< Previous60 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net LOADING BAYS AND DOORS whole host of issues. For example in segregated areas where stringent temperature must be adhered to, uncontrolled and consistent openings may lead to a warmer freezer, production environment or storage area that puts chilled food products at risk of contamination or degradation of quality. For cold food and drink storage one could thus choose a high speed fabric door designed for interior thermal control and minimising temperature loss with high opening speeds and using materials such as layers of PVC- coated polyester and an insulated curtain with actively heated guides ensuring a constant temperature and smooth door movement. While slow opening and closing doors can cause costly hold ups, with automatic high speed doors the pace of traffic can be significantly improved, particularly when used in conjunction with smart sensing systems, and can enhance safety too. Furthermore, when selecting doors for food facilities one should look for those with tight seals and that accommodate hygienic design, to avoid bacteria build up and dust, liquid and debris collection. Doors should also be made of corrosion resistant material. For consistent and flawless door operation regular maintenance is also important. A malfunction can see costly downtime, leave surrounding areas unprotected and exposed, and biosecurity risked. Through regular maintenance, small problems can be detected and rectified before becoming a larger issue, reducing potentially expensive repairs if a door fails and extending the lifespan of doors. Where the wrong, inefficient, and unkept door can cause major problems for food facilities and product movement, so can loading bays. The bottleneck of a facility, a loading bay must maintain efficiency, safety, and speed, but with a plethora of machines, components and systems, the risks of something going wrong is high, leading to accidents as well as slow loading, delayed deliveries, energy waste, and subsequent revenue loss. There’s much to consider in the selection, construction, and upgrade of loading bay solutions to increase productivity, efficiency and safety, from utilising the right dock scheduling and technology, to making use of equipment like dock shelters, dock bumpers, dock levellers, lighting, and advanced control units. A hazardous area, further solutions must be utilised in loading bays to mitigate risks and maintain seamless operations. Vehicle creep for example can occur during loading, when equipment jolts a vehicle, extending the gap between the vehicle and bay, possibly causing goods or machinery to fall. To prevent this, as well as issues like premature drive off, automatic vehicle restraints can be employed with the push of a button. Additional safety can be ensured with automatic sequence control integrated with other loading bay equipment. Here operating sequences are secured as dock levellers and doors remain un-Food & Drink International 61 www.fdiforum.net LOADING BAYS AND DOORS operatable until a vehicle is restrained. The vehicle can then not be released until the dock leveller and door are back in position. Wheel guides, which make sure vehicles are in the correct position, properly aligned for loading and unloading, and prevent staff injury and damage to dock equipment, vehicles and buildings, are also highly useful, as are dock buffers to reduce impact damage between buildings and vehicles. Traffic lights to inform drivers when it is safe to pull off from a bay or that a trailer is secure for a forklift operator to begin loading/unloading further bolster loading bays, and motion activated sensor systems can be used in the dock to inform workers that equipment or staff could be on their way out. This averts accidents including forklift and pedestrian collision or crush injuries. Preventing injuries while speeding up processes and enhancing efficiency in loading bays by removing the human element are automated loading systems, which continue to grow, completing tasks in a fraction of the time it would take with a forklift, removing driver delay and upping drive time. By connecting auto-loading/unloading docks to a further conveyor or autonomous guided vehicles (AGV), the loading procedure can be de-manned - a much safer option next to manually operated systems - and one can gain more certainty on delivery timelines. Automated systems are also preferable during a time of staff shortages. © stock.adobe.com/Piya W. © stock.adobe.com/ Александр БайдукThis year’s edition will see no less than 250 companies from all corners of the globe descend on Lagos, ready to showcase their product innovations to over 5,500 visitors. Vertical Farming World Congress 2024 25 - 26 September Frankfurt, Germany Bringing together vertical farming operators, investors, suppliers and customers, this 5th annual Vertical Farming World Congress is designed to help develop and advance the sector’s future. It is the most substantial dedicated event of the year, featuring two days of conference sessions, networking with key industry figures and presentation of the Vertical Farming World Awards 2024. InFlavour 1 - 3 October Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Over 30,000 trade professionals Speciality & Fine Food Fair 10 - 11 September London, UK Over the last 25 years Speciality & Fine Food Fair has built up a rich heritage and has become the home of fine food & drink discovery for buyers from across the retail, hospitality, foodservice, manufacturing, import & export, and wholesale sectors. Whether you’re looking for product inspiration for your business, or you’d like to learn the latest trends and insights from top industry experts, then we’re confident you’ll uncover the ideas you’re searching for at the Fair. Propak West Africa 10 - 12 September Lagos, Nigeria Propak West Africa returns in September to unite the manufacturing industry across three action packed days in Lagos. Last year marked the milestone of the 10th edition of Propak which saw a record attendance of both exhibitors and visitors. Building on from that, the exhibition continues to go from strength to strength. 