NEWS


osca, a global leader in reusable packaging solutions and pooling, has launched an automated, cutting- edge washing centre in Dublin. Automation is the way of the future and crucial to achieving a smooth supply chain, minimising the challenges of hiring and maintaining the manual workforce in a very competitive market. Tosca’s innovative washing facility can process 5,000 reusable plastic containers (RPCs) per hour, more than twice as many as the standard line can process. The state- of-art equipment allows for operations to be handled with hardly any human interference. With less than four people, the dirty foldable RPCs are loaded and stacked on


Tosca opens an automated washing centre in Dublin, doubling wash capacity per hour T


a pallet on one end of the line; and unloaded fully clean, stacked, and ready to use on the other end without human manual labour. The food-safety benefits of reducing human touches on the wash line include reduced opportunities to introduce cross contamination and less sanitary risks. Adrian Dale, Managing Director at Tosca in the UK and Ireland, declares: “Our new washing centre in Ireland reflects our dedication to solving some of the most critical matters that the food supply chain faces. We are pioneering a fully automated centre to fulfil the needs of our partners in a sustainable manner.”


The brand new 86,000 square foot facility was built with


sustainability in mind. The smart warehouse includes solar panels, LED lighting, and sensors to save energy. It features a centrifugal dryer, and the machinery conserves water by recycling it throughout the washing process. When RPCs come out of the rinse process to go through a closing device, they have less than one gram of water on them. Mike Wasson, Chief Operations Officer at Tosca, comments: “The opening of this advanced washing centre in Ireland ensures our place on the leading edge of the industry and is future-proofing us to continue providing our partners the high-level service that they need to ensure their supply chain has available, clean RPCs.”


New Research from Levercliff Highlights Cost Is Dictating Consumer’s Shopping


Habits, Not Sustainability A


head of World Earth Day (Friday 22 April), new research from Levercliff – experts in FMCG consumer data – has found that despite environmental concerns being widely acknowledged by shoppers, it is in fact the rising cost of living impacting decisions made at the supermarket till. For 71% of consumers, value for money is the influential factor impacting product or brand choice, and rising prices are a top concern for 41% of people, in comparison to climate change being a top concern for just 8%.


As a result of increased interest rates, tax, energy costs, and rising food and drink prices, the cost-of-living crisis is having a discernible impact. Levercliff’s research – which polled over 1,000 people in October 2021 and then again in March 2022 – found that when shopping for food and drink, for 36% of consumers choices are mainly driven by needing to stick to a budget, looking for the best value and offers. An increase from 24% in October 2021. This is compared to only 6% of people who stated their choices are principally driven by whether products have been produced responsibly. And it’s a worry effecting all age groups, regardless of socio- economic status[1].


However, it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to sustainability. Almost 50% of consumers chose sustainable packaging in food and drink as a top priority, with key focuses on making all packaging recyclable (17%), reducing unnecessary packaging (16%), and eliminating plastic packaging altogether (15%). And with 48% of people judging whether a produce was produced responsibly by how sustainable the packaging is, when looking to create new products or update existing lines, this research clearly showcases manufacturers should make packaging a clear consideration to help gain a competitive advantage in a busy market.


What’s more, reducing food waste to limit environmental impact is high on the agenda. 45% of respondents are also buying only what they need to cut down on leftover food, and 39% eat more leftovers to have the same effect. The move towards plastic-free continues to be a key trend, with 39% of people also buying loose fruit and vegetables where they can. “Brands can’t underestimate the impact of the current economic climate on consumers.”


Comments Fintan O’Leary, Managing Director of Levercliff. “Over the relatively short period from October 2021 to March 2022, our data clearly shows shoppers are increasingly feeling pressure to make their money go further, and this is being reflected in buying habits across food and drink, with less of a focus on sustainability, and an increased focus on cost.”


“Taking inspiration from this year’s World Earth Day theme of ‘invest in our plant’, we see a real gap in the market for solutions which both look after our planet and support consumers in their wallets. Further investment in sustainable packaging, or products with minimal packaging, is essential, and products being seen to deliver value for money will succeed across the board.”


Ultimo empowers plant operators to protect uptime with autonomous


maintenance E


nterprise Asset Management (EAM) software provider Ultimo has added an autonomous maintenance feature to its platform to allow plant operators to carry out and track simple maintenance tasks using the same software as the maintenance team. Operators can manage recurring tasks, such as lubrication and inspection, independently and log them in Ultimo. This helps optimise uptime, as most issues can be avoided by ensuring that machines are clean and well lubricated. If minor problems occur, the operators don’t need to wait for the maintenance team to action them. It also bridges the communication gap between the departments, ensuring that every maintenance task is managed in the same software to increase asset availability, improve efficiency, and enhance safety.


“Operators have a lot of knowledge about the equipment they work with, but organisations don’t leverage that resource,” says Chris van den Belt, Team Leader Product Management, Ultimo. “The operator standing next to the machine might be able to recognise a fault at an early stage and could often identify and fix many issues in a matter of minutes. Having to wait for the maintenance team to arrive to solve minor faults is frustrating for them and inefficient for the business. Maintenance technicians, on the other hand, are frustrated by the fact that most failures are caused by improper operation, dirt and poorly lubricated parts.”


By empowering the operators to look after first-line maintenance tasks, Ultimo helps organisations move away from the siloed approach where one team uses a machine, and another maintains and repairs it towards a culture of shared responsibility and ownership. The operators don’t need to waste time waiting for minor tasks to be actioned, and the maintenance team can spend time on more value- adding activities. Maintenance costs are also reduced when minor tasks are carried out by operators with lower hourly rates than maintenance technicians.


The autonomous maintenance feature - which is fully integrated in the Ultimo Shift Handover module – is designed as a simple, easy- to-use checklist functionality. It allows operators to log their repairs quickly, include pictures, and escalate jobs to the maintenance team, improving collaboration between the departments. A recent survey of asset managers (EAM Trend Report 2021) identified poor communication between teams as the second most significant threat to uptime, only preceded by the risk posed by ageing assets. Autonomous maintenance helps address this issue, ensuring that vital information on asset health and safety is shared between the teams for the benefit of the entire business.


FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | APRIL 2022 5


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