FDF Convention Day 2 Session 1 - a podcast by FDF

 The Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector: Immediate Needs for an Automated and Digitised Future?

Panel:
Chair: Helen Munday, Chief Scientific Officer, FDF
Ben Ramsden, Partnership Manager - Food & Drink, Digital Catapult
Keith Thornhill, Head of Food and Beverage UK and Ireland, Siemens Digital Industries
Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer, MTC

In 2020, interest in automation and digitisation has peaked in the sector, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and the upcoming changes that will come from the UK’s final exit from the EU. The current climate has also shed light on the need to address weaknesses in the supply chain. Despite the fact that the sector responded well to the unexpected challenges, many businesses worry about how future shocks might affect them. The obvious answer seems to be the application of technology to achieve agile manufacturing systems and supply chains. But is the food and drink manufacturing sector ready for this shift? What are the more immediate on-site technical needs that the sector will need to fulfil? What challenges will the sector face in meeting these requirements?

Currently, the UK manufacturing sector ranks 22nd worldwide for robot units installed per 10,000 employees (85 units) and the food and drink sector is one of the least automated manufacturing sectors across the world (Source IFR). Our panellists will discuss the on-site technical requirements that will need to be met for the sector to be able to integrate into a digital supply chain, as well as how to build capabilities to address the immediate threat to labour shortages.

Recorded 02/12/20

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