The food and beverage industry is under constant pressure to deliver high-quality products while maintaining strict safety standards and maximizing efficiency. Traditional quality control methods often rely on manual inspection, which can be time-consuming, prone to human error, and costly. But what if there was a way to automate these processes, improve accuracy, and gain valuable insights into your production line? Enter Vision AI at the Edge.
What is Vision AI at the Edge?
Vision AI combines the power of artificial intelligence (AI) with computer vision technology, all processed “at the edge” – directly on devices within your production facility. This means cameras and sensors feed data to the edge device where AI algorithms can analyze images and videos in real-time, without needing to send data to the cloud or a central server. Edge computing reduces latency when real-time decisions are needed.
The insights created from Vision AI can then be integrated into a PLC or MES to correct deviations in products in near real-time.
How Does Vision AI Benefit Food and Beverage Manufacturers?
Forward-thinking Food & Beverage manufacturers are already realizing returns on Vision AI solutions solving some of their most challenging problems. This cutting-edge technology offers a multitude of benefits for food and beverage manufacturers, including:
- Increased Efficiency and Productivity:
- Automated Quality Control: Edge Vision AI can automatically inspect products for defects, blemishes, inconsistencies, and contaminants, reducing or eliminating the need for manual inspection and significantly speeding up production lines.
- Real-time Process Optimization: By continuously monitoring production processes, Vision AI can identify bottlenecks, optimize equipment performance, and predict maintenance needs, leading to increased overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
- Reduced Downtime: Early detection of potential issues allows for proactive intervention, minimizing downtime and ensuring smooth production flow.
- Improved Quality Control and Food Safety:
- Enhanced Accuracy: AI algorithms can detect even the smallest defects and inconsistencies that might be missed by the human eye, ensuring consistent product quality and reducing the risk of recalls.
- Contamination Detection: Edge Vision AI can identify foreign objects, such as plastic or metal fragments, in food products, safeguarding consumer safety and protecting brand reputation.
- Compliance with Regulations: By automating quality control processes, Edge Vision AI helps food and beverage manufacturers meet strict safety and labeling regulations, reducing the risk of non-compliance penalties.
- Reduced Costs and Waste:
- Lower Labor Costs: Automation of inspection tasks reduces the need for manual labor, leading to significant cost savings.
- Minimized Waste: Early detection of defects and contamination prevents faulty products from reaching the market, reducing waste and minimizing the environmental impact.
- Optimized Resource Utilization: By analyzing production data, Edge Vision AI can identify areas for improvement in resource allocation, leading to more efficient use of energy, water, and raw materials.
- Code Date Label Verification:
- Label Verification: Edge Vision AI can accurately read and verify code dates, lot numbers, and other critical information on product labels, ensuring it is placed correctly, legible, and accurate.
- Preventing Costly Recalls: By guaranteeing accurate labeling, Edge Vision AI helps manufacturers avoid costly product recalls due to mislabeling or expired products.
- Other Applications:
- Packaging Inspection: Ensuring proper sealing, fill levels, and label placement.
- Grading and Sorting: Automatically sorting products based on size, color, or other quality parameters.
- Inventory Management: Monitoring stock levels and predicting demand.
Edge Vision AI in Action: Real-World Examples
- Blemish detection in produce: One of our customers is a leader in frozen vegetables, and not all veggies have consumer-friendly appearances. Bumps, bruises, and discolorations impact the appearance of the food, which in turn affects consumer’s appetites. Too much variation or damage can lead to customer complaints and lost sales. Using Vision AI, the algorithm detects product that deviates too far from the ideal appearance and alerts the line to remove the outliers.
- Quick Product Counts: It can be hard to ensure 100 packs of candy are dropped into the package every single time. If you are short, you have sad consumers. If you go over, you’re losing money.
Vision AI is quickly counting the number of items dropped into each package while calculating the variety of the mix. Meeting and not exceeding SLAs keeps customers happy while avoiding unnecessary waste. - Code Date Label Verification: Consumers expect a legible “Best by” date on every product. But sometimes the label is printed in the wrong place, or the printer is low on ink. Sometimes, packages are skipped.
Recalls are costly, as is a loss of consumer trust. ClearObject customers are using Vision AI to check every package on the line to confirm the Code Dates are printed correctly and identify deviations before they become an issue. - Foreign Matter Detection: Branches, strings, insects, and even fragments of golf balls have been known to make their way to consumers via packaged goods. Vision AI helps identify and remove items that metal detectors and X-rays may miss. Our customers are leveraging Vision Systems with humans-in-the-loop to keep their products pure and foreign-object free.
Implementing Edge Vision AI in Your Facility
The implementation of Vision AI solutions can be tailored to your specific needs and budget. In some cases, existing cameras can be used. In many cases, cameras and lighting can be quickly installed on existing lines and avoid replacing older, yet functional equipment.
To begin your exploration of Vision AI solutions, start by identifying the critical control points in your production process where AI can have the biggest impact. Consider factors such as:
- Types of defects and contaminants to be detected
- Required accuracy and speed
- Existing infrastructure and equipment compatibility
Partnering with a reputable Edge Vision AI provider such as ClearObject can help you identify the highest ROI use cases, choose the right hardware and software solutions, integrate them seamlessly into your existing systems, and ensure ongoing support and maintenance.
The Future of Food Production is Here
Edge Vision AI is transforming the food and beverage industry by enabling manufacturers to achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, quality control, and food safety. And it is easier to get started than you may imagine.