Exploring the next step in food automation

Food companies face increasing pressure to improve productivity, maintain product quality and address labour shortages. At the same time, automation in the food industry presents challenges:

• Products are not uniform
• Processes are less predictable
• Hygiene and handling requirements are strict

These factors make standard solutions difficult to apply in this industry. Which is exactly why many companies are still searching for the right approach.

OSV visiting AWL HQ

That’s why on June 12, the AWL HQ in Harderwijk welcomed nearly 70 professionals from the OSV network, a Dutch organization connecting companies across the food industry.

The event was about more than demonstrations. It reflected a broader question the food industry is exploring: how can robotics, machine vision and AI help automate complex production environments?

Following presentations from Growers United, TT-Engineering, Robovision, OSV and AWL, visitors toured AWL's Experience Center and production facility. Here, they saw how these technologies work together in practical automation solutions for food production environments. Rather than isolated technologies, these applications demonstrated how an integrated approach can help address the complexities of food automation.

The event also confirmed a growing interest in practical automation applications within the food industry. As technologies continue to mature, new opportunities are emerging to improve efficiency, consistency and flexibility throughout food production operations.

We thank OSV and all participants for their visit and the valuable discussions throughout the day.