How to approach and plan for automation now or in the future - Pentadel shares insights at FDF event
Pentadel’s managing director James Kemp spoke today at the Food & Drink Federation’s Automation & Digitalisation in the Food & Drink Industry event.
It was a chance for James to share the Pentadel team's knowledge and experience of helping and advising clients on how to best approach and plan for automation in their facility either now or in the future. James explored the issues from the point of view of both established and start-up businesses in the food and drink sector; he also discussed the role of automation within the context of the direct-to-consumer model.
James took insights from clients’ experiences and the team’s knowledge of the industry to help provide practical advice and food for thought for the delegates.
The four key takeouts from his presentation were:
Take a holistic view of your processes - inbound, production and outbound
Take a long term view of your business
Feel confident in taking a stepped approach to automation
Focus on creating space in your facility - if you don't need it now for automation you may need it later!
It is very unusual to be fully automated from the outset. And if you don’t leave enough space in your facility then you won’t be able to automate later. So space, space, space is my key message to you.