Milling & Baking News - September 24, 2019 - 7

Editorial

IoT and A.I. to address baking's labor challenge

abor-saving automation for decades has been a weekly equipment inspections by installing heat sensors
mainstay of new equipment introduced at IBIE. on different pieces of equipment. Heat sensors offer cues
Given the elevated attention the American Bak- to a wide range of equipment problems and cost $100
ers Association has devoted to the issue of a tightening to install and $50 a year to operate. The sensors identify
labor force, it isn't surprising that the floor of the Las problems within minutes, in contrast to weekly physiVegas Convention Center was dotted with an array of cal inspections that cost about $900 annually and may
robotic and other automated equipment at IBIE 2019.
identify problems only after equipment damage has
During an interview with Milling & Baking News at been sustained.
the show, Robb MacKie, president of chief executive ofMr. Wright estimated 20 billion devices worldwide alficer of the A.B.A., said a tight labor market has wors- ready are part of IoT, a figure growing rapidly. He said
ened from "red hot" to "near crisis" in the year-and- equipment from air compressors to rodent traps would
a-half since the association identified the issue as its be suitable for such installations.
members' most pressing. Beyond sophisticated equipA different approach to IoT for baking was offered
ment on display at IBIE, laborby Rob Schoenthaler of AtollThe technology over time
saving opportunities also were
ogy, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif. The
will help baking companies
central in the excellent education
young company's customers
objectively compare various
sessions, dubbed IBIEducate,
range from General Mills, Inc.
during the triennial show.
production lines and facilities to to Tesla, Inc. The company uses
Two particular presentations
basic video cameras to track
one another, identifying paths
described technology that would
people and equipment and help
for improvement.
have been difficult to imagine
them operate more efficiently. Mr.
only a few years ago but appears affordable, practi- Schoenthaler offered fascinating examples of the techcal and compelling in 2019. The presentations empha- nology's applicability, ranging from a bagel dough masized the importance of bakers looking for more than chine prone to intermittent failure (and ruined dough
new equipment to deal with the worsening shortage batches) to the chaotic ballet airlines choreograph beof skilled workers. Harnessing emerging technolo- tween service providers (e.g., baggage handlers and
gies such as artificial intelligence (A.I.), the internet of cleanup crews) in their effort to minimize time spent at
things (IoT) and big data, presenters focused on im- a gate between a flight's arrival and the next one's deproving maintenance and sanitation of existing equip- parture. The company uses A.I. and IoT to identify ways
ment and using technology to maximize productivity.
to expedite interactions between machines, people and
Maintenance solutions with IoT were addressed by materials. In addition to helping solve problems, the
Jay Wright of Somax, Inc., Alpharetta, Ga. Mr. Wright technology over time will help baking companies objeccalled maintenance a "red-headed stepchild" that of- tively compare various production lines and facilities to
ten fails to secure needed attention and investment in one another, identifying paths for improvement.
production plants. He said IoT offers bakers an opBoth the Somax and the Atollogy presentations
portunity to reduce dependency on (but not elimi- promised cost-effective, non-disruptive installations,
nate) some of the highest paid and most difficult-to- with systems that do not rely on businesses' informareplace employees at a plant.
tion technology departments.
Stepping back, the IoT is defined as connecting things,
It is difficult to picture a future in commercial baking
in this case baking equipment, to the internet and send- that does not include IoT solutions. Bakers must explore
ing data to the cloud where it is processed and returned every avenue for dealing with the worsening shortage of
with actionable information, increasingly to mobile de- skilled labor. Rapidly advancing IoT technology increasvices. For baking plants, Mr. Wright suggested replacing ingly looks like low-hanging fruit, ripe for harvest. MBN
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