IoT monitoring offers businesses in-depth data into their processes and activities. It helps enterprises make their operations more efficient, cut costs, and improve their margins. Companies worldwide are implementing the internet of things, and the food processing industry is not lagging behind.
As the global demand for good food increases, industries are trying to ramp up their production capabilities and at the same time, minimize the cost. The Internet of things is playing a huge role in improving production processes and avoiding wastage.
In this article, we explore how IoT monitoring solutions can increase energy efficiency in the food processing industry and how it will benefit organizations.
Why do we need to worry about energy consumption in the food processing industry?
Food processing is a highly energy-intensive industry. A lot of energy is involved in collecting the food materials, transporting them to the processing units, processing and packaging them, and getting them to the customers.
To ensure that the food is safe to consume, companies must maintain them under a very narrow range of conditions throughout the entire process. They must keep the food under the right temperature and humidity in a clean and sterile atmosphere throughout the chain. This takes considerable energy.
Then there’s the energy involved in processing and packaging the food. Food processing usually includes crushing, grinding, and milling, as well as heating, cooling, evaporating, and many other activities, each of which takes considerable energy.
Estimates suggest that processing and packaging a kilogram of food takes around 50 to 100 megajoules of energy.
As energy use increases, the cost of food production goes up, and food becomes less accessible.
There are also many environmental concerns associated with energy use in the food processing industry. The production and processing of food is estimated to produce around 9.7 gigatons of greenhouse gases worldwide. Of this, transportation alone can account for around 50% to 70% of the total carbon footprint.
These numbers are simply not sustainable and should be reason enough for the industry to better manage its energy consumption.
How can IoT monitoring improve energy efficiency in food processing?
There are many complex processes in the food processing industry and most of them use a significant amount of energy. IoT remote monitoring solutions can make each of these processes more efficient. Let’s explore how:
IoT can track and manage energy consumption
With modern IoT sensors, enterprises can get better visibility of their energy consumption and wastage. They can get detailed insights into energy consumption of machinery and the processes involved.
For instance, old and outdated equipment may take up too much energy, and the organization may not be aware of it. Some processes could be made more efficient with a simple redesign.
IoT machine monitoring systems empower organizations in the food processing industry to make data-centric decisions and improve energy efficiency.
Ensure equipment is in good working condition
One of the major causes of energy wastage is damaged equipment. Without proper maintenance, food processing equipment may waste energy in the form of heat, sound, and vibrations.
IoT predictive maintenance solutions empower organizations to keep their equipment in perfect condition. IoT remote machine monitoring systems can keep track of equipment conditions and alert organizations when a piece of equipment is not functioning correctly.
Better logistics avoiding food and energy wastage
Transporting unprocessed food to processing units and processed food to retail outlets takes considerable energy. Inefficient logistics can cause organizations severe losses.
If the food or raw materials are not delivered on time or if it’s spoiled on the way due to delays or equipment malfunction, it can cause severe financial losses to businesses. But due to the sheer complexities of the logistics, it’s difficult for organizations to get a clear picture and identify inefficiencies or bottlenecks.
IoT helps businesses to get a better picture of their business processes. With the data from IoT sensors, businesses can make their supply chains, logistics, and transportation processes more transparent. IoT cold chain monitoring solutions can ensure that the raw materials and processes food will remain within safe conditions during transport and storage.
What are the benefits of using the internet of things to make food processing more efficient?
IoT systems offer in-depth data into food processing systems
IoT solutions offers detailed and granular data into food processing systems. It helps businesses, managers, and employees understand the individual processes and how they tie into and contribute to the organization’s goals.
It helps businesses identify the activities generating the highest output, the ones using the maximum energy, and the ones generating the most revenue and better design their processes.
With the internet of things, food processing businesses can automate their operations
By automating operations, businesses can reduce the workload for their employees and energy usage within their organization. It can improve efficiency and lower raw material and energy wastage.
Industries can maintain better standards for food processing with IoT
The food processing industry has to maintain high-quality standards to ensure the safety of the consumers. If the food is contaminated or has not been processed correctly, it can cause serious health issues among consumers.
IoT sensors can help organizations to monitor their food continuously. They can keep track of the storage and transport conditions and ensure that they’re within safe windows.
Make your food processing company more efficient with IoT monitoring solutions from Bridgera
Bridgera’s proprietary IoT monitoring platform has helped businesses worldwide make their processes more efficient and transparent. Our experienced team works closely with organizations in different industries to understand their operations, identify pain points, and build custom IoT solutions.
Our cutting-edge IoT solutions have helped businesses across the globe gain a considerable edge over their competition.
Reach out to Bridgera and take the first step into the future.
