Page 69 - FoodFocusThailand No.190 January 2022

STORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICS

Today, more and more large manufacturers are adopting robotic Production intralogistics process requires appropriate conveyor
and automation technologies and automated data collections. This models to best fit the space and product types. If automated conveyors
digital transformation can greatly enhance intralogistics capability of are used, manufacturers must prepare a risk assessment program,
your business; however, it requires skill development and training for an operation control standard, and a maintenance plan. These programs
your employees to master the technologies. can prevent interruptions caused by malfunctions, for example, when a
3. Production Planning and Scheduling A well-thought-out conveyor carrying freshly baked hot bread stops working, the breads in
production planning and scheduling play an important part in preventing the oven are stuck, the bread cutting process is stopped, the breads
allergen cross contact and cross contamination. For example, in a dough cannot be delivered to the oven. These errors cause damage and
factory manufacturing three products; (A) Product containing no compromise qualities. Automated logistics have higher risk and require
allergen, (B) Product containing egg, and (C) Product containing egg appropriate risk assessment, control measures and maintenance to
and milk; the schedule should start with the production of (A) Product prevent production losses.
containing no allergen, followed by (B) Product containing egg and (C) For an intralogistics process in a factory that transports goods in
Product containing egg and milk. This model lowers the chance of bulk, forklifts, palletizing systems, shelves with wheels and other
allergen cross contamination and saves time for cleaning and sanitizing. equipment need to be carefully selected to suit the product features and
Similar concepts can be adapted for material and ingredient receiving the spaces. The volume of goods transported for each trip needs to be
to reduce allergen cross contact. tailor to complement other processes and prevent interruptions. It is
Improper production scheduling in a facility with different products crucial to identify possible impacts on product quality, set transport
containing different allergens result in extra cleaning, sanitizing and volumes and select transport equipment required to ensure smooth
intralogistics during a production process. If planners have a good production operation and prevent damages on the products.
understanding of allergen cross contamination prevention practices, 5.3 Warehouse Management In warehouse storage, proper layout
they can help reduce time spent on unnecessary activities and increase and classification of products and materials facilitate ease of storage and
production efficiently. retrieval processes. Allergen materials must be stored separately, and
4. Sourcing and Purchasing Procuring quality materials, different allergenic materials should be kept separated from one another.
ingredients and packages can help minimize losses in production. Warehouse storage cleaning and environment control need to be carefully
Focusing on price, while neglecting quality and delivery capability can managed to ensure quality control, as well as contamination and hazard
result in higher logistic costs for a company. For example, if the quality of prevention. For example, garlic needs to be stored in a low humidity
the raw material is better, the actual yield will be higher with lower environment to prevent growth of spores and toxins. Tuna storage
losses, and sorting and storage costs, resulting in ultimately higher net requires temperature control to avoid histamine formation. Some ready-
profits. to-eat, bakery and drink products must be kept from sunlight and heat
Procurement process continues even after suppliers are selected. that can compromise quality, odor, and taste of the products. Ultimately,
Raw material deliveries need to be planned out to support the production the storage environment needs to be designed to suit each product.
schedule. At the same time, delivery of other materials like stretch film, 6. Inventory Management and Information Systems An inventory
corrugated box, and label, also requires planning to ensure timely and information management system that offers accurate data and
production and reduce extra processes in packaging and labelling precise stock tracking help facilitate well-informed production planning
which can create additional steps in intralogistics, causes inconvenience and on-time product delivery. In a real-world operation, inventory reports
for the operation team and increases unnecessary costs. do not always match stock availability which is caused by various
5. Operations Control incidents. For example, recording inbound and outbound product
5.1 Receiving and Storing Raw Materials Obtaining a high-quality transports on paper instead of on a computer or information management
Supplier Verification Program or Supply Chain Program that adheres system can cause errors. Storing products with similar packages in close
to the local Preventive Controls for Human Food Laws and the FDA’s approximation can cause wrong product retrieval. Some products might
Food Safety Modernization Act can ensure safety of raw materials and be damaged or stolen. Selecting the right inventory and information
ingredients in your manufacturing. management systems are crucial for businesses in the food industry to
Hazardous materials that manufacturers can manage can simply help them reduce errors, and provide ease of data recording, searching,
be sent to a production process that has food quality and safety and analyzing. Using technologies like enterprise resource planning
management procedures in place. While some hazardous materials (ERP) information software that enables integration of data from the
must be controlled by the vendors such as pesticides in produce, sellers and buyers can enhance smooth operations. With the current
residues of antibiotics and growth stimulants in meats, and excessive digital technology advancement, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things
heavy metals on seaweeds. A supplier verification program is needed and Blockchain Technology can be adopted to best fit your business
in such cases to guarantee safety of the products. Upon delivery, context.
vendors must submit required documents with full disclosure and buyers Apart from production design and control, quality control and quality
need to have proper and clear goods receiving standards. This will assurance, intralogistics process control is also important for food
enhance the efficiency of verification and storage processes, minimize manufacturing. It supports continuous operation and increase efficiency.
production hold-ups while waiting for verification results and reduce Areas of focuses are factory design and layout, operation and production
unnecessary operating costs. model, sourcing and procurement, operations control and inventory
5.2 Production Control Right after material received, production management and information system. When competition and production
activities can start but it is important to tailor process design and costs rise, but price increase is not possible, a proper intralogistics process
operation procedure to best suit the products, the production is a potential solution to reduce costs and increase competitiveness for
technologies, and the facility environment. For example, if materials your business.
received are likely to contain gravels and rubbles, a factory can set
cleaning with water as a step as part of its physical safety hazard control
measures. This step should be completed before material storage or
shipment to the production space to minimize logistical activities, reduce
implicit costs from storage and logistics, and prevent contamination to More Information Service Info C012
other materials which will result to higher quality cost.

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