How Conagra Uses Industry 4.0 Tech in its Operations Today

Bryan Griffen: So, let's see if we can zoom in on one mission that's already underway for ConAgra. Can you share a project where Industry 4.0 has made a meaningful impact for you guys?

Tom Annett: Sure. I think one project comes to mind. What we had done is in this situation, we used a digital twin emulation software to help us validate the design by pretesting the operation and throughput. It also helped us assist us in operator training with virtual reality technology. So this application specifically was a packaging pick and place design using delta robots to orient finished product prior to inserting in the cartons. Previously, the product was inserted by hand. It was important to us to validate the number of robots that we needed to accommodate the product flow and the production rates, but more importantly, to validate the design to handle disruptions. Things like varying flow rates, missing production - spaces that are taken in the production, bad picks, those types of scenarios. Today, we're currently considering using this technology to improve equipment layouts, identify accumulation areas, locating reject, and quality testing stations, in addition to identifying measurement locations to improve food safety. So cameras at the exits of ovens to ensure the product is at temperature prior to packaging. We feel this is going to be a valuable tool for the right applications. It can be expensive and it can be challenging, but for the right applications, this is one example. I think when we talk about Industry 4.0, I think it's really one of the applications that we're utilizing to say, how can we design a line prior to even building the line?