Page 73 - FoodFocusThailand No.238 January-February 2026

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STORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICSORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICS

ERGONOMIC MATERIAL HANDLING TOWARD

THE FUTURE OF “HUMANOID ROBOTS”

In the food and beverage manufacturing industry, from the importation of raw materials through processing
into finished products for distribution, material handling is an unavoidable operational activity. This includes
the movement of large volumes of raw materials and products in various forms throughout the production
and logistics processes. Although automation systems, machinery, and labor-saving equipment have played
an increasingly important role in the industry, manual labor still accounts for a significant proportion of
operations, particularly within production lines in Thailand. Reliance on physical labor alone poses risks to
workers, ranging from fatigue to musculoskeletal disorders and acute injuries. Such conditions may prevent
employees from performing at their full capacity, negatively affect overall organizational productivity, and
ultimately reduce competitiveness in the international market.

This article presents seven key aspects of ergonomic Based on the data compiled above, the estimated number of
material handling systems, based on the standards workers involved in material handling activities can be summarized
issued by the Thailand Institute of Occupational as follows:
Safety and Health (T-OSH). The discussion focuses 1) The total workforce in the food and beverage manufacturing
on applications within the food and beverage industry, sector nationwide is estimated to range from 600,000 to 800,000
as well as future opportunities for integrating advanced workers.
technologies, including robotic systems, to enhance 2) Workers engaged in material handling tasks are estimated to
workplace safety and operational efficiency. account for approximately 30–40% of the total factory workforce,
particularly in upstream production, packaging, and warehousing
Statistical Data, Population and Trend Analysis operations.
in the Food and Beverage Industry According 3) The estimated number of workers required to manually lift and
to data on the number of Thai food and beverage carry materials ranges from approximately 180,000 to 320,000, with
industrial plants in Thailand, there are currently nearly an average of around 200,000 workers.
8,000 registered plants in total , considering only Type
1
2 and Type 3 factories that operate machinery and The Importance of Workforce Demographics in Ergonomic
employ labor in accordance with regulatory criteria. Principles Based on data from more than 200,000 workers
These facilities can be classified into two main groups, nationwide, and with reference to the T-OSH Standard B.E. 2568 and
as follows. calculations of the Lifting Index (LI), high-risk groups (LI > 1.5) are
Group 1: Food manufacturing, comprising most commonly found among warehouse and palletizing workers who
approximately 7,400 plants. This group covers a wide perform repetitive lifting tasks throughout their work shifts. This
range of products, including processed meat, frozen indicates that over 200,000 job positions are exposed to a risk of back
fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat foods, as well as injury and therefore require support from labor-saving devices or
bakery products and snack foods. robotic systems, presenting an opportunity for the adoption of modern
Group 2: Beverage manufacturing, comprising technologies that are accessible, cost-effective, and offer a reasonable
approximately 600 plants. This group includes both return on investment.
non-alcoholic beverages—such as drinking water,
carbonated soft drinks, and fruit juices—which account Safe Lifting Principles under the T-OSH Standard (B.E. 2568)
for approximately 85% of the total, and alcoholic Recently, the Thailand Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
beverages, which represent the remaining 15%. (T-OSH) issued Standard No. 1-5-09-01-01-2568 as a guideline for

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