62 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net Events Food & Drink © stock.adobe.com/Belish London Packaging Week 11 - 12 September London, UK London Packaging Week, home to four co- located events, combines to create a dynamic and inspirational event that drives packaging innovation, business and connections at the heart of the UK’s luxury, cosmetics, premium drinks and consumer products markets. Join hundreds of industry leaders, including suppliers, designers, packaging developers, marketers, founders, and buyers, as they gather to fuel their innovation and creativity. across retail, wholesale, distribution, food service, food tech, manufacturing, and more are expected to join InFlavour this October and participate in “A New Beginning for Food.” Whether you are looking to take home new business, secure investment, access documentation and permits to enter the region, or take home proven tactics to scale your © stock.adobe.com/Chaosamran_StudioPPMA SHOW 2024 24 - 26 September Birmingham, UK PPMA Show is the largest processing and packaging machinery exhibition in the UK. Showcasing the very latest in processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision systems, coupled with the latest innovations in materials, containers and packaging design. It covers the full spectrum of the industry; including food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, household products and toiletries, building materials and supplies, pet care, micro- brewery and distilleries, FMCG, as well as contract packers and more. Visitors also have the chance to network, source new ideas and solutions, and meet with potential new suppliers, influencers and technical experts, all under one roof. Food & Drink International 63 www.fdiforum.net © stock.adobe.com/chamillew Fi North America 30 - 31 October Las Vegas, USA Food ingredients North America, co-located with SupplySide West, is the largest ingredients event in the USA. Focused on food, beverage, and supplement innovation, it brings together more than 20,000 professionals from the health and nutrition industry. Meet your next business partner & discover the future of food at North America’s most comprehensive F&B event. business, reduce costs, reduce waste and position your brand above your competition, InFlavour is your platform to do so. Cold Chain Hub 9 - 10 October Birmingham, UK The ‘Cold Chain Hub by TCS&D’ is an established event for the temperature-controlled storage and distribution industry and is entirely focused on the movement of frozen and chilled foods, and also pharmaceuticals. Unlike any other event, the Cold Chain Hub by TCS&D is designed with innovation and technology at its core and will be promoting sustainability solutions for the cold chain sector. Responsible Packaging Expo 15 - 16 October London, UK Returning to the ExCeL London on 15 & 16 October, Responsible Packaging Expo is the UK’s leading event bringing sustainable packaging to the forefront of the industry. If you’re looking for the newest responsible solutions for your hospitality business, you can trust that this event is the full package!FEATURES Environmental Spotlight Logistics Labelling, Coding and Traceability Control and Automation Mixing and Blending Fruit and Vegetables Import and Export EVENT PREVIEWS FI Europe Next month in October 2024 - Deadline 11th September INTERNATIONAL Visit us at www.fdiforum.net where you’ll find the latest news as it breaks – and why not subscribe to our newsletters so you can have the latest news emailed to your inbox, in between printed issues?Classified You can feature your company in our hugely popular Online Directory with a description, contact details and a hyperlink If you would like further information please contact Angela Cooper on +44 [0] 1472 310310 or email a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk or visit www.fdiforum.net/directory From field to fork, Food & Drink International is the voice of the industry. Food & Drink International 65 www.fdiforum.net Depositors Manufacturers of depositors & filling machines for the food production industry Labels • Self adhesive Labels • Lasersheets • Fanfolded Labels • Thermal Transfer Ribbons • Barcode Labels INDEX Online Directory Depositors Labels To Let www. fdiforum .net • Superb Location • Secure off street parking • High speed internet availability • A range of affordable office sizes Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby DN31 2QE Tel: (01472) 310301 Email: s.fisher@blmgroup.co.uk Ground floor offices to let - prime location in Grimsby To Let Online Directory To advertise your services on the 66 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net FoodandDrinkInternational@fdiforum company/fdiforum Once more Food & Drink International provides your ultimate guide to the industry – making sure you’re informed on what’s going on and looking closer at what’s happening. Don’t forget to keep up to date via www.fdiforum.net! Diary Food & Drink Stay in touch with Food & Drink International For more up to the minute information from the food and drink industry, visit Food & Drink International online at www.fdiforum.net. Keep up to date with Food & Drink International, and let us know what you think, by following us on Twitter at @fdiforum, at www.facebook.com/FoodandDrink International or by searching for fdiforum on LinkedIn. September 3 - 5, The Kenyan Food Event, Nairobi, Kenya 3 - 6, WorldFood Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey 10 - 11, Speciality & Fine Food Fair, London, UK 10 - 12, Propak West Africa, Lagos, Nigeria 11 - 12, London Packaging Week, London, UK 24 - 26, PPMA Show 2024, Birmingham, UK 25 - 26, Vertical Farming World Congress 2024, Frankfurt, Germany October 1 - 3, InFlavour, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 9 - 10, Cold Chain Hub, Birmingham, UK 15 - 16, Responsible Packaging Expo, London, UK 30 - 31, Fi North America, Las Vegas, USA Online this month… www.fdiforum.net is the best place to go for up-to-date food and drink industry news. Here’s a sneak peek at one of our latest stories. Forbidden Foods to acquire Oat Milk Goodness Health & wellness food company Forbidden Foods is to acquire Oat Milk Goodness (OMG), an Australian plant-based non-dairy milk company, in a $3.42m deal. Co-founded by Australian cricketer Steve Smith, OMG was established to develop a home-grown oat milk product that takes advantage of Australia’s abundant supply of natural oats, and is also free of industrial seed oils such as canola, rapeseed or sunflower oil which can cause inflammation. Since launching, OMG’s core oat milk product has established strong traction among merchant customers in the café and barista industry. OMG has since broadened its product range to include flavoured milks and ‘prOATein’ options, and has expanded distribution through ranging in Woolworths and Ampol Foodary outlets. Through its distribution channels, OMG is also ranged in leading independent and health food stores…info@macpac.co.uk Tel: 0161 442 1642 www.macpac.co.uk THERMOFORMED PACKAGING SPECIALISTS We design, produce tooling and manufacture packaging all under one roof, at our AA grade BRC accredited factory. 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