Rockwell Automation has been selected by Middleby Food Processing to help develop what is claimed to be the food industry’s first fully automated bacon production line. Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, Middleby Food Processing needed a scalable solution to support customers facing rising labour costs, space constraints and stricter sustainability goals. Mark Salman, president, Middleby Food Processing, said: “We needed long-term flexibility and interoperability across machines. “We are proud to support Middleby Food Processing’s vision for the future of food production,” said Steve Pulsifer, senior manager, partner marketing, Rockwell Automation. This fully automated bacon line improves throughput, reduces labour and wastewater usage and raises the bar for food manufacturing.”While the bacon line is a breakthrough, Middleby Food Processing’s automation efforts extend across food segments, including bakery and protein.