A Strategy for Companies Embarking on Automation

Welcome to Advanced Automation, a podcast by Calvary Robotics, where you'll find industry leaders and experts sharing their thoughts on the world of automation. Hello, everyone, and thanks for listening. I'm Josh Gravel, your host for this installment of Advanced Automation. Today, we're talking automation best practices for food and beverage applications. And with us is Matthias Cohn, the local head of business and food for Staubli Robotics. Thanks for being with us today. Hey, Josh. Thanks for the invite. It's a pleasure talking with you today. Yeah. So can you just give, you know, our listeners a little brief history about yourself, your backstory up to today? Absolutely. So I have worked my entire career in, B2B marketing. I started working for a joint venture between Corning and Saigon in the glass manufacturing industry. And basically in twenty nineteen is when I joined Steli Robotics. At the time I was working as a business developer and I was covering, you know, several markets. But, in early two thousand, twenty two is really where I started taking, the role of, of the head of the food team here in the US. And, when I say US, actually North America, so US, Canada, and Mexico. So, moving, you know, gradually into the role of, local, business head for the food industry here at Stump Robotics in the US. Wonderful. How about giving us an overview of Stably? I'm so that's a pretty big question, but something kind of boilerplate version. Absolutely. I'll try to summarize, one hundred and fifty years plus of history in just a, just a few minutes here. So Stobly is a Swiss company. We were founded in eighteen ninety two, in Switzerland by mister Stobly. And, today we're still privately owned. The Stobly family still sits on the board of Stobly. And, at the time, you know, we started our business in the textile industry. So we're making, you know, weaving equipment, such as car machines, carpet weaving machines. And, then, you know, we moved on to different things like connectors, quick couplers, quick bolt changers, tool changers, creating brands of robots. And the youngest division now is the robotics division, which is started in the eighties. As of today, we have pretty over six thousand people worldwide. We have, offices in about thirty countries, and we have developed over two thousand grants and or pending patents. We have a presence worldwide, so we where we don't have offices. We have, agents. And, neat thing about Stubby is that, all of our production to the North American market is actually based, in France, in the plant that's from the border of the, with the Swiss with Switzerland. So we're still headquartered there, but we're a global company. We do multiple things and robotics is just one of those. Wonderful. How long has Stably been offering, you know, apple things for the food and beverage industry? And could you take us kind of through their offerings? Sure. Absolutely. So, Stably has been kind of a pioneer, in in robotics in general and also, for the food industry. We actually started, you know, the robotics division in nineteen eighty two. At the time we worked at a company in the US actually that was called, Unimation. And we purchased that company in, nineteen ninety two. And what's really interesting too, especially for Freak People, is if you go back and you take a look at those, Puma robots from Univision, that were either developed or established, those, were actually already fully enclosed in what we call anthropomorphic. So that's what really gave us the edge for later sensitive environments, and then, you know, to the food industry today. So we started it with that. We also, you know, in, early birdies, we started using our own gearboxes. We put all that in our six axis robots. And we're today the only manufacturer that actually makes his own gearbox, for its robots. So that's something that's unique about Stavli and really gives us, you know, the the high performance that Stavli is known for, the durability. But so basically, we started with that, you know, a four axis offering and a six axis offering back in the eighties, nineties. And then as evolved, to multiple versions of robots today. So we offer you, robots for the pharma industry, we offer robots for semicon industry, for the food industry, or, surgery, what we call medical robotics. So we have all these different versions of robots that are available in four axis, six axis robots. We will also offer collaborative, features over six axis robots. And, the latest, I guess, acquisition and development that we have at Steli is our AGV and AMR line. So we also offer mobile robotics now as part of our solutions. So we really cover the whole spectrum of robotics, four axis, six axis, mobile robotics, and we cover all environments, including standard environments, of course, I didn't mention. But, of course, you know, we also do applications in what we call standard environment here with our standard line of robots. Yeah, that's incredible. And like you said, the full kind of like a full gamut for sure. Yeah. For, for a food and beverage company, you know, that's looking to begin their automation journey or maybe just one that's going to expand what they already have. What are the initial or kind of earlier next steps that need to be taken? So the first thing I would do is really contact the specialist. Someone who's experienced in the industry, and I mean by the, you know, the environment, the application, have they done applications or automation projects in a washdown sanitary environment? Do they know, you know, what is needed, the re the requirements, the materials that can be used, that cannot be used in those environments, the designs, you know, the design guidelines that they have to follow, really work, you