Industrial Weighing & Product Inspection

18NewsIndustrial Weighing & Product Inspection

Fruit &Vegetables

tions to identify metal, glass, stone and dense plastic contaminants.

Keeping records is criticalAnother principle requirement across all of the standards is for manufacturers to docu-ment critical inspection process data. That means regularly collecting information from Critical Control Points (CCPs) and storing the data in a robust records system. Food safety auditors will expect such data to be readily available on request. Failure to pro-vide the required information will result in non-compliance which could have se-rious repercussions for the manufacturer.

Care and due diligenceAnother reason to gather data and main-tain thoroughly documented records is to

The continuing evolution of food safety standards is applying increased pressure on manufacturers to ensure they satisfy ever tightening demands. There is also greater emphasis for manufacturers to implement robust track and trace systems throughout manufacturing processes for full traceabil-ity and to reduce the risk of recalls.

Food safety standardsThe leading food safety standards are based on the Hazards Analysis and Critical Con-trol Points (HACCP) framework. Although each of the standards has subtle differences, they also have many similarities. All insist that steps are taken to screen for physical contaminants in the product being pro-duced. Metal detectors and X-ray inspec-tion systems are the recommended solu-

Typical Cost of Recall US$10MCan You Afford to Take the Risk?Product recalls continue to be an issue for fruit and vegetable proces-

sors. Industry research suggests a typical product recall can result in up

to US$10M in direct costs for the manufacturer. Having the correct inspec-

tion and data collection processes in place avoids costly recalls.

32 METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 18METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 18

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ce use them as a form of insurance against potential litigation in the event of a cus-tomer complaint. In law, businesses have a “Duty of Care,” which requires that they adhere to a standard of reasonable care while performing any act that could fore-seeably harm others.

In the event of a contamination issue, a legal claim may result. In that instance, the Due Diligence defense is available to man-ufacturers if they have taken all reason-able and practical steps to avoid the prob-lem. The manufacturer needs to prove that robust inspection processes were in place and that they exercised “all due diligence”

to avoid the occurrence. Well-maintained records and documented procedures can provide this valuable evidence.

Track & Trace audit trailsPrudent manufacturers are now extend-ing data collection activities to support track and trace audit trails enabling re-cords of materials and processes to be re-viewed at any time to support any poten-tial recall activities. Making data collection easyCollecting the necessary data required to fulfil the demands of standards and prove due diligence has been exercised can now

Publisher / ProductionMettler-Toledo GmbHIndustrial DivisionHeuwinkelstrasseCH-8606 NänikonSwitzerland

Subject to technical changes© 09/2016 Mettler-Toledo GmbH

Committed to Speed and PrecisionMaximize Your System Performance

The IND570 weighing terminal offers so-lutions for manual and automated filling, blending or dosing.

Precise and fast fillingOn-board data storage enables flexible and efficient production with libraries for formu-las, materials and containers. The terminal controls blending of up to six ingredients with integrated formulation management that stores up to 99 different formulas.

Combinations of different material deliv-ery procedures, including partial dosing and formula scaling, grant flexibility in daily operations.

Robust product designThe IND570 terminal can be attached di-rectly to weighing platforms or integrated into a process oversight system. It combats wet and harsh conditions with solid stain-less-steel construction and IP69k protection to allow cleaning with water jets.

Bring production under controlIn manual weighing applications, IND570 guides users through the operations to im-prove efficiency and avoid costly errors. Where automation is the goal, it also offers a high potential for cost savings when func-tioning as a stand-alone process controller.

www.mt.com/IND570-fv

The new IND570 weighing terminal combines comprehensive filling and dosing manage-

ment with modern data-exchange capabilities. Active monitoring of weighing perfor-

mance ensures compliance with process tolerances and keeps the system running at

maximum potential.

be fully automated. Software packages from METTLER TOLEDO, such as ProdX and Collect+™, gather essential data directly from production lines, providing full remote visibility of processes for production man-agers and quality managers alike. These software packages can help maximize pro-cess efficiency, ensure quality standards are adhered to, support compliance and pro-vide a full audit trail.

www.mt.com/pi-fv

IND570 integrated into a system.

