Robots Invade Food & Beverage Plants (But it's Good for the Industry)

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--There has been continuous growth in the Food & Beverage Industry and even more tremendous growth in the addition of robotics to the forefront of the processing lines. As the cost of utilizing robotics continues to drop and capabilities continue to increase, industrial robots will be a key driver as manufacturers look to remain competitive in the Food & Beverage Industry going forward. Industrial Info is tracking 93 projects in the U.S. and Canada worth about $1.42 billion that require some form of automation and more specifically, robotics.

From a regional standpoint, the high value associated with robotics can be tracked to the Midwest, with 21 projects worth $395 million; the Great Lakes, with 23 projects worth $311 million; and the Mid-Atlantic region, with nine projects worth $203 million.

Some of the main contributors to the investment in robotics are the meat and poultry sector, with 19 projects worth $337 million, and the baked goods, frozen & prepared foods sector, with 22 projects and a total investment of $246 million.

One of the largest robotic projects expected to kick off next year is for Bremner Food Limited's (Delta, British Columbia) bakery production facility in Princeton, Kentucky. This $7 million project is expected to involve the construction of five or six new robotic palletizers.

Most of the upcoming spending plans are expansions of facilities that are already in operation. Project examples include:

• $80 million Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breakfast Cereals and Snacks Plant Expansion
• $40 million Mount Crawford, Virginia, Soy Milk Plant Expansion
• $30 million Dodge City, Kansas, Beef Processing Storage Facility Addition
• $10 million Corpus Christi, Texas, Bakery Upgrades
• $4 million Elberton, Georgia, Poultry Processing Automated Palletizer Addition

Industrial Info's database of active capital and maintenance expenditures by the Food & Beverage Industry across the globe has current expenditures of $82.27 billion and more than 6,300 active projects. The North American section, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has more than 3,400 active projects that total more than $46 billion.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.