This interview was prepared in the framework of the DTAM project, one of the six European Sector Alliances funded in 2020, which aims to create mid-to-high level technical profiles capable of managing the future of digital transformation in companies. 

What are the specificities of Industry 4.0 technology used within the Food & Beverage sector?

Antonio Cataldi, Area Manager of Siemens SCE answers us:

«From a technical point of view, the technologies specific to Advanced Manufacturing in the Food and beverage are the same used in other production sectors. There are no particular products, but specific solutions designed accordingly to the needs of each company».

Let's take a wine-producing company: «The same technological product allows to follow the different stages of production: from the vineyard, to the vinification process, to the bottling. In each of these environments, data is collected - soil conditions, temperature, humidity, parasites, etc. - and thanks to this data, production is adjusted. In wine production, it is possible to calculate the reaction of a vine to the weather, control the growth of the grapes or the reactions in the winemaking process. The power of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies is that the data enabling these actions are collected in the same way, whether you are in a vineyard or in a steel factory. The tools are the same, only the environments and the sensors change».

«In short, Big Data is the goal, it is the data from which analyses are carried out and strategies are designed; the Internet of Things is the bridge, the gateway that collects data from the various worlds, while Machine Learning allows the machine to adapt to production requirements on the basis of the data. Cybersecurity, lastly, is everything that allows using these 4.0 technologies safely for the company».