Being the operations manager of a food manufacturing facility is a strenuous role. There are numerous opportunities for small issues to escalate to points in which critical production time is lost or irreversible damage is caused. Luckily, there are many resources for operations managers in the food processing industry to utilize to continue to efficiently produce while overcoming any problems that may arise.
Below are a Few Valuable Resources for the Food Manufacturing Operations Manager
Understanding the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is defined as “a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.” This system of data transfer is revolutionizing the food manufacturing industry. Easily accessible information allows operations managers to implement extremely beneficial practices such as true predictive maintenance and remotely controlled operations. IIoT has caused considerable growth to the food manufacturing industry and has lead the industry to a digital industrial transformation.
The Value of Analytics
The key part of the IIoT in food manufacturing is the use of analytics. Analytics are “the use of mathematics, statistics, predictive modeling and machine learning to find patterns in data.” The use of real-time analytics enables operations managers to monitor production, track overall performance, and make continuous improvements. When an operations manager can quickly and easily access real-time analytics, issues can be immediately resolved while reducing product waste, downtime, and overtime. Developing a system for monitoring analytics is a crucial part in maintaining an effective and profitable food manufacturing facility.
Hardware and Software
Worximity TileBoard
Worximity TileBoard is a graphical interface which allows users to monitor the key performance indicators of your production process. TileBoard’s automatic downtime event tracker records all downtime events and allows you to easily identify the causes. This information can be sectioned by plant, by line, or by equipment and easily viewable on a Pareto Chart. Within TileBoard’s interface, collected data is displayed on a real-time dashboard. Using the real-time dashboard and an easy alert setup, key data can be quickly available to everyone involved in the remediation process. With real-time notifications, issues can be better understood and prioritized. TileBoard also supports continuous improvement by allowing you to filter causes of downtime by frequency, duration, quantity, reason, date or specific department to help you develop the appropriate corrective measures. Tileboard is compatible with all types of machines and all brands. Unique to Tileboard is API integration with food manufacturing checkweighers made by Mettler Toledo, Ishida, Yamato.
Examples of Tileboard being utilized in the food manufacturing industry can be seen here.
Interested in advancing your food manufacturing operations? Request a Tileboard demo below.
