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NEWS THAT’S A WRAP ON AVOIDING FOOD WASTE
nti-food-waste expert, WRAP, declares that around a third of all food produced is lost or wasted, contributing 8 to 10 percent of overall man-made greenhouse gasses. Food Waste Action Week 2022 (7th – 13th March) aims to halve global food waste by 2030. It is clear from the WRAP 2021 report that food processors are already successfully implementing waste interventions. There has been an astonishing 45 percent increase in UK redistribution in 2020, equating to over 92,000 tonnes worth £280 million.
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Even so, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) strives to reduce food waste by 50 percent in the next decade. If businesses are to meet the new Courtauld Commitment environmental targets for 2030, there is still some work to be done.
Fortress Technology says automation and lean manufacturing can bring a greater sense of transparency and greener thinking to the food chain. Here’s how: 1. Lead with efficient automation – The utilisation of automation tools and ‘smart’ inspection machinery will help to ensure waste, safety and production efficiency remains tightly controlled. 2. Tighten time-saving procedures – Manually carrying out regular checks can drain resources; consider implementing digital testing instead. Guaranteed to save food manufacturers time and money, Halo Digital Testing from Fortress automatically and independently
COMMENT
A report looking at the progress of women in the workplace has found that manufacturing is one of the top industries for women to work in.
The research, carried out by the Reboot Digital PR Agency,
https://www.rebootonline.co m/digital-pr/assets/uk- industries-women-are-thrivi ng-most/ sought to determine the UK industries where women are thriving the most. Researchers evaluated factors such as female representation, women in higher positions, gender pay gap and female bonuses using the latest data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Manufacturing was in the top 10, ranked at number 6. Staying with the theme of women in manufacturing, the Women’s Engineering Society has opened up nominations for the WE50, in its search for the 50 women engineers in the UK who are making the most significant impact. This year’s theme is ‘Inventors and ‘Innovators’. Nominations can be made via
https://www.wes.org.uk/WE50 Michelle Lea - Editor
A BRAVE FACE
‘Pleasanteeism’ – the pressure to put on a brave face – is on the rise across the UK, as 70% of manufacturing & utilities workers surveyed admit to feeling like they have to put on a brave face in front of colleagues, regardless of how they’re really feeling. According to new research, released by Lime Global, the provider of affordable and accessible whole of workforce health and wellbeing solutions, pleasanteeism is up by 26% from May 2021.
With more workers masking how they really feel than ever before, pleasanteeism is impacting on the productivity of UK manufacturing & utilities businesses. The research revealed that 48% of employees have taken time off work due to feeling like they have to put on a brave face.
In fact, on average, workers take 2.64 days off per year as a result of this brave face culture. If left unaddressed, this could become a catastrophic problem for businesses already struggling with staff shortages as a result of the pandemic. Workers also revealed that having to put on a brave face at work impacts their ability to do their job effectively, with 31% admitting that they have been unable to concentrate at work or had an unproductive day. To read the full report visit:
https://www.limeinsurance.co m/report/resilience
4 FEBRUARY 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL
checks for all metal materials - ferrous, non- ferrous and stainless steel. The company’s premium Raptor checkweighing series, is another big labour, time and money saver. 3. Optimise detection – Given that food processors use a wide array of mixers, dicers and slicers - most made from stainless steel - Fortress has intentionally focused its efforts on addressing harmful contaminant risks and reducing by-product. Upstream inspection machines can help to capture contaminants in their largest form, minimise waste and enhance productivity. 4. Stop the surplus production – Overproduction and overfilling dramatically contribute to annual food waste numbers. By capturing sample readings by the millisecond, the high-end Raptor control system provides accurate and consistent weighing results, which helps pinpoint upstream operational deficiencies. 5. Remember waste always has a value – By investing in accurate weighing, dosing and inspection equipment, manufacturers can add back into their bottom line to strategise future production methods and combat rising food costs.
www.fortresstechnology.co.uk HIRE PURCHASE SOLUTION TRIPLES TURNOVER
lant-based snack manufacturer NutreeLife has increased its production capacity with the help of a hire purchase solution from Siemens Financial Services (SFS). NutreeLife produces vegan protein bars, snacks and other healthy vegan products. Following an increase in demand, the manufacturer wanted to invest in a new production line. Patrick Mroczak, MD and CEO at NutreeLife, said: “We were ready to invest in the next stage of business development. We needed new equipment to meet demand but we also wanted to preserve our cash flow to deal with the volatility of the pandemic.” To protect the business’ working capital, SFS suggested a hire purchase arrangement. Under the agreement, NutreeLife could acquire the equipment immediately, with no upfront costs. Instead, SFS tailored the arrangement so that the company could spread the cost over 5 years in regular payments and at the end of the arrangement NutreeLife will own the equipment outright. Under the hire purchase solution, the manufacturer also met the conditions for the UK government’s super-deduction tax initiative, whereby a company investing in qualifying new plant and machinery assets is able to claim 130% of the equipment’s value in year one.
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“As a relatively new business, it’s not always easy to gain access to the right finance at a good price but SFS were incredibly accommodating. They really understood the benefit of the technology for our business and helped us unlock the investment,” added Mroczak.
With the new equipment and technology installed, NutreeLife has been able to triple its production and turnover. “Working with SFS has truly opened up news avenues of business for us. The team is so fast and responsive and clearly dedicated to finding the best solution for our machinery needs,” commented Mroczak.
new.siemens.com
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