< Previous20 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT conveyors, and you certainly wouldn’t use the same conveyor needed for raw meat for the transportation of fruit and vegetables now, would you? As with the introduction of any new machine or component, it’s important to minimise disruption and extended periods of downtime. For that reason, ensuring that a new conveyor system can be easily assembled and integrated into an existing production line is paramount. Although newer more efficient machinery and components can result in major cost-savings for manufacturers, they can also save them money. If an employee was coating a company money, that employee would likely be let go. Why, therefore, would a machine that is costing a company, rather than making it money, be allowed to continue as it is in the production line? Regular maintenance and, should the need arise, replacing components or whole machines or systems, can result in significant cost savings. Low operating costs are obviously advantageous as there’s no good installing innovative equipment only for your operating spend to increase. This is a danger that can befall food producers who have invested in new machinery only to find that the operating costs are greater than they were previously used to – or had budgeted for. There are numerous reasons why a manufacturer would want to replace or update their existing machinery and equipment, as we’ve already explored. Among the most important, however, is to meet higher food safety standards and to help protect workers. These are not luxuries and any machinery and equipment offers that cannot meet these are not worth one’s time. Fortunately, there are plenty of expert suppliers out there ready and waiting for your business. © Shutterstock /279photo Studio Manufacture of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives – Non-dairy milk processing with high shear mixers Plant-based milks have become increasingly popular as an everyday drink and as a substitute for dairy. These dairy- free/vegan alternatives to milk are suspensions of plant-based materials and their extracts in water. There are many different milk alternatives that are made from nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. With the increasing popularity of these drinks, Silverson is seeing more enquiries from manufacturers and has produced a new application report which is now available on the Silverson website. The manufacturing processes of these plant-based milks varies according to the raw material. But whether you are using whole nuts, flours, pastes or powders/isolates, particle size must be reduced to ensure the correct mouthfeel in the final product. If particle size is not reduced sufficiently a large quantity of raw material may be filtered out, resulting in high levels of waste. Silverson has already helped a nut-milk manufacturer save an estimated $1.1 million per year by enabling them to change from processing paste to whole nuts. The nuts were around $2 cheaper per kilo than the paste and with the company using approximately 550 tonnes of paste per year, this accumulated to an estimated saving of $1.1 million! Using whole nuts in their process was previously impossible as their mixing equipment struggled to reduce the paste, which had to be put through a wet milling stage first. Using a Silverson Bottom Entry mixer in conjunction with an In-Line mixer, the company was able to achieve zero retention on a 100 μ m screen and minimal oil separation after 24 hours at ambient temperature. To find out more about how Silverson Machines can help with your non-dairy milk application, view the report ‘Manufacture of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives’ on the Silverson website. If you’d like to discuss your application, please contact sales@silverson.co.uk, or for more information, visit www.silverson.co.uk, or call +44(0) 1494 786331. 16-20.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:37 Page 5Food & Drink International 21 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING MATERIALS AND DESIGN © Shutterstock /Pixel-Shot T here is no faster-moving sector in the food and drink industry than packaging. Once-upon-a- time the responsibilities of packing were only twofold; protect the contents and sell the product. Nowadays, things are a lot more complicated. Consumer demands and expectations have led to an increased level of interaction, first with labels and calorie counts, then with ever more specific information on RDA’s and information on where the product was sourced from. On top of that, conscientious consumers are demanding that packaging have as small an environmental impact as possible. All of this must be done without compromising the integral elements of appearance, strength and design. The industry is also facing a fresh raft of counterfeit and bootleg products, and it’s not the consumer’s responsibility to ensure they’re buying the right product, so packaging has to take care of that as well – all while saving cost, making business leaner and maintaining the high quality every customer and distributor expects as standard. No simple task. Packaging is evidence of the food industry attempting to balance itself, be that through more efficient use of materials or machinery, introducing more environmentally-friendly processes into play, or increasing the ambient profile and shelf life of a product with Material, design and application The packaging industry has always been the face of food and drink and that means it faces more demands than many behind-the-scenes parts of the industry, from the materials used to the design and impact on our wildlife. What might be crushing challenges are just another day in the office for packaging. 22 Á 21-25.