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There has been automation in factories, but the point is that the innovation hasn't continued, and that the automation seen in factories typically stays in fact

by Klinky 6y ago

There has been automation in factories, but the point is that the innovation hasn't continued, and that the automation seen in factories typically stays in factories, which require volume/scale. There have been "minor" incremental improvements over the years, but industrialized food production was heavily automated all the way back in the 50's. You simply cannot put a machine that pumps out 10,000 frozen pizzas an hour into a Domino's storefront, and when you scale it down, it becomes too costly, impractical, or the product quality is not the same as that desired. It's basically the "last mile" problem. When we talk of burger-flipping robots replacing the McDonald's worker, the answer isn't "McDonald's is already highly automated", as they still have a huge number of employees doing manual labor at every store. There is no burger-flipping robot, and their factories featuring automation(as most factories have for decades) hasn't really changed the number of employees they need in each store.

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
We seem to talk about different things, not understanding what each other is trying to say. Let me wind back to my initial question, and freely associate from there: Yes, Yes! I do understand efficiencies of scale. I asked you because you said there are no ready made burgers, which are deep frozen, able to being warmed up again at the time of use by whatever means. I questioned if that matters because there already refrigerated(although not deep frozen) burgers available in the supermarkets, so not a really long shelf life(I think about a week, have to recheck that next time in store), but who cares if the supply chain delivers? I further question that this isn't fully automatable because almost fully robotic deep frozen pizza production does exist at scale in factories already in operation for a long time, to be pipelined into the fridges of supermarkets. Or the documentaries showing them in operation from the inside are fake news, but what do I know? I don't see why that shouldn't be possible with burgers. Btw. there is no need to flip anything in McD for the classics as I recall, with the exception of that McRib thing and something fishy. At least that was the case when I've been crew-trainer for about a year somewhere around 1988/1989. At that time we got the clamshell grills/BBQs which made flipping obsolete. Similar for the buns, 12 small or 6 large on a plate, to be put into some horizontal slot, toast, done. Why McD doesn't produce deepfrozen stuff for supermarkets is their decision, not necessarily a technical one. Maybe they fear law-suits from their franchisees? Maybe it makes more economic sense for them to offer the "experience" and full menu all the time? Maybe they don't want to compete pricewise with alternative choices right next to them in the fridge? A (non-smart) fridge in the supermarket doesn't ask "Do you want fries with that?" (for now) So that was that. Almost. Last mile... Yes? As in deep frozen pizza from the supermarket/grocer. Be it by shopping in person, online, via phone, app, who cares? You said NO! I said BOO! :) Are we clear now?

by Klinky 6y ago

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago

We seem to talk about different things, not understanding what each other is trying to say. Let me wind back to my initial question, and freely associate from there: Yes, Yes! I do understand efficiencies of scale. I asked you because you said there are no ready made burgers, which are deep frozen, able to being warmed up again at the time of use by whatever means. I questioned if that matters because there already refrigerated(although not deep frozen) burgers available in the supermarkets, so not a really long shelf life(I think about a week, have to recheck that next time in store), but who cares if the supply chain delivers? I further question that this isn't fully automatable because almost fully robotic deep frozen pizza production does exist at scale in factories already in operation for a long time, to be pipelined into the fridges of supermarkets. Or the documentaries showing them in operation from the inside are fake news, but what do I know? I don't see why that shouldn't be possible with burgers. Btw. there is no need to flip anything in McD for the classics as I recall, with the exception of that McRib thing and something fishy. At least that was the case when I've been crew-trainer for about a year somewhere around 1988/1989. At that time we got the clamshell grills/BBQs which made flipping obsolete. Similar for the buns, 12 small or 6 large on a plate, to be put into some horizontal slot, toast, done. Why McD doesn't produce deepfrozen stuff for supermarkets is their decision, not necessarily a technical one. Maybe they fear law-suits from their franchisees? Maybe it makes more economic sense for them to offer the "experience" and full menu all the time? Maybe they don't want to compete pricewise with alternative choices right next to them in the fridge? A (non-smart) fridge in the supermarket doesn't ask "Do you want fries with that?" (for now) So that was that. Almost. Last mile... Yes? As in deep frozen pizza from the supermarket/grocer. Be it by shopping in person, online, via phone, app, who cares? You said NO! I said BOO! :) Are we clear now?