Meat+Poultry - June 2019 - 87

ROB OT IC S T EC HN OL O G Y

be any device that can connect to the internet
and be given an IP address.
The IoT allows companies to:
* monitor overall business processes;
* improve the customer experience;
* enhance productivity, reducing cost and saving money; and
* more quickly adapt business models and
make better business decisions.
McCormies says it's predicted the number
of IoT devices used in manufacturing will swell
to 923 million in 2020. But he cautions that
there will be challenges manufacturers will face
as they look to implement IoT, including the
increased risk of cyber-attack it brings, difficulty
determining return on investment, technical challenges of integration and reluctance of companies to automate. McCormies says IoT and smart
manufacturing cannot optimally function without using AI, which allows computer systems to
correctly interpret external data, learn from the
data and use those learnings to achieve specific
goals and tasks through flexible adaptation. "AI
is here today; we're seeing its use at the business
platform level," he says. "The key with AI is its
progressive learning algorithms that let the data
do the programming and the models adapt to be
better at what they do."

Innovative automation means less human
labor and less stress
on the human labor
that's still necessary.

operate at speeds up to 650 hogs per hour.
"It will take Prestage Foods less than 18
months for the suite of robotics to pay itself off,"
McCormies says.
Finally, McCormies says the next generation of automation and robotics will fundamentally change how the world operates. The World
Economic Forum's "Future Jobs Report 2018"
forecasts that 75 million jobs will be lost due to
the shift to more automation.
However, the same report also predicts that
133 million new jobs will be created - many of
which will be involved in the development, operation and maintenance of automated systems,
McCormies says.
"Like the first industrial revolution, we will
adapt and change peoples' roles in manufacturing," he says. "There are far fewer steam engine
mechanics now than there were then."

AUTOMATION EXPERTISE
Epstein has worked with meat processors to incorporate automation in their operations for years.
A recent example is Daily's Premium Meats, St.
Joseph, Missouri, where the consultancy recently
helped install an Italian-brand Tecsal overhead rail
system in its plant that handles 60 million lbs. of
bacon each year, McCormies says.
Tecsal's overhead rail can be automated
using its Mach system to load and unload smokehouses and blast cells and automate movement
of these trees throughout the plant.
"This system is scalable and can be used in
areas where processors want better controls and
reduced labor costs," McCormies says, adding
that Daily's reduced employee count by three
in this area. "It also can help with avoidance of
slips and falls." Another example of Epstein's
work in this area was in the construction of the
new Prestage Foods pork processing plant in
Eagle Grove, Iowa, where the firm helped install
four models of Marel M-Line harvest floor robots:
a belly opener, neck cutter, split saw and bung
opener. These robots are coupled with advanced
3D vision systems and high-speed computers to
MEAT+ POULTRY 2019 AUTOMATION TRENDS + TECHNOLOGY

Meat+Poultry - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat+Poultry - June 2019