Automation in the food industry: what to automate first and why

Automation in the food industry is not a luxury — it is a competitive necessity. But automating without a clear strategy can be costly and inefficient. This guide helps you prioritise.

The processes with the highest ROI in food automation

1. Palletising and packaging

This is the process with the highest ROI in most food plants. A palletising robot pays back its investment within 12–18 months in plants running more than one shift.

• Average implementation cost: €80,000 – €150,000
• Annual saving on direct labour: €60,000 – €100,000
• Reduction in packaging errors: -90%

2. Quality control with machine vision

Machine vision systems for defect detection, weight control and label verification replace slow and subjective manual checks.

• Inspection speed: up to 400 units per minute
• Defect detection rate: >99.5%
• Automated regulatory compliance (IFS, BRC)

3. Traceability and integrated SCADA

Automating traceability not only improves efficiency — it is an increasingly strict regulatory requirement. An integrated SCADA system allows:

• Automatic recording of batches and temperatures
• Real-time alerts on deviations
• Regulatory audits completed in minutes, not days

How to evaluate what to automate

The criteria we use at Orca Industry during the preliminary assessment:

1. Frequency of manual intervention — how many times per shift an operator performs a repetitive task
2. Error or rework rate — what percentage of output requires review or correction
3. Impact on throughput — if the bottleneck is that process, automation has a multiplier effect
4. Regulatory compliance — if the process carries a risk of non-compliance, automation is a priority

A free plant audit allows us to identify the 2–3 processes with the greatest automation potential in less than a day.