< Previous30 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMATERIALS HANDLINGSmooth and quick operationsthat don’t cost the earth, isn’tthat what all manufacturers aresearching for? There’s a wholehost of options out there to helpyou.With such a fast-moving world waitingfor food and drink to arrive on-shelf, itmakes sense that the onus in this sector ison speed, efficiency and driving costs down. Conveying in the food industry hasbecome one element of production that hasbecome more sophisticated than simplymoving product from points A to B.System layouts, accumulation, feedmodulation, product diverting methods,sanitation, operator safety, cross-contamination, sustainability, and productquality control are just a few considerationsto keep in mind when upgrading a conveyoror ordering a new line. Luckily many ofthese issues can be addressed by choosingbetween two basic methods of movingproduct: vibratory or horizontal motionconveying. Feel the vibrationsVibratory conveyors are used acrossmanufacturing. Moving products bybouncing them along which is great forlevelling product piles, moving stickyproducts and conveying product uphill.While bouncing is useful for pieceseparation and inspection, it can be roughon fragile products and separates pre-mixedproduct blends. The constant impact on thepan shakes off seasonings and coatings,causes breakage, and generally reduces thequality of finished products. This is why horizontal is gaining inpopularity, instead of bouncing products;horizontal motion conveyors like those fromHeat and Control slide it along the pan.This is fast becoming the preferred meansof transferring and distributing fragile andcoated snacks, fresh produce, and frozenprepared foods because it providesadvantages such as eliminating productbreakage and stress fractures, no moreshaking off of seasoning and breading andlittle to no accumulation of seasoning, oil,and other coatings in the pan which canmean unplanned downtime for cleaningbeing required.Horizontal conveying also reducesconveying noise, does not segregate productpieces and transmits less vibration, allowingthe use of lighter, less expensive supportplatforms and no ceiling supports, meaningcost savings and less stress all round.Selecting the proper type of horizontalmotion drive will greatly reducemaintenance, energy usage, improve safetyand packaging feed efficiency. Keep on truckingMore and more companies are slowlyrealising the direct connection betweengood ergonomics and good business,especially when it comes to fork lift truckoperations within food and drinkproduction. Atlet recently launchedWe canhandle it30-33:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:52 Page 1Food & Drink International 31www.fdiforum.netMATERIALS HANDLINGOur complete truck range at your serviceYou can call us for further information on 01844 215501 or email sales@atlet.co.ukwww.atlet.co.ukErgologic, a new way to control on-boardhydraulic functions with minimal strain.Jan Callderyd, Product Manager at Atlet,says; “Operators are key for success, and byproviding them with well-designedergonomic tools, operational efficiency caneasily be increased and secured.”Truck operators often spend their entireshifts on vehicles, where they performintensive and repetitive movements withfingers and wrists. With poor ergonomicsthis can lead to fatigue, stress, injury and –in the long run – reduced material handlingefficiency. Atlet’s new product design means thatjoystick control is carried out in a naturalposition and movements of the hand andfingers are more comfortable. It also ensuressupport for relaxed operations, allowingdrivers to handle it in a predeterminedergonomic way, without locking the handinto a static position. To avoid fatigue andincrease efficiency, the driver can vary hisor her hand position and control allhydraulic functions in the most intuitiveway. Up to seven functions can beincorporated in one control and it fitsdrivers, whatever their hand size.PHOTO:SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MARCIN BALCERZAK 32 30-33:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:52 Page 232 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMATERIALS HANDLINGPHOTO:SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ID1974 30-33:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:52 Page 3Food & Drink International 33www.fdiforum.netMATERIALS HANDLINGWhat benefits can a KLIMATEdoor bring to you?Affordable to purchase, operate and maintainReliable and robust for everyday operationsDurable to withstand timeEfficient for conserving energyNationwide technical support serviceTrouble free diagnostic control panelT: 0870 607 5050sales@klimate.co.uk www.klimate.co.ukKlimate High Speed Doors part