According to a report by KPMG, the Indian food processing market is anticipated to double from USD 263 billion in FY 2019-20 to USD 535 billion by FY 2025. The eponymous sector is, undoubtedly, an imperative part of our country and its economy. It is one of the largest all across the globe.

Today, nearly each and every other industry is rapidly embracing the trend of automation for the mere survival of businesses, especially ever since the pandemic wreaked havoc all over the world. The traditional Indian snack industry is no different. Certainly, to grow and develop, there is a dire need to make the processes more effortless and efficient.

Thus, the food and snack processing industry has begun to adopt the process of automation to further increase the efficacy of the operations, to keep pace with the quality of products as well as to keep up with the ever-changing times.

Often, for many manufacturers, the road to embracing automation starts with R&D (research and development) of technologies that are aimed at increasing the competitive capability of manufacturing concerns.

The potential of a manufacturer to innovate and adapt to the needs and demands of its customer is highly critical in an era of interconnected devices and smart factories. Simply put, R&D activity for machine manufacturers brings about advancement in existing methods, processes, machines or systems.

Hence, it has never been as significant for industry as it is in the current times. Machinery manufacturers need to allocate resources for a vibrant R&D facility to be able to support the product manufacturers regularly and consistently.

Let’s delve deeper to explore five ways in which technology is positively impacting the process of manufacturing:

Precise supply and demand estimation

Inventory needs a substantial investment in both buying and storing essential products as it is a major part of food processing operations. When firms know the demand ahead of time, it keeps the cash flow in order and minimizes risks. Technology with advanced analytics affords the companies the ability to more readily comprehend client needs and foresee all the more precisely the occasional degrees of demand.

Less risk of equipment damage

Several industries, including the food processing one, have started utilizing smart sensors. Such instruments are used to identify any machine anomalies at an early phase. This lets the organizations avoid downtimes and expand the life cycle of snack manufacturing equipment. Moreover, many food processing equipment manufacturers and supply chains deal with items and ingredients that should remain consistently fresh. Consequently, controlling the temperature and humidity is critical for the process of production, and tech-savvy sensors are the finest at distinguishing any deviations.

Enhanced user experience 

Organizations in the industry are striving to turn products into something bigger and better: Products become services, and services are then transformed into experiences. Tech-enabled snack food processing firms permit entrepreneurs to comprehend clients better and furnish them with somewhat more than they anticipate. For instance, state-of-the-art quality management and traceability software restrain any bad quality items from showing up in the end users’ basket. This improves the market reputation of the company as well as revenue generation.

Adapt to changing conditions

Since the needs and demands of the consumers keep on changing, food and equipment manufacturers ought to consistently be prepared to adjust and adapt. They need to deliver items rapidly to the market by changing the products’ packaging and recipes. In this regard, advanced automation tools make brands flexible, permitting them to save more by spending less on potential changes. Activities with a few streams and items are now overseen all the more productively.

A safer environment of production

The traditional Indian snack sector’s digital transformation concerns clients as well as laborers who produce items for them. Laborers complete their tasks more effectively and efficiently in a protected climate, and automation, digital tools provide all this and more. AR software along with training simulators aid to calculate the equipment’s working parameters and gives fundamental real-time data right in front of the worker.

The bottom line

It would be appropriate to say that technological advancement was already on its high in the food processing industry before the outbreak of the pandemic. The health crisis just accelerated the process. An ever-increasing number of individuals have come to trust and prefer processed foods and snacks, which have led the food processing industry to soar lately. In light of the trends, one might say that the industry can anticipate further automation, even in the most intricate of its processes. Technology applications across the industry help in decreasing wastage, keeping up with quality and improving the time span of usability of food items. 

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