< Previous20 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT Injection moulding investment at Detectamet Detectamet, manufacturer and distributor of detectable products, has recently invested in a series of injection moulding machines of various sizes & capacities, with further machines in the pipeline for installation in 2021. Based in East Yorkshire, the injection moulding machines allow Detectamet to manufacture a wide range of products on site, such as their dispensers, detectable scoops and even their detectable pen range. ìAlong with the creation of nine new jobs to manage & service the new machinery, the investment is a significant step forward for Detectamet in order to keep more operations in-house, reducing product lead time and enhancing the quality of our products,î said CEO Sean Smith. ìIn addition, this investment enhances our ability to manufacture bespoke projects for our global customer base.î Earlier in the year, Detectamet opened their latest branch in Australia, and can now provide 24-hour customer support for their growing global customer base. For more information, visit www.metal-detectable-products.com. suggest a deep dive internal review of all food risks and processes at least once a month, including an inspection of everything from production lines and all machinery, to refrigeration and the outside roof. Mr Wilson also advocates mixing people’s skills up and creating a truly multi-disciplinary team, including finance, engineers and quality control. He cites it as the ideal way to spread knowledge and embed an inspection culture that becomes natural. Safety for snack makers Typically, snack manufacturers will have more than one metal detector between the beginning and end of the production and packing process, corresponding to identified Critical Control Points (CCPs). Many will install a system as close as possible to the end of line after primary packaging, typically bagging with snacks. If that isn’t feasible, then installing a system just before the bagging stage is also effective. In these situations, loose product such as chips or crisps can be channelled through a vertical ‘throat’ detector. It’s also likely that manufacturers will want to check incoming ingredients before they reach the processing stage. This might be advisable for a number of reasons. Firstly, snack producers will want to identify the source of any metal contamination, which may of course include raw materials. Secondly, the sensitivity achieved at this stage may be higher than with finished or packaged product. This may come down to the aperture of the metal detector or the relative sensitivity obtained with unprocessed and processed ingredients. So why choose metal detection rather than x-ray? The answer will depend on the application. X-ray remains the more expensive option, both in terms of capital cost and running costs. Depending on the application size and complexity, expect to pay in the region of £35,000 to £40,000 to install x-ray, compared with £4,000 to £18,000 for metal detection. Integrating a metal detector into a snack processing or packing line is relatively straightforward. Consideration needs to be given to ‘product effect’, although with today’s technology this ‘phasing’ or calibration is an automatic process. In recent years, retailers have become more risk-averse when it comes to food safety and quality, increasingly imposing their own stringent protocols and standards on suppliers. As well as ensuring that the required form of inspection is in place, to the necessary specification, the retailer ‘safety net’ will also often include assurances about regular system checks to ensure that all QA systems – including metal detection – are functioning correctly. As one might expect, the sensitivity of metal detector systems keeps improving which enables snack processors to detect ever-smaller metal contaminants. Some retailers may pressurise suppliers to invest in x-ray contaminant detection. Being able to demonstrate the reliability and improved sensitivity of metal detectors installed with FM software, for example, may strengthen the case for snack suppliers. Before selecting inspection equipment, snack manufacturers should carefully research potential sources of contamination. If potential contamination is mostly metal-based, then it makes sense to consider metal detection as the principal option. If the 18-23.