of BID Group LtdIt is streamlining elementslike this that can make all thedifference when it comes to theeveryday running of warehouseoperations in particular.Disastrous delays? Transport delays can be a realnightmare for those shippingand transporting often time-sensitive materials in the foodand drink industry. Anemphasis on the supply chain isincluded within a new freewhite paper from DSV Freshwhich is being given away atMultimodal, the UK’s largestsupply chain exhibition onperishables. George Mead, DSV NationalHead of Perishables says: “Freshproduce such as fish andvegetables have a limited shelflife, however you choose tomove it needs to be fast,efficient and planned. “Choosing how you transportyour produce is the key tosuccess. Fresh fish remains freshfor a short period of time.Moving it to market requiresspeed, efficiency and planning.It doesn’t matter what freshproduce you deal in, what reallymatters is that you have the bestsolution for keeping it fresh.”It’s the small details that canmean all the difference ingetting said transport on theroad. If there are any delays ormistakes on the factory floorthen there’s a chance that eventraffic won’t be the problemwhen it comes to transportdelays. Joining up thinkingwithin a warehouse, productionfacility or factory can improvethe whole chain. Doors forexample are an essential barriernot only for security andhygiene, but also forconvenience in terms of gettingproducts from one area of afacility to another.Installing high-speedautomatic doors like the kindthe BID Group specialise inmean that your products areprotected as well as suffering nodelays when it comes to shiftingoften heavy and unwieldy loadsfrom one area to another andonto transport with no delays. Making sure that floors arealso not adding to this delay isessential, with more attentionbeing paid to surfaces andcoverings of food and drinkproduction facilities, accidentsare becoming more rare when itcomes to spillages and breakagesas the floors are now morehygienic and easy to clean.Recent installations from thelikes of Resin Surfaces Limitedmean excellent levels ofdurability from heavy impactsand loads as well as an easily-maintained surface. This all addsup to the idea of a true supplychain, one in which all the linksjoin to create a cohesive wholethat simply works.Transporting materials neednot be the hardest thing in theindustry, especially when thereare so many innovations to takeadvantage of at every stage ofproduction.PHOTO:SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/DON PABLO 30-33:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:52 Page 434 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netThe national network of hauliers behindthe successful Palletline business have nowlaunched PLUS Logistics – the UK’s firstmember-owned logistics provider. Theintention is to offer the UK and Europe anew range of contract logistics services,including warehousing and storage, throughthe night, pick and pack and consolidationservices, through to click and collect,through the combined resources of 69member organisations working across 79locations.PLUS Logistics is launching under thebanner of “the power of partnership”,emphasising the numerous benefits it cangain from its individual members to providecustomers with a one-stop solution. Withsome twelve thousand people employedacross the network, PLUS Logisticsautomatically becomes a major player in theThe UK’s national network ofhauliers has launched a newmember-owned logisticsproviderThe power ofpartnershipManaging DirectorKevin Buchanan34-35:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:55 Page 1Food & Drink International 35www.fdiforum.netlogistics sector.Food & Drink International was at thenational launch of PLUS Logistics atPalletline’s Birmingham headquarters, andwe spoke to Managing Director KevinBuchanan about the new venture.Kevin told us, “PLUS Logistics is reallyan evolution of the collaboration that’s beenpart of Palletline for over twenty years. It’sbased on the idea that you needn’t justcollaborate in one area when you’ve got thisextremely strong relationship between agroup of companies. We have informallyworked together on a number of contractswith customers, supporting each other in arange of activities, but what we’ve beenfinding is that changes in the marketplace,most notably globalisation andconsolidation, mean there were fewercompanies where decisions were made on alocal basis.