In July, Schneider Electric, leader in digital transformation, energy management and automation, launched its first Food and Beverage Forum at its Innovation Hub in Coventry.
The event invited customers including Müller Wiseman, Warburtons and Arla Foods, and leading IT and OT partners, such as Cisco, NetApps, SoIPT andEbb3, to examine how advancements in technology can drive productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
The forum provided an opportunity to discuss the major challenges and future trends facing the industry, including changing consumer tastes, rising food prices, population growth, digital disruption, energy consumption, emissions and sustainability. During interactive sessions, attendees discussed manufacturing optimisation through automation and augmented reality.
The forum addressed these challenges and trends in the industry, before focussing on two areas:
Cybersecurity – Jay Abdallah, Global Director of Cybersecurity Solutions at Schneider Electric, took attendees through the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. The exponential growth of malware is affecting all industries, making end-to-end cybersecurity absolutely essential. Businesses must now cover four areas: access, protection, detection and response. Only by have these capabilities in place, can business mitigate cyberattacks and meet customer expectations. Mr. Abdallah also went through the importance of developing an airtight cybersecurity ecosystem, ensuring getting partners buy-in to end-to-end security solutions.
Predictive Analytics – Boris Demarrez, AVEVA, explained how business can maximise reliability in manufacturing the Food and Beverage industry, through analytics. A major issue for any manufacturer is insuring maximum return from every asset. Analytics is the key to improving maintenance and operations. Looking at historical, real-time, predictive and prescriptive analytics, allowing business to move past traditional practices and develop a strategic, proactive and fully optimised approach.
Commenting on the event, Mark Yeeles, Industrial Segment Director at Schneider Electric, said: “We are delighted to provide a platform for Food and Beverage businesses to discuss the biggest challenges in the industry in an unrestricted environment. Only by understanding the current landscape and openly sharing information, can we meet these challenges head on. This first forum proved to be a hugely positive first step to developing the next-generation of manufacturing technology that can have an impact across all industries.”
