Food production close to the crop
Who says food production must be centralized? Blendhub is redefining nutrition access with its innovative portable production hubs. These compact, fully-equipped 40-foot container factories can be set up anywhere, bringing production closer to crops and underserved communities. Powered by Siemens technology like Teamcenter X and Totally Integrated Automation (TIA), Blendhub ensures precise, safe, and consistent food production on a global scale.
In today's world, a variety of foods like protein drinks, candies, muffins, soups, and breads share a surprising commonality: they are all derived from powders. The transformation from raw ingredients to these convenient powders involves processes such as milling wheat, refining sugar, and drying soup ingredients. Typically, this extensive processing occurs in large production centers, often far from where the raw materials are harvested. However, Blendhub is pioneering a change in this traditional model.
Blendhub builds portable powder blending factories that are transforming food production. These innovative factories, contained within 40-foot units, can be rapidly and cost-effectively deployed to any location around the globe. The best part? They do this while being sustainable. Further, Blendhub enables the safe production of powders using locally sourced foodstuffs for local markets, thereby allowing communities to derive more value from their harvests. This forward-thinking solution significantly supports a circular economy and promotes long-term economic stability.
“With Blendhub, we are creating a new system of shared value creation where there is accountability and transparency in all the transactions we do, everywhere in the world.” Henrik Stamm Kristensen, Blendhub Founder and Chief Moonshot Officer
Advantages through proven technology
Blendhub employs a Food as a Service model, offering a comprehensive package that includes everything from deploying the hub to hiring staff and managing all operations and maintenance activities. At the heart of Blendhub is technology from Siemens, which is ensuring that the company has the greatest impact possible.
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Ingredients and recipes
Getting nutritious, affordable powder foods to market quickly can be a complex task. It involves a delicate balance of cost, shelf life, and consumer preferences, necessitating meticulous planning and collaboration. Blendhub supports its customers in navigating these challenges through its Recipe as a Service model, leveraging advanced recipe management software from Siemens. This model emphasizes creating affordable food products primarily using locally available ingredients, ensuring both quality and accessibility.
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When it comes to creating new recipes, Blendhub uses the Opcenter Research, Development and Laboratory (RD&L) family of software products. This cutting-edge tool allows creators to create a Digital Twin of their formulas, enabling them to test numerous modifications virtually before transitioning to real-life production. One of the key advantages of Opcenter RD&L is its ability in bringing new products to market faster without compromising on quality and safety.
The next step in Blendhub's innovation journey is to enhance Opcenter RD&L with cloud-based Teamcenter Specification Management. This integration will streamline the management of product definitions and recipes (bills of process) for R&D employees, facilitating easier sharing with manufacturing, suppliers, and partners. Implementation of Teamcenter Specification Management is expected to open further business opportunities for Blendhub.
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Trusted traceability and transparency
Consumers today are increasingly demanding transparency about the origins of their food – a challenging feat given the complexity and opacity of modern value and supply chains. Trusted Traceability from Siemens addresses this issue by digitally identifying and tracking the history, distribution, location, and application of each product. This technology makes it easier to access data and prove relevant product information for regulatory compliance as well as consumer safety.
From the Digital Twin to a global network of hubs
Before a hub is built, a Digital Twin is created to define and optimize the envisioned system, thus reducing the need for physical prototypes. Once constructed, the hubs themselves are powered by Siemens automation systems.
Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) and Simatic HMI panels allow operators to easily monitor and control? production in real-time. They get a clear picture of what’s happening in a hub and they can easily oversee various tasks, like ensuring ingredients are loaded, blended, and packed correctly.
A further advantage of Siemens automation systems is that the hubs can be connected for remote monitoring and control. That lets managers oversee operations from a distance and optimize as needed.
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Making a difference
From its beginnings in 2010, the partnership with Siemens has allowed Blendhub to scale up its concept. Today there are hubs in 6 countries with over 2,000 recipes available. What has made people at Blendhub proudest is the impact their solution is having on empowering local youth and underserved communities through nutrition projects.
This article was originally published as an Industry Stories article, which can be found here.
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