St. Paul, Minn., U.S.—Statistical process control (SPC) and process capability (PC) analytics receive the least amount of attention in food processing industry press but can deliver better results than other analytical approaches without the same barriers to success.
In an application article published in the AACC International journal Cereal Foods World ®, Vol. 63, Number 1, titled “The Value of SPC and PC Analytics in Food Processing,” Peter Guilfoyle of Northwest Analytics explains the benefits of SPC and PC analytics and examines the components food processors should consider when they evaluate using SPC and PC within their organizations.
“Large food companies are under fiscal and regulatory pressures…. Use of analytics is a clearly demonstrable tool to help alleviate those pressures,” said Guilfoyle. The difficulties that accompany other analytical approaches—including high costs, limited usability, and required data scientist-level analytics expertise—are not limitations of SPC and PC analytics. However, usability, data types, flexibility, data access, and in-house analytics expertise should all be considered when evaluating how effective SPC and PC can be for an individual food company.
Guilfoyle notes that SPC and PC are proven methods that deliver analytics that are easy to understand and cost-effective. “Nothing extraordinary is required by the organization,” said Guilfoyle. “SPC analytics…allow companies to realize the full potential of the data they already have.
“There’s nothing new or groundbreaking about SPC. The novelty is about being able to use the power of foundational analytics with existing data to drive knowledge back into the organization [and] control processes in real time. That is something that has, to date, been hard to achieve in today’s increasingly complex and diverse manufacturing technology environments.”
“Guilfoyle extols the value of SPC and PC to the food processing industry as a versatile, affordable and effective analytics tool that can be tailored to the needs of a food company,” said Cereal Foods World Guest Editor Padmanaban Krishnan, of South Dakota State University. “Guilfoyle offers advice about several components food companies should pay close attention to when selecting SPC and PC software.”
“The Value of SPC and PC Analytics in Food Processing” is open-access for a limited time.
About Cereal Foods World ®
Food industry professionals rely on Cereal Foods World to bring them the most current industry and product information. Contributors are industry professionals with hands-on experience in science and technology related to grains. Cereal Foods World includes articles that focus on food chemistry, nutrition, processing, regulatory, product development and applications, quality assurance, analytical procedures, food safety, and other technical areas.
About AACC International
AACC International is a global, nonprofit association of nearly 2,500 scientists and food industry professionals working to advance the understanding and knowledge of cereal grain science and its product development applications through research, leadership, education, superior technical service, and advocacy.