Collect+™ data collection and visual-

ization software captures weight data

from bench and floor scales and high-

lights process deviations. It monitors

weighing quality and enables managers

to make informed business decisions.

www.mt.com/collectplus-fv

ProdX Inspect software simplifies

the collection of process data from

product inspection equipment to

enhance productivity and support

compliance with all leading food

safety standards.

www.mt.com/prodx-fv

Look inside your processBench and floor scales

Data collection Simplified product inspection

54 METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 18 METTLER TOLEDO Fruit & Vegetables News 18

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Software completes the packageThe integration of FreeWeigh.Net® soft-ware also allows the checkweighers to be used in the integrated production network for recording statistical quality data. The company’s entire production process can be traced and recorded at item level as well as the batch level, and the system facilitates an accurate overview of current production data. In this way, Lamb Weston/Meijer cov-ers the entire scope of finished packaging and filling process checking and can react faster to changes in the production process.

www.mt.com/garvens-fv

Production at Twice the SpeedRequires Faster Weighing Solutions

Dutch joint-venture company Lamb Weston/Meijer V.O.F is one of the largest frozen po-tato product manufacturers in the world. The company processes up to 15 tons of potatoes per hour in its Oosterbierum-based facil-ity, supplying the world’s biggest fast food restaurants in over 80 countries through-out Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

With six other locations in Europe and 17 companies in the USA, Lamb Weston/Meijer places great importance on food safety and quality. The company has been working with METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection for 25 years to fulfil the crite-ria of globally approved quality and food safety standards and schemes recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

Ambitious growth plansLamb Weston/Meijer has plans to double production by 2020. To support this growth, the company recently retrofitted five of its production lines with new XS3 check-weighers from METTLER TOLEDO Garvens with the goal of achieving higher through-put than ever before. The conveyor speed of the new XS3 checkweighers is perfectly aligned with the higher throughput rates of the company. The systems also have the capacity to operate at even higher speeds to keep pace with the anticipated increases required in years to come.

A huge amount of products need to be reli-ably checked to meet the requirements of net-content laws for packaged products to ensure customer satisfaction and eliminate expen-sive product giveaway. XS3 checkweighers are installed downstream of a multi-head scale where Lamb Weston/Meijer’s french fries are portioned before ultimately being packed in one-kilogram bags. The weight

With ambitious plans to double production over the next few years, a large producer

of frozen potato products has been able to significantly increase production line

throughput. This has been achieved through the installation of new high-speed end-

of-line checkweighing systems.

of the bags is then checked by the XS3, with out-of-specification products rejected by an automated pusher reject system.

Designed for the application Due to limited space on the production floor, Lamb Weston/Meijer needed a checkweigh-ing solution that was space-saving and, at the same time, adapted to the height di-mensions of upstream and downstream ma-chines. The entire checkweighing system has been designed with a special height to match the production line height. In an-other effort to accommodate space require-ments, the conveyor-control system is po-sitioned externally with a separate control cabinet including the weighing terminal.

Sjerk Zoodsma, technical director in the field of final packaging, says the current production line’s upgrade was successfully realized by METTLER TOLEDO. “We are very satisfied with the retrofitting of our production lines,” he says. “The new XS3 checkweighers are perfectly aligned with our production speed and ensure a much higher throughput.” XS3 Checkweighers increase throughput.

Selecting the right Inspection Technology

More in-depth information about

choosing the right inspection system

can be found in our white paper:

Metal Detection, X-ray or both? Making

the right choice.

Download the white paper: www.mt.com/x-ray-metal-fv

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Proactive Maintenance Checklist Scales require regular maintenance

to avoid costly failures, especially

for businesses where they are inte-

gral to production processes.

METTLER TOLEDO has developed

a detailed Service Checklist to help

you maximize the uptime of your

scale through proactive mainte-

nance.

Download the checklist: www.mt.com/ind-specify-svc-bench-fv

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duction or negatively influence the process. This gives guidance to the customer when an operator must intervene in order to keep the process running until the next sched-uled service. This helps to manage costs.

What do you consider a client’s main benefits when using MT services?The main client benefit is MT’s ability to offer support very quickly. This saves our customers money and supports the produc-tion efficiency they require.

www.mt.com/calibration-service-fv

Quick Responses and TrustIngredients for a Long Customer Relationship

You have worked for MT since 1998. What keeps it interesting?Working as a technician in weighing and measuring allows me to visit many different clients. I frequently support various kinds of food producers in my region of France. Through these visits I learned how impor-tant it is to gain a client’s trust and confi-dence. And food customers are demanding.

What is so special about serving the food industry?Many of these companies have been in busi-ness for many years and depend on a fault-less reputation. It is important that I know my business well and support them the best I can. When I am recognized as a profes-sional who knows the details and charac-teristics of the food industry, the relation-ship will last.

What makes it challenging?When you work in the food industry, you cannot be afraid of environments where it smells strongly, or where you are confronted with animal carcasses! The daily challenge is to manage service priorities and emer-gencies. It is a disaster when an approved overhead scale in a slaughterhouse is out of order! Part of my job is providing reg-

ular maintenance that prevents weighing equipment from malfunctioning or deliv-ering wrong weighing results.

What are the most common questions/problems?Often a food producer is confronted with increased demands from the market and from legal bodies. I am getting more re-quests for information on legal metrology, cleaning and safety issues. Ten years ago, I did not receive these questions.

