ABN Amro: turnaround for robotization in food sector

Robots, big data, mechanics and artificial intelligence are all what's ringing in the food sector right now. And due to rapid developments in these areas, a turnaround is taking place in the sector: robotization is closer than ever. So writes the ABN Amro in its recently released publication Robotization in the Food Sector.

Despite the possibilities, the use of robots often turns out to be a challenge in the food sector. For example: fresh products such as peppers or tomatoes differ in size, shape and weight, which means that processing lines must be flexible. It is precisely this flexibility that is a major challenge for robots. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence, big data and mechanics are visibly causing a turnaround, ABN AMRO believes. For example, 429 new robots were sold to entrepreneurs in the food industry in 2016: double the number sold in 2015, when 200 were sold. That increase is larger than in any other sector in the Netherlands.

Insight

Before you, as an entrepreneur, start investing in a robot, want to further robotize or automate, it is important, according to the ABN Amro, to get a good insight into the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the investment. This TCO consists of the purchase costs, the mechanical maintenance, the service contract of the suppliers, the software updates, the interim replacement of wearing parts and, in case of financing, the lease amount.

Return on investment

It is important for an entrepreneur to calculate how quickly the machine can be earned back, continues the bank. In doing so, it must also take into account the technical life of the machine.

In addition, the entrepreneur will have to ask himself whether the current employees have the skills to operate the new machine. It is a challenge for entrepreneurs to find qualified personnel in a tight labor market, but current personnel can also be retrained if necessary.

Introduce

And finally, in the food industry, the flexibility of robots is important. How easy is it to adapt the machine to processing a different product? If so, the entrepreneur can more easily respond to changes and therefore remain relevant in his sector.

Click here for the entire publication Robotization in the Food Sector.

Source: ABN Amro