TNA's industrial XR brings Industry 5.0 to food manufacturers

Food processing and packaging technology company TNA Solutions has launched an immersive, interactive digital service called tna intelli-assist.

The company says the launch marks the first time that a fully integrated extended reality (XR) solution has been available to food manufacturers, and is part of TNA’s evolution to Industry 5.0 solutions.

The tna intelli-assist leverages XR and simulation technologies to enable teams to create digital twins of their manufacturing site, including equipment, utilities and buildings, and demonstrate how new additions can best fit into their setup with minimal disruption and optimal design. Food manufacturers can use the tool to visualise their plant floor, virtually replace systems and validate manufacturing plans and installations in a low-risk environment. Visualising potential spatial conflicts and utility interferences ensures optimal clash prevention.

To enhance collaboration, tna intelli-assist also integrates remote meetings into the virtual environment with virtual reality (VR) headsets or through a desktop application. Multiple people can join the plant simulation via their preferred medium to preview the project and directly interact with the digital twin, making the process of stakeholder buy-in and troubleshooting more efficient.

“Much of food manufacturing has readily adopted Industry 4.0 technologies due to the efficiency, productivity and repeatability benefits they offer,” explained Natasha Avelange, Global Extended Reality Manager at TNA Solutions. “Building on this with XR allows the human element of food manufacturing to be enhanced, with creativity, productivity and problem solving brought together without barriers. This is the essence of Industry 5.0.”