Big gains don’t always require big investments. Modernising outdated equipment incrementally can unlock productivity savings in a complex food supply chain. By Louise Liddiard, Key Account Manager – CPG Segment, Schneider Electric.

In a time of economic challenges, digital transformation can help businesses modernise their existing systems, without the need to invest in brand new assets. However, all businesses are different and so are their modernisation journeys. Many operators in the UK’s food supply chain are still heavily reliant on older legacy equipment that is energy-intensive and presents a reliability risk.

Despite the wide variation between organisations, they all share the same set of pressures to meet consumer demand, react to climate change legislation, cut energy costs and comply with safety regulations.

The concept of digital transformation has potential to help, but tasking businesses to completely ‘digitally transform’ is not simple and there is no one size fits all solution.  

The path to modernisation can take many forms. An important aspect of digital transformation today is that businesses no longer need to rip and replace with major upgrades of entire lines. Instead, an incremental and scalable approach will deliver measurable returns.

Anyone from farmers to packaging and delivery professionals can access advanced capabilities within existing operations. In turn, they can spread the investment over time to make it more easily manageable while minimising disruption.

The modernisation journey

Digital transformation is a continuous process that evolves with operational needs and technological advancements. For example, a food processing plant may have been operating assets for over a decade, with energy costs steadily rising. A full rebuild may be costly and disruptive. Instead, the plant manager can deliver a targeted upgrade by retrofitting components such as sensors and updating software. This can unlock new and advanced digital capabilities like predictive maintenance, to cut unplanned downtime over an asset’s life to boost profitability. This kind of targeted modernisation can be replicated at every point on the supply chain, with many small upgrades combining into a step change in efficiency.

Looking at the start of the supply chain, innovations in agriculture include vertical farming, data analytics and autonomous technologies. When deploying these, agricultural experts can utilise a partnership with a technology provider to access deep sector knowledge and digital expertise, helping farmers achieve resilience, while maximising productivity and best practice.   

Moving along the supply chain, processing, bottling and packaging plants for consumer products are often energy intensive. Modernisation is often an effective route to digitalisation, whether for niche local manufacturers or global exporters. Retrofitting connected sensors, energy monitoring systems, and open automation platforms will quickly identify inefficiencies in real time. It is an approach every business can take to do more with less.

Legacy equipment often incurs huge amounts of additional cost and operational risk. An underlying reason is that motor efficiency standards have been rising incrementally over time. In many cases the power to run an older motor is more costly than replacing the motor with a modern equivalent or installing variable speed drives on refrigeration compressors. Other actions such as fitting energy monitoring sensors or automating temperature controls can also make a significant difference to extending asset life and reducing energy waste without disrupting critical processes.

Hitting regulatory targets

An important factor in modernisation is that regulations and standards are constantly evolving. By modernising a production line with digital technology, a business can stay on top of changes in government regulations or certification schemes.  

For example, many operators are increasingly required to disclose Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, depending on regulatory frameworks and company size. In addition, they need to maintain food safety compliance such as ISO 22000, or other schemes covering energy efficiency, export standards.

These all require access to advanced data, which is straightforward with modern operational technology (OT). Manual data collection on legacy equipment simply does not offer the accurate information needed, but completely replacing systems is usually out of the question.

How to approach modernisation

For producers, processors, and distributors in the food supply chain, modernisation offers a competitive advantage. It delivers tangible returns from investment by reducing unplanned downtime and providing real-time visibility to enable production scalability and efficiency.

It is worth using a dedicated technology partner to deliver modernisation for two reasons: staff will receive full training on new technology; and to gain access to long term support from dedicated experts for troubleshooting and further upgrades.

A partner can also overcome challenges of deploying technology in controlled environments that are often required across processing, packaging and logistics, and in ‘always-on’ sites. Best results can be achieved with a partner with proven experience in the sector.

Modernisation links farming, processing, logistics, and retail, enabling businesses to reach operational excellence without costly replacements. Using a technology partner to deliver incremental upgrades can unlock efficiencies today while laying the digital foundation for future innovation.

Mapping out a route to future efficiency

The UK’s food producers, processors, packaging plants and warehouses sit at the heart of our economy. By taking urgent action, operations teams can boost the efficiency their own processes and benefit the supply chain as a whole. Operators can take incremental steps in modernisation.

Working with a technology partner like Schneider Electric will provide access to advice and guidance so that small steps will add up to become advanced digital capabilities and efficiencies over time.

By combining technology knowledge with the sector-specific expertise of food processors, modernisation can ensure food security, business profitability, and sustainability all continuing to meet customer needs.

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