Still, 76 percent of respondents said they would not start using an automated system now because their current system is already efficient.
The results of the survey seem to show that the FDA and government need to do a better job of educating and enforcing the rules of the FSMA. However, facilities managers have a responsibility as well. It is their duty to have better tracking and tracing technology—allowing them to meet and pass FDA recalls or audits, as well as providing customers with the assurance that their food and/or beverages face no contamination threats throughout the production process.
If for no other reason, one of the most convincing reasons to submit to new FSMA regulations is to avoid complications in court. When rules and guidelines are loosely defined, the chances of winning a case against a manufacturer are pretty slim. But once rules are clearly laid out, as they have been under the new FSMA guidelines, lawyers are more willing to take the case because they can more easily identify any incorrect interpretation the manufacturer might have made and analyze every aspect of the regulations.
Kaup (CPIM) is the chief technology officer at iRely, LLC, a provider of process manufacturing and commodities software. He has over 18 years of experience in designing and implementing solutions for the manufacturing industry. Reach him at [email protected].
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