know, peoples that already have a proven track of record, in in that, in that industry. Also, even look at the applications, maybe, you know, maybe it's, you know, you need vision and tracking, you know, so look for integrators that have experience in that, you know, environment too and that can do the application that you're looking for. So kind of look for those specialists. That's my first advice. Uh-huh. And then for, for the end users, the food processors that are, you know, listening to us today, what I would say too that's really, important is to identify the key elements of success that would be the most impactful for their projects. But, you know, what do I mean by that is, the feasibility of the applications. So that's where you wanna talk with experts to see what you're trying to actually, solve here. The challenge you're actually trying to solve cannot be done by automation, has it already been solved by somebody else and somewhere else before? So that's where that's gonna, you know, bring value to talk to those people as well. Then look also at the financial or logistical justifications. Is that helping with your operating costs? Are you working on resolving a labor shortage? Are you trying to improve productivity, remove bottlenecks in your production lines? Is it to improve safety or working conditions? So we try to identify, too, what are your key drivers here, and then see where that is, the most painful for you right now and try to focus on those areas. And then finally, also, there's two important things too, and that's, of course, you know, muddy in time. So when you look at your budget and try to reidentify, you know, where, where it's gonna be the most impactful in terms of also, costs and budgets. Look at, you know, how many, full time employees, for example, you know, an automated solutions, is helping you with. Look at, you know, the justification, again, productivity maybe that, can be calculated. And really kind of have an idea already of, you know, how much money can you put in in that project. And also then the time, you know, we're all, you know, everybody's really conscious of time these days, especially when you work on those larger projects that can take a long time. You have this little engineering, there's a lot of development, testing, to do. So rehab your kind of, like, timeline, you have narrowed it down already, and know if you need something for tomorrow or you need something, you know, that's gonna be taking a little more time, that's, you know, you'd be okay to have, you know, next year or so. So again, like, talking to experts is really something that, you know, can help you going through all those different, points here. Absolutely. And it's not always everything at once too, wouldn't you say? Sometimes starting with something smaller depending on your level of automation experience. Yes. That's what I always say too, you know, start with the little headfirst. Look at something, you know, that is gonna be easy, not too complex, get your feet wet, get your people in the plants, you know, on board with the, the new solutions, the new technologies. So really go for something that is, safe and and, and sturdy in terms of automation and technology, right, and then, you know, graduate with that first and then, you know, move on to the more complex is definitely the approach I would suggest you're right. Wonderful. What are some of the common areas of food processing? Raw processing, deforming, you know, packet portions, assembling, packing meals, meats, vegetables, bakers, etcetera, snacks, you know, all of everything. What what would you say are some of the common ones? So, the beauty of Staubli Robotics is that we've been getting food for twenty years. And when I say food, you know, I mean primary environment wash down, you know, hygienic, applications. So we truly work from the front of the plant to the back. We have integrators and OEMs that are qualified and experienced at really all stages of of the process. You know, we work in in protein, berry, bakery, pet foods, fresh produce, and ready to eat meals. So we really work, you know, across the entire spectrum of what you could find in the food processing industry. And that's, you know, really broad. So we have, you know, cooperative palletizing systems, for example, in secondary environment, that can be done with our standard to extrudes, success robots, for example. They can work alongside some fast secondary packaging systems that use our standard, you know, TS two scarers, for example. And that's, you know, very successful, of course. But at the same time, you know, then we can also enter primary packaging lines of our HD versions of those Scara. HD stands for hygienic environment. We can touch on the features of those, but these are really the robots that we use in primary wash down environment. So you can have those primary packaging lines that we've seen a lot and getting a lot of interest. Double the SCARA HE, you can have some deboning applications done with some OEM solutions, for example, that we have, you know, that use our HE six axis, range. So, really, you know, we work across the entire, you know, spectrum, curd slicing in cheese plates, deranding of wheel cheese wheels, you know, handling of trays in pet food processing plants, all kinds of applications really from from the front to the back. Could you take us tell us more about the HE robots that Stably offers? Sure. Yeah. So, HE, is an acronym for hygienic environment. So this is our line that we use for primary washdown applications. So we have standard robots. And then for the food industry, we have those HE robots where we need them. And so basically, they're, unique robots. We're all our third generation. We work on the fourth generation. Keep improving the product, but