01/20/2021

As we enter 2021, Food & Beverage, CPG, and other manufacturers can see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. Yet, we’re still very much in the tunnel, and it’s important for decision makers to pay close attention to the situation as it changes rapidly. Here’s a closer look at where we are now, and what we might expect as we progress through the coming year.

The year 2021 will bring significant innovation and transformation for North American manufacturers. To bounce back from 2020's unexpected challenges, we have no choice but to march head-on into "the 4th Industrial Revolution," a wave of change driven by automation and Smart Technology.

On a global level, China continues to move forward with its flagship industrial initiative, "Made in China 2025," which emphasizes technology-intensive production. Here in the United States and Canada, manufacturers are racing to regroup from COVID-19 and regain competitiveness on their own home turf. Leading the way for change in Smart Manufacturing is technology. Although the full potential of IoT has yet to be realized by many manufacturers, it's clear that technology will be at the heart of accelerated, continuous improvement. Not only will it help manufacturers recover from the pandemic and its related pressures, but it will also be the catalyst that empowers growth in spite of recent challenges. The fresh round of technological innovation you'll be seeing in 2021 first tackles the basics, then builds incrementally.

The Food & Beverage industry proved its resilience in 2020, perhaps more than any other time in history. Here at SafetyChain, we watched as companies overcame enormous pressures to keep shelves stocked and employees healthy in the midst of ever-evolving CDC updates and guidelines. While safety and agility have always been critical to success in the industry, COVID-19 called for quick thinking when supply chains were disrupted, as well as an even stronger commitment to safety - both of our food and employees.

Food and beverage facilities have an obligation to create safe products for consumers. Not only is this critical for maintaining compliance, but it’s also essential to promoting a strong brand reputation and, most importantly, supporting public health. There are many approaches companies can use to maintain safety throughout every aspect of manufacturing and the supply chain as a whole, one of the most common of which is HACCP. Discover what this systematic approach entails here, along with the ways in which technology can streamline your HACCP program.

Understanding the relevance, impact, and ROI potential for Food, Beverage, CPG, and Process Manufacturers

Leaders in manufacturing have a general understanding of how technology can improve plant operations. Yet, with so many options to consider, getting started with a software implementation is daunting. Moreover, it’s challenging to pinpoint the precise ROI that technology can deliver, given the unique variables of one plant to the next.

For several years, the Canadian government has been planning a revamp of its health policies. As in many other nations, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and high blood pressure are ongoing health concerns. Improved science has linked diet to these public health issues, thus spurring a need for an update to nutrition labelling — a change that hasn’t been made in over two decades.

Moreover, consumers are also changing their eating habits. They’re more educated than ever and are becoming increasingly aware of nutrition facts. The new labelling requirements aim to give consumers the information they need to make educated decisions about nutrient and calorie intake.

People are human, and mistakes are an inherent part of any process involving them. In manufacturing environments, operators juggle many tasks at once, including running machines and interfacing with systems.

Unfortunately, human error also has the potential to affect safety and quality outcomes in industries like Food & Beverage or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG). Human error accounts for nearly one-fourth of all unplanned downtime. It can cost manufacturers millions, impede quality, and wreak havoc with compliance. Factors such as attention, memory, alertness, illness, and fatigue all play into human error and can trigger GMP violations.

Safe Quality Food (SQF) software is used by food and beverage companies to help satisfy the requirements set forth by the Safe Food Quality Institute (SFQI). It can be used to help ensure applicable program requirements are being met on an ongoing basis. Here, we take a closer look to help you determine whether this type of solution is right for your company.

In late September 2020, the FDA unveiled the FSMA Proposed Rule for Food Traceability, a 55-page document that aims to standardize traceability practices for foods deemed to be high-risk. While the proposed rule is rather long, we’ve identified some key points for food, beverage, and CPG facilities to note.

When evaluating the potential payoff of a QMS investment, Tracy Ouellet from Norima Consulting helps companies assess their potential return on investment, beginning with this this simple ROI calculation:

(Gain/Savings Achieved from the Investment – Cost of Investment) / (Cost of Investment)