“These companies were now looking for abig brand. They didn’t necessarily recognisefour or five regional hauliers workingtogether. There needed to be a more formal,structured approach for the customers.They’ll now be aware that PLUS Logistics isa collaboration of the UK’s biggest and besthaulage businesses which work togetherreally effectively. It’s about giving customersthe confidence in dealing with one singleentity.”The 69 members who make up PLUSLogistics all bring their own strengths to thecollaboration, with the organisation able tomake use of the huge amount of experienceavailable to offer a bespoke service to suitthe needs of all their customers.Kevin says, “It gives the customer somuch opportunity in terms of the bestsolution for them. We’ve worked withcustomers already who are working withlarge 3PLs who have four or five locations.The cost of servicing the business is muchbigger as they have to service the wholebusiness from one location. Because we’vegot 78 locations, we can be far moreefficient in terms of the last mile. Oursolutions will particularly appeal, I think, tocustomers who have a multi-locationdelivery solutions requirement, but it’sabout working with customers to findcomplete solutions to their supply chainrequirements.”PLUS Logistics, which stands forPalletline United Services, will runalongside Palletline, which will continue todeliver its palletised freight service tocustomers. Kevin says, “In the short term,effectively PLUS Logistics is a tradingdivision of Palletline. There’s a lot of loyaltyto that brand from customers who havecome to trust it so there’s no plans for thatto change.“None of the big 3PLs want to runvehicles, they usually sub-contract it all. Sofrom the customer’s perspective, they willhave an organisation that carries the goodsthat they’re contracted to care for, and thepeople who are doing that will be theowners of the businesses who have apassion for doing the job right. When youlook at what we can do, and the way theindustry is at the moment, it’s a massiveopportunity and we believe we’ve got a realedge thanks to how we’re structured andwhat we’ve achieved over the past 22years.”34-35:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:55 Page 236 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netENERGYAn industryenergisedEnergy is fast becoming a major issue for food and drinkmanufacturers. Conserving, effectively using and reusing this valuableresource is now a top priority.In recent years, a surge of interest inrenewable energy methods integrated intodaily operations has meant companies nowalmost think of these measures as part oftheir oeuvre. What companies are doingnow is looking for those solutions andprocesses that not only have the initialgreen reputation and prestige, but ones thatalso make the best cost savings overall. Costsavings mean there has been rather a largejump recently, as much as 53% according toSmartestEnergy. In total, projects thatinclude biogas, anaerobic digestion, solar PVarrays and wind power being installed byfood and drink manufacturers account foralmost a third of the UK’s on-siteproduction.Iain Robertson, generation sales managerat SmartestEnergy, revealed there were 38large-scale projects listed in the sector in2012 alone. Fourteen of those involved solarpanels - the most popular type of renewablepower - followed by biomass boilers andwind turbines. “For businesses faced with steep rises inenergy costs, investing in their ownrenewable energy projects can generatesignificant savings and help them remaincompetitive,” he adds.Edina Group in Ireland are a greatexample of this, working with multiple foodcompanies to seriously rethink theiroperations. Not only have they installedmethods of producing energy from waste,but ways of reusing those processes furtherto make sure not one iota of energy goes towaste that can’t be saved.Another example of this is Devon-basedcheese maker Quickes Traditional – whichuses electricity 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. The company recently joined thegrowing list of food manufacturers that areturning to renewable energy to drive downenergy costs by getting a 200-panel solar PVsystem installed. “We use electricity continuously,” saysFarm Manager Adam Reeves, “as we carryout every process onsite – from milking ourherd of cows to maturing the finishedcheese for up to 24 months. Bills areparticularly high during the summermonths, when the weather is hotter, butthankfully this is when our solar PV systemwill work to its highest capacity. All of theelectricity it generates will be used to helppower our refrigerators.” An average solar PV system providesaround 50% of the energy it generatesdirectly to the business that owns it, whilethe remaining 50% is exported to thenational grid. However, businesses likeQuickes that have constant energy needswill often use every bit for themselves. Something fishy?It’s not just the latter stages of productionor machinery that can produce energysavings. For example, European aquacultureorganisations