The projections published in the last Focus report, by the Banco Centralat the end of last year, raised inflation expectations for 2023 and 2024. This means that the price of food — inside and outside the home — should rise equal to or even more than in the last four years, when it was possible to feel it on the skin (and in your pocket) a percentage of 57%, from breakfast to other daily meals, well above, even, the 30% of the general inflation of the period.
So, with the rising cost of food and inhibiting the quantity of products on the family table, the tendency is for people to save resources and buy only the essentials. Furthermore, the international crisis, Russia’s war against Ukraine and high production costs are factors that light a yellow signal for the food industry not to operate at a loss.
In this sense, there are those who think that operating in the red is exclusive to small companies in the sector, but unfortunately large establishments are often affected by lack of attention or prudence, essentially when it comes to internal procedures.
The loss of raw material is one of the main obstacles here. Since we are talking about perishable products with a high level of destructibility in transport and handling, this error is one of the most wasteful and damaging in industries.
Aureo Bordignon, CEO of Golden IT, specialist in ERP systems for the food industry, draws attention to unplanned inventories, expiration dates and even overproduction of products, many of which will not be consumable.
The way out, according to him, to reverse this scenario is in the automation of processes, in which there is no need for human interaction or automation (which requires this type of relationship). “Fortunately, after the pandemic, business is returning to normal, and companies need to recover losses, of course, but it is important to avoid new ones. With this, many establishments are investing in more efficient and autonomous machines and equipment”.
The problem is that, with the evolution of technology, when a new idea is implemented, within a short time what was innovation is already obsolete. “This does not mean that the solution is outdated, but that it is always necessary to invest in technology. And companies in the food segment must always rely on professionals prepared to learn new technologies.
In most cases, small companies are unable to keep these professionals on staff. So, the solution is to have partnerships with companies that supply these professionals”, comments Áureo.
For the automation process, several resources are needed that require several companies to put it into practice. And, knowing this, Golden IT established partnerships with different companies, from equipment manufacturers to importers and consultants specialized in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
“A company that invests in automation can produce more with fewer operators. This translates into cost reduction and increased productivity”, explains Áureo, noting that if a company does not invest in automation, there will come a time when it will not have a competitive price to remain in the market.
Automation in a food industry still makes up for the lack of basic, non-specialized labor. Because, in an industrial process where there are ten operators, with automation, only two are needed. Another advantage, in this sense, is the ease of training professionals in an automated process in relation to a manual process.
