Robots have the potential to increase productivity, safety and hygiene standards within a processing plant but automated lines are still relatively rare among processors, who may fear it to be too costly or risky. This attitude appears especially problematic in the UK, which has just 44 robots per 10,000 production workers in manufacturing industries, compared to 171 in Germany and 89 in Spain, according to figures from the British Automation and Robotics Association.
Now, the newly-opened Centre for Food Robotics and Automation (Cenfra) – the only one of its kind in Europe – is looking to promote robotics within the food industry to encourage processors to embrace the technology and make their businesses more competitive.
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