including the Scottish SalmonProducers’ Organisation recently joinedwith parties from the agriculture and biogassectors in a new project.Called BiFFiO, the initiative aims tojointly develop technology that will useanimal manure and fish faeces to producerenewable energy and nutrient recovery.The agriculture and aquaculture sectors areunder continuous pressure to improvesustainability and reduce environmentalimpact, says the European Commission’sCommunity Research and DevelopmentInformation Service.BiFFiO, it says, addresses these challengeswith respect to regulatory and societaldemands for dealing with the wasteproduced. Over the next three years, theBiFFiO consortium will develop aneconomical and efficient system for handlingmixed waste from aquaculture andagriculture. The system will comprise ofwaste pre-treatment, biogas reactor, andfertiliser recuperation. One key strategy ofthe consortium will be to take current state-of-the-art technologies that are used in largePHOTO:SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/PHB.CZ (RICHARD SEMIK)Fish waste is being usedto produce energy inbiogas facilities inScotland.36-37:Layout 1 17/4/14 10:57 Page 1Food & Drink International 37www.fdiforum.netENERGYscale waste treatment and utilise them in asmaller, yet scalable, system, which can belocated at, or close to, near-shore and on-shore fish farm operations or agriculturefarms.The project will also makerecommendations as to how the energyproduced could best be used. BiFFiO is acooperation between small and mediumenterprise associations, industrialenterprises and RTD performers.One potato…Wind energy is having a direct impact,particularly in the food production sector.For example, Greenvale, a supplier of freshpotatoes, and renewable energy company,Triodos Renewables Plc, recently completeda deal to build a wind turbine. The project, developed by UK on-sitegeneration specialist Wind Direct, will bebuilt on Greenvale’s Floods Ferry site inCambridgeshire and will have an estimatedtotal capacity of 1.5 MW. Once commissioned, the turbine will becapable of generating up to 60% of theelectricity needed to power Greenvale’spotato packing facility and reduce thecompany’s reliance on fossil fuels. Interestingly, the funding package isprovided by a combination of TriodosRenewables equity and Santander UK debtfinance, something which more companiesare looking into. The term of the debt isseven years post completion ofconstruction. Ellen Rodger and Mary Quick in front ofthe solar PV systemPHOTO: QUICKES TRADITIONALFood production is turning toalternative energy sources inorder to make cost savingsPHOTO: GREENVALE36-37:Layout 1 17/4/14 10:57 Page 2ENERGYThe company’s services include diesel,natural gas, biogas and synthetic gases.Edina offers design, supply, hire and fullturnkey solutions and constructs thecontainer and all related operationalproducts at its manufacturing premises inLisburn, Northern Ireland.Edina Group is the official distributor inthe UK and Ireland of the MWM enginerange, the oldest manufacturer of gas-powered generating equipment, being inthe business since 1881. Edina Group recently announced that theMinister of State, Fergus O’Dowd willofficially open its new headquarters inSwords, County Dublin. The company hasbeen a leading exponent of developingAnaerobic Digestion power plants in theUK and recently Australia, and built thefirst AD projects in Ireland.Mr O’Dowd was recently givenresponsibility for the bio-energy sector atthe Department of Communications,Energy and Natural Resources and theDepartment of Environment, Communityand Local Government. The officialopening will be a showcase for localorganisations, companiesand other interestedparties to learn about ADand to promoteIrishtechnologicalsolutions.MakingGreen IslegreenerAmong EdinaGroup’s manysuccesses a turn-key combined head andpower plant at Green IsleFoods in 2008 is a highlight. The site had an electrical requirement ofover 2500kWe and a thermal load of3000kWt previously met by natural gas-fired boilers. In order to choose the mostappropriate and efficient system, the CHPoutputs were closely matched to the sitedemand, providing energy cost savings.The scheme includes heat recovery fromthe first stage intercooler, lube oil, jacketwater and exhaust gases. An exhaust gassteam boiler is installed to provide steaminto the existing boiler system. Thermalenergy is recovered from the engine, inaddition to which exhaust heat is alsorecovered via an Economiser which coolsthe exhaust gases from 190˚C to 120˚C.The heat energy recovered throughEngine and Economiser provides LowPressure Hot Water is stored in two 60,000litre capacity hot water storage vessels forlater use in process supply and