Production Sortation Process Automation and Efficiency Improvement
About The Business: CBD Hub UK (Chalice Supplements) is a fast-growing manufacturer of supplement products experiencing increasing production demands. As the business scales, pressure is being placed on operational processes, particularly within the production sortation area.
Overview: The current sortation process is highly manual, requiring multiple staff to spread, sort, and handle product. This creates a bottleneck in production, resulting in inefficient labour usage, increased product waste, and constraints on throughput and scalability. CBD Hub UK aims to explore automation opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and support sustainable growth. This Digital Technology Internship will provide a structured, evidence-based evaluation of the sortation process and deliver practical, implementable recommendations for automation.
Desirable Skills: Data collection and basic analysis. Interest in automation, robotics, or process improvement.
Job Description:
This project focuses on identifying and evaluating robotic or electronic solutions to improve a manual production process, with emphasis on automating product handling,
Project Goals and Objectives
- Map and quantify the current process
Within the first 4–6 weeks, develop a detailed process map of the sortation area, including staffing levels, throughput rates, waste levels, and baseline costs. - Identify inefficiencies and waste drivers
By mid-project, analyse operational data and observations to identify the primary causes of labour intensity and product or material waste. - Research automation technologies
Assess a range of robotic and electronic sortation solutions and produce a comparison of at least three viable options (low, medium, and high investment), including indicative costs and suitability for food manufacturing. - Design a target-state automated process
Develop a future-state process that reduces manual handling, improves production flow, and provides a clear, evidence-based basis for reducing labour requirements. - Deliver a costed business case and implementation plan
Produce a practical recommendation supported by a costed business case, including indicative return on investment, payback period, and a clear implementation roadmap.
Scope of Work, Methods, and Tools
The intern will undertake a structured four-phase project combining on-site observation, data analysis, and applied research:
- Process mapping and time-and-motion studies to understand current workflows and labour inputs
- Data collection and analysis to quantify throughput, waste, and associated costs
- Engagement with production staff to validate findings and understand operational constraints
- Research into automation technologies (e.g. conveyor systems, vibratory feeders, robotic or semi-automated handling solutions)
- Supplier benchmarking and indicative costing to assess feasibility
- Development of target-state process designs using workflow mapping tools
- Preparation of a costed business case, including ROI and payback analysis
- All recommendations will be grounded in operational reality and aligned with relevant food manufacturing standards, including BRCGS requirements.
Timeline with Milestones
Phase 1 – Current State Evaluation (approx. 70 hours)
- Process mapping • Time-and-motion study
- Baseline data collection (labour, throughput, waste, cost)
- Milestone: Current-state process map and baseline established
Phase 2 – Research and Options Development (approx. 70 hours)
- Research automation technologies
- Benchmark solutions and suppliers
- Identify viable options across cost levels
- Milestone: Options appraisal and shortlist completed
Phase 3 – Solution Design (approx. 70 hours)
- Develop target-state automated process
- Define revised staffing model
- Assess expected benefits and risks
- Milestone: Future-state process design completed
Phase 4 – Recommendation and Handover (approx. 50 hours)
- Develop costed business case
- Recommend preferred solution
- Create implementation roadmap
- Present findings to leadership
- Milestone: Final report and presentation delivered
Supervision and Review throughout the project (approx. 40 hours)
- Regular stakeholder engagement
- Validation of findings with production team
Intern Roles and Responsibilities
The intern will:
- Observe and map the current sortation process
- Collect and analyse operational data (labour, throughput, waste)
- Work closely with production staff, shift supervisors, and the team leader to validate findings
- Research automation technologies and potential suppliers
- Develop and compare automation options
- Design an improved, automated process workflow
- Produce a costed business case and implementation roadmap
- Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership
The intern will report to Glen Parker (Operations Director) and work closely with the production team.
Intern Skills Required
- Interest or background in industrial engineering, manufacturing, or operations management
- Ability to carry out structured data collection and basic analysis
- Interest in automation, robotics, or process improvement
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Ability to communicate findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Willingness to learn about food manufacturing standards (BRCGS) and operational constraints
Expected Outcomes and Success Metrics
- Identification of a viable and practical automation solution appropriate to the sortation process
- Clear evidence of opportunities to reduce reliance on manual labour
- Demonstrated potential to reduce product or material waste through improved handling and process design
- A defined future-state process that would improve production flow and throughput
- Delivery of a costed business case, including indicative return on investment and payback
- Practical, evidence-based recommendations that are ready to be implemented following the internship