The packaging market is massive, with new packaging innovations and solutions added every year. Particularly vital to the advancement of the packaging business are the food and FMCG packaging sectors. This segment plays a significant role in boosting the industry’s growth. Leading companies in food and FMCG packaging are embracing cutting-edge technical advancements and refocusing their attention on brand recognition as they adopt environmentally friendly packaging strategies. The food and FMCG industries are now the main drivers of consumer demands and are complying with stringent packaging laws.
Sustainable measures in manufacturing
Nowadays, companies have started to shift their attention to their ongoing sustainability programs, which are primarily meant to explore sustainable solutions not just for the products but also for the way they are manufactured. It is imperative that people become more conscious, and the packaging industry has quickly embraced the idea of sustainable production, primarily to create and rebuild environmentally friendly products and uphold a more hygienic packaging procedure. Industries have united to establish an Industry 4.0 ecosystem, a sustainable sector driven by intelligent and innovative automation products.
Industry 4.0 is expected to reduce wasteful production, optimize material flow, use energy more efficiently, and restrict overproduction. Sustainability has sparked a lot of interest in the packaging industry globally, and according to recent reports, major companies aim to “Go green” with their operations and processes by 2030. To satisfy environmental goals and ensure a safe future, food and FMCG firms are shifting towards a sustainable approach by implementing and producing their product packages with bio-based polymers, paper, or glass-based packaging. Automation in manufacturing plays an essential role in curbing some of the challenges faced by manufacturers. B&R aims to address these challenges with intelligent automation products in manufacturing, which will have a sustainable impact in this high-grossing industry.
Track transport technology enables absolute flexibility
In an era of mass customization, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, and omnichannel strategies, machines designed for easy adaptation are in high demand. Today’s customers expect goods to meet their unique interests and tastes. Food and FMCG manufacturers are addressing this challenge by implementing technology that adjusts to the goods being produced and packaged, rather than requiring goods to follow an inflexible, sequential procedure.
Real-time process measurement and adaptation to manufacturing needs are the hallmarks of adaptive manufacturing. Features of adaptive manufacturing include higher throughput over a smaller footprint, changeover of products on the fly, and handling of new products. It also enables the affordable creation of customized items in small batches. B&R’s mechatronics product portfolio, which includes a combination of ACOPOStrak and SuperTrak, satisfies the need for intelligent transport that seamlessly integrates into process stations and machinery. These track-based product transport systems allow for continuous control of each product’s transportation through a dynamic manufacturing process.
Multiple shuttles operate in coordination at varying intervals to transport goods of any shape. Production flow is swiftly separated and merged at full speed by electromagnetic diverters. Modular segments allow for unlimited layout options, making scaling and reconfiguration simple. The system offers unparalleled levels of flexibility and usability, resulting in unprecedented productivity. Additionally, a machine vision camera precisely coordinates illumination and captures images to identify the form and direction of products as they pass.
With the IP69K version of the ACOPOStrak, B&R enables economical batch-size-one operation with the efficiency of mass production – even for industries with washdown requirements. ACOPOStrak offers flexible expansion by adding track modules and processing stations, making machines scalable enough to adapt to changing production requirements at any time. B&R has also incorporated open standards like POWERLINK, OMAC PackML, and OPC UA to provide seamless connectivity. From the sensor to the cloud, across multi-vendor lines and value chains, this connectivity will bring a dramatic leap in the way the products are manufactured.