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:38 Page 3Food & Drink International 21 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT SICK’s ‘Sceptre’ crowns safety system king of the active/passives SICK has extended the range of its deTem 4 A/P multiple light beam system to eight metres, the longest ever available for an active/passive safety device, suitable for applications up to SIL3 / PLe. The extra-rugged and compact SICK deTem 4 A/P safety light beam system offers wide flexibility to install safe access protection with entry/exit monitoring (muting) in food manufacturing and material handling environments. With sender and receiver integrated into the active device, SICK deTem 4 A/P minimises wiring and helps achieve compact machine designs. With integrated muting functions there is no need for an external module and additional wiring effort. With real-time diagnostics accessible by smartphone through Near Field Communication (NFC), and also via IO-Link, the SICK deTem 4 A/P is a smart system that enables operators to respond quickly to machine downtime. Engineers can access a range of diagnostic status and process data to manage maintenance interventions effectively. For more information, visit www.sick.co.uk. contaminate risks are wider ranging, or predominantly non-metal by nature, it may be worth examining the benefits of x-ray in more detail. One thing worth considering is even the latest x-ray systems are not fool proof. Some have trouble detecting the smaller particles and low-density metals – such as aluminium – that metal detectors will pick up as a matter of course. In fact, the reliability of x-ray in identifying a range of potential contaminants has been questioned over the years. When it comes to brand reputation, consumer satisfaction is everything, and contaminant detection is critical for maintaining product trust. With the future of snacks looking strong and healthier variations enter the market, now’s the time to explore inspection options to help make product recalls a thing of the past. Hygienic design The product of years of testing, re- design and innovation, hygienic design ascribes a number of key attributes. Perhaps the most pressing is the need to minimise open spaces and other cavities where food stuffs and particulates can gather, decompose and compromise an entire product batch. These spaces can also allow cleaning solutions and disinfectants to pool, which can become equally detrimental to consumer health if they come in contact with food. Achieving a reliable and functional design, whilst keeping dead space to a minimum, presents a challenge to equipment makers. One solution is to keep the number of components down. Even a stool is made up of multiple parts, be it the legs, supporting struts and, of course, the seat. Rather than relying on rivets, screws or bolts where contaminates can gather, manufacturers instead weld the parts together. This creates a strong and reliable seal without any recesses, which can be quickly and thoroughly washed. The materials themselves play an integral role in hygiene, with stainless steel the most sought after and preferred material for making food equipment. 22 Á © Shutterstock /SeventyFour 18-23.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:38 Page 422 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE INSPECTION SYSTEMS WHICH SAVE YOU MONEY AND TIME GUARANTEED. T +44 1295 256266 www.fortresstechnology.co.uk www.sparc-systems.co.uk Other metals corrode over time or in contact with certain food/beverage products – think citric acids – which can contaminate food with harmful pathogens and fragments of metal and rust. Though stainless steel is most common, it first needs to be correctly processed. It’s all well and good to have a stainless metal, but that doesn’t count for much if food or contaminates can gather in grooves or welts in the metal. To that end, the surfaces are typically finished through polishing or grinding to obtain a smooth finish. Most hygiene standards dictate that all food contact surfaces have a roughness of average of 0.8 micrometre or less. There’s a number of other ways to treat these surfaces to bolster their hygienic profile, with some of the latest developments seeming positively space age. Adulteration can occur throughout the supply chain, though it typically takes place during the production process where plastic, metal or any other foreign object can become entrenched in a food or beverage product. Though inspection and detection systems exist to highlight these contaminates, it’s no good scanning for metal if the foreign object is plastic. For manufacturers, it’s a matter of detecting these objects in- house rather than having it discovered by a customer who could pursue legal action which could lead to heavy reputational and financial damage. Cleaning, of course, falls under the wider umbrella of maintenance, which oversees the smooth running of a factory, production line and the wider supply chain. Much of this is achieved through software, governing everything from asset management and work scheduling, to stock and inventory checks. SPX FLOW enhances food safety with release of new detectable valve seats SPX FLOW has released new metal and X-ray detectable seats for its Waukesha Cherry-Burrell® (WCB) range of single seat valves. When combined with metal or X-ray detectable o-rings, the new seats are designed to add further security to critical dairy, food and beverage, and personal care processes. Chris Sinutko, Global Portfolio Manager at SPX FLOW, said: “Contamination by foreign objects is a key concern for processors. The new Tef-Flow™ P- MD seats add an essential extra level of safeguarding that was not available before, giving processors added peace of mind for product safety.” As well as being metal and X-ray detectable, the new valve seat can handle temperatures up to 280°F (137°C), is chemically inert, has a clean-in-place design, and complies with stringent FDA regulations. The new seats are available as options across the WCB single seat valve range and also offered as a full stem assemblies to easily upgrade existing installations. To find out more, visit www.spxflow.com. © Shutterstock /Alex Marakhovets 18-23.