basically, you have a few, you know, features that you will find of those robots. The first one is that they'll be fully enclosed. There was no connections, no cables outside the robot. Everything goes through the arm and through the base. We have vertical connection too that separates it from the environment. That's true for the STERRA, the four axis and the six axis robots. You have a, an IP rating of sixty five, sixty seven on those robots. We also do special surface treatment and we use a special coating on top of that robot so we can resist the chemical wash downs. It's also, you know, shaped a specific way, so there's really good drainage, combined to the special and the smooth surface treatment. So you have no retention areas, which could be an issue for bacteria, for example. So everything drains from the top to the bottom. We apply that special coating that enables you again to to resist those wash downs, which is the key, you know, problem with wash down to boost boost the pieces of equipment out there. We also actually pressurize the robots. So we have a positive pressure inside the robots that again prevents, you know, anything from entering, the robot and damaging the electrical mechanical components, but also it prevents any bacteria or anything to come inside the robot and then become in a health and safety hazard. So you have all those different features. We have some crucial components that are made of stainless steel. And of course we use, H1 food grade oil in those robots. So again, it's keeping it safe for the consumers. So that's kind of what we mean by the HE, the HE line, which is, an acronym that we use a lot at Stalway. So sometimes it's good to maybe specify exactly what that means. Well, thank you for that. And that's a lot of design aspects to go into it. So, I know it's not a light small thing. It's good that you gave us a little more in-depth answer about what that is. Yeah. No. Absolutely. It's definitely a thing that we've been working on for a long, long time, but we keep working on it. Wonderful. I'm gonna need a snack after this, recording. I'm gonna tell you right now. I'll just talk of food. How does a customer, you know, or Stobly, an integrator such as Calvary figure out the level of hygienic design? You sort of already touched on a little bit, but how do they figure out what's required for automation? That is a good question that, that, for us who we spend a lot of time on. So we're, we're true industry specialists again. So we work on each project to re ensure the success of the equipment. The food industry is known to destroy equipment, like no other. Some, some guys out there even brag about it, you know, which is kind of an interesting thing to brag about. Put it through the wringer, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. It's, you know, I can destroy this one million dollars piece of equipment in two months. This is great. Well, okay. But, for those reasons, you know, we we, you know, we really try to work on that and truly, you know, work our integrators, OEMs, the food processors directly, understand their wash down processes and the chemicals that they use. Again, you know, being a pioneer in that industry, in the primary environment, in the washdown with robots, we have long history of cleaning processes that, you know, sits in our database And we really capitalize on that to validate applications. So we can look at the chemicals being used, if it's something that we've used in the past that has already been used in Europe, has been used in Asia, in the US, kind of compare those across those different references of our, expert team and, really validate the application like that. You know, we we also, now provide some best practices with our HE robots. So it kind of summarizes the do's and don'ts, you know, when you enter that arena of washdown, hygienic applications, food contact, you know, what you should do, what you should not do. It's really things that are always in our manuals and that we're always in, you know, our product manuals, but it's just making more customer friendly and we're always improving on that as well. So that has evolved with time, of course, because we are now in a third generation of HE robots. Because again, we've been doing that for a while, so we keep improving the product. Right. But, that's something that we really work on and we even have test kits also. So if there is really a concern about the environment, about the chemicals used, if there's something that we see as maybe of no red flag and we want to know more about this, what we can do as well is to actually put a test kit, in the environment for, an extended period of time, and then we can get it back and then actually do some, analysis on our lab and and return to the customer with the validation of the environment by then. Wow. That's quite an offering. Really good way to check all your, you know, boxes. Yeah. And the reason why we do that is because, so if I can maybe just add that is just because, you know, each in the food industry, each plant is different. They're all differently, even if it's the same company, each plant is gonna be different. They're gonna use different chemicals, different exposure, exposure type. They're gonna use a different third party company to do the cleaning. So sometimes they're not even really aware of the details of, you know, what's happening because the cleaning company is really the one responsible and handling, the cleaning, procedure. So that's why it's also, you know, really important to work directly with people to really understand it. It's it's it's everybody wishes they would be simple and then we could just say, you know, we're, you know, we're bulletproof for everything, but that's not really the case and you really have to be, if you want to be in