Centre for Robotics and Automation at the University of Salford

The Centre for Food Robotics and Automation (CenFRA) is a new initiative servicing the needs of the food manufacturing industry in the north of England and beyond.

Based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, the initiative – the first of its kind in Europe – may well provide a model which can be copied elsewhere, as western manufacturers strive to compete with organisations in lower wage economies. 

CenFRA will provide an engineering resource, allowing food and drink processing companies, large and small, access to world leading automation technology. It will provide a focus, bringing together manufacturers, equipment and technology suppliers, as well as academic trainers and researchers, to meet some of the challenges now facing the sector.

CenFRA, a not-for-profit company, is a partnership with the Centre for Robotics and Automation within the University of Salford and is funded principally by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward. It is also supported by Yorkshire Forward’s two sister bodies, Northern Way, covering the rest of the north of England. 

Food and drink manufacturing constitutes one of the largest economic sectors in the United Kingdom, employing some 200,000 people. The north of England produces about half the nation’s food output and the sector is the largest industrial employer in the Yorkshire region. But while the industry is noted for providing a vast range of very high quality products at affordable prices and has a distribution network second-to-none, it does face major challenges.

One of the sector’s significant characteristics is still the widespread use of manual assembly procedures, which leaves it vulnerable to low cost imports and the complexities of the present labour market. Environmental issues - including energy consumption, waste reduction, water use minimisation and increased customer awareness of hygienic manufacture and product traceability - bring additional pressures, all of which must be addressed.

In addition, there is, of course, continued downward pressure on prices, linked to a demand for shorter response times. All these features combine to make a competitive and volatile market place.

A major goal is therefore reducing operating costs and using modern technology to address the need for flexible manufacturing processes. There is also the possibility of reduced requirements for factory volume, with ongoing savings in energy and cleaning costs.

We at the University of Salford have, in the past, undertaken a large number of food sector industrial audits. We have also designed, built and tested a range of mechanical grippers to process “difficult” products, such as cucumber, tomato and pasta slices.

In addition, we have designed, built and demonstrated a set of experimental rigs that undertake food assembly processes previously regarded as the domain of experienced manual operatives.

For seven years, we have done our utmost to raise awareness of the opportunities for automation in the food industry, by disseminating the results of our own activity and that of engineering colleagues working in the field.

We have correlated the resulting feedback carefully, to identify some of the industry’s essential needs, as it makes the transition from manual to automated processes.

Having gained this experience and insight, the next step was to see how we could best help the sector, which is very widely distributed and generally far too busy to develop individual links with university research groups or master the intricacies of funding proposals.

There was a need for a readily accessible local or regional facility, supporting this evolution towards automation, and the idea of CenFRA was therefore born.

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire and Humber, helped to bring the project to fruition by placing a contract with the University of Salford to drive the project forward.
 
The centre is staffed by well-qualified engineers with experience in the food industry and has access to other sources of expertise on issues such as finance, energy management, and environmental and hygienic procedures.

lnitial engineering support is being provided by the university, but CenFRA is working  to broaden the base of technology  and training providers, particularly in the Yorkshire region. It is also acting as a source of impartial advice and guidance to companies on the benefits (or, in appropriate cases, limitations) of automation, as applied to specific operating procedures.

Technology audits are available on request – which, for an initial period, are free to food manufacturing companies in Northern Way regions - and resources exist to develop experimental prototypes designed to meet specific manufacturing requirements. Appropriate training schemes are currently being formulated and there is space at the CenFRA site to demonstrate state-of-the-art automation procedures and host seminars, to disseminate best practice.

There are also plans to develop partnerships with industrial organisations willing to help the centre in this communication process and explore links with other UK regions.

The initiative will only succeed, however, if it can engage the enthusiastic support of the industry in the regions, and this is a prime task being addressed by CenFRA.

There is much work to be done, but I am confident the organisation will make a major contribution to sustaining the food industry in the north of England. The centre is taking a European lead in this field, which I am sure is being watched closely by industry professionals elsewhere in the western world.

* Professor John Gray was the instigator of the CenFRA concept. Since its formation, the project has now advanced to its second stage of commercial operation.

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