Seegrid, maker of flexible automated guided vehicles (AGVs), welcomed guest blog contributor and food manufacturing journalist, Thomas R. Cutler. Cutler explained that AGVs in food and beverage operations will see dramatic increases in 2014 due to plant expansion.

Cutler noted, "Food Engineering magazine recently reported that despite years of economic uncertainty, delayed investments and hindered growth, food and beverage executives expect significant growth in 2014. Citing Grant Thornton's Food and Beverage Study 2013, revenues, profits and employment are expected to increase over the next year as food and beverage manufacturers seek new distribution channels, develop new products, and enter new markets."

Food manufacturers, operating under incredibly tight margins, and increasingly aggressive regulatory requirements (Food Safety Modernization Act - FSMA), make the cost-saving AGVs in food and beverage a natural fit. The food industry must do more with less. The Grant Thornton study noted that while 90 percent of food executives expect revenues to increase in 2014, only 56 percent expect full-time employment to increase. It is precisely the flexible AGVs in food and beverage, offered by Seegrid, that allows these new robotic technologies and automation processes to offer full production capacity without hiring additional workers.

Grant Thornton's research also revealed that more than 75 percent of executives anticipate a strong spending increase on equipment in 2014, such as AGVs in food and beverage. Seegrid's "Try Before you Buy" program is highly persuasive in the food and beverage sector because securing the right equipment in this tight-margin sector affords no room for errors."

To read the entire article, go to: http://blog.seegrid.com/Blog/bid/350029/Manufacturing-Jou....

About Seegrid

Seegrid Corporation provides simple, affordable, flexible vision-guided automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to the material handling industry. Seegrid robotic industrial trucks, flexible AGVs, are revolutionizing the movement of materials in manufacturing and distribution environments. Seegrid automated pallet trucks and tow tractors optimize workflow processes by increasing productivity and reducing costs, creating economic and operational advantages. Robotic industrial trucks deliver a rapid return on investment, improve facility safety, and reduce equipment and product damage. Fast Company magazine named Seegrid as one of the Top 50 World's Most Innovative Company in 2013 and among the Top 10 World's Most Innovative Robotics Company in 2013. Follow Seegrid Corporation on Twitter at @Seegrid.