the industry, if you want to be successful, you really have to understand truly the project and the applications and the environment of the people that you work with. Absolutely. And kind of a good segue there. What are the best ways to tackle then a new area of food processing? So again, for me, it's just going back to, you know, talking to experts, it's up to people that are experienced and dedicated, to the food industry, automation, and food processes. Come to trade shows, contact us, you know, talk to us, you know, just give us a call, whatever. Talk to our partners, you know, people at Calvary, and just talk to those guys and get in contact with them and they'll guide you, towards success. But this is something that's really important. Just talk to those people that, that can help you move through those hurdles quicker. Absolutely. How much do, federal, state, local, and regional regulations play into the design and implementation of automation for food? So at the federal level, and again, I'm not, you know, a hygienic and sanitation expert. You know, USDA, seems to roll into the food industry and they're the ones who inspect the processing lines. And of course, you know, our equipment goes through those, on-site inspections, just like any other piece of equipment, that could help, that could impact the health and safety of the consumers. I don't know, you know, once you go down to the state, local, original regulations, I don't know exactly how that plays out. But we can We know that the USD inspectors are there, they guarantee our safety, while we're consuming food every day, so we kind of, you know, see them as the as the main, main body out there that that really inspects, you know, equipment in the field. That's great. Is are there best practices then for, you know, hygienic design aspects for the general food and safety automation? So they are, in terms of design. So cleaning, of course, robotic manufacturers, we don't get involved with that directly. That's really for the food processors to handle and manage the risk in order to hygiene, hygiene and sanitation in their plants. But then we work really hard, you know, on the other side, on the machine equipment build, we work really hard, on our side to really align with the current guidelines from groups like, you know, E Edge, EDG, which is the European Hygienic Equipment Design Group, or either 3A, which is, you know, maybe maybe more common in North America, or get you as the FDA, you know, FDA more for the material side. So we work with those guys and the principles and the guidelines that they put out there to retry to align with those as best we can, with the current technology. That's really what we focus our efforts on on that side. Great. What are, what changes are you seeing due to industry four point zero, IoT, real time analytics, digital twin, that sort of thing when it comes to, you know, the food industry and automation? Absolutely. So, yeah, industry four point zero is a big buzzword right now at the moment. We hear it in the food industry. We hear it, you know, in the automotive industry. We hear it in the pharma industry. It's, everybody's mind. And of course it's appealing rightfully so. You know, everybody wants to be able to gather real time data, be able to analyze that, use those data to avoid no unplanned downtime, which we know food processing plants hate, up to mind, spare parts, inventories, maintenance programs. So really, it's a big thing at the moment for sure. Our products are compatible, with the UP. Our products are compatible with the, OPC UA protocol. So that means that we can virtually connect and exchange data with any other system without challenges. So that's something we've been doing for a long time. So it's not something we knew at Stalby, but now the technology is ready to be used by others. So that's a big plus as well. And then also we have, maybe the most exciting news is a a new solution that we're gonna launch very soon, and that's called Scope. I cannot tell you more about that, but, if you guys are coming to automate in Detroit in May, I will invite you to our booth and then come to learn more about scope, which is kind of the four point o, solution, the the industry four point o box, by Staubli, which will be, I think very appealing and interesting to to everybody. So that's it. That's what I can tell that topic. So far, I can invite you to it tonight. We'll be there. Come to your come to the show and come to see what Scope is about. Might have to have you come back on to talk about it once it's un unveiled. With pleasure. Sounds exciting. Yeah. Sounds exciting. How has COVID and supply chain slowdowns altered the state automation for food industry? So it's obvious that the, COVID pandemic, has exposed and threatened the food processing industry, I think, you know, like never before, with, you know, many issues around labor concerns, supply chain challenges, cost increases. So all of those, you know, impacted greatly the entire society. I think everybody felt that, you know, from the food processors, the equipment builders to the people opening up their carts in the store, right? That being said, I also believe that the food industry was already going through changes before the pandemic, and I think this will continue, even long after the pandemic. And what I mean by that is, for example, the labor shortage. That was already surfacing before. There's an increase in labor costs, competition from other industries offering good compensations like and better working conditions like the service industry, logistics, those are already out there before the pandemic, it got worse during the pandemic for sure, but it was already present before. And then also think that we under a society standpoint, we are evolving. And, as an example, butchers, you