Miller Magazine Issue: 147 March 2022

72 COVER STORY MILLER / march 2022 our carbon emissions or face the dire consequences of failing to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. We have already increased temperatures by 1C. Food waste is responsible for around 6 percent of CO2 emissions. To put this in the context of national emissions only China (21%) and the USA (13%) emit more. More efficient food production is also going to be needed to feed a swelling global population set to rise to 9.8 billion from the current 7.7 billion by 2050. The United Nations estimates we will need to produce 50 percent more food than in 2012 to feed this growth. Our food system has to become more efficient. A third of our energy resources goes into food production, a third of food goes to waste and 71 percent of our fresh water is used in the food sector. Digitalization is key to finding solutions. One example is the use of digital technology to protect grain storage in silos. “When you look at the whole value chain from field to fork, besides food waste during consumption most losses occur in grain storage due to improper grain han- dling,” explains Michael Härteis, Bühler Product Manager for Automation and Digitalization. “In emerging markets and areas with extreme envi- ronmental conditions, it is possible for 50 per cent of a batch of grain production to be lost in spoilage and if we hope to be able to feed the planet, we just cannot afford this level of food waste.” Digitalization means being able to drop sensors throughout the storage silo to monitor temperature and moisture in real time and make adjustment to protect the stored raw material. By recording and analyzing condi- tions throughout the silo it is possible to build up a pre- cise understanding of how to optimize the quality of a stored product and so cut significant food wastage. Another example is the digitalization of sorting tech- nology so that when sorters start rejecting too much ma- terial resulting in food waste, algorithms can immediately adjust performance criteria rather than waiting until the end of the sorting process. Other areas where digitalization can support sustain- ability include ensuring maximum energy efficiency and reducing water wastage. Bühler sees the digitalization of the industry as key to achieving its sustainability targets of cutting energy, water and food wastage by 50 percent in customer value chains by 2025. BÜHLER’S DIGITAL PLATFORMS Mercury Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Mercury MES is the platform by which producers are able to automate their production process. At the heart of the platform is the Base System able to seamlessly ex- change information being generated throughout the pro-