What kind of services do you usually recommend?I work very hard to recommend the appro-priate service for each product. My recom-mendations are based on the individual customer process. A scale that is part of a critical production process step requires a

When a scale or filling station malfunctions, it shuts down production or generates

costly downtime. Regular equipment servicing can significantly reduce the risk of

unplanned interruptions. But what does it take to create efficient, regular weighing-

equipment service schedules?

different service than one that can be eas-ily bypassed with an intermediate solution. This is the reason why METTLER TOLEDO is offering three types of service contracts.

“We are getting more requests for information on legal metrology, cleaning

and safety issues.” Petitgas Tanguy, service specialist, MT France

What has been the biggest innovation in how you provide service?More and more, weighing solutions include predictive maintenance options. The new IND570 terminal or METTLER TOLEDO’s statistical quality software FreeWeigh.Net can identify problems before they stop pro-

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Specifying Service For optimized weighing processes

Selecting the right weighing equipment is an important first step to ensuring that your weighing processes are able to meet internal and regulatory requirements. Specifying the right services for the equipment is the next step to making sure that your project is a success and that you maximize your return on investment over the life of the equipment.

Like other modern, adaptable and high-performance systems, weighing equipment must be installed, configured, tested, qualified, and maintained in a manner that delivers optimum business performance. Additionally, weighing measurements must be sufficiently accurate to ensure the quality of your process, contribute to your profitability and be documented in compliance with applicable regulations, standards and specifications. Utilize this checklist to ensure that you have considered the necessary equipment specification, installation, configuration, calibration, certification, and maintenance services to assure that your equipment always performs within your expected process tolerances.

Contents

1 Equipment and Service Requirements

2 Equipment and Service Specification

3 Installation and Start-up

4 Equipment Qualification for Validated Processes

5 Calibration and Certification

6 Maintenance, Training and Support

7 Factory Service

METTLER TOLEDO (MT) talked to Petitgas Tanguy, a service specialist for METTER TOLEDO France, to share his recipe for success.

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r High-Performance pH Measurementin Liquid Sugar Production

Growing demandLiquid sugars are produced in a number of different formulations for use in the food and beverage, and chemical indus-tries. Premium liquid sugar is a virtually clear sucrose syrup used in the manufac-ture of a wide range of beverages and food products. Standard liquid sugar is a light-yellow sucrose syrup used in the produc-tion of cordials and juices. Liquid sucrose can be used in non-food applications, for example in industrial fermentation pro-cesses as a substrate.

Production of liquid sugar can be achieved by adding distilled water to dry sugar, or by processing cane juice. The production process for liquid sugar from cane juice is simpler to that of dry sugar, and it also pro-duces a product of a more uniform quality.

However, unlike the extremely long lifetime of dry sugar, liquid sugar has a shelf life of only a few weeks. The sugar industry in Brazil has been investing heavily in liquid sugar production to meet increasing mar-ket demand. Our customer, a major sugar refiner in Brazil, manufactures liquid prod-ucts purchased mainly by soft drinks man-ufacturers from local producers to multi-nationals.

Tough conditionsThe refineryʼs liquid sugar production pro-cess follows the same initial steps to that

In developing countries, demand for liquid sugars is growing. For a customer in Brazil, a

pH measurement solution that would tolerate the harsh process conditions was essential.

We provided not just a robust, dependable system, but one that requires very little main-

tenance.

In order to maximize production uptime, our customer was looking for a pH measure-ment system that would endure the process conditions, without requiring a great deal of maintenance.

Cutting-edge solutionWe installed a system based around the InPro 2000 i pH sensor. This probe is ideal for this application as it has been designed to function in extreme environments where quick, accurate pH measurement is required. Gradual outflow of the pressurized liquid electrolyte ensures fast response and long maintenance intervals, while the patented silver-ion trap prevents electrode poisoning from sulfides.

The InPro 2000 i is a member of METTLER TOLEDOʼs Intelligent Sensor Man-agement (ISM) family of sensors. ISM re-duces the maintenance requirement for pH

of dry sugar, namely: juice extraction, fil-tration, sulfitation and liming. pH mea-surement during sulfitation and liming is essential as the pH level in the first stage determines the quantity of sulfur dioxide that must be added to the juice to prevent discoloration of the liquor. The purpose of adding slaked lime is to increase the pH of the acidic sulfated liquor from approx 3 to 7. The high concentration of sugar in the juice and the addition of chemical products make it very difficult to measure pH during these processes, as electrodes can become easily coated in precipitates.

systems by sending diagnostics data to the transmitter, informing the operator of re-quired maintenance before measurement is affected.

