Technology in use in the modern beet sugar factory

The beet sugar industry is technically challenging, combining many unit processes to produce a very high quality product. This is done at commodity pricing that has given little positive price movement in the last 20 years. The ability to remain competitive has resulted in the use of more emerging and improved processes. The modern beet sugar factory today is a sophisticated and lean organization. It requires a high level of automation and advanced techniques to remain viable long term. The review is a simple narrative of the technology shifts and innovation introduced and accepted into these modern factories over the last two decades.