INDUSTRY FOCUS FOOD & BEVERAGE Meeting rigorous standards
In order to meet retailer standards - and in particular the stringent M&S code of practice for metal detection equipment - savoury ingredients manufacturer Jardox has invested in Loma Systems’ IQ3 metal detectors and two CW3 checkweighers
J
ardox’s core business is supplying savoury ingredients in bulk to food
manufacturers large and small, from Premier Foods, Greencore and Samworth Group at one end of the scale to Pieminister and Creative Foods at the other. The ingredients, which include curry pastes, concentrated stocks, gravies, marinades, glazes, seasonings and herbs & spices, are made to bespoke recipes and supplied in whatever size and format the customer requires. For these ingredients, rare earth
magnets are Jardox’s first line of defence. After sieving, dry ingredients are passed over the magnets, which will attract any metallic fines that may have entered the production flow from earlier milling or grinding processes. Smaller packs of up to 2.5kg are subsequently passed through Loma IQ3 metal detectors. These detectors guard against metallic contamination from upstream equipment in the rare event of nuts, bolts and washers working loose or equipment getting damaged.
ENTER THE IQ3 With its true variable frequency operation, the IQ3 is well suited for coping with the diverse range of products manufactured by Jardox. The detector can operate at any frequency between 40kHz and 900kHz and has the ability to select the optimum frequency in seconds. “This means the detector will select a lower frequency for pastes and stocks
Left: Loma’s IQ3 metal detectors and CW3 checkweighing systems enables Jardox to adhere to stringent retailer standards - including the M&S code of practice for metal detection equipment
minute. “The checkweighers are accurate to within a point of a gram and are vital for minimising product giveaway. They are connected to our main server, making it very easy to extract and recall production data on a daily basis for reporting programmes,” said David Mabb, operations director at Jardox. The detectors are equipped with divert
reject mechanisms which channel contaminated product into lockable stainless steel bins. One of the features Mabb particularly liked is the bin-full indicator, as he says this provides, “a great level of reassurance that the machine is doing what it was designed to.”
and a higher frequency for dry seasoning blends,” commented Tony Bryant, UK sales manager with Loma. Most recently, following the introduction
of new ingredients including gel stock pots and flavour shots, Loma specified a ‘combination’ unit, consisting of a conveyorised IQ3 metal detector and CW3 checkweigher - 112g trays with four 28g compartments are filled, lidded, gas flushed and coded, then passed through the integrated system at speeds of about 75 trays per minute before being sleeved or put into a glued skillet. A second combination unit was
installed on a line producing seasoning packs destined for butchers. The packs, which vary in size between 2.27g and 1.36kg, are formed, filled and sealed on a vertical bagmaker before being inspected at speeds of approximately 40 per
KEEPING THE MILK FLOWING
Derbyshire-based advanced automation specialist, Knight Warner, has helped to solve a major handling problem for a large dairy at Pennybridge, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. To overcome various challenges, such as ensuring an adequate supply of the right type of milk bottle available at the right time, in the correct orientation and undamaged, Knight Warner, alongside Nampak (a producer of plastic milk bottles), has developed a handling system which delivers high density polyethylene bottles to the milk filling heads at speeds of up to 500 bottles per minute. Colin Powell, technical director at Knight Warner, said, “The key was in the integration of our patented
‘stripping system’ in conjunction with the latest PLC technology and sophisticated safety systems which allowed us to provide a solution which met all the requirements of the dairy, along with the installation of the equipment into the minimum possible footprint.” Jamie Tinsley, of Nampak Plastics, added, “Provision was made in the design to cater for the handling of
Nampak’s lightweight ‘Infini’ bottle which reduces the weight of existing milk bottles by up to 20%. The ability for remote access to the equipment allows continuous plant condition monitoring and produces efficiency performance data. It can also highlight alarm trips and fault codes, and maintenance requirements.”
Knight Warner
www.knight-warner.com T: 01246 472 061 Enter 206
ADDED BENEFITS Another feature Mabb found very useful is the PVS (Performance Validation System), which is built into all Loma machine software, and gives the operator a prompt to test the metal detector at regular intervals. He commented, “A bugbear of mine has always been making sure metal detector checks are carried out with test pieces at regular intervals. Loma’s PVS means we don’t have to rely on operators to remember to carry out the test - a light comes on to indicate that they have a predetermined amount of time to perform the check before the line stops.” Two IQ3 metal detectors and two
combination systems are now up and running at Jardox and the company has recently placed an order for another IQ3 Metal Detector. Mabb added, “The build quality of
Loma’s machines is second to none; they are very easy to clean, robust and reliable. But what I really like about Loma is that they design machines that are bespoke to our exact needs and their readiness to support us when business requirements change is always very responsive.” He concluded, “The M&S code of practice for metal detectors and checkweighers is the gold standard in the food industry. By investing in inspection equipment that is built to that standard, we can be confident that it will satisfy the requirements of any retailer or manufacturer wanting us to supply them.”
Loma Systems
www.loma.com T: 01252 893 300
20 APRIL 2014 | AUTOMATION
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