Food & beverage manufacturers are facing a workforce squeeze that no amount of automation has fully solved: labor shortages, an aging workforce and skills gaps are leaving plants short on the institutional knowledge that keeps lines running smoothly. In this article on our sister publication, Automation World, reports, much digital transformation has focused on making machines smart and connected, while far less effort has gone into making the humans on the floor smart and connected. That's the gap Hershey is working to close—not by replacing workers with AI, but by pairing them with it.

Hershey is using an AI-powered "connected worker" platform to capture real-time data on how workers perform tasks—from machine maintenance to line engagement—and turn that into guidance workers can use in the moment. Rather than a one-size-fits-all layer bolted onto the plant, the platform builds out a customized "library of agents" covering quality checks, training gaps, root-cause analysis, and maintenance scheduling, letting Hershey identify where extra coaching is needed and where digital workflows can walk operators through complex tasks step by step.

The clearest proof of concept comes from Keurig Dr Pepper, which piloted the platform to tackle a costly changeover problem: mismatched barcodes on aluminum cans during product switches (think regular vs. diet), an error that led to a 19,000-case recall. By having AI verify barcodes via optical character recognition before giving operators the green light, the company caught the kind of human error that computer vision alone couldn't handle due to variability in can positioning.

For process control and packaging teams across food & beverage, it's a preview of where connected-worker AI is headed—not a substitute for skilled operators, but a second set of eyes that helps them get it right the first time.

Read the full article on Automation World: Dr. Pepper and the Chocolate Giant: How AI is Connecting Workers to Sweeter Outcomes