“The biggest thing we’re seeing right now is the move toward more automation, because there are fewer people available to work in facilities. Way back when, kids finished high school and went to work somewhere local. Now, kids are taking off for college and moving to the cities, and there are not as many available bodies to work at local facilities.
“Automation is becoming a requirement, because facilities just don’t have the people. The fewer people that it takes to operate the plant, the better.
“As a result, automation systems have to get smarter to account for that. Field devices have to be able to relay more information, because there are fewer people to go out and check the physical status of the equipment.
“Also, plant equipment needs to be really user-friendly and intuitive. The equipment on the site, like the sensors and monitoring equipment, have to be, as well.
“There have been so many mergers going on that it’s hard to say with any certainty what’s going into what types of facilities. What I’m seeing is that companies are picking their busiest sites, their flagship facilities, and those are the ones that are running harder and longer. But certainly, the new facilities are pushing automation and adopting the newest technology.
“We’re also seeing managers stretched thin – no longer are they necessarily relegated to a single site. They’re asked to oversee more than one facility.
“As a result, remote accessibility is a big thing. It’s especially necessary now that facilities have fewer people, or if they run longer hours with fewer people. The facility manager can dial in and troubleshoot from home if there is a snag. Even a nutritionist in the feed industry may be in one location overseeing the needs of many mills remotely.
“We’re starting to see a big push toward data integration. A lot more facilities are running, and companies want them to run more efficiently. So they want metrics on questions like: How much is this equipment running? How efficient is it? How much feed are we running? How much throughput are we pushing?
“We’re seeing upper-level management pushing for more reports to see where they can add production or throughput or tying in their accounting systems so that they’re seamless. They can push information back and forth to see what things are costing.”
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Reprinted from Grain Journal May/June 2020