Applied Research for Process Control in the Food Machinery Sector: Collaborative Experiences Between Academia and Industry

Event organized by University of Parma, in collaboration with IFM electronics and CFT Group.

IFM electronic develops, manufactures and globally markets sensors, controllers, software, and systems for industrial automation, as well as SAP-based solutions for supply chain management and shop floor integration.
Thanks to its extensive product portfolio and long-standing experience as a pioneer in Industry 4.0, ifm is uniquely positioned to develop and implement proven solutions to digitalize the entire value chain—from sensor level all the way to the ERP system.

CFT Group, part of ATS Corporation, designs and manufactures processing and packaging technologies for the Food & Beverage industry. With the Digital Tomato ecosystem — an integrated data architecture featuring MEMENTO, PA Facts, and sensor/PLC data collection — we enable real-time monitoring, performance analysis, and feedback-driven process parameter adjustment.

Session overview

The Food Machinery sector is currently called upon to integrate production efficiency, sustainability, and food quality. In this context, applied research is not merely a form of support, but is emerging as a true driver of transformation.

The seminar will provide an overview of the main challenges related to process control and will present concrete examples of collaboration between universities and industry. These joint efforts have the potential to generate innovation with significant impacts on production processes, products, and the competitiveness of the sector.

In a world where efficiency, safety, and sustainability drive change, food process control becomes a strategic ally. From data collection through sensors to centralized intelligence in the cloud, every stage is connected and smart. Food manufacturing is evolving: more traceability, higher quality, and increasingly data-driven decisions.
This is digital leadership: an end-to-end vision to feed the future—today.

The tomato processing industry is high-value, energy-intensive, and concentrated within a short production window. Digital Tomato addresses these challenges through a continuous cycle of Measure → Identify → Analyze → Implement, fully integrated with plant automation systems.
The Performance, Energy & Utilities, and Anomaly Detection modules enable optimization of extraction, dynamic balancing of MVR evaporators, increased plant availability through condition monitoring, improved Brix accuracy, and end-to-end quality control through a unified data layer.