News & Insights

Twenty years ago, most food and beverage facilities employed teams of engineers who stayed current with emerging technologies and understood how to implement them effectively. Today, that landscape has fundamentally shifted.

Facilities operate with a leaner engineering staff, leaving operations managers and facility leaders to make high-stakes decisions with fewer in-house engineering resources. When these leaders face operational issues—such as efficiency bottlenecks, data visibility problems, or manual processes that slow production—they are flooded with numerous opportunities for improvement through automation without clear guidance on what actually works.

Connecting the dots with smart data collection

The best approach to digital transformation isn’t ripping out old systems—it’s connecting them. Modern data collection tools can talk to equipment from different manufacturers and collect the relevant information into one place. This approach turns scattered bits of data into useful insights without requiring the replacement of equipment prematurely.

For example, the day shift at a corn processing plant consistently produced higher-quality products that sold for better prices. However, the night shift’s production rates were lower and so they made less money. The plant knew there was a difference, but couldn’t figure out why.

The challenge was data collection. To gather information from all their different systems, someone had to walk the entire plant floor and manually check screens on each piece of equipment. This process took about 30 minutes and only gave them one snapshot in time. They couldn’t monitor continuously or track changes over time.

The solution was installing data collection systems that could communicate with all their different equipment automatically. Suddenly, they had real-time visibility into what was happening during both shifts. The historical data revealed patterns they’d never seen before, showing exactly which conditions led to higher-quality products.

They could now investigate issues and implement improvements to run consistent, high-quality production around the clock. Product ratings improved, profitability increased, and they accomplished this without replacing a single piece of functional equipment. Often, manufacturers can begin their digital transformation with these types of targeted improvements that help them collect more data.

Building momentum through strategic wins

Successful digital transformation starts with carefully selected improvements that deliver immediate value while building confidence in the overall strategy. The most effective projects focus on upgrades that can be implemented during scheduled maintenance windows, shift changes, and low-demand periods, demonstrating tangible benefits without disrupting production.

Real-time production monitoring is one of the best places to start. Sensors and dashboards that visualize overall equipment efficiency, downtime patterns, and throughput provide immediate insight into production performance. These systems often integrate with existing equipment through non-invasive connections, gathering data without requiring modifications to operational processes.

Foundation upgrades like transitioning from legacy HMI and batch systems to modern platforms on updated hardware can deliver immediate impact without downtime while improving cybersecurity and creating future-ready infrastructure.

Automated data capture offers another high-impact opportunity. This means replacing manual logs with digital forms or barcode scanning because it eliminates transcription errors while freeing operators to focus on production rather than paperwork. It also saves a step of manually entering data, which leads to fewer errors and one less resource tied up with data entry.

Digital work instructions standardize procedures across shifts, reducing training time and improving consistency. These improvements typically require minimal technical infrastructure while delivering measurable efficiency gains.

The key is in selecting projects that address specific operational pain points rather than pursuing technology for its own sake. The automation industry constantly introduces new technologies promising big improvements. But the most valuable solutions tackle basic challenges: reducing manual work, boosting production rates, reducing waste, and enabling data-driven decisions.

Each successful implementation builds organizational confidence and provides a foundation for more comprehensive improvements down the road.

Testing before implementing

One of the most effective strategies for minimizing risk during digital transformation involves thorough simulation and testing before installation. Factory acceptance testing and digital twin development allows facilities to fully simulate new systems in controlled environments, identifying potential issues before they impact production.

This approach proved transformative for a facility that had historically experienced long startup periods of two to three weeks whenever it implemented new automation systems. The facility’s new engineer recommended comprehensive pre-installation testing despite the additional upfront cost and longer timeline. The investment included full system simulation, remote demonstration sessions, and client-witnessed testing.

During these sessions, operators who worked the production line daily had opportunities to interact with the simulated system. Their intimate knowledge of the process proved invaluable—they understood the subtle operational quirks that could cause problems. In one case, an operator identified a problem he had lived with for ten years in the existing system. This problem was then addressed before the new system was even installed.

Engineers would never have discovered insights like these because they didn’t experience the daily reality of running that line. This allowed the team to address the long-standing issue before installation.

When implementation day arrived, the thoroughly tested system started up in three to four days instead of the typical two to three weeks. The facility experienced minimal downtime and avoided the troubleshooting delays that had historically plagued new installations. The success of this approach led other departments within the organization to adopt similar testing protocols for their projects.

This approach reduces the risks of digital transformation. While factory acceptance testing requires additional upfront investment and extends project timelines, it transforms unpredictable startups into manageable, scheduled events.

For facilities operating on tight margins where unplanned downtime can cost thousands of dollars per hour, this approach often pays for itself through reduced operational disruption alone. More importantly, it builds organizational confidence in digital transformation by demonstrating that new systems will work as promised before they impact production.

Overcoming implementation hurdles

Even with clear strategies and proven technologies, digital transformation faces practical challenges that can derail projects. But these hurdles can be overcome with the right approach.

The coordination needed between IT, operations, engineering, and leadership often exceeds what facilities can handle with limited in-house expertise. The solution is working with partners who provide teams that tackle mechanical, electrical, and process engineering challenges together, rather than managing separate vendors for each specialty.

Legacy system integration creates another major hurdle. Facilities worry about compatibility issues and whether they’ll need to replace everything. But smart data collection systems can talk to existing equipment from different manufacturers without requiring complete replacement. The key is choosing solutions that connect systems rather than demanding all-new technology.

Fear of production disruption can create decision paralysis, forcing facilities to keep operating with known problems rather than risk unknown consequences from making a system change. Smart implementation minimizes downtime by timing projects around scheduled maintenance, combining them with other planned work, or upgrading during low-demand periods.

Finally, budget constraints can make comprehensive upgrades seem impossible. The solution can start with an on-site assessment to identify where investments will deliver the biggest returns. This focuses resources on high-impact improvements rather than expensive, facility-wide overhauls.

How Salas O’Brien can help

Whether your facility lacks the in-house engineering expertise to navigate digital transformation confidently or you need trusted guidance to help your team navigate the challenges that come with change, Salas O’Brien can help. Our team includes over 150 automation engineers spanning multiple industries and locations. We give you access to specialists with experience in your specific challenges, whether you’re dealing with legacy equipment integration, data visibility problems, or production efficiency improvements.

Our approach starts with a comprehensive assessment of your current systems, identifying where the biggest inefficiencies lie and what can be improved with minimal disruption. We focus on delivering measurable results rather than implementing technology for its own sake.

Whether you need comprehensive support across all these areas or prefer to work with us on specific aspects of your project, we tailor our involvement to match your needs and existing capabilities.

From there, we provide:

• End-to-end support from initial evaluation through system commissioning
• Multi-disciplinary teams addressing mechanical, electrical, and process engineering challenges simultaneously
• Platform-agnostic solutions based on your specific needs rather than vendor relationships
• Simulation and testing capabilities that minimize risk while maximizing success

Whether you’re taking the first steps toward digital transformation or building on existing automation investments, we help you move from manual operations to modern, data-driven production systems that deliver lasting competitive advantages.

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