Global automation expenditures in the food and beverage industry are expected to reach $6 billion by 2013, according to a new study from ARC Advisory Group.
According to the study, called Automation Expenditures for Food and Beverage Industry Worldwide Outlook, the three major areas of focus in food and beverage manufacturing are cost management and margin protection, more sustainable manufacturing focussed on energy usage and waste reduction, and better ensuring food safety.
“The information architecture is extending its reach all the way to the consumer by way of social networks and a new generation of truly virtual on-line shopping and on-line product customisation tools, said principal author of the study, John Blanchard.
“It is becoming an important solution in the drive toward mass customisation and has begun to change the way consumer facing business is conducted.”
Survival of the food and beverage automation industry is also dependent upon product, packaging, and manufacturing innovation, ARC says.
Since most CPG companies have similar business strategies, flawless and timely execution differentiates leading companies from their competitors, the study says.
The new study was authored to help users learn what others in the industry are doing and the capabilities of each supplier. The study discusses strategies and tactics for suppliers and user manufacturers to be successful in the rapidly changing environment of the worldwide food and beverage industry.