The comforts of today’s world are made possible in large part by the manufacturing processes that people have developed to create goods more cheaply and effectively, with a higher quality product than could otherwise be achieved. Nowhere is that more apparent than in agriculture and the food industry, which has managed to increase the country’s ability to feed itself enough to allow people to enjoy more diverse foods that are shelf stable for longer.
One area where the manufacturing process has been exceptionally effective is in the process of cheesemaking.
How Cheese is Made
In general, cheese is made by combining milk and starter cultures of the right variety for the cheese you wish to produce. Depending on what type is made, there are then a variety of processes to press moisture from it, to ferment it and let the flavors age in, or to set it for quick service as a fresh cheese. Each of these processes is vital to the end result, and the length of the process is determined by both the qualities one wants from the finished product and the variety of cheese that is being produced.
How Software and Process Automation Help Make Better Cheese
Cheese is a cured food, and like many other cured foods, its quality and shelf life depend on the consistency of the process that produces it. Temperature changes need to be controlled for and, if necessary to the process, timed properly. So do the other steps, such as pressing moisture from the cheese.
Industrial software helps make better cheese by providing a system that allows factories that produce it in large batch sizes to control for the consistency and quality of the entire batch at once. This is accomplished through a few different avenues, and the facility’s software systems are typically built to provide oversight for both.
One way that is accomplished is through the use of sophisticated sensing equipment that can monitor both the consistency and the temperature of ingredients as they mix, as well as equipment that can monitor the systems used to ferment and age the cheese to ensure a consistent environment. In this way, automated processes can use determining factors like curd size to judge when it is time to move forward with the process, and properly controlled environments help to make this process more predictable.
These steps can then be planned well in advance, and the programs that ensure the proper actions are taken to produce high quality cheeses whenever the batch is ready to move forward. In larger facilities that make multiple batches at once, it is even possible for the machines to be programmed to handle the logistical flow back and forth between batches, to more efficiently use equipment. That allows facilities to not only produce better cheese, but also more of it.
Conclusion
It’s easy to miss the fact that intelligent software solutions to manufacturing problems don’t stop with the technology sector, or with the manufacturing of machines in general. Software solutions are empowering manufacturers in every industry to get the most out of their facilities and equipment, making it easier to produce more, better, and faster.
