How robotic automation will optimise the Swedish food industry

Industries characterised by seasonal demand and strong competition can be streamlined using robotic automation. SWIRA, the Swedish Industrial Robot Association, works to promote automation and robotic development in Swedish industry. This year, SWIRA will be attending Scanpack to discuss the potential of technology in the packaging industry.

Globalisation has created new production chains, and consumers are increasingly demanding specific product offerings. This development has led to Swedish food and packaging producers facing the challenge of increasing profitability and competitiveness. SWIRA believes that robotic automation is an effective solution, but a lack of knowledge prevents companies from daring to take the first steps towards an automated production line.

– Global competition is constantly increasing, which means that businesses need to be optimised to avoid being outcompeted by better offers. The challenge is to develop competitive production lines that can withstand global pressures, Ove Leichsenring, Chairman of SWIRA, says.

Competitive production

Robotic automation refers to the process of letting a machine, technology, or robot perform a job. It involves introducing steps in the production that allow more or less autonomous processes. Ove Leichsenring believes that companies that want to survive today’s competitive market must be open to integrating new technology.

– In today’s competitive world, companies that don’t keep up with the development of digitalisation and automation will struggle to survive in the future, Ove Leichsenring says.

The increasingly specific needs of the consumers are challenging the industry’s competitive production. Today, customers demand one product in the summer and another in the winter, and the production line must be adapted accordingly.

– Customer demands are increasing, and consumers want more and more variants of different products. Many production processes today consist of a high number of variants in relatively small volumes. This includes seasonal goods that are only sold during a certain time of the year. A demand that requires the ability to reload the production line in a short time, Ove Leichsenring says.

Vinnova and Linköping University are currently exploring the possibilities of automating seasonal production through the FLAP project. Advanced mobile robotic solutions will be combined with autonomous software to support the production of special products with shared resources.

Eliminates repetitive tasks

Not only can this technology increase business productivity and profitability, but robotic automation can also contribute to shaping sustainable workplaces. When machines take over repetitive tasks like heavy lifting and monotonous assembly work, they reduce the amount of unergonomic movements that need to be performed by a human. Ove Leichsenring argues that automation can even eliminate difficult-to-recruit positions while attracting a new and innovative workforce.

– Integrating robotic automation into the manufacturing industry helps eliminate mundane and repetitive tasks. No one today wants to work with the kind of heavy lifting and tasks that can be done by robots, Ove Leichsenring says, continuing:

– Instead of having to hire and fire seasonal staff, robotic automation can be optimised according to seasonal needs. Also, as robots take over repetitive tasks, the challenge of filling hard-to-recruit positions disappears.

Robots pack fruit in Kivik

One food producer that has realised the power of automation is Äppelriket. Large amounts of apples are stored, sorted, and packed at the central packing centre in Kivik. Every year, between 10 and 15 million kilos of fruit are harvested and need to be handled carefully to reach the shelves in good condition. Once it was no longer sustainable to hire manual labour for packing, robotic automation became the solution.

– When they couldn’t find people willing to perform the repetitive work, they considered shipping all apples to Poland for packing. But then Äppelriket chose to invest in robotics to enable local production, and today, the machines can do a very good job, Ove Leichsenring says.

Äppelriket works to produce fruit with minimal impact on the climate. Optimising the transport from orchards to stores is a major part of this, and with the help of robotic automation, unnecessary transport distances have been reduced.

Increased knowledge, increased automation

To get more people to use robotic automation, SWIRA is investing in upskilling in the Swedish manufacturing industry. When it comes to businesses with seasonal production and varying volumes, there is a need for extra support and a focus on how automation can promote rapid transitions in a way that is both time and cost effective.

– The root problem is that many companies lack skills and knowledge about both automation and digitalisation. They simply need help to understand how the technology works and how it can be integrated into production. More people need to train as automation engineers, and it is becoming increasingly important to bring in new labour that drives the automation issue, Ove Leichsenring says.

Collaboration with other industries is a key component of SWIRA’s work. By exchanging knowledge, automation solutions can be adapted to varying conditions and needs.

– The industries are experts in their fields, and we are experts in automation, which means we can complement each other. The food and beverage industry is an essential partner, and there is plenty to do in that industry in terms of automation; there’s great potential that we can help unlock, Ove Leichsenring says.

The future of production lines

This technology increases the industry’s competitiveness, thus strengthening the Swedish business community. In addition, robotic automation can contribute to society’s sustainable transition.

– Automation plays a key role in the green transition of the industry. This technology helps to promote local production where goods are spent and consumed, reducing long and environmentally stressful transport distances, Ove Leichsenring says.

In the future, we see an industry empowered by autonomous robots and artificial intelligence. The majority of today’s automation robots are based on technology designed to perform a pre-determined task. AI opens up the possibility of developing robots that perform unpredictable tasks as well.

– Going forward, we’ll be seeing an emergence of autonomous robots and the automation sector increasingly shifting towards AI. This technology is awesome, and I can’t wait to see where it’s going, Ove Leichsenring concludes.

About Scanpack
Scanpack, the meeting point for the Scandinavian packaging industry, will take place 22-25 October at the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre in Gothenburg. More info on Scanpack and tickets »