On Sunday 13th October 2019 during the international expo Foodctech five Greek associations (Association of the Greek Manufacturers of Packaging & Materials, Hellenic Association of food scientists and technologists, Federation of Hellenic food industries, Sevitel, Sevek),organized the training workshop: Industry 4.0 tools for the food and packaging industry. Throughout the event, there has been an extensive description of the 4th Industrial Revolution, as well as the changes it brings –internationally and in various fields.
In the first session Dr. Makris (Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics University of Patras) talked about artificial intelligence, which –as he explained– lies at the very heart of the 4th Industrial Revolution. In fact, the goal of this new era is for robots to collect data and make decisions, helping with production; they will interact with both the environment and humans and reprogram their behavior without the need for human intervention.
In the second session speakers representing the Greek industry and the academic society (SEVT, LMS, University of West Attica, Agricultural University of Athens) analyzed the socio-economic impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Mr Nikos Farantouris, Member of the SEVT Scientific Committee and Quality, Safety, Environment Manager at Coca Cola 3E, referred to the position of the Food and Beverage sector in the Greek manufacturing industry, as well as the cataclysmic changes brought about by Industry 4.0 regarding the way industries and their employees work. Finally, he referred to the innovations Coca Cola has implemented in the distribution center of Northern Greece, including Vision Picking, an innovative augmented reality technology solution to manage warehouse needs.
Dr. A. Kanavouras (Food Packaging, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece Lab of Food Engineering and Preservation) talked about the specifications in each unit as a bridge between materials and machines, stressing that specifications are a business organization's "immune" system that affects both quality and employee safety.
The workshop continued with the last session success stories from Greek production and packaging businesses Sabo SA, DD synergy (SAP), Gizelis Robotics (MIR), Theodorou Group, Evocon, Bizerba, Logistic ways, Acmon Data, GE Digital followed by an open discussion.
