff all the production shifts has become even more difficult. Automation addresses both issues.

Bulk ingredient handling systems directed by control automation reduce direct labor costs. They also support safer work environments and eliminate repetitive injuries. High labor turnover is often driven by working conditions. Turnover requires more overtime — or requires new, untrained people — to achieve adequate staffing. More overtime increases labor costs, while unfilled positions can shut down a production shift.

Further, robotic automation performs monotonous, low skill tasks around the clock, preventing workers from sustaining repetitive motion injuries and freeing them to handle more value-added tasks. European companies are way ahead of American companies in their use of automation to reduce labor costs in many manufacturing plants.

Another staffing issue facing manufacturers is the aging and evolving workforce. These more mature, hig-value employees will eventually retire and must be replaced with a younger generation. During this generational transition, it’s critical to find a way to retain the institutional knowledge associated with a piece of equipment or process. Otherwise, it will be lost when senior employees retire and are replaced by younger, less experienced staff members. Bulk ingredient control automation systems offer a reliable, permanent means to institutionalize critical production processes without relying on the individuals doing the job.

Generally, a higher level of accuracy is more expensive than a lower standard of accuracy. This should always be kept in mind when considering a bulk ingredient control automation system. An overly stringent specification requirement can cause capital costs to escalate unnecessarily, significantly reducing the overall return on investment (ROI). For example, a 5,000-pound weighment for one ingredient with 2-gram accuracy would be both expensive and unnecessary. A more reasonable specification would be to ensure all weighments are within 99.8% accuracy (or +/- 10 pounds in this example). This accuracy target would apply to all ingredient weighments required for any recipe.   

To ensure the optimal balance between accuracy and ROI, it’s important to evaluate the overarching control automation goals for the process. Depending on the extent of the desired automation — the entire facility, a single manufacturing line, or the dosing of one class of ingredient — the desired degree of accuracy may vary.

It can often be helpful to first assess current cost drivers (such as scrap, rework, or workers compensation claims) to help identify problematic production areas when prioritizing automation solutions. While there are many factors that could influence the cost of bulk ingredient control automation, the ideal system will deliver improved throughput, product quality, process efficiency, and operator safety for years after the initial purchase.