In the food industry, business owners and leaders don’t often think about technology. That’s a bit odd since technology has had a significant impact on how we produce, process, and distribute food. Overall, companies that are more focused on delivering tech products pay attention to tech within their infrastructures.
However, it doesn’t mean that food businesses can’t benefit from implementing new tech solutions. New technologies can improve your efficiency, reduce costs, and make your operation run smoothly. It can be overwhelming to find the right solutions for your business model.
Don’t worry – in this post, we’ll cover four technologies your food business can benefit from. What’s important is that these technologies are available to all businesses regardless of their size.
Machines & Robots
Machines bring affordability and quality to the food industry. With machines, you can increase your production output while at the same time keeping costs down by keeping food products fresh over a longer period.
Many companies are acquiring used water jets to enhance food processing, cut frozen food, slice vegetables, and produce foods like biscuits or cakes on a large scale. These solutions make the overall work environment quicker and safer.
Robots are also used in some of the world’s largest food businesses, implemented on the production lines to assist human operators. Some other examples are smoothie-making robots that handle simpler tasks to save time.
POS Systems
Point of sale systems act as the central hub for a whole food establishment. In restaurants, they are the single place where customers make orders, chefs get those orders, and cashiers make invoices. These systems can also store the menu, inventory, prices, and analytics information about employees, their tips, and performance.
Your whole operation is streamlined with a POS system. There’s no room for missing orders, miscommunication in who is in charge of what customer, or writing down orders on a ledger. It’s simple and easy for everyone involved and with far less room for mistakes.
You can also track important analytics that can show you where you can improve or what employees aren’t performing well. Furthermore, you can also generate daily sale reports with ease to have a clear picture of your performance.
Flying Drones
One of the latest approaches that have made a big difference in food production is precision agriculture. This approach includes using a variety of information technology for accurate and controlled food production.
One of the technologies that can help improve precision agriculture is drones. You can use drones to identify and locate damaged crops and help pinpoint areas that need better attention. Monitoring drones can help recognize weather patterns, soil conditions, and crop yields.
Since the product requirements are becoming more strict, especially for large volume production, it’s important to ensure that all the crops are produced similarly. Drones can help recognize issues, figure out better logistics, and recognize mistakes made in the growing process.
Software Solutions for Online Ordering
The food industry has entered the era of ordering food online. This trend has grown even further during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are used to ordering their food online and getting it delivered at their doorsteps or ordering food and picking it up on their way home.
Customers who have this option are more likely to shop at your place and return in the future. At the same time, having an online ordering option also exposes your business even more.
You’ll be able to find your place amongst your competition. It doesn’t matter if the majority of your customers come onto your premises to shop, this option will make it easier both for you and them. When customers order before coming in, you can have the time to prepare all the orders and provide an excellent service.
Conclusion
Technology has always been a key factor in driving business growth. Just because the food industry is a bit slow to adopt new solutions doesn’t mean you should fit in with the rest.
In fact, it’s your opportunity to get an advantage over your competitors and establish your business before everyone picks up all the useful new technology. New tech solutions are an investment, but they are worthwhile as they give a great ROI over time.
