How big data can help egg processors improve output

Harnessing big data could make egg processing equipment run more efficiently, helping operators save money and time.

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Bigedhar | BigStockPhoto.com;
Bigedhar | BigStockPhoto.com;

Harnessing big data could make egg processing equipment run more efficiently, helping operators save money and time.

“The key factor is efficiency because you generate a lot of data if you measure a million eggs per day, but if you want to compress it into a few usable conclusions, it’s not so easy to do. The data itself doesn’t provide the insights, but smart software, which can make all sorts of cross-sections in this enormous cloud of data, is a tool that can help you improve efficiency,” explained Paul Buisman, Director Product Management of Moba Group.

Monitoring for performance

One of the best ways big data can help improve efficiency in egg processing is to serve as a monitoring tool. Modern equipment can audit its own performance, tracking the number of each kind of graded eggs that pass through a machine and scanning for defects on the eggs, such as cracks, dirt and blood.

Identifying possible areas of improvement

“The next step was creating tooling for improvement and it has everything to do with benchmarking,” Buisman said.

Benchmarking can help identify weak spots in egg processing operations by comparing performance data to anonymized production statistics of many comparison groups, which can help improve efficiency.

“For instance: what is the efficiency of your plans, percentage wise, or how much downtime does your equipment suffer or what is the average quality of your incoming eggs? The anonymized data is great for comparison,” he added.

What’s coming next

The future of big data in egg processing and production will result in increased traceability of products throughout the supply chain.

“The next step will be chain integration, where we talk about traceability so you can not only find the origin of the egg, but also connect it to the types of eggs,” Buisman said.

Through blockchain technology, consumers will be able to verify that eggs marketed at organic, cage-free, free-range and more really come from that specific production system.

Buisman believes chain integration could one day be taken even further and may one day be used to connect aspects of poultry husbandry – such as climate, type of feed used and even poultry breeds – to egg quality. 

“We believe chain integration will have the tendency to grow and grow over the next decade, so what we’re doing in the next year will only be a fragment of what we could do in two or three years,” he concluded.

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