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:39 Page 5Food & Drink International 23 www.fdiforum.net HEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHT The newest addition to the HARTING portfolio is the Han® F+B, a range of connectors which have been specially designed for the requirements of the food processing, bottling and packaging industries. Within these sectors, hygiene and safety are key considerations, meaning machines and equipment must be both easy to clean and designed so dirt pockets and bacteria cannot accumulate. The Han® F+B has been specifically developed as a suitable product for the food zone and primarily the splash zone and there are several innovations which make it the ideal solution. Firstly, all hoods, housings and seals are IP69K rated, so the connections are fully protected and resistant to the water jets used to clean equipment. They also have large nooks and surfaces in accordance with the guidelines of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG), which allows cleaning and disinfecting agents to flow unhindered. For secure identification and easy traceability, the connectors are blue, although a black version is available. The range is Ecolab approved, meaning it is resistant to the highly aggressive cleaning agents used in the food and splash zones. As the housings are constructed from polypropylene, they conform to the directives of FDA 21. All surfaces also have a smooth finish, which prevents impurities and bacteria from accumulating, whilst the portfolio can function in a wide temperature range from -40 to +125° C. As well as hygiene and safety concerns, HARTING have also considered the impact of machine downtimes, designing in features which keep disruptions on the production line down to a minimum. Customers are increasingly looking for solutions which allow them to embrace flexible schedules and smaller batch productions, meaning businesses must become adaptable in order to meet these demands. As a result, the ability to quickly attach and detach connectors is vital if costly production downtimes are to be avoided. With the Han® F+B, operators do not need to open any cable glands on the control cabinet in order to decouple field devices, eliminating the complex disconnecting and reconfiguring of fixed wiring. This solution also allows for faster replacement of defective components and a more efficient configuration when changing components, allowing facilities to shorten set-up times and reduce production stoppages. In addition, the Han® F+B series has been designed so it can be plugged and unplugged easily, safely and quickly. Special fluting in the housing walls ensure that the installer’s hands do not slip off the connector, even in damp or humid conditions. The housings can be used with hybrid contact inserts for all types of industrial transmission, including data, signal and power, a versatile connector concept which makes it possible to configure future-proof machine design for processing units, including Ethernet. A hygienic and versatile connector solution for the food and beverage industry To learn more about the Han® F+B and download our FREE whitepaper, which gives more detailed information about using connectors in food and beverage facilities, please click here or email salesUK@HARTING.com. 23 harting online.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2020 08:08 Page 624 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net NEW YEAR, NEW SUPPLIERS © Shutterstock /KomootP to save Switching 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2020 13:36 Page 1Food & Drink International 25 www.fdiforum.net NEW YEAR, NEW SUPPLIERS T: +44(0) 208 344 6600 W: www.fishbein.com E: salesuk@fischbein.com Penn Packaging aim to deliver the highest quality packaging solutions to highest standard. Its partners, like RENNER, are some of Europe’s leading packaging machinery manufacturers and enable it to provide total packaging solutions to meet the needs of modern production environments either as single units or as part of turnkey installations. 