How System Integration Can Unlock £14bn Growth for Food and Drink Manufacturers

A report released by Newton and Food and Drink Federation indicated that there’s a £14bn growth opportunity for UK food and drink manufacturing, which can be unlocked by productivity gains. Every £1 invested in food and drink manufacturing has generated £9 value to the wider economy over the last 20 years. Investing in automation, system integration and digital technology to prioritise productivity and growth has proven to help the food and drink manufacturing industry unlock growth opportunities.

However, it is complex to adopt new technologies effectively. There is a gap between digital enthusiasm and actual implementation. The maturity of new technologies adoption in different factories varies. We have seen some factories already install digital systems, but they turned these off eventually and went back to what they did before, often paper recording. Among these factories, we found that disconnected systems were one of the major challenges and the lack of operational buy-in was often the greatest inhibitor to progress.

The Hidden Cost of Disconnected Systems

Disconnected systems can create significant hurdles for manufacturers, impacting efficiency, quality, and profitability. During a recent visit to a bottling plant, the true cost of disconnected systems was on full display. The factory relied on more than three different systems scattered across its operations.

As we walked through the factory, the disadvantages of disconnected systems became evident. For instance, if a batch failed to meet quality standards due to overfilling, underfilling or labelling errors, the team faced a major challenge. The labelling system logged batch numbers, the weighing system recorded product weights and the OEE system tracked machine performance. But these data points weren’t connected. Tracing the issue back to its root cause—whether it was a machine malfunction or an operator error—required hours of piecing together information from separate systems. The lack of integration slowed response times and made compliance with strict quality regulations far more difficult. By the time the information was sufficiently mature to warrant action, it was too late and a new set of problems had become the priority.

By the time we finished our visit, the situation was clear: disconnected systems not only create inefficiencies but also amplify the risk of errors and slow down progress. For this factory—and many others like it—an integrated MIS/MES system was needed to bridge the gaps, streamline operations and bring their data into harmony, so that instant corrective actions could be taken, as appropriate.

Start with Scalable Solutions: From Quality to Efficiency

Convincing your finance team to invest in a full system can be challenging. A great way to start is by implementing one or two solutions first—but ensure you select a supplier that offers scalability and flexibility for seamless expansion into other modules, and has the knowledge and available manpower to support your teams in their transition.

At Harford Control, we always advocate a quality first approach. Begin by replacing paper-based systems with paperless solutions that provide instant, actionable data to enhance quality consistency and deliver real-time visibility. Focusing on quality is the fastest route to driving efficiency. With Harford’s end-to-end MIS/MES solutions, factories can easily scale into additional modules such as Autocoding, Vision Inspection, Weight Control, SPC, OEE, Energy Tracking, LIMS, Traceability and more.

Our end-to-end MIS/MES system ensures optimal quality, compliance, efficiency and yield, with robust flexibility and scalability. With over half a century of continuous development, our performance improvement systems keep us at the forefront of real-time factory floor cost effective improvement technology. No other company has created such a seamlessly integrated set of production modules, offering the most comprehensive view of factory performance. Let’s take a look at how we help our clients.

Fresh Product Business Case Study

One of our fresh produce clients faced significant challenges—they relied on paper-based recording and maintained a separate print room for labelling. This led to frequent batch rejections, reworks, wastages and unplanned downtime. They sought solutions to eliminate process rework, ensure quality, improve coding and labelling accuracy, and enhance operational efficiency while maintaining scalability for future business growth and development.

Harford worked closely with the client to plan and execute the project in three phases:

Phase 1: We installed Harford Autocoding solutions and removed their print room to improve label accuracy. This was replaced by end-of-line Print & Apply printers on each line. By tracking all materials from Goods-In to Despatch within the system, we ensured that only the correct origin information for any product was printed on the appropriate retail packaging. This eliminated coding and labelling errors and guaranteed full compliance with retailer requirements.

Phase 2: We installed Harford Paperless solutions to ensure product quality and provide real-time actionable data. These solutions enable operators to perform quality checks and record results, ensuring the technical team is always informed about product quality. Large screens display performance metrics, yield, and plan conformance, keeping all personnel aligned with operational goals.

Phase 3: We installed the Harford OEE system to identify and address production downtime using tools such as 5 Whys, Pareto Analysis, and Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagrams. Live ‘Short Interval Control’ screens above production lines provide instant updates on key performance indicators and improvement opportunities, enhancing both operational efficiency and data accuracy.

From compliance and quality to efficiency and yield, we worked closely with the team, providing comprehensive training for both operators and managers. The scalability and flexibility of Harford’s end-to-end MIS/MES support the fresh produce business in continuously achieving operational excellence.

Seize the £14bn Growth Opportunity

With a £14bn growth opportunity for the food and drink manufacturing sector, the potential for your business is immense. In 2025, we are ready to support more manufacturers on their journey to ensuring consistent quality, improving labelling accuracy, whilst driving production efficiency and yield. When you’re ready, please contact us at info@harfordcontrol.com or call us on +44 (0)1225 764461.