daily wash-downs.The module is controlled with a MWMTotal Electronic Management: The TEM-Evo-Systemmanages thefullyautomaticoperation ofthe gasenginemodule. Thecontrollermonitors allparameters forthe gas enginemodule andall its relatedsite elementsand was alsoprovided byEdina.You say tomatoOne of Edina’s other success stories isKilbush Nurseries, which produces over1,000 tonnes of tomatoes each year. Itsfacilities encompass over two hectares oftomatoes under glass, in commercialgreenhouse units, with integrated packingand transportation facilities.Kilbush has led the way in improving theefficiency of glasshouse heating in Irelandthrough the use of hot water storage tomeet peak heating requirements, and theinstallation of thermal screening toconserve energy. Kilbush decided to install a fully-integrated CHP Unit, recovering the CO2from the exhaust gases to increase cropyield. The CHP being supplied by Edina isthe highly efficient MWM TCG2020V16natural gas fuelled unit, with it beingcoupled to a “state of the art” ECO2-ProCO2 Recovery System developed andsupplied by Steular in Holland, the worldleader in the associated technology.The new CHP system will also meet thethermal requirements for Kilbush Nurserieswhile in addition providing a valuableincome stream from the sale of electricity.This is generated back to the grid to bringthe overall energy efficiency of the Kilbushoperation to over 96% and provide aneconomically and environmentallysustainable solution to the energy needs ofthe nursery for the next 15 years.To find out more, call Edina Groupon +353 (0) 1 882 4800, emailinfo@edina.eu or visitwww.edina.euThe Edina group of companies has specialised inonsite power generation for over 25 years. With morethan 160 qualified staff operating in the UK, Irelandand Australia full, dedicated coverage for all serviceand maintenance requirements is provided. 38 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEffective andefficient solutions38:Layout 1 17/4/14 10:58 Page 1There’s a definite feeling within thesandwiches and snacks industry that thingshave never been better. In terms of people’slifestyles, there’s never been a time whenmore people live such busy, hectic lives andtherefore are in need of convenient foodthat not only tastes good, but is packagedwell and has healthy connotations.Success is so close at hand that firms Deli24 are investing more than ever. In fact, thecompany recently purchased a largercapacityHPP machine to offer a standalone contractprocessing facility to meet the demand fromits customers. HPP is a method of processing food andbeverage products through a high-pressurechamber which can significantly extendproduct shelf-life. The growth in the adoption of thetechnology has resulted in their current 135litre machine reaching almost full capacity.Deli 24 therefore decided to invest inanother HPP machine, this time a largecapacity Hiperbaric 420 litre machine. To ensure these kind of machineswork however requires greatamounts of careand inthe same way as any machine needs,efficient lubrication. Conveyors are becoming more of acommon sight within snack and sandwichproduction facilities as more manufacturersgo even more integrated and hone theirprocesses down to the most effectiveelements. Lubrication specialists Kluberhave recently developed an oil for plasticconveyors in the beverage and dairyindustries helps to make production morereliable and safer.Conveyor lubrication in the food industryis indeed subject to challengingrequirements: to reduce wear and friction,minimise operating costs and, mostimportantly, ensure consumer protectionthrough food safety measures. Jesus Diaz, Market Manager FoodIndustry at Klüber Lubrication says: “Ourexpertise and experience in manyindustries have helped us to developspeciality lubricants which are mosteffective in reducing friction and wear.“A product like Klüberfood NH1 C 4-58strongly contributes to extending thelifetime of the component and also toreducing energy consumption.”Helpfully, this product was alsodeveloped for minimum-quantityapplication. Contrary to many water-basedproducts, which are sprayed all over theconveyor in large amounts, this product isapplied directly. This makes for extremelyeffective minimum-quantity lubricationand reduces costs.“In a customer’s cardboardline, we were able toFood & Drink International 39www.fdiforum.netSANDWICHES & SNACKSConvenience is kingAs the food on the go sector increases in stature, as well as the newer phenomenon of casual diningtaking hold, what are manufacturers striving for?Increased reliance onautomation means snacks andsandwiches are being producedat incredibly high rates to keepup with demand. PHOTO: INTERFOOD40 39-41:Layout 1 17/4/14 11:00 Page 1Next >