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FEATURE FOOD & BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING


AUTOMATE TO MINIMISE costly food product recalls


The amount of food product recalls rose significantly during 2015. Effective and integrated plant automation can play a lead role in minimising these, explains Robert Brooks of Omron


T


he number of food industry recalls increased in 2015 from 89 to 159, a


rise of nearly 80% on the previous year. Those businesses understand the huge repercussions, financial and reputational that such recalls set in motion. The reasons behind these recalls were varied. Just under 60% were based on unlisted ingredients (including allergens) but criteria such as contamination with bacteria, metal or other materials featured prominently. What is fuelling this increase? Ever-widening product ranges mean that manufacturers are producing shorter runs of more variants, each with their own labelling. Recipes for established products are changing as NPD departments reformulate. New packaging grades and materials may be substituted for cost or environmental reasons. At the same time, audits from within the sector have increased both the pressure and necessity for factory traceability internally and externally. As well as adhering to existing regulations such as the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) regulation in 2011, the sector is continually discussing new and improved regulations. Manufacturers are aware of the plethora


of existing and debated regulations plus the advice given on handling a crisis should it occur. Our hope is that producers take a look at how existing technology can assist to meet targets to reduce recalls. It would be easy for them to claim that with too many factors triggering recalls it would be impossible to address them all. There is no single ‘silver bullet’ to


eliminate all threats on an enterprise-wide scale but there are production level checks which can be integrated into control and information systems to dramatically and reliably reduce the risk of recalls. If we take a common type of production line including primary packaging (robotic pick- and-place and tray sealing), secondary packaging (top-load cartoning) and tertiary packaging (case-packing and palletising) there are several points at which faults can occur. These can in turn result in an out-of-


specification product and the threat of a recall. For example, the servo-driven tool lift on the tray sealer could be losing position over time or seal quality


22 FEBRUARY 2017 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT


compromised by imprecise temperature control or a change in packaging substrate. During the pick-and-place a mistake in the hygiene routine could introduce foreign bodies into the packing area or items may be missed out of a multi-component pack. At the coding and checkweighing stages the scales may be set up for the wrong pack size. Code quality may be poor. Even when the overprinting is correct the wrong product label may have been loaded into the labeller. Similarly, with cartoning and case-packing the wrong packaging may have been loaded on to the machines and there may be errors in the variable coding. Even at the final, palletising stage item codes might not be read and a different product palletised and dispatched. Despite originating in the same few metres of the production line many of these potential problems may appear to be unrelated.


SINGLE CONTROL SYSTEM However, all of these functions can be managed and monitored from a single control system. Vision systems for verifying packaging, product and codes, temperature control, sensors and robot controls can all sit on a single machine control platform with direct two-way connectivity with factory or enterprise- level databases. Vision systems may not be a part of the quality control armoury of every food manufacturer or only one of several technologies used. In the past equipment pricing may have prompted potential beneficiaries to treat vision with caution but that perception is changing and not only among end users. OEMS are Increasingly integrating the technology


Database connectivity allows for the monitoring of collected data in order to spot adverse trends and trigger predictive or preventative maintenance


into their packaging machinery. It can offer high-speed checking of codes, graphics (reconciling each with the product on the line), pack components, label presence, print legibility, shape, colour and optical character recognition (OCR). The multiple checks that vision can carry out even at the highest line speeds are making them an increasingly valued quality control tool. Database connectivity means that


quality inspection and production data can be gathered and traceability and regulatory compliance ensured. It allows for the monitoring of collected data in order to spot adverse trends and trigger predictive or preventative maintenance. Sensitivity to temperature trends in areas such as primary pack sealing is important for safeguarding seal quality and product life. Growing numbers of food packs rely on a combination of heat and pressure for a tight seal and to ensure freshness. The individual machine controller can offer this level of connectivity while bringing under one umbrella logic, motion, vision, safety, temperature control and robotics. Automation as discussed here has been adopted by other industry sectors, sometimes driven by strict regulation. There is no reason why the food industry cannot do the same for reasons of efficiency and flexibility but increasingly to minimise the risk of product recalls. Of course, the traceability function within automation means that if a product is recalled, it will be much easier to identify which one is affected and its location.


Omron Electronics T: 01908 258253 www.industrial.omron.co.uk


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