In the year 2025, most people have at least a general understanding of the role advanced automation technology plays in their lives, including jobs that used to predominantly involve manual labor. For example, people walking into a modern automobile manufacturing facility would not be surprised to see rows of robots welding vehicle frames together.
Most people would also expect to find advanced automation technologies in facilities manufacturing high-tech products like semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries. But what about condiments? Does the automation technology revolution extend to industries like food and beverage?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes! According to a Food Dive article by Christopher Doering, “Kraft Heinz is using artificial intelligence to produce a better Claussen pickle.” So, the next time you ask for extra pickles on that burger, realize that artificial intelligence (AI) might have played a role in producing what you’re eating.
Those who have made pickles at home know that the basic process of making a pickle looks something like cucumber plus brine plus time equals pickle. While that may be easy enough in your home kitchen, doing so at scale can be quite a challenge.
For example, Doering notes that “Kraft Heinz processes approximately 60 million cucumbers annually to make roughly 42 million jars of Claussen, the country’s top-selling refrigerated pickle brand.” That’s a lot of pickles. Indeed, “[t]he cucumbers that turn into Claussen pickles move from vine to brine in 10 days or fewer, giving Kraft Heinz little room for error.”
What’s the big dill? (Pun totally intended.) According to Doering, “It’s paramount that Kraft Heinz knows what the cucumbers coming into the Claussen plant in Illinois look like so it can prepare — varying circumferences, lengths and bends can wreak havoc on planning and require changes to the production line where the spears are processed.”
Bill Durbin, the head of North America logistics and planning at Kraft Heinz, explains: “With pickles, the circumference matters, the size matters, the length matters, the bend of the cucumber, all of those things, depending on what they are, we will operate differently within the site, as well as quality.”
Durbin claims that “it’s super important that we identify issues as fast as possible and then make sure that we get the sizing correct so we can get the best efficiency as we run those things down the line. This allows us to get the best quality cucumber and the best quality pickles at the end.”
Kraft Heinz now uses AI and machine learning to automate the once-manual process of identifying issues in its cucumber supply. Durbin notes that “by having that level of certainty on what that product is, we can address that right away so we know where to send it within the factory, or if it’s an issue, we can get that real-time feedback to the suppliers to be able to address.”
And the result for Kraft Heinz? According to Durbin, “[o]n pickles, specifically, we’ve seen, since we put this in place, we’ve seen a 12% increase in efficiency from that. By being able to make this process and identify these things, we’ve been able to make sure that the pickles are getting routed to the right place to give us the best efficiency possible, and also to give that feedback to the suppliers.”
Given these impressive results, Durbin notes that Kraft Heinz is considering utilizing AI and machine learning in a similar way with other foods they process, such as tomatoes and potatoes. Perhaps one day your French fries will have been made more efficiently thanks to AI.
Of course, implementing new advanced automation technologies isn’t without its challenges. For example, many manufacturers already can’t find enough workers to fill open positions. Where are they going to find the highly skilled workers to take advantage of these new technologies?
The solution, of course, is to either upskill current workers or hire new workers with the advanced automation technology skills they require. How can manufacturers be certain prospective workers have the skills they need?
Manufacturers should look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the skills they need to thrive. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
