Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
White Papers

Beyond the Buzz – How Food Manufacturers Realize the True Value of IIoT

November 13, 2017

The rise of the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is indisputable. In fact, the global IIoT market is expected to reach $123.8B by 2021, permeating and impacting various sectors, some more than others. Specifically for food and beverage manufacturers, this shift should already be top of mind given the industry’s potential to benefit greatly from intelligent, connected automation infrastructure. Not only can increased connectivity improve quality, safety and efficiency, while also optimizing overall production through predictive maintenance, but it can also help reduce operation costs.

However, in the midst of this hype, organizations are encountering a number of roadblocks—ranging from cost to implementation or security—that hinder them from taking full advantage of connectivity. Across all sectors, manufacturers who have successfully achieved industrial automation are exclaiming the rewards from the finish line. But few are discussing the speed bumps and challenges along this path, let alone how to overcome them. Before food manufacturers can realize the true value of IIoT, they must learn how to look past the buzz and focus on taking a step-by-step approach to implementation. Below are three ways to overcome the crossroads of connectivity.

IIoT is an Evolution, Not a Revolution
IIoT holds great promise for improving food and beverage operations, which is appealing to manufacturers eager to dive into what many are calling the “next industrial revolution” and realize these benefits as soon as possible. After all, who wants to wait to achieve safer, more efficient operations, all while reducing unplanned downtime and overall operation costs?

But before food manufacturers get ahead of themselves, they need to know where to start. Different IIoT deployment strategies will make sense for different organizations in order to best meet their particular business needs. Understanding your specific needs and developing a personalized plan to execute on will help food manufacturers avoid errors and make the shift to automated infrastructure more strategic and meaningful.

Moreover, it’s important to understand that this shift is truly more of an “evolution” than a “revolution.” The latter term suggests there will be no transitional state, which is simply unrealistic for food and beverage manufacturers. The industry cannot sustain a full-blown “rip and replace” implementation, but rather requires a more gradual shift to reaching the IIoT end goal. As such, establishing a plan that implements small, simple changes in a gradual manner will help manufacturers integrate new automation capabilities successfully, moving them toward a “smart” supply chain.

Build on Existing Investments
As part of an implementation plan, it’s important to find strategic ways to integrate and leverage existing technology and infrastructure. Connecting your devices doesn’t have to break the bank or become overly complicated. Updating your outdated operational technology systems with new, standards-based hardware and software can deliver immediate benefits around performance, reliability and cost-savings over time, moving you along the path toward IIoT. However, this can also be as simple as gradual upgrades to your existing infrastructure and finding ways to link currently unautomated production processes together.

Food manufacturers must focus on getting all their devices connected in order to allow for the bi-directional exchange of data to and from devices and sensors—and a step beyond that involves delivering that data into the cloud. The food industry currently stands at an advantage because the majority of the sensors needed to ensure product consistency are largely in place already. Therefore, food manufacturers should build on these existing sensor investments to eventually collect usable qualitative data from them to analyze food production. Due to security concerns, some food manufacturers have been slow to connect their automated devices. However, these concerns can be addressed by selecting connectivity approaches and solutions that best match existing levels of support between automation systems and the IT resources they connect with.

Ultimately, investments made in either updating or replacing your existing infrastructure will pay off in the long run due to improved production efficiency and reduced operating costs resulting from implemented automation systems.

Using Data Effectively
Many organizations face a vast amount of data from which they fail to gain any insight. Sensors on food manufacturing infrastructure collect information that is useless if unorganized or unanalyzed. However, understanding what types of data your connected machines are collecting, and learning to leverage real-time analytics and predictive tools, will enable food manufacturers to make better-informed decisions—and as a result, optimize their operations. For example, real-time analytics can detect the slightest changes in operations, allowing food manufacturers to predict whether a machine may fail and address the issue before it slows production. In addition to improving manufacturing efficiency, the insights gained by using data effectively can help increase your company’s top line growth.

Even further down the line, IIoT can help food manufacturers create a smart supply and demand chain through consumer-generated data. As “smart” IoT-enabled refrigerators—ones that allow users to automatically keep “inventory” of their food at home, view the information from their smartphones and even set automatic purchase reminders when stocks gets low—grow in popularity, the ability to monitor consumer demands grows as well. Real-time insight into these types of market shifts will enable supply chain systems to better inform product preferences, which in turn will influence manufacturers’ production, materials and distribution planning, thus eliminating unnecessary warehousing, refrigeration, transportation and inventory costs.

Getting IIoT Right
Food manufacturers have the potential to break through the buzz and intangible hype around IIoT and realize its true value—if they approach the shift strategically and learn to overcome obstacles during this transition. Establishing the right deployment strategy, connecting and leveraging your existing technology investments, and gaining actionable insights from your data are three ways in which food manufacturers can best approach automating their systems. Overcoming crossroads early on will only enable them to optimize operations and realize cost savings over time.

Jason Anderson is a food and beverage strategist at Stratus Technologies.


Author(s): Jason Anderson

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Meat/Poultry
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Risk Assessment
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • mold
    Sponsored byIFC

    Tackling Mold Remediation in Food Processing Plants

  • a worker in a food processing plant
    Sponsored byLPS® DETEX®

    How a Beverage Facility Improved Food Safety and Compliance with Detectable Packaging Solutions

  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

Popular Stories

sunflower oil

Louisiana Passes ‘MAHA’ Bill Targeting More Than 40 Ingredients, Including Seed Oils, Dyes, Sweeteners

Raw chicken legs with vegetables on a dark plate

Cases of Salmonella and Campylobacter in England Hit Highest Levels in a Decade

smoked salmon in oil

Study Shows Food Type Significantly Affects Listeria’s Ability to Survive Digestion, Cause Sickness

Events

July 15, 2025

Hygienic Design Risk Management: Industry Challenges and Global Insights

Live: July 15, 2025 at 11:00 am EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn the importance of hygienic design to ensure food safety and sanitation effectiveness.

July 22, 2025

Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.

August 7, 2025

Achieve Active Managerial Control of Major Risk Factors Using a Food Safety Management System

Live: August 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn about changes to the FDA Food Code, which now includes a requirement for FSMS. 

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • The True Value of ATP Data

    See More
  • man carrying fish

    How Food Manufacturers Have Responded to the COVID-19 Pandemic—Part 2

    See More
  • fish production

    How Food Manufacturers Have Responded to the COVID-19 Pandemic—Part 1

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 1119053595.jpg

    Food Safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and Food Safety throughout the Global Supply Chain, 2E

  • 1119258073.jpg

    FSMA and Food Safety Systems: Understanding and Implementing the Rules

  • 9781498721776.jpg

    Handbook of Food Processing: Food Safety, Quality, and Manufacturing Processes

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • July 22, 2025

    Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

    Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.
View AllSubmit An Event

Related Directories

  • Buzz Equipment

    New and Used Equipment for the Process and Packaging Industries Food, Vitamin, Confectionary. Liquid and Powder Fillers, Cappers, Labelers, FFS Machinery, Stand Up Pouch Equipment, Capsule Fillers, Tablet Presses, Mixers, Kettles, Packaging machinery. Custom Built equipment. Semi-Automatic and Fully automated. We provide technical support for all items we sell as well as carry spare parts.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing