Leading speaker line-up for dedicated Food & Beverage digitalisation conference

17 May, 2019

The conference’s main aim is to provide a practical, jargon-free opportunity to those starting out on the digital transformation process, to experience a complete smart roadmap, highlighting the incremental stages of the 4IR journey covering all aspect of the digital transformation in the food & beverage sector.

Competitive edge

Many food & beverage producers are increasingly adopting automation and digitalisation technologies that give them a competitive edge, allowing them to produce more efficiently and provide insightful information for decision making. Producers who lag behind will find themselves unable to compete in the smart era. Technologies that used to be optional are now required for plants and factories that want to remain competitive in a rapidly changing, cost-competitive landscape.

The forthcoming event is an ideal opportunity to help both SMEs and Bluechip businesses provide a roadmap to bring these automation and digitalisation solutions to their organisation.

Speakers will address the vast array of information around 4IR, discussing the practicalities, technologies and issues surrounding transition and implementation of digitalisation in the food & beverage sector.

Wide range of opportunities

Victoria Montag – sector head for Industrial Automation at GAMBICA, the trade association for instrumentation, control, automation and laboratory technology in the UK – will start the conference by introducing the wide range of opportunities that industrial digitalisation presents for the British food & beverage industry over the next decade.

Further seminars will be led by other leading figures in the food & beverage industry, such as Keith Thornhill, Siemens Digital Factory, head of food & beverage – UK and Ireland, who will look at how in a landscape of production having to be more productive, efficient and agile to cope with our appetites that require extra choice and multiple buying options, this conundrum can only be solved with greater deployment of digitalisation and automation.

While Steve Sands, Industry 4.0 spokesperson for Festo UK, will pose the challenges faced by the food & beverage industry and examine some of the solutions that new digitalisation technologies can help with.

Chris McComb, managing director at iTech Troon, will also discuss how the increased prevalence of digitalisation in today’s society means more and more key players in the food & beverage industry are looking to embrace technology to deliver fundamental improvements in their businesses. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is more widespread now than it has ever been.

Better decision making

In addition, the Manufacturing Technology Centre’s (MTC) chief engineer for food, beverage, Matt Rayment, will focus on how food & beverage producers can implement automation and digitalisation technologies that give them a competitive edge, and allow them to produce more efficiently and provide insightful information for decision making.

Other seminars will include: The benefits of edge computing in the food & beverage industry and efficiency through AI: The story of a dairy factory, as well as a panel discussion on the next steps towards transitioning and implementing a digital future in the food & beverage industry.

All delegates will receive a recognised certificate of attendance and gain CPD points through our membership and recognition through the CPD Certification Service.

‘Demystifying the jargon: How to make the digitalisation transition’ is organised by DFA Media Ltd. The event is the first of a series of three sector specific Smart Industry Conferences throughout 2019:

Smart Industry

Food & Beverage

22 May 2019

National Conference Centre, Birmingham

Smart Industry

Automotive

12 September 2019

Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, Coventry

Smart Industry

Aerospace

6 November 2019

The Bristol Hotel, Bristol

The conference is co-located alongside the Motion & Control Industry Awards (MCIA). To find out more about how to register, visit: www.smartconferences.org.uk.