RPA for Food Industry in Japan
Process Automation in the Food and Beverage Industry – Overview
The demanding nature of the food and beverages industry on both, the front end as well as the back end, makes the application of Robotics Process Automation, better known as RPA, customary. Now, why the front end and the back end? That’s because the ecosystem is demanding. Let us consider an example of a simple chain in the food and beverage industry. A processed food and beverage manufacturer has to keep up with the increasing demand for faster and better production as laid down by the distributors, shopkeepers, restaurant owners, etc. Further, larger restaurant owners, franchise owners, etc. too are tied up with the end consumer demands. Both these demand elements within the ecosystem require robotic automation mechanisms that would expedite the production and processing rate at the ground level, and also accelerate order processing, order management, and the billing process, at the eventual level, i.e. the end consumer one.
In a nutshell though, here’s why you need RPA in the food and beverage industry.
- Foster cost-effective automated processes
- Enhanced operational, technical, regulatory and administrative efficiency
- Adherence to standard rules and regulations
- Keep manual intervention to minimal
- Avoid manual errors
- Expedite the manufacturing, processing and billing process on multiple fronts throughout the industrial ecosystem
- Keep labour involvement and therefore labour costs to minimal
Benefits of RPA in the Food Companies
Much before the manufacturing industry comes into the picture, it is agriculture from where the chain begins. Robotics Process Automation, when designed and applied in the right manner, can expedite and augment the agricultural produce, thus keeping up with the ever-increasing and high demands of each and every element involved in the process. Hence, from agricultural yield to automated processing plants, and finally the restaurant’s or the end distributor’s billing machine, RPA could be induced throughout multiple processes, and tailored to the diverse requirements of each one of it. Holistically, here are some of the benefits of RPA application in the food companies.
- Improved safety throughout the manufacturing and processing cycle.
- Maintenance of the standard quality controls
- Help keep the manufacturers with the brand reputation, owing to compliance with the standard operating procedures
- Comprehensive traceability, along with footprints helps amplify the analytical abilities, and foster continuous improvement in multiple processes.
Examples/ Use Cases of Robotic Process Automation in Food Industry
1. Cutting and Slicing
While some cutting and slicing processes are simple and could be efficiently handled by manual processes, RPA is required for the more complex and advanced cutting and slicing processes. An example of this could be fish cutting, as it involves removing out the defects and cutting the fish in uniform dimensions.
2. Butchery
Butchery is another complicated task that requires an extremely customized robotic automation process. Nevertheless, RPA that uses robot manipulators and various types of vision sensors serve as a tailor-made solution for the highly demanding and customized butchery process, thereby ensuring labour safety and the consistency of the butchery process and the product.
3. Vegetable and Fruit Pick and Place
Originally, vegetable and fruit picking and placing could be perceived as a challenge for robotics process automation. This is because of the varying size of the fruits and vegetables. These variations demand a meticulous handling mechanism in order to reduce, or in the best cases culminate the damage. This is the reason why this job is conventionally handled by human beings. Nevertheless, within robotics, it is soft robotics, which, through the application of soft grippers helps deal with the complexities posed by varying sizes and textures.
The above are some applications in the food processing industry. The application of RPA isn’t limited to processing, but has of course extended to automating and expediting the billing and invoicing process. For franchise owners or food outlets that handle a large work volume, RPA proves to be an apt solution, as it reduces manual efforts and fosters operational efficiency.
RPA Solution in Japan – Get Automation Anywhere Sales, Service and Support in Japan
Fidel in Japan represents Automation Anywhere, one of the leading RPA solutions providers across the globe, to help businesses in Japan with customized and highly optimized RPA solutions. Fidel offers various services under the RPA service proposition. Some of these services include RPA consultation, RPA designing, RPA implementation, and RPA technical support. For more information on Fidel – Automation Anywhere RPA services in Japan, get in touch with us.