Predictive maintenanceThe diagnostics information is displayed on the connected M400 transmitter as the Dy-namic Lifetime Indicator which shows the remaining lifetime of the electrode based on the current process conditions, and Adap-tive Calibration Timer which tells the user when calibration will next be required. For operational flexibility, the multi-parameter M400 also accepts analog sensors.A suitable housing for the InPro 2000 i is the InTrac 776 e. Its retractable design includes a built-in flushing chamber in which the elec-trode can be cleaned and calibrated when re-quired, without process interruption. For ex-ceptional ease of use, an EasyClean 400 system attached to the housing and transmitter takes

care of electrode cleaning and calibration, automatically.

The complete system: electrode, housing, transmitter, automatic cleaning and cali-bration system, and ISM technology provide a state-of-the-art pH measurement system; giving our customer process confidence and reliability, plus outstanding performance.

www.mt.com/InPro2000x-fv

M400 transmitter

InPro 2000 i pH sensor

EasyClean 400

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n Risking Cross-Contamination?Not with Hygienically Designed Equipment

Recent studies by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate that nearly half of recent recalls were attributed to bac-terial contamination (mainly salmonella, listeria and E.coli). In addition, a further 38% of recalls are due to undeclared aller-gens being included in the product. It is clear that hygiene standards in food processing and packing areas can play a major part in this. Well designed and implemented hygiene and washdown routines will inevitably re-duce the risks of bio-contamination. Thor-ough cleaning between production batches

can also avoid any risk of cross-contami-nation, particularly where potential aller-gens may be present.

Setting the standardsThere is no single body responsible for hy-gienic equipment design in the food indus-try. However, the European Hygienic Engi-neering & Design Group (EHEDG), the US FDA, 3-A Standards Inc., the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the National Sanita-tion Foundation International (NSF) are all seen as leading organizations and ex-

Product recalls due to microbiological and cross-contamination issues continue to be a

challenge for fruit and vegetable processors. Ensuring weighing, processing and inspection

equipment is designed with hygienic principles in mind can help reduce the risk of recalls.

ment design which provide a good frame-work for considering the hygienic creden-tials of weighing and inspection equipment.

Making sure equipment is fit for purposeMETTLER TOLEDO provides equipment for use in food processing, weighing and in-

perts in this field promoting Good Man-ufacturing Practice (GMP) and hygienic equipment design.

Applications and environmentsResponsible manufacturers must give con-sideration to the process application and the working environment when designing equipment for use in food processing areas. Sanitary design and features to make clean-ing regimes easier and foolproof are para-mount. Preventing the ingress of water used during washdown is also important. In dry, benign areas equipment may be specified with an IP65 rating. This means it can be washed down with water at low pressure. An IP66 rating may be applicable if higher pressure water is to be used and an IP69K rating may be defined for very harsh en-vironments where water at very high pres-sure is used on a regular basis.

Sanitary design criteriaAn “Equipment Design Task Force” created by the AMI defines 10 principles of equip-

Guide for Sanitary Construction

Safe, sanitary design can help

avoid product recalls and

support compliance with food

safety standards.

For more in-depth

www.mt.com/PI-Sanitary-design-fv

Sani

tary

Des

ign

Guide For Sanitary Construction For Total Brand Protection

Checkweighing

HI-SPEED

Metal Detection & X-ray Inspection

SAFELINE

Vision Inspection

CI-VISION

Metal detectors designed to operate in high-pressure wash-down conditions

spection areas which is hygienically designed and fit-for purpose. Systems of this type will help to avoid the risks associated with bacterial and cross contamination.

www.mt.com/pi-fv

10 principles for hygenic equipment design

1 Cleanability – Design to ensure effective and efficient cleaning.

2 Construction Materials – Utilize suitable materials compatible with the working environment.

3 Accessibility – Make all areas of the equipment readily accessible.

4 No Liquid Collection – Ensure liquids run off the machine rather than pooling.

5 Hermetic Sealing – Open hollow areas (e.g. in frames) should be closed.

6 No Niches – Niches, cracks and ‘dirt traps’ should be avoided.

7 Operational Performance – Ensure sanitary conditions are maintained during operation.

8 Maintenance Enclosures – Enclosure should be sealed by still allow for easy access

9 Hygienic Compatibility – Make sure the design is compatible with the wash-down routine.

10 Cleaning Validation – Document sanitation and cleaning protocols.

List courtesy of the American Meat Institute (AMI)

For more information

www.mt.com/ind-fv

Mettler-Toledo GmbHIndustrial DivisionCH-8606 Nänikon, Switzerland

Local contact: www.mt.com/contacts

MTSI 30304902

Are You Testing Enough?Or Too Much?

Minimize risks and reduce costs• Optimize your routine testing to ensure consistent weighing results.• Save costs by eliminating unnecessary tests. • Assure traceable documentation including testing procedures and frequencies.

Improve Your Scale Testing www.mt.com/gwp-verification-fv

ISO9001 requires that weighing equipment must be calibrated and verified at defined intervals. But how

those tests should be done or how often is not specified. Our GWP® Verification service provides testing

recommendations based on your process requirements.