How Krones Is Adopting a Digital Mindset with AI Inspection Technology
Digital transformation was already a hot button issue even before the COVID-19 pandemic entered our lives and turned all the tables over. However, since the crisis, an increasing number of companies have fully embraced the digital mindset as a means of remaining active participants in their respective industries and future proofing their operations.
From predictive maintenance technology to advanced scheduling and workforce planning tools, digital technology has now transformed from a nice to have extra feature to a core brand differentiator which can mean the difference between success and failure.
As a key supplier of process and filling technology, packing machines, and IT solutions for the food and beverage industry, Krones has been on its own digital journey in recent years and the Germany based company is now starting to see the fruits of its labor.
Krones
"Digital issues have been assuming an increasingly pivotal role in the Krones Group,” says the company in a blog post. "It is a trend that, for some time, has been affecting not only internal group structures but also the product portfolio for Krones customers, who since 2021 have benefited from overarching service level agreements and the central Krones.world platform that pools all Krones services offered for beverage producers.”
The Krones.digital platform is a carefully constructed community made up of around 450 experts in various fields who all bring a unique perspective and skillset to the Krones digital transformation endeavor. The matrix-like design of this community enables seamless communication and removes data siloes which can hamper any organizational endeavor which fails to prioritize them appropriately.
Because every member of this globe-spanning matrix is using the same technology, specialisms and geographical restrictions can be transcended, and brainstorming sessions and cooperation become possible at every point in the value chain. This shared tech stack is the very definition of adopting a digital mindset and can feed into every part of the Krones operation from product design to field service provision.
"Krones’ new unit deploys a flexible, fast-response crew with a broad range of specialisms, whose members work together in pursuit of a single mission: to lead the food and beverage industries into a digital future,” continues Krones. "The community sees its role as designing an efficient, sustainable beverage production operation "managed by Krones” that will enable customers to focus on their own business activities.”
AI Inspection Technology
One of the latest developments to come out of this digital first mindset is a new proprietary technology designed to significantly improve the process of detecting imperfections and faults in beverage bottling facilities.
The AI powered technology employs deep learning algorithms to make anomaly detections more accurate and actionable than has ever been possible with legacy tech and will, Krones claims, herald a new age of inspection effectiveness and efficiency.
"Anyone who works with empty-bottle inspectors knows that not every bottle that the inspector rejects actually has a defect,” says Krones in a press statement. "In some cases, it might simply be water droplets or a bit of foam still clinging to the bottle after cleaning. Since conventional systems can’t always distinguish these from contaminants or damage with 100 percent certainty, they tend to err on the side of caution and reject the container. As a result, in every production shift, countless perfectly usable bottles land in the trash.”
The Linatronic AI system has been trained using thousands of images and can apply filters on the fly using its own judgement to deduce when rejection is appropriate or not. Krones claims its image-based training regime has resulted in a deep learning algorithm which can detect genuine anomalies with an accuracy of 99.99% and that waste due to false rejects is no longer an issue at bottling plants which leverage the Linatronic AI technology.
The Linatronic AI also does away with the need for localized calibration as the neural network in play does not require configuring to local conditions and is instead delivered to the customer pre-calibrated, fully trained, and ready to start work on the line.
"Deep learning is a technology that enables machines to do what we humans do naturally: learn from example,” says Krones. "But there is one big difference: a machine can use this ability many times more efficiently than humans can.”
Final Thoughts
An increasing number of brands in this space are adopting a digital mindset and applying it to create better methods of doing business in this rapidly changing industry. From unique collaboration platforms to AI powered inspection technology, Krones is demonstrating this better than most.
You can hear Krones VP of Field Service, David Darbant speak at Field Service Palm Springs 2023, being held in April at the JW Marriott Desert Springs, Palm Springs, CA.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.