Maarten Cordenier: Industry 4.0 amplifies humans and food

On your wrist, next to your ear, at home or in the office: smart items are everywhere. They are widely used to measure and to know. The food industry is no exception, and it's now smarter than ever. With smart food manufacturing, or 'the use of advanced technologies and intelligent systems to enhance the efficiency, quality, and traceability of food production', the first steps have already been taken. The next milestone in digitization is Industry 4.0, with the integration of advanced technologies that an increasing number of food companies find appealing.

In times of strict food safety criteria, high consumer expectations, and scarcity, there's no choice but to make optimal use of available resources. Too often, staff members are assigned tasks that computers can handle quickly and flawlessly. After all, Industry 4.0 technology processes information at lightning speed; even the most skilled production worker can't compete with that. But now they have the opportunity to fully utilize their unique skills! They can focus on their core tasks, such as analyzing data that are beyond the reach of smart software. Exceptions in your production environment require human judgment. This added value is something no smart software can provide.

Capacity is a common reason to opt for transparent automation, as is legislation, which hasn't been as dynamic as it is now in years. Smart sensors monitoring production processes in real-time or blockchain technology; it's not far-fetched. They are the keys to quality control and traceability.

Industry 4.0 is now far better integrated into the software landscape than in its early days when one had to embark on an expedition in search of a perfect match with one's existing ICT infrastructure. Nowadays, the solutions are almost all compatible with SAP, Salesforce, and Microsoft. This makes it significantly easier to transition from a reactive approach to a proactive production flow. Take it from me; Industry 4.0 is the ideal blend of humans and machines. The best of both worlds!

Maarten Cordenier
Partner, Delaware