How OCR Tools Are Helping Food and Beverage Manufacturers

To ensure product safety and quality, the food and beverage industry needs to be highly motivated to track each step in the production, packaging, and distribution process.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools in a machine vision system is a proven, mature way for manufacturers to track food and beverage processing from the raw material stage to packaged product. Some of the more common food and beverage applications for OCR systems include:

• Ingredient/raw material receiving
• Real-time production tracking
• Date code accuracy and legibility
• Lot code and batch verification
• Expiration date verification
• Label verification
• Mold cavity print quality inspection and verification (e.g., bottles and containers)
• Label placement, quality, and brand management
• Automated warehouse, picking, and shipping data management
• Expedited product returns and customer credits

When you deploy a machine vision system that offers OCR tools to solve applications on food and beverage production lines you go a great distance to ensuring consistent product quality and safety.