40 years of market experience, the most up-to-date technology and the highest quality standards have combined to make RENNER the highest quality player in the food and beverage sectors. All of this is impressively reflected in the RENNER S product series. The modular design brings together the highest levels of accuracy, performance and efficiency. Improve the output quantity, efficiency or desirability of your product by using the hygienic Clean Design system and the most up-to-date labelling methods such as wet glue, hot-melt, PSLE, rollfed or combi. T: +44(0) 1473 893990 W: www.penn-packaging.co.uk Changing suppliers is a great way for a company to begin a new year but, in the continuing coronavirus crisis, it can also be a great way for companies to reduce overheads and reinvest elsewhere in the business. COVID-19 has been a major challenge for businesses all the way across the food and drink supply chain. As well as forcing companies to adapt and evolve, it has also left many looking to reduce overheads and operating costs to try and weather the storm. One of the best ways to shrink costs is to examine your suppliers and switch them up. Perhaps a single supplier could fulfil the job that two or more were previously performing. Or you could be getting better service for the same costs or cheaper. A company is only as good as its suppliers, with their end products dependent on the raw material and ingredients that they purchase. It serves to follow, then, that a company that is reliant on subpar suppliers will be unable to achieve its full potential and profitability. There are several understandable reasons why a company would remain with mediocre suppliers, other than loyalty, and that’s from the need to trim back supply chain costs © Shutterstock /Fischer Fotostudio 26 Á Automate with Confidence High Speed Robotic Palletiser Model 1200BH Open Mouth Bagger Materials Handling Solutions • Automated Systems • Superior Performance • Innovative Design • Advanced Technology • Dedicated After-Sales Product Support FISCHBEIN has recently launched a series of improved bagging systems into its range due to market demand from new start-up companies, or existing high speed packers launching new product lines to their range. A key product for the animal feed and pet food sectors was the introduction of the UK-first cost effective range of manual bagging stations. Available in three variations dependant on product and production capacity, Fischbein’s Manual bagging systems have gained phenomenal interest as these robust weighers offers many benefits to users. Integral hopper, three electronic weighers, accurate, intelligent dosing which adjusts for different product densities, up to 500 product recipe spaces, easy to clean feeding screw and pneumatic bag clamp are just some of the benefits these systems boast. Presented as an all-in-one bag filling and closing solution, these manual baggers will suit small to medium sized companies looking to speed up their packing process, and can be incorporated with any sealing or sewing machines to offer a semi-automatic packing station ready to go. www.fischbein.com salesuk@fischbein.com Tel: 020 8344 6600 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2020 13:36 Page 226 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net NEW YEAR, NEW SUPPLIERS and run a leaner operation. However, using cheap suppliers for cheapness sake can be counterproductive and, conversely, end up costing a company in the long run. While loyalty is a powerful motivator, the lack of any meaningful relationship with a supplier can also be good grounds to look elsewhere. It only takes a visit to any of the major food exhibitions taking place around the globe to see the strength of these relationships in action. If a company head feels as though they’re getting the cold shoulder from any of their suppliers, then it’s worth considering a replacement. It can seem as though it’s easier remaining with a supplier so as not to upset the status quo, but that attitude can be costly to a company, especially in this economic climate. Finding a new supplier can be well and truly transformative, whether it’s for raw ingredients or machinery, the difference from supplier-to-supplier can be startling. For example, one supplier of machinery and equipment might just want to squeeze a company for all they’ve got and supply a piece of top end machinery for the sake of it. However, a supplier that you’ll want on your wide will take the time to get to know a company and its operations and offer a machine that’s best suited to a company’s production and processing needs, rather than the most expensive. They might also be able to offer a bespoke option which, while not the cheapest, ensures a company gets a tailor-made solution designed to meet their exact needs and specifications. Having quality supplies can literally mean the difference between hitting profits and not, of using the very best ingredients and something mediocre. The importance of good suppliers cannot be overstated, but it’s also important not to lose sight of how bad, or even middling, suppliers can affect a business. So, this New Year, make it your resolution to find the right suppliers for you. © Shutterstock /SeventyFour 24-26.qxp_Layout 1 18/12/2020 13:36 Page 3Food & Drink International 27 www.fdiforum.net PUMPS AND FLUIDS Hygiene and efficiency remain two of the key aspects in the pumps and fluid industry, particularly with increased consumer and media attention being placed on food and drink products. Where any liquid or low-viscosity food material is being pumped through a processing line, it’s