Imagineering use of augmented reality in food supply chains: A study of Cargill's food safety and quality processes

Imagineering use of augmented reality in food supply chains: A study of Cargill's food safety and quality processes

Raghunath, Shreya (TU Delft Technology, Policy and Management)

Ludema, M.W. (mentor)
Janssen, M.F.W.H.A. (graduation committee)
Cappon, Juul (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Management of Technology (MoT)

2021-09-27

"Imagineering is letting your imagination soar, and then engineering it down to earth." (Alcoa Aluminum, 1942)

The fourth industrial revolution is focused on integrating technologies into the production environment that can increase revenue and optimize production. As the lines between the physical and digital worlds are blurring with the introduction of new technologies, companies have to be open to digital transformations and employ new management approaches. Industry 4.0 has also shown to be a great opportunity for the progress of the food sector. Augmented reality smart glasses, a technology that is worn like normal glasses but overlays the user’s view with virtual information is one such technology within Industry 4.0 that can transform the internal processes of a business. However, in literature, opportunities for digitalization in the food sector seemed under-researched and had not covered the possibilities of digitalizing food safety and quality business processes using smart glasses.

Cargill is a multinational corporation operating in the areas of food, agriculture, financial, and industrial products, that started exploring the usage of augmented reality smart glasses in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these dire times, Cargill explored the solution of AR smart glasses for conducting remote food audits. However, this device was limited to this use case only Cargill was keen on expanding the applications of the novel technology. Additionally, they were looking for an implementation plan to adopt smart glasses in different use cases. The working, principles, and components required for the smooth functioning of augmented reality technologies were explored in great detail. Value drivers and barriers to adoption that may affect the future of the technology were studied. The domain of food safety, quality, and regulatory within the edible oils supply chain of Cargill was chosen to identify potential applications. Resources, competencies, and capabilities required to embrace the technology were recognized. Finally, an implementation plan was drafted for organizations that would like to adopt augmented reality smart glasses to digitalize relevant business processes.

Food Supply Chains Digitalization
Augmented Reality Smart Glasses
Augmented Reality
Digitalization
Industry 4.0
food supply chain

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:333903ed-a601-428c-b385-4f2a16dbce43

Student theses

master thesis

© 2021 Shreya Raghunath