AI and Computer Vision for product compliance in the food-tech sector
Case study

AI and Computer Vision for product compliance in the food-tech sector

The initial challenge

A leading Italian company specializing in the production of ovens and equipment for professional catering was experiencing a critical issue in its end-of-line process. Although production was taking place in accordance with order specifications, there were complaints from customers about finished products with missing or incorrect components.

This issue was generating negative impacts on multiple fronts: it was leading to significant burdens in handling complaints and sending replacement components, causing operational disruptions and delays, and, most importantly, damaging the company’s reputation, souring the relationship with customers and the perception of brand quality.
The challenge was to implement a quality control system that would ensure 100% compliance for every product shipped, automatically and without the possibility of human error.

La soluzione

To meet this need, Huware designed and integrated a solution based on artificial intelligence and computer vision, installing an automated photo inspection gate downstream of the production line.

The architecture of the solution includes:

  • An inspection gate equipped with 4 high-resolution cameras, strategically placed for complete visual coverage of the product.
  • Artificial Intelligence algorithms specifically developed and trained for automatic and accurate recognition of every visible component of the oven.
  • A validation system that interfaces machine vision with the company’s management system. In real time, the software compares the components detected by the images with the official bill of materials for the order.

If the system detects a nonconformity, the shipping process for that unit is automatically stopped. A detailed report with images of the anomaly is simultaneously generated to allow immediate correction by the operator.

The results

The implementation of the system has produced tangible and measurable results, turning an operational weakness into a competitive advantage. The verification process, once manual and error-prone, has been made fully automatic, reliable, and rapid, ensuring total control over 100% of production and certified quality output. As a result, complaints about conformity defects or missing components have been reduced to zero, eliminating the direct and indirect costs associated with their management.

Performance indicators confirm the effectiveness of the solution, with a 95% reduction in customer complaints, total elimination of human error, and a noticeable improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty indices.

"Our AI solution has automated critical quality control. What previously required manual, time-consuming and error-prone inspections is now a fully automated process with 100 percent accuracy. Choosing the right technology, integrated into an architecture designed for the specific use case, enabled an end-to-end implementation, optimizing implementation costs for our client."

Alessio Panella
AI Strategic Lead & Enterprise Architect, Huware
Customer

Industry

Manufacturing

Expertise

Generative AI