key that it is done so in a manner that both optimises and ensures sanitation without causing blockages or problems within the process itself. As the industry has been a consistent one for many decades it’s easy to see that most companies are now able to handle the hygienic necessities of the process - with adaptations such as hygienic hoses and pumps. But that’s not to say that there hasn’t been innovation in other areas; as companies vie for competitive edge over one another. In efforts to increase efficiency many pump process machines now include metering of additives themselves, essentially measuring and administering flavourings, acids, vitamins or colouring directly to the food material in line with the recipe of the product. Of course, these then need to be mixed, and in that regard industrial mixers are now a common part of the process at this point - fitting seamlessly into a pump production line. Ensuring systems There’s a lot for food makers to consider when it comes to pumping systems, as we explore. Key 28 Á © Shutterstock /Nordroden 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:42 Page 128 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net PUMPS AND FLUIDS products are mixed and blended effectively has always been a challenge for the food and drink sector, but never more so than now. Labelling requirements that demand products contain exactly the correct make-up of ingredients and weight, along with an increased focus on cleanliness, has meant accuracy and effectiveness is now a top priority. However, this has to be countered with the changing tastes of consumers who now prefer products to appear natural and not totally uniform in appearance. The goal is versatility, alongside the typical ones of efficiency, reliability and hygiene. A food manufacturer might now have a number of different products which have vastly different requirements in terms of mixing. Mixing companies such as Advanced Engineering have risen to the challenges through the sheer number of products they can now provide manufacturers. From top entry batch, sealed bearing, bottom entry to single stage and three stage inline high shear rotor stator mixers and fluid mixers. When it comes to the valves industry, the demand for the elimination of preservatives from food and beverages is set to drive demand higher than ever. Transparency Market Research has shown that many large players in the valves industry have taken to investing in developing regions and emerging markets in order to cater to the huge potential there. The research report also claims that the global hygienic and aseptic valves market is set to increase from $6 billion in 2015, to $9 billion in 2025 - an increase of fifty per cent in just a single decade. Of the various types of valves available, hygienic single seat valves are expected to do the best, outperforming all other segments and acquiring a figure close to twenty-six per cent of the global market. This is due to the ability of these valves to meet the strict and varied requirements pertaining to © Shutterstock /279photo Studio 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:42 Page 2Food & Drink International 29 www.fdiforum.net PUMPS AND FLUIDS aseptic and hygienic process in the food and drink industry. Much of this comes in comparison to the rest of the food and drink industry, who often show some reluctance to face new laws and regulations on the issue of hygiene. This is perhaps understandable given the upsetting nature of new regulation has on a well- run process, but the valves industry flourishes in such difficult times due to its focus and ability on controlling and improving hygiene. A major challenge in the pumps and fluids industry is that of ensuring traceability is in place. Labelling regulations mean that packaging needs to explain exactly what is in the product so it is vital manufacturers can identify ingredients during the mixing process. In many cases - particularly that of a recall - a large retailer might give a manufacturer less than twenty- four hours to ascertain where something went wrong. This is important for the retailer due to the fast spread of negative publicity through the media - requiring them to make a prompt response. However, the onus is then passed down to the manufacturer, who must check their systems to see if it was something that went wrong on their end; or whether it might have happened outside of their control. Where supermarkets are concerned, it’s guilty until proven innocent, and a poor traceability system that cannot meet the retailer’s demands is sure to lead to damages, or perhaps even a loss of a major contract. Detection, scanning and vision systems should be employed at various stages throughout the process - with the results of these monitored by software systems or employees. While pumping systems can and should be able to meter and prepare the product as per the recipe specifications, there is still a need for quality control and assurance at every stage of the process. © Shutterstock /MOLPIX 27-29.qxp_Layout 1 17/12/2020 15:42 Page 3Next >