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:39 Page 122 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net the latest technologies. This has led to major overhauls of the packaging process in many companies – and some find this a challenge. Investment costs for regulation and legislation will always be a difficult factor, especially with varying standards across the EU. These are necessities that cannot be avoided however, and as labelling is one of the fastest-changing sectors when it comes to changes in legislation, it is something that many are forced to quickly adapt to. Digital technology has certainly provided more flexibility for packaging design, especially as legal requirements have required much more information is on packaging that was previously the case. Many companies have introduced QR codes on their products to allow customers to receive promotional material and much else, while it also has value when it comes to traceability. Combined with this, though, the challenge for products more than ever before is to stand out on the shelves – so the importance of a distinctive, high quality package is emphasised. However, this distinctive nature has to go hand in hand with convenience in distribution and display. While creativity is all-important, products that require distributors to obtain new pallets, retailers to invest in new display units and consumers to rearrange their kitchen shelves are unlikely to prove particularly popular at any stage in the supply chain. Design should also be in the spotlight lately due to evidence from the British Brands Group, who cited a report by Which? that identified some 150 food products which marketed themselves by imitating the packaging of better-known brands. Out of the 2,244 people surveyed, 20 per cent admitted to buying a copy by mistake instead of the brand they intended to purchase – highlighting the dangers inherent in a whimsical approach to packaging design. In the study, the key factor which led to the customer’s mistake was seen to be colour, so brands that rely on a distinctive colour scheme could be most at risk. It’s not just challenges from counterfeiters that are causing © Shutterstock /i viewfinder Measom Freer highlight popular Bradgate bottle range Measom Freer’s popular Bradgate bottle range is manufactured and stocked in fully recyclable clear PVC in 10, 30, 50, 100, 150 & 250ml sizes. These distinctive square bottles are available with a wide range of caps to allow your products to shine. Ideal for soap and sanitising products as well as oils, vinegars and health drinks, a wide range of caps and closures are also available to fit your precise dispensing needs. All their products are designed and manufactured in the UK, with options for colours and alternative materials available from their friendly Sales Team. For more information, visit www.measomfreer.co.uk 21-25.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:39 Page 2Food & Drink International 23 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING MATERIALS AND DESIGN The UK’s leading packaging supplier to ƚŚĞĨŽŽĚĂŶĚĚƌŝŶŬŝŶĚƵƐƚƌLJ͕ŽīĞƌŝŶŐ a wide range of packaging products including: ŝƌƐŚŽĐŬďŽƩůĞƉĂĐŬƐ Pallet wrap & systems Thermal packaging Labels an employee-owned business kitepackaging.co.uk packaging of such importance, it may seem overwhelming to dump more on the process, but the process itself must remain efficient. Heightened sustainability and greater design practice are initiatives that can generate sales, but sales are pointless if the manufacturing (or packaging) process isn’t lean. Efficiency is the name of the game, especially when factories can range anywhere from a few thousand products per day to tens or hundreds of. Even the smallest savings of a single penny per product can have drastic knock-on effects, which means an error costing even £0.10 per product can lead to huge losses. Almost every industry in the world has been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic and food and drink is no exception. Lockdown, absences and self-isolation have caused upset across the board, but initial disruption aside, the experience has caused many 24 Á headaches, however. Consumers have for the past few years been demanding more be done in terms of sustainability, and while this hasn’t always been a united or concerted message from them, it’s been growing stronger recently, with initiatives such as planting trees, more attention focused on the impact of packaging on the world’s oceans and ‘influencers’ on social media calling out brands that fail to take steps to prevent damage caused by their business. The food and drink industry generates a lot more packaging than other industries, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Companies in the food and drink sector are having to measure and report on the environmental performance of their packaging. In fact, some companies are even taking a more proactive approach by using packaging assessments at the design phase, which can offer an opportunity to reduce costs in their supply chains while also reinforcing their corporate social responsibility activities and brand image. All this obviously has to come in addition to the packaging remaining secure and robust throughout the supply chain. Many packaging specialists have boosted their research and development departments to emphasise this new approach, and focus is now on packaging that is made from plant, food or otherwise sustainable material. Edible and environmentally-friendly packaging options may be a step in the right direction, but the next logical step is in creating fully biodegradable packaging for which to house and transport products. Using this method would help to create a closed-loop approach to packaging, where wasted and surplus food is used to create bio- packaging, which can then be turned into compost, potentially fertilising new fruit and vegetable products. With the design teams working overdrive and the materials used in 21-25.