Robotics have an increasingly important role in maintaining a food supply that is safe, efficient and cost-effective. To gauge the robotics industry’s importance of the food sector, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA, Michigan) sent out a survey to member companies in early 2010.To address this significant growth area, RIA has a major emphasis on the food industry in 2010, specifically making food processing applications a priority focus. The survey serves as a base point for the focus and some of the findings are presented later within this article.RIA’s 2010 food industry emphasis includes a special Robots in Food Industry resource section on Robotics Online. The section is dedicated to food-related content from members, including case studies, videos, products, feature articles, tech papers and more.Also highlighting the food focus is a free Food Robotics Webinar, sponsored by RIA in conjunction with National Robotics Week, to be conducted April 15. Another complimentary webinar, Robotics: An introduction for poultry, pork, red meat & dairy processors, is sponsored by the National Provisioner in association with RIA (April 21).The Survey Said...RIA’s survey asked member companies to describe the current state of robotic use in North America. “Robot manufactures see food processing as a growth market and are developing products that can withstand the cleaning requirements,” says John Burg, President of Ellison Technologies Automation (Council Bluffs, Iowa). Burg also says gripper design needs development to become more cost-effective and operate in a food production environment.Similarly, “A range of applications after wrapping and prior to cartoning merit robotics and present our industry with new opportunities,” says Adil Shafi, President of ADVENOVATION Inc., Houghton, Michigan. “I see food bags bin picking to be very promising.” Food products have shape and positional variation, often without good features to work with.Keith Rosnell, Chief Executive Officer of Remtec Corp. (Cincinnati, Ohio) claims, “The meat and poultry processing markets remain immature from a robotics standpoint. The food industry has been slow to adopt robots for applications other than end-of-line, so upstream processes remain an area of opportunity.” Rosnell went on to say, “Robotics have been strongly adopted in the beverage market. In addition to end-of-line applications, case-packing and carton magazine loading applications have seen implementation of robotics.”Why Use Robots?With the economy still struggling with recession and joblessness, why should the food industry consider investing in robotics?“The food industry is a difficult setting for someone to work in due to health, safety and ergonomic issues. The food industry is a tremendous opportunity for robotics,” proclaims Richard Motley, Account Manager for Distribution Network at FANUC Robotics America Inc. (Rochester Hills, Michigan). Because of the unavailability of labour to work in food production plants, the need for robotics in the food industry will grow significantly. “I see the same drivers of safety, material savings, higher productivity and yields in the food industry now as in the early days of robotic welding and painting applications.”Similarly, “The food industry is very labour-intensive and the work is difficult with very high turnover,” says Ted Wodoslawsky, Vice President of Marketing, the Robotics Division of ABB Inc. (Auburn Hills, Michigan). “Food production cannot be outsourced to another country so is a good market for robotics.”Likewise, LaSelle adds, “Reports continue to show that keeping mundane tasks fully staffed remains a widespread issue in the food processing industry leading to high turnover rates. Given the cost to secure and train new employees, the savings robotics offers go beyond hourly wages.” Finding and retaining labour is difficult for food manufacturers, even in uncertain economic conditions.West Liberty Foods L.L.C. (West Liberty, Iowa) uses robotics in their Tremonton, Utah plant. “We use robots to move 120-inch slicing logs to cook racks. Robotics fabricating longer logs has reduced our cost to produce them as well as enhancing food safety,” says Gerald Lessard, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at West Liberty. “We could not have gone from 72-inch logs to 120-inch logs without robotics.” Lessard explained that 120-inch slicing logs are ground meat that is put into a casing, somewhat like a 100-pound sausage.“Robotics were a simpler solution to move our logs rather than using dedicated automation and provides increased consistency, productivity, and safety. Longer logs require less handling and we are cognizant of safety issues, especially when it comes to repetitive motion injuries.” Lessard contends workplace injuries are reduced using robots, and their hygienic design gives West Liberty Foods the ability to sanitize equipment with a high degree of confidence.KUKA Robotics has their machines used for processing pork. Cooper says, “Our robots are used in pork processing, replacing other types of automation or operators from these tasks. Robots not only increase efficiency and quality but they make cleaner cuts which improves yields by not cutting into the meat as much and removing more of the fat.”Good Eatin’The outlook for robotics in the food industry is bright. “Work in food plants is dull, dirty, dangerous, the kind of thing robots are designed to do,” says Wodoslawsky. “I see more adoption and pushing of robotic technology in food plants, especially on the messier side of food production.