Manufacturing Operations - Member Interest Group

This MIG is dedicated to keeping members updated on developments and challenges facing the manufacture of products from their raw ingredients, along with their packaging and distribution. The emphasis of the group is on the practical aspects of manufacture and improving efficiency. A wide range of food and drink manufacturers and retailers attend this forum, together with their allied industries such as packaging and equipment manufacturers. The aim of this MIG is to provide a collaborative environment in which challenges and solutions can be discussed. It is also an ideal forum for networking, horizon-scanning, identifying gaps in knowledge and addressing them, as well as keeping up to date with legislation, latest research, and other upcoming topics.

Chair: Claire Yates, Co-Operative Group
Vice-Chair: Helen Stupples, Young's Seafood

Next Manufacturing Operations meeting

Manufacturing Operations MIG

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TBA

Typical topics of interest:

Factories and equipment

  • Industry 4.0 (e.g. robotics, AI, sensors etc)
  • Material flow
  • Factory design
  • Equipment design and automation
  • Modelling
  • Pest control
  • Scheduling and optimisation
  • Data capture
  • Health and safety
  • Best practice
  • Foreign body detection

Hygiene

  • Design of premises and equipment
  • Hygiene in practice
  • New methods and concepts

Safety

  • Manufacturing to standards
  • Risk assessment

Supply chain

  • Packing, shipping, and distribution
  • Supply chain resilience

Quality

  • Ingredient and product handling
  • Monitoring of product
  • New technologies

Resources

  • Efficiency of process
  • Waste reduction and by-product utilisation
  • Energy efficiency
  • Effluent management
  • Lean manufacturing

Information

  • Horizon scanning
  • Learning from other industries
  • Codes of practice and other working guides
  • Training
  • Legislation and guidance

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