Automation and efficiency drawing crowds at Anuga

Anuga FoodTec, the world's premier event for the food processing and packaging industries, is currently being held in Cologne, Germany.

More than 1200 different companies are exhibiting in a trade area covering a total floor space of more than 1,100,000 m².

Three Australian companies are exhibiting: Heat and Control, Gold Peg and Cavitus.

If the event has any overriding themes, they are safety, sustainability and automation. Visitors pour in every day and are intent on improving their company's performance in these three key areas.

Anecdotally, around the stands I hear that companies are willing to spend AU$1–33 million on automation projects. Finance is fairly easy to source for this level of spending and the return on automation projects at this level is rapid.

In spite of falling oil prices, visitors to Anuga are still very interested in anything that improves their energy efficiency. Energy use minimisation in conveying and refrigeration seem to be very popular and drawing large crowds.

Also drawing the crowds is the Robotik-Pack-Line. A synthesis of robotics and automation, this line is demonstrating processing and packaging untouched by human hands. The hygienic system is a forerunner of the digital factory of the future.

We are already used to some automation within our plants, but this line has taken the concept one step further with effective interfacing allowing the entire line to be automated from beginning to end.

Attendance at this event really brings home not only the size of the worldwide food market, but just how up to date both Australia and New Zealand are already.

Janette Woodhouse, editor