know, it was already hard to find butchers before the pandemic. A lot of butchers left after, during the pandemic, right? Because, you know, they were staying home, they got to, you know, maybe do something else, and then, you know, they stayed where they were at and they didn't have to live to the food processing industry. But also I think as a society, we're, evolving on the psychological standpoint maybe. And I think those jobs like butchers and then, and jobs like that are, you know, going to be harder and harder to fill. And so that, for example, is the challenge that I think, you know, got worse during the pandemic, but it's gonna continue. And I think those jobs would be harder and harder to feel. And so that's where automation can step in and and help. Right. Dull dirty and dangerous kind of things, right? Exactly. And on the on the food hygiene and then safety standards, you know, we already have seen changes too before the pandemic, you know, of course to guarantee the health and safety of the consumers. I think, you know, that, you know, of course was top of mind of everybody during the pandemic. Everybody wanted to stay healthy and and be able to consume their safe food. But I think that's gonna, again, you know, keep going. We always wanna provide safer, food for the consumers. I think that trend again is gonna keep going. But there's also, I think, a bright side of the, of, of the industry. There's a bright side, you know, on, on the market for us and then Vibe outlook. There are more and more people on the planet to feed, more than ever. That's right. People, they can access more food than ever, thanks to, you know, the overall improvement of the living conditions, which you translate into a higher volume of food. We need more productivity therefore to feed those people. Those people, you know, they want more diverse and healthier foods. So that opens the door for innovation, like alternative proteins, and also, you know, just in the larger product portfolios with more STUs, more variations of products. And lastly, you know, those people, just like myself, you know, have, pets that they love, but they wanna feed those pets. And so now it brings the opportunity of the pet food industry, but also is getting into automation, because there's more and more pets and those pets feed healthier and better foods and more and more diverse food. So it's gonna be an enchanter to this and then also good things that have happened, you know, recently, for the food industry. Exciting stuff. As we close this episode out, I just wanted to give you the opportunity to add any last comments or thoughts you might have. It's an exciting time, to be in the food industry. Again, I'm excited to to get in contact with with people. It's it's very impactful for me and and, and fulfilling to learn about projects, about processes, to see how things are being made and to be able to solve, you know, some challenges, with our solutions. So it's really a great time to be in this industry, have partners at Calvary to build, you know, full systems using our solutions in primary, in secondary, and really, you know, help feed the people with, you know, better food, more food, and and, get that, you know, out of the door faster for the food processors and in a safer manner. That's, you know, a great, a great, role to play at the moment. So I'm really excited about the food industry, the food processing industry from the automation standpoint. And I really encourage, you know, people to to get involved, to not be afraid of automation. I think that's the main thing. There's a big fear factor when it comes to robots and food plants. So don't be afraid. Talk to experts, and then hopefully we'll get in touch. Wonderful. And that is another great segue. It's, what is the best way for our audience to get in touch, you know, with you specifically and with Staubli? Sure. So, you know, our website is a great source of information, w w w dot Staubli, s t a u b l I, dot com. That's a great way to get a bunch of information, on our products, on the food industry, and also a great way to contact us. So it's super easy to contact us, in any country of the world, through the website. You can also, you know, connect with me on LinkedIn, connect with Stavio on LinkedIn, and chat with us directly on LinkedIn as well. Come see us. Also, face to face, trade shows, we'll be at Automate, back expo, process expo just this year, and many more events. So when you see us or if you come to an event, just look for Starly and come talk to us. And then finally, the, good old way of, phone call always works as well. So there's a phone number on the website, then you can always call that phone number, or even if you guys are sharing my contact information, people are always, you know, more than welcome to just reach out to me, via phone or LinkedIn or email. That's great. Yeah. I was, you know, poking around the website from preparation for this episode and there's some really incredible applications, especially in the food industry on your website. So I encourage people to go check some of that stuff out. Oh yeah. Thank you. And we're getting more and more, cool videos as well that show you applications and stuff. So we're working a lot on not only, realizing projects, but also promoting them and then kind of showcasing them. So there's a lot of, really cool videos as well for people to watch on there. Awesome. Well, thanks again for your time. Thank you, Josh. I really appreciate talking to you today. Yep. Thank and thank you to all the listeners. Make sure to subscribe to Advanced Automation wherever you get your podcasts, and head over to Calvary Robotics to listen to other episodes. Watch our series, Calvary TV, and lots of other great content about Calvary Robotics. Have a great day.