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To mitigate the negative impact of the labor crisis , more businesses are turning to technology for help , hoping to shoreup existing operations , and increasing automation to help build more sustainable and resilient businesses . But exactly which technologies can help and how can food and beverage businesses ensure they ’ re deriving maximum value from the technologies they are investing in , using them to address the specific challenges their businesses are facing daily ?
The Internet of Things
One area where the industry seems to be investing more is the Internet of Things ( IoT ). Indeed , according to a study by ReportLinker , the value of the IoT and traceability for the food and beverage manufacturing sector is expected to reach $ 8.43 billion by 2025 , with a compound annual growth rate ( CAGR ) of 9.5 percent .
Undoubtedly , the IoT has a vital role to play in optimizing operations for food and beverage manufacturers , helping businesses to secure that all-important visibility over manufacturing and logistics , boosting automation and increasing operational efficiency . The use cases for the IoT are myriad , with a multitude of sensors and systems capturing data from right across the business and feeding this back into the business .
In farming , for example , sensors can monitor the humidity of soil , triggering an alert when watering needs to take place . On the shop floor , equipment sensors can predict impending maintenance issues , reducing downtime and facilitating proactive maintenance programs . When it comes to food safety too , sensors and monitors can provide accurate data on production and storage , helping to reduce waste and maintain quality . And IoT-driven inventory management can help boost inventory efficiency , reducing shortages and oversupply , again helping to reduce waste . The possibilities are seemingly endless with the IoT , with businesses able to gather the crucial data to drive real improvements right across the business .
Smart use of data
That ’ s not to say that the IoT is a panacea for the industry . The IoT should be viewed as an enabling technology , one which allows a business to collect data from right across the organization . But it ’ s what the business does with this data next that can really make all the difference . When you have all this monitoring in place , it makes total sense to do smart things with the data . This is where analytics and data science come into the equation , with their ability to turn data into real , actionable insight that addresses head-on the very issues that matter most to the business . Such is the unpredictability and variability of the industry , it ’ s necessary to bring science into the equation to better predict and forecast , helping to manage the everpresent instability and uncertainty .
Success also depends on having the right data in the first place . IoT data alone isn ’ t enough , but bring in information from other business systems , including ERP , MES and warehouse solutions , for example , amalgamating it all within a centralized data lake and you can apply the necessary analytics . More crucially , add machine learning capabilities into the mix and what you get is intelligent , actionable insight .
Collaborative working
Clearly , many businesses don ’ t have the data science skills in-house , which is why it ’ s vital to work with the experts who can provide the enabling technology . But it ’ s very much a partnership . Machine learning can analyze all the data and tell the business exactly what it wants to know , but the ideas and the parameters that machine
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