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Introduction to the Internet of Things (IoT)
IOT is an interconnected system of both mechanical and digital computing devices which uses sensors in machines, animals, and even people to create unprecedented amounts of detailed data on important systems in order to make them better. Computers can then transfer this data over a network without any human intervention and communicate with other machines or human operators to make task easier and more efficient.
How IoT is Transforming the Food and Beverage Industry
The food service industry is a highly dynamic and evolving industry, where the Internet of Things can create real value for businesses that distribute, deliver, and sell food and beverage products.
There is no doubt that by adopting IoT, the food and beverage industry can run to its highest potential. IoT is helping companies to achieve high levels of food safety, improve traceability, cut down wastage, and reduce costs and risks across the different stages of food processing and packaging.
One of the primary goals of the F&B industry is to deliver high quality food to the end consumer, which directly depends on how the food is stored before it reaches the consumer’s basket. Maintaining adequate temperature and humidity levels is one of the primary concerns in storing perishable food products such as meat or dairy. This can be done by properly monitoring the food service equipment round the clock, regardless of whether the staff is present, or the stores/warehouses are open or closed.
How IoT technology could benefit food and beverage industry
The benefits offered by IoT technology in the food and beverage industry are plenty, and the impact of the technology is also extremely impressive over the last few years. Let’s check out some of the key effects of IoT in food Industry:
- Improved Food Safety
F&B industry is paying more attention to food safety. Food and beverage solutions enabled by IoT help companies in remaining flexible while proving the best top of the line products. Currently, in the packaging industry, food packaging has been tagged with sensors and linked to a supply-chain-wide network. It helps investigators with the trace-and-track process and significantly reduces the time and effort involved in it.
Just like the logistics department of any other industry, food and beverage logistics can also use IoT technology in their operations. Such solutions can not only help F&B teams to track inventory in real time, but also help to automate shipments based on requests or predictions for replenishment. it permits shippers to track the location of the product with GPS; by collecting the purposeful data, shippers get an idea of estimated performance in a different regions. This will eventually help shippers in understanding customer’s behavior to reduce dead miles in trucks.
- Transparent Supply Chains
Global supply chain has started implementing traceability and transparency, which helps in increasing customer loyalty and establishing trust between the business and the consumers. Because of this, both consumers and companies can track the products. IoT can make this entire process more convenient and effective.
- Smarter and More Efficient Operations
Operational efficiency is a buzz word for manufacturers, and every company in the F&B industry is aiming to achieve it. Operational efficiency can be increased by integrating workflows and reducing manual processes, connecting business groups and systems, streamlining processes to make better decisions, and implementing process improvements to turn growth into profits.
Appliances used by restaurants account for a large portion of the electricity bill and it gets quite difficult for restaurant owners to keep track of their energy usage or to reduce the associated costs. Many a times, the root cause of this problem is the power consumed by older kitchen appliances. Additionally, the risk of unexpected breakdown is higher with such appliances, resulting in a jumbled maintenance schedule.
The food industry requires careful monitoring of all systems to work to be profitable. Balancing inventory with demand, ensuring consistent quality, and maintaining machine conditions are only a few of thousands if mini systems and processes that must work perfectly. IoT data from all these systems can be centralized and put where it’s needed to allow for continuous improvement in food manufacturing.
Resources
https://www.einfochips.com/blog/5-ways-iot-is-transforming-the-food-and-beverage-industry/
https://www.worximity.com/iot-for-food-and-beverage-manufacturing
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