Artificial intelligence is changing the face of manufacturing faster than one might expect. The global AI market in the manufacturing industry, which was worth $8.14 billion in 2019, could reach nearly £700 billion by 20321.
Automation, which is key to this transformation, speeds up processes, increases productivity, reduces costs and enables more efficient energy and resource management. Interestingly, one of the most modern food factories, which continuously implements new technologies, is located in Poznań. It is a key production plant for Unilever’s food division on the continent.
The Unilever factory in Poznan is equipped with numerous technological solutions that facilitate and automate many complex processes. Vision systems, machine learning and advanced control technologies are used – reducing production line cleaning time by 20%, increasing efficiency and greater control over each stage of production are just a few of the benefits.
Savings for nature
The benefits of investing in modern technologies are undeniable – as it turns out, as many as 90% of managers agree that AI will help in sustainable development, but 56% still do not exploit this potential2. How can we convince those who are still considering taking the first step? And how can AI be effectively implemented?
The key to successful implementation of modern technologies is a long-term approach to investment. How we do this at our factory in Poznań is a perfect example of Unilever’s global strategy. We invest in state-of-the-art solutions that not only increase production efficiency but also bring environmental benefits. AI enables us to predict breakdowns, minimise waste and optimise resource consumption. Unilever’s long-standing commitment to technological innovation allows us to continuously raise quality and safety standards while caring for the environment and the local community. We believe that the responsible use of AI will bring benefits that go far beyond business, says Przemysław Fejfer, director of the Unilever factory in Poznan.
One example is the use of production residues – the factory does not send them to landfill. Everything is reused as biofuel or animal feed.
As Monika Budna, digital and manufacturing excellence manager at Unilever, explains: “Waste in the food industry during the production phase is a normal phenomenon – it results, among other things, from raw material losses at the product preparation stage, e.g. raw material residues in packaging, losses related to filling and cleaning production equipment. It can also be caused by technological errors or equipment failures, which lead to the production of defective batches, but also to damage to the packaging itself. These things happen, but that does not mean that companies should not strive to minimise losses as much as possible. Thanks to the implemented technology, we are able not only to monitor the efficiency of machines on an ongoing basis, but also to predict their failure. This allows us to reduce product waste resulting from, among other things, downtime on the production line.
Minimising waste and media consumption is not only a cost saving, but above all an important element of sustainable development. Thanks to the implemented solutions, the Poznań factory has reduced its annual water consumption by 5,000 tonnes – that’s two full Olympic swimming pools or the water demand for one person for 35 days (on average, one person in Europe consumes about 140 litres of water per day).
Safety first
Safety is fundamental to the factory’s operations – understood on many levels. This applies both to food production, which translates into consumer safety, and to employee safety. AI-powered vision systems help to achieve this. How exactly does it work?
This solution plays a key role in caring for the well-being of our employees. Factories have strict safety rules not only for performing work, but also for moving around the premises – including how to walk on stairs or use passageways. Imagine that an employee repeatedly climbs stairs during their daily duties without using the handrail. A moment of inattention or a minor stumble is enough to cause an accident. Meanwhile, a simple, intuitive gesture – grabbing the handrail – would be enough to avoid the danger. However, we sometimes forget to do this. Therefore, with mutual safety in mind, we have introduced a system that automatically identifies such situations and informs the supervisor – while fully respecting the anonymity of employees. The mere notification that such situations are occurring is a signal for us to conduct additional training as soon as possible and remind employees of the rules, building a culture of safety, comments Monika Budna.
AI also constantly monitors the production process itself. This enables it to detect, for example, packaging that does not meet quality standards and, thanks to deep learning technology, to identify the absence of a specific component or an incorrectly added ingredient. This is crucial from a product safety perspective. This application gives us the certainty that a customer who, for example, due to allergies, is looking for products without specific ingredients, will not find them there.
Digital twin technology has also been implemented in the factory, enabling simulation and optimisation during production. What exactly does this involve?
The use of digital twin technology significantly facilitates daily activities related to the processes taking place in the factory. The main objective is to ensure constant supervision of food quality and safety. A good example is the use of artificial intelligence and digital twins for automatic quality control by dynamically adjusting the speed of key machines that affect the final properties of the product reaching the consumer, says Monika Budna.
Artificial intelligence has become a permanent fixture in the everyday life of many companies – it improves customer contact, automates orders, predicts demand and detects possible manufacturing defects. Proper use of these capabilities not only brings real savings for the companies themselves, but also reduces the negative impact of production on the environment – and this is an important aspect for everyone.
