Enhancing Food Safety by Cloud Computing from the Plant Floor

There are processing plants that connect to readers using a USB connection. With Bluetooth, the manufacturers can totally enclose these PCs with no exposed ports for use in very damp areas.

Ability to Increase the Volume of Data

I’ve heard from management of companies who want to stay competitive in this industry and need to improve the amount of data they are getting. What I’ve found is that as the facility uses the four or five panel PCs they have, management sees the benefit of having more computers stationed along the processing path. By adding more panel PCs, the operation has more data points for a much deeper quality of metrics for traceability.

The increased population of panel PCs and the various forms of product IDs allows for batching. If a problem is detected, plant floor employees can identify the product batch causing the issue. The technicians can then connect with the vendor where the product came from, giving a complete picture of that product’s life.

These data input points where panel PCs should be depends on the unique operation taking place. Take meat processing. The process starts with the raw product, which for most processing operations arrives live. From the slaughter room, the meat is broken up into various cuts, then perhaps cooked or chilled. The hundreds of pounds of meat can end up in one-pound packages which go on to be palletized, stretchwrapped, and out the door.

At all of these points, a mounted panel PC should be at that location to send the data connected with each process to the cloud. As the saying goes, if you don’t document it, it didn’t happen.

Improved Failure Diagnosis

When it comes to data, the more you can gather, the more you know. Of course, it’s not just the panel PCs interacting with cloud storage that paints the picture of what’s happening with the operation. Having this information provides a healthy level of visibility into the food handling process for up-to-the-moment responses to any irregularities, and especially crucial feature for those plants that have FDA inspectors on site.

Besides, other inputs find their way to the cloud including room environmental data from the HVAC system and in the case of refrigerated product processing, the chiller system. All of this information is vital for more accurate root cause analysis when a problem does occur in the food processing system.

PCs for the Plant Floor Environment

Food processing facilities put many demands on equipment. These requirements mean that just any PC out of a big box store is not going to cut it. Here are features that panel PCs require to enhance visibility for food traceability in these facilities.

Swiss Army knife design. Unlike consumer grade PCs, panel PCs are capable of data capture from many devices, especially those with Internet of Things technology. The ability to take input from a barcode scanner, for example, enables employees to log in, so you know what they are doing and at what time.

Water/chemical resistance. Though washdowns constitute a significant part of the routine for sanitation, one of the toughest are meat processing plants where every 12 hours these computers can be hit with a combination of high-pressure water and harsh chemicals. To withstand this shower, industrial grade computer PCs typically have an IP65 rating or greater on the whole enclosure. In most areas where washdown is needed, IP65/NEMA 4x stainless steel computers are used.

Ability to run different operating systems. The range can include Windows-based systems, Windows Embedded, Windows Professional, Windows RT, along with Linux and POS-ready systems. The device should be ready for any updates.