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IoT,Automation,andtheFutureofFoodSafety
RobertBurghPresidentofNexcorFoodSafetyTechnologies
What’sthePoint?
Goal:Profitablyproduceanddeliverproductontimethatisfoodsafeandtospecification.
EveryoneisResponsiblefortheFinishedProduct
• SupplyChain• Production• Maintenance• QA• Sanitation• HR• Administration• EVERYONE!TheBottomlineisOneNumber
FoodSafetyIsMoreThanSanitation• ProductionBehavior:
– GMP,producttospecification,ingredients,wrapping,etc.
– Operateequipmentappropriately.• MaintenanceBehavior:
– Equipmentismaintainedtospecification.– Buildingisenvironmentallysound:positiveair
pressure,nogaps,hygienicdesign,andmore.• QABehavior:
– Monitoringingredients,process,finishedproduct,etc.
• FoodSafetyBehavior– Sanitation,changeovers,allergens,pest
management,etc.
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TaketheTimetoStepBack
• Whatinformationisbeinggatheredmanually?• Whatisdataisalreadybeinggathered?• Whatdataisn’tgettingtopeopleorprocessesthatvalueit?
Youdon’thavetobeahippietobeholistic.
ALotofNewandGreatTechisAvailable
• Sensors–frommanymanufacturers• Theabilitytoshareandstoredata• ArtificialIntelligence• MobileDevices
MakingitReal
Getpastthemarketingterms:
– Sensor=Athingthatmeasuressomething(literallyhundredsorthousandsofthemavailable)
– Cloud=Theserverisinsomeoneelse’sdatacenter– ArtificialIntelligence=PatternMatching(reallyfastusingalotofdata!)– EdgeComputing=Serverinyourbuildingsendsdatatothecloud
(becausetheinternetreallyisn’tthatreliableallthetime)– Blockchain=SharedDataandTransactionsthatsupposedlycan’t
changeoncetheyareentered.– Form&ReportBuilder=Dataentry–It’syourproblem,goodluck
WhattoConsider
• ReviewyourPlant– Whereis“LackofKnowledge”hindering
efficiency?– WhereisDatabeinggatheredmanually?– WhereisDatarecordedmanually(onforms,
screens,etc.)?
• Reviewthelogic– Whereistherevalueinexistingprotocols?– Willupdatedornewprotocolsaddvalue?
• Pickyourpriorities– Whatwillbestimproveyouroperation?– Whatcanbeusedmultipleplaces(synergies
count)?
Goals:• IncreaseSales• LowerCost• MitigateRisk
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DefinitionofSuccess
• Youmustdeterminewhatasuccessfulresultlookslike.– Thisiscriticalbeforestartinganyproject.– Soundsobvious,butunlessclearlydefined,noteveryonewillbeon
thesamepage.– Bespecificaboutwhatisautomatic,whatrequireshuman
intervention,wheredatagoesautomatically,etc.– Beclearabouthowthemeasureswillprovideapositiveimpactto
youroperation.Includealleffecteddepartmentsbeforestartingtheproject.
Protocols&
KPIs
NewTechnology/BusinessProcesses…NotAllPositive?
• Aprovenexampleofsomethingeverycompanyneeds:– ERProllouts:50%failwithmanyoverbudget,canceledorlawsuits.
• TangiblevsIntangible– Whenbuyingequipmentthegoalisveryclear,theresultseasily
provable.– MostITprojectsrequirea“culturaldisruption”andachangein
processbeforerealizationofresults,evenwithclearlydefinedgoals.
Vs.
IoTandAutomationProjects• Data=Themeasurementsfromthe
sensorsandsystems.
• Information=WhatyoucandowiththeData.TheMoreActionablethebetter!
• Automation=Intelligentflowsbetweentasks,data,systemsusinganynumberoftools.
• Alerts=EmailsorTextMessagestriggeredbyrule-baseddatathresholds.
WrapArea
Zone1
BulkIngredients
MSS
Structural
Receiving
Zone2
PestControl
MakingSenseofWhattoAutomate
https://xkcd.com/1205/
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Opportunities
• FoodSafetyDocumentation• CorrectiveActionRequests• MaintenanceWorkOrdersforSanitation• AddressingRootCausesofConsumerComplaints• Manpower(Resource)Management• Inspections• Non-ComplianceAlertsandEscalations• AutomationofReporting• Dashboards
ContinuousImprovement
TheOODALoop(backagainfrom2019)
Example:EnvironmentalSensors
• FoodSafety• Maintenance• Production
Humidity Temperature AirPressure
Example:RFIDonVemagCarts
• TrackVemagCartstoensurepropercleaning
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Example:AssignmentCompletionAutomation
• SupervisorEmailedStatus
Example:CommunicationBetweenSystems
• SanitationInspectionsgenerateMaintenanceWorkOrders• MaintenanceInspectionsgenerateSanitationCorrective
Actions• MaintenanceEmergencyRepairgenerateSanitation“Clean
andSanitize”Documentation
FoodSafety Maintenance
Example:SifterTailingChecks
• Documentation• Remind,EnforceandEscalate
ThankYou!AnyQuestions?
