New t echnologies
Along the pasta process sensors measure the quality of pasta in real time
computers in their own right. They measure the levels of moisture, color, protein and ash. This data is then converted into digital information and big data analyzes the results. It may all sound simple but in practice it’s not so easy, as Mr. Bashford explains: «The sensors have to be able to measure the quality of the process. That’s hard to do. Then you get lots of data. So you need to know what to do with the data and that’s where Bühler’s 150 years of experience really makes a difference». PastaSenseTM data is sent to Bühler Insights, Bühler’s IoT platform. It is one of the first secure, high performing and reliable cloud-based frameworks for digital services in the food and feed processing industry. Users can access this anywhere through the Internet via their tablet or computer. The data can be watched in real time. Users can also track different parameters against each other, such as protein, ash, color or moisture. The data is also stored on the Bühler Insights. This means that
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the information can be used as a benchmark over a period of time. Processing managers can track data and start to look for trends. This could be looking for changes in performance due to weather, supplier, a production shift or a particular type of raw material - any factor that might help to improve production. «It gives you a different level of transparency of your own process. It also allows you to visualize things that you may have been worried about, like why you’re having more or less rejects for this or that reason. But PastaSenseTM helps to pin things down. It also helps to improve productivity. It’s like wringing out a towel. Even if your process is optimized it helps to wring out the last bit of productivity of your plant and production line», Stuart Bashford explains.
Quality at the top Digitalization is helping not just at the plant, but also long after the pasta has left the production process. Having access to data on the Professional
Pasta
Digitalization can reduce the chance of product waste cloud can help to track down any quality alert. It can also help with transparency and commitment to food safety. Production plants need to now know much more about their own production process. «Nowadays consumers want to know exactly what is in a pack of pasta, they require transparency from producers», Marco Loschi says. And he adds: «And while monitoring activities are very effective in the industry, pasta is sampled only periodically during the process. But with PastaSenseTM you can follow it continuously and then electronically link the information together with a specific pack of pasta».
So what’s next? The production of food processing equipment is still core to the Bühler Group. However, digitalization is an October/December 2018