Not many industries can evolve as faster as the entire food industry has. The real food movement has sided with the low-fat and carb-free food ads from the last decades. Consumers quickly became conscious of the locally sourced and the fresh products one can get instead of the packaged foods. These trends are so fast-changing that it gives trouble for the food processors to cope up with.
The challenges faced in the food processing plants
Historically, it was very common for the food plants to be operational for 100 years or so at a stretch. But the new processing plants of today have a relatively shorter lifespan and it ranges from 20-30 years on an average. There are some production lines which get shut down just after a short operational period. When this is happening at the facility, highly specialized units sit there idle and dormant and cannot be resold. They can only be repurposed, which requires heavy investment.
So, what is the ideal solution to stop this wastage? The future food processing plants are to be made in a flexible way, which should be both innovative and practical and should be capable of extending the life cycle of these facilities. This helps them to get repurposed without worries and is cost-effective even if the needs and the users change.
What is the future of the food processing units?
Here’s how the layouts are created for designing the modern food processing units.
- Structure- The prototype bears an open interior structure which can easily accommodate the modular units for better and maximum flexibility.
- Process- The prototype also has the provision for completely automated processes that are powered by robotic arms. This increases their productivity and the workplace dangers are almost negated. The contamination risk also becomes very minimal and the food safety is enhanced. Technologies like molecular diagnostics, biometric monitors and embedded sensors are incorporated to check and detect the presence of pathogens.
- Utilities and environment- The plants that are designed for the future will be consuming the exact quantity of power and water just as they produce on their own. There will also be many sustainable features like air filtration, heat recovery, and water treatment. This is the other way to achieve zero waste and emissions.
The designing and implementation of the food processing units can now get easier with food plant architects Stendel Reich on board with you.
