Automation and computer integrated manufacturing in food processing industry: an appraisal

Abstract

This study is concerned with a research programme on automation and computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) in food processing industry, culminating in an implementation framework detailing the extent of automation and application of computer based technologies in Irish food processing industries. This work involved with designing of a postal survey questionnaire and mailing it to 221 manufacturing companies, and designing a web-based survey and emailing it to 31 manufacturing companies in the Republic of Ireland. Questions were designed to capture information about the level of automation, envisaged level of automation, motivation and obstacles to implement computer-based technology, and the extent of implementation of CIM environments at plants. The key findings point to the existence of a linear relationship between practice and performance. From the perspective of competitive advantage, the traditional postal survey gives a higher response rate than web-based survey, but on the other hand the web based survey takes shorter response time and cost s less than a traditional postal survey. The results of this study show variable levels of automation. A large number of the manufacturing plants are applying automation, and are trying to increase the automation level m their plants. This work has demonstrated that the manufacturers have the desire to adopt CIM systems at different levels, despite the cost obstacle of implementing them