Shared logic

The manufacturing constraints used in the production of food, beverages and pharmaceuticals are subject to the same laws and standards, meaning the process control strategies and equipment used for all of them could, in theory, be identical.

The various industries have made good progress in many areas. According to a recent report from the US-based Automation Research Council: 'Many companies have well-documented food safety programmes that include good manufacturing and pest control practices, good sanitation, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) protocols, personnel qualification and awareness training, process validation, change management and an effective product recall system.'

Of course, all of this is difficult to achieve in practice and depends on efficient exchange of information. This has led ARC to call for vastly improved automation infrastructures, even in the most highly-automated facilities, and greater exchange of information between business and technology systems.

In the pharmaceuticals industry, where regulatory compliance is of the utmost importance,