The project

Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Bradford secured more than £618k through Innovate UK ‘Sustainable Smart Factory’ to support Leeds-based business Rakusen’s to become more sustainable and meet demand for growth.  

 

The two-year project sought to transform Rakusen’s using digital technologies and food science to minimise the company’s carbon footprint and maximise capacity.

 

The team focused on sustainable innovation that sensitively enabled Rakusen’s to retain their heritage and USP whilst utilising digital innovation to work towards their net-zero goals. 

 

The project also aimed to support the 100-year-old business, that produces flame-baked water crackers and biscuits in the UK, to meet demand for growth in international markets.

 

Rakusen’s uses legacy equipment - this provides limited manufacturing control and restricts the introduction of new product lines. The future of the business requires it to address these challenges and invest in innovation whilst retaining its identity and market niche.

 

What we did

 

Working with Rakusen’s and their material suppliers, the team used AI techniques to deliver new, highly efficient and low energy processing techniques to improve the consistency and sustainability of Rakusen’s traditional baked products, while still using ingredients from the local region.

 

The collaboration looked to optimise the baking process of Rakusen’s crackers – aiming to reduce emissions, produce less material waste and deliver over 60% reduction in energy consumption. 

 

Trials were undertaken on a new oven - comparing the finished product to the existing line.

 

Innovative software was developed to use previous images from within the line to adapt the baking process. The modelling forecasting and adapting in-line is far quicker than any human can do, and it frees staff up for other aspects of production. 

 

The team also explored different mixing methods which give the same viscoelastic properties as the current methods but with reduced water content of the mixes - energy consumption is improved if the team are baking off less moisture. 

 

These standardised recipes create the baseline markers for the AI, which then give real-time feedback and adjusted heat and bake settings accordingly. 

 

Impact

 

Rakusen’s have been amazed by the impact of AI and digital transformation on the business.

 

Legacy equipment can be a real challenge to adoption, in terms of installation and capacity for adapting to different production conditions. The team have seen first-hand the benefits new technology can bring, such as helping them stay competitive while retaining their identity, heritage and legacy values.

 

The project has also had a positive impact on the workforce - upskilling staff through training and introducing culture change.

 

This can free up staff to engage in New Product Development instead, utilising their creativity for fine tuning.  It provides potential for time away from the line to develop inputs for the AI to regulate quality and consistent products, freeing up much needed capacity.

 

Being part of a collaborative bid has opened up Rakusen’s opportunities to other funding and they are currently identifying other areas they might collaborate. There are other areas for business improvement such as waste valorisation. 

 

The project has enabled the business to become a sustainable, optimised, and efficient enterprise in full control of all manufacturing processes, product consistency, supply chains, and operating costs to help the company realise new market opportunities as a result of increased production capacity.  

 

“For most food businesses, big or small, there are a number of competing strategic priorities, yet all can be satisfied with the adoption of the right AI solutions. Intelligent manufacturing starts and ends with data - applied effectively, it can lead to improved quality, cost reduction and more agile manufacturing processes.” 

 

Professor Alex Shenfield, AFIC advisor for digital innovation