Cenfra launches sustainability campaign for SMEs

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Jun 23, 2009

Cenfra, a European centre for food robotics and automation, is helping small businesses with a campaign to support them in maximising productivity and profits to ensure their future sustainability.

Small businesses are finding it difficult to beat the recession but Cenfra is confident that its impartial, quality advice can kick-start the thinking required to enable them to emerge from the downturn stronger than before.

To help stimulate ideas, while highlighting the positive impact that innovative automation solutions can have for smaller food and drink companies, Cenfra is offering businesses in the Northern Way free technology audits.

For operations located beyond this region, there is a small charge for the same service.

Cenfra claims that it is also able to provide the knowledge required for a bespoke technology roadmap for the future, which identifies opportunities where automation can improve a company's productivity and competitiveness.

By engaging with Cenfra, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can tap into the company's ability to organise, as well as host, seminars, training days and best-practice updates.

It can provide expertise on the latest technologies, production processes and methods related to automation and directly applicable to the food-and-drink manufacturing sector.

The company has a team of qualified engineers who provide advice, undertake audits and, if required, help food and beverage companies with any automation changes.

Small businesses engaging with Cenfra, which is an organisation totally independent of robotic manufacturers, integrators and auxiliary equipment suppliers, will also learn about any available grants and the academic institutions that can be called on to further assist them if required.

Cenfra launched its site in Doncaster in May 2008 and has a combined investment of almost GBP3m.

Yorkshire Forward is the principal funding agency, with some additional support from the north-west and north-east development agencies, known collectively as the Northern Way.