Tetra Pak’s solutions set to transform the F&B sector in the Industry 4.0 era

At Hennover Messe 2019, Tetra Pak presented the “Factory of the Future” with Human and AI Collaboration at its Core

These solutions will pave the way for smarter factories while reducing environmental impact and allowing product packaging to become an interactive information channel for producers, retailers and shoppers.

Smart solutions offered by Tetra Pak include:

Factory of the future

The solution of “factory of the future” developed by Tetra Pak promises to bring a revolution in the way food manufacturing plants operate. Machines will be able to communicate with each other as well as with the digital systems of the entire operation, automatically taking on tasks such as diagnosing problems, ordering and delivering parts, and looking for an engineer who is most suitable for the service needed. The technology builds on previous measures to bring the benefits of digitalisation to the food and beverage industry, such as the launch of Tetra Pak Plant Secure and condition monitoring.

Supported by these smart solutions, the workforce will be able to focus on managing the plant, making quick, informed decisions and continuously increasing the speed of production, reducing errors and minimising product waste.

Johan Nilsson, VP Industry 4.0 and Digitalisation at Tetra Pak said, ‘We are in a period where the market is changing at high speed. Consumer demands coupled with regulations require a new way of food manufacturing that is much more efficient and food-safety guaranteed.

Connected packaging platform

Tetra Pak launched its connected packaging platform, which will transform milk and juice cartons into interactive information channels, full-scale data carriers and digital tools.

Driven by the trends behind Industry 4.0, and with code generation, digital printing and data management at its core, the connected packaging platform will bring new benefits to food producers, retailers and shoppers.

Tetra Pak introduced connected packaging platform to convert milk and juice cartons into interactive information channels, full scale data carriers and digital tools

For producers, the new packaging platform will offer end-to-end traceability to improve the production of the product, quality control and supply chain transparency. It will have the ability to track and trace the history or location of any product, making it possible to monitor for market performance and any potential issues.

For retailers, it will offer greater supply chain visibility and real-time insights, enabling distributors to track stock movements, be alerted when issues occur, and monitor for delivery performance.

For shoppers, it will mean the ability to access vast amounts of information such as where the product was made, the farm that the ingredients came from and where the package can be recycled.

Tetra Pak has successfully completed pilots with its customers to test the new connected package and its performance in retail in Spain, Costa Rica, China, the Dominican Republic and India, working with beverage, juice and milk producers. In Spain a customer increased their sales by 16% through the scan and win campaign.

Energy assessment programme

Tetra Pak has announced it is developing an energy assessment programme in collaboration with ABB to help food and beverage producers lower their environmental impact and cut costs. The programme provides an assessment of the entire plant, helping customers minimise their environmental impact and maximise profitability.

Based on this analysis, Tetra Pak provides recommendations for food producers on opportunities to reduce energy consumption and help them make informed decisions about how resources are used in their plants. And also based on pilot projects in the Americas, the programme can potentially reduce carbon emissions for food and beverage manufacturing and cut energy cost by between 15% and 25%.

Johan Nilsson, Vice President at Tetra Pak, said: “There is a sense of urgency for all industries to reduce their environmental impact across their operations, and we are developing programmes together with our partners to reduce this impact for our customers and the overall industry. The plant assessment programme is an excellent example of an area where we have found and created opportunities for environmental savings.”

Tetra Pak has been working on the digitalisation of food manufacturing with partners including Microsoft, ABB, SAP and the automated logistics solutions provider Elettric80. Combining these cutting-edge technologies with the company’s food expertise, Tetra Pak’s ultimate goal is to lead the digital transformation of food manufacturing and offer greater support to its customers in the digital era.