Surveying processor perceptions of automation in meat processing

• Versatile automation solutions are necessary in smaller meat processing facilities. • The need for assistance from automation is industry and task specific. • Diverse safety features are needed to make collaborative automation maximally safe. • Successful automation can be measured by financials, ergonomics, and product yield. Labor shortages in meat processing have accelerated automation across the industry. Although large facilities have adopted automated technologies, smaller facilities lack scalable, affordable solutions. Collaborative robots offer a cost-effective, integrated response to labor challenges in small- to medium-sized plants, but their successful implementation requires clear design targets, including safety, utility, applications, and collaboration methods. Therefore, the objective was to survey meat processors’ perceptions of automation and identify future automation targets. Four research questions guided the survey: 1) which industries and tasks could benefit most from automation, 2) what would the role of collaborative robots be in partial automation tasks, 3) what are the desired safety features, and 4) what measures can determine successful implementation? The survey was distributed through the American Association of Meat Processors and the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. Participants ranked tasks and industries most suitable for automation and the demand of each task, and responded to open-ended questions on robot roles, safety features, and success metrics. Ranked data were analyzed via average rank scores, and generalized linear models assessed the influence of demographics on ranked responses. Short responses were summarized qualitatively. Results highlighted the beef and sheep industries and the tasks of carcass splitting and quartering as top automation targets. Respondents emphasized the need for increased safety features with higher human-robot interaction. Success criteria were categorized as financial, ergonomic, or yield-based. These findings inform design priorities and support future research into collaborative robot integration, offering flexible automation pathways for small and medium-sized meat processing facilities.