UK bakers could profit from online courses in automation
A spokesperson for Desq, the interactive platform provider, told BakeryandSnacks.com that the course is based on a blended learning approach involving both online and face-to-face tutorials and said that automation experts in Reaseheath College developed the course content.
Desq said that central to the digital training resource is a series of video-based industry case studies showing food automation and robotics in use, with ways for learners to interact and reflect on their area of business.
Mapped to NVQ levels 3 and 4 and foundation degree learning objectives, the technology supplier said it is collaborating with CenFRA on providing the interactive modules as part of a flexible training and development programme for the food and drink industry.
The Desq spokesperson could not confirm when the course will go live but said that it is awaiting final approval from CenFRA on the interactive modules, and he added that it is expected the course will be hosted on the website of the UK’s National Skills Academy.
Simulated automation
Meanwhile, according to CenFRA, its discrete event computer simulation technologies, are enabling baked goods and other food manufacturers successfully and cost effectively evaluate and quantify the benefits and implications of integrating different automation techniques into new or existing production lines on a ‘virtual’ scale without creating any disruption to current manufacturing operations.
Discrete event computer simulation produces virtual replicas of factory floor space and allows food and drink processors to examine how the proposed integration of automation systems will work in reality.
And Steve Blazye, managing director of CenFRA, said the centre recently provided simulation technology to Yorkshire based pork pie manufacturer, the Vale of Mowbray, to determine the ROI on an a planned plant installation project, with this method, he said, resulting in a faster financial payback for the pie maker through the prevention of investment in unsuitable equipment.
“From the numerous 'what if' scenarios carried out, which included level of throughput, number of operators required and machine capabilities, CenFRA's team was able to determine that the intended plan would only be capable of handling a year's increase in production and advised that an alternative approach should be adopted,” he continued.
Blazye added that new plans sent to CenFRA by the pie maker for evaluation using the same simulation methods with additional analysis by the centre on set-up, maintenance and down times confirmed that the revised approach by the Vale of Mowbray would be capable of handling a substantial increase in capacity for the foreseeable future.
Some UK bakery manufacturers are reluctant to invest in automation due to concerns of factory space, the perception that automation is not cost effective for small runs, and the fear that switching to robotics could compromise the quality that hand crafted products traditionally provide.
And overcoming these reservations and advising bakery companies of the enormous potential for automation in production is CenFRA's aim, said Michael Taylor, operations director for Fosters Bakery and chair of CenFRA, speaking to this publication before.
“Not all automation has to be expensive,” he continued. “And the cost of robotics has come down in recent years through their extensive take-up in the automotive industry; with that sector experiencing a major downturn, robotic manufacturers are now targeting the food industry.”
And Taylor claims that even small modifications to bakery equipment or conveyance lines that increase operational speed can have a dramatic impact on output.
