Advanced Factories is the annual gathering of industrial leaders. Year after year, this event brings together the most innovative companies in industrial automation, robotics, and digital manufacturing, along with the technologies that enable driving industrial competitiveness through new business models, new production processes, and the implementation of Industry 4.0.
In recent years, Advanced Factories has promoted the digitalization of our factories, SPAIN reindustrialization, improvement of industrial competitiveness, and ultimately, technologies that provide lower manufacturing costs and new business models. In this upcoming edition, we take a step further, and our motto "Integrating Automation Systems" clearly highlights the need to work on the integration of various automation and robotics systems, to interconnect our equipment, sensors, hardware, software, and all production processes.
The growth of the Spanish industrial sector significantly bolsters the European economy. Through increased trade and exports, better supply chain integration, and job creation, Spain's industrial expansion contributes to the economic vitality of the entire European Union.
Moreover, investments in innovation and technology , the thriving Spanish industrial sector serves as a cornerstone for the broader economic prosperity and stability of the EU.
The food and beverage industry is betting on AI and robotics to optimize production and ensure food safety.
Executives from Frit Ravich, Damm, GB Foods, and Bon Àrea will present their digital transformation strategies at the Industry 4.0 Congress.
The eighth edition of Advanced Factories will bring together over 360 experts and 560 exhibiting companies from April 9 to 11 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, global food demand is expected to increase by 60% by the year 2050.
This reality highlights the need for the food and beverage industry to find ways to produce more food sustainably and efficiently to meet the growing demand. In the face of these challenges, the implementation of technologies such as automation, robotics, data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc., is crucial to improving the productivity of the food industry. Therefore, Advanced Factories will showcase the latest solutions and industrial experiences in automation and digitization in the food sector from April 9 to 11 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.
To achieve this, the Industry 4.0 Congress will feature a vertical specifically dedicated to the food industry to address the challenges faced by food production plants. For example, Frit Ravich, led by its General Director, Judith Viader, will explain how it has digitally transformed without compromising product quality, an extremely sensitive aspect in the food sector, and how the incorporation of AI, robotics, etc., allows for the continued expansion and growth of the company.
Automation and robotics are also essential for optimizing not only food production plants but also their logistics chain, which needs to be as efficient as possible to guarantee food safety. In this regard, Marc Mases, engineering manager of the Bon Àrea group, will share how the food group has optimized its internal logistics to manage over 10,000 product references. Along with him, Ignacio Moreno, business development manager of Siemens, and Jordi Pelegrí, country manager of Universal Robots, will explain how the implementation of AI and Cobots are key to improving logistics efficiency.
Additionally, executives from companies such as IFM, Ayesa, Tecnalia, and Dassault will present how emerging technologies such as IoT, blockchain, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence are already being implemented in many food companies to ensure traceability and transparency in food production.
In the beverage segment, Jordi Barbarà, Director of Beer Production at Grupo Damm, together with Pier Francesco Fefè, General Manager of E80 Group, will present the fully integrated automatic solution implemented at Damm that perfectly fits the needs of its industrial plant through a single software platform.
Likewise, Òscar López, cybersecurity manager of GB Foods, will share his experience and recommendations for addressing threats and cyberattacks presented by digitization in the food sector.
"Technological advances are allowing food companies to better adapt to the new demands of consumers, thanks to improvements in the efficiency and productivity of food production plants, improvement in food quality and safety, greater traceability, and progress towards a more sustainable and decarbonized industry," says José Ramón Sierra, the new director of the Industry 4.0 Congress. Over three days, the congress will bring together more than 360 experts who will share their experiences in digitizing not only food production plants but also those from different sectors such as automotive, electronics, energy, mobility, pharmaceuticals, logistics, metal, and textiles.