Many people only recognise the importance of the domestic food and beverage industry when recycling and supply chains come into focus due to a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. The German Agricultural Society (DLG) has once again focussed on the industry in its Trend Monitor. The results were dominated by the pandemic, as the survey of around 100 companies was conducted between May and July 2020. All respondents agree that they operate in a sensitive product area.

The DLG trend monitor

What is the state of the food supply and where could one of Germany’s most important industries be heading? In order to answer these questions with the help of quantitative and qualitative data, the DLG conducts surveys every three years and publishes the results in its Trend Monitor.

Companies are asked about their short and medium-term investment plans. Technical developments within the food and beverage industry can also be broken down and analysed in detail in this way. For the sake of simplicity, the survey was conducted online. With regard to the results, the DLG emphasises that the survey was conducted against the backdrop of the pandemic, i.e. in a time of economic uncertainty. Only companies from German-speaking countries were surveyed.

The future of investment in the food industry

What can the future of the food industry look like? Work and delivery processes should be made more efficient through investment. Germany is a centre of technology and knowledge. This was underlined in the survey by the fact that those responsible in the food and beverage industry want to redirect the flow of money and personnel towards innovation, sustainability and digitalisation. Investment and manpower should also be channelled into the various production areas. Partners such as SCHOLPP are increasingly involved here. Quality parameters include functional precision and high productivity, as well as hygiene requirements in food processing. Investments in machinery and equipment also point the way to the high-quality sector under cleanroom conditions – as hygienic quality can simply be produced in cleanrooms.

Sustainability often means avoiding waste

Sustainability plays a central role in the food industry, not only because end customers are paying more and more attention to it, but also because it makes economic sense.

In many cases, investments in this area are currently aimed at minimising waste. The investments made here – for example in energy management, the utilisation of raw materials, new technologies for reducing water, cooling, electricity and heat loads – should pay for themselves as quickly as possible. If you compare the DLG Trend Monitor from 2018 with 2021, it is noticeable that the willingness to invest in the utilisation of raw materials and rework (further processing of food) in the food industry has generally decreased.

Production machines for online retail

Efficiently and precisely assembled production systems from service providers such as SCHOLPP are often the key to the rapid distribution of food and beverages in online retail. According to the survey, 60 per cent of respondents believe that it is not just postal orders or deliveries to existing customers that are important.

Perfectly integrated production machines as well as packaging and dispatch systems are sensible investments. They guarantee that everything arrives smoothly and as quickly as possible to the end customer after the order has been clicked. Online retail can significantly improve the reputation of a food company and thus contribute to its positive public image. This is the result of the survey.

Many food producers have invested in high-quality refrigeration systems so that orders can be dispatched as quickly as possible. Transporting refrigeration units from the production site to the place of use is a routine task for SCHOLPP. Among other things, its employees ensured that the GLOBUS store in Chemnitz was supplied with the ordered cooling units on time. In this order for Dresdner Kühlanlagen GmbH, SCHOLPP showed how quickly it can react to complicated situations. Neither the icy outside temperatures nor the complicated opening of the building at the destination prevented the on-time delivery.

Standardisation in the food industry? Not with the SCHOLPP experts, who will continue to competently assemble and transport production and packaging systems for the food industry in the future. For this reason, representatives of the food industry will be able to translate their ideas of progress into high-quality machines and systems as well as sustainable products in the years to come.

 

Sources: (only in German kanguage available)