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:39 Page 324 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net companies to take a look at just how efficient they really are, and how quickly they can adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. Automation has long since been the buzzword for the industry, and packaging has taken that on more than many other sectors in food and drink, but with the human element of the workforce even more in question nowadays, there might be reason to push for further automation. Uncomfortable questions from union and Government groups may have held manufacturers back before, but given that the food supply chain is so important and needs to keep running even in a crisis like this, people may be more willing to accept fully (or as near to fully as is viable) automated process facilities now. The UK food and drink industry is falling far behind other countries when it comes to automation and the adoption of robotics into the food industry. These were the findings of a recent study into robotics within the food and drink industry, which found that even within Europe, the UK is ranked 15th in terms of robotics usage. The bigger problem still is that the changes in robotic investment within the UK are some of the lowest in the bloc, with many food manufacturers not seeking to make changes and instead relying on outdated and expensive labour models that have been exposed and found wanting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, the packaging market is a complicated and fluid creature, prone to change and adaptation at a rate that defies evolution. This is a necessity however, thanks to the ever-changing demands of consumers, which can at times seem whimsical indeed. Some trends such as environmental concerns have remained stable however, and are best adhered to in early stages of packaging design. One thing is for sure, though the market remains strong – there is still plenty of room for innovation. Healthier employees and 65% less cleaning Mixing tea generates a lot of fine dust – just ask Typhoo Tea UK. They spent an inordinate amount on cleanings and still felt that it wasn’t enough to protect their good HACCP record and protect the health of their employees. The solution? Air cleaning systems from Zehnder. Management contacted Zehnder, who installed a custom solution – and the difference was immediate. Danny McGrail, Operations Manager at Typhoo, said: “Zehnder exceeded all our expectations. We would have been happy with a 50% dust reduction, but 81% is out of this world. Typhoo has reduced cleanings from 15 hours a week to just 5, and the workforce is noticeably healthier.” Start with air cleaning by Zehnder for a pristine, HACCP-compliant work environment – it’s better for your employees and your bottom line. For more information, please visit www.zehnder.co.uk 21-25.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:39 Page 4Food & Drink International 25 www.fdiforum.net PACKAGING MATERIALS AND DESIGN © Shutterstock /06photo OPM dives deep into what makes a great wine label Wine is a product that appeals principally to the senses of smell and taste. However it relies on its one purely visual component—the label is a preview to the taste—to attract consumers. As suppliers of printed labels, OPM Group have identified several key components of a great wine label, including three key elements of good wine label design – information, substrate material and decoration. Most Vineyards don’t update the details every year because it’s extra work and requires further government approval. But if you love wine, isn’t it interesting to learn the details that went in to produce the taste? How and who grew the grapes, where the ingredients came from, organic credentials, how to pair the wine with food menus? Imagination is what separates Great labels from average ones. When selecting materials for a wine label, choosing the right facestock leads to a strongly conveyed brand vision, optimum performance in its intended environment and allows for eye-catching customisation options. Decoration comes in a number of forms Screen is effective on clear labels for a raised appearance. Cold and hot foiling offer metallic distinction in a number of colours. Embossing and debossing are affective in offering a more traditional appeal. Adding a spot varnish to a focal point, such as a logo, for an attention-grabbing gloss effect. Susan Ellison, Joint MD of OPM says, “Shelf impact is a major concern for all brand owners – especially within a growing industry like wine. Vineyards have unique stories of how their recipes and processes bring their best product consumers. By using eye-catching labels, branding and graphics, paired with sustainable options you can tell the story and connect with consumers and influence purchase decisions.” For more information please visit www.opmgroup.co.uk 21-25.qxp_Layout 1 27/08/2020 13:39 Page 5© Shutterstock /SeventyFour 26 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net VISION AND INSPECTION T he increasing demand for complete product integrity in the food and drink industry means that the production process must now incorporate all- encompassing and effective inspection to ensure potential contaminants are located and removed swiftly. Product consistency – in terms of size, shape and weight – is also essential. However, the industry must do this while retailers and consumers demand the supply chain moves faster than ever. It is no longer reasonable or viable to expect human inspection to be fit for the task. The solution, as ever, lies with technology. This feature examines the ways in which vision systems, ID readers and sensors are being employed to complete these tasks as quickly and effectively as possible. There is only so much that human inspection can achieve in any production environment. Given that food safety is absolutely essential from both a commercial and an ethical standpoint, it is vital that any potential for error is eliminated. The human eye is a powerful organ, but with the advent of Machine Vision Systems we are entering an entirely new – and potentially flawless – world. For the most part, food and drinks manufacturers use Machine Vision Systems to carry out tasks such as counting large numbers units on the production line, reading product labels to ensure they contain accurate nutritional and allergen information, 29 Á Quality assured Nobody is perfect but we demand such from food manufacturers. But in a world where a single gram out of place or the slightest lapse can spell disaster, how do manufacturers cope? 26-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2020 08:26 Page 1Smart sensing in 3D Built-in apps make 3D sensor easy to use KHOoUCOC\KPIUOCTVVKOGQHƃKIJV&UGPUQTJCUDWKNVKPCRRUHQT r%QORNGVGPGUUKPRCEMCIKPIQTRCNNGVKUKPI r%JGEMKPIXQNWOGUKPOCVGTKCNUJCPFNKPI r.GXGNUQHDWNMOCVGTKCN /CMKPIKVUQGCU[VQUGVWRCP[QPGECPFQKV ;QWoNNDGCOC\GF www.ifm.com/uk/o3d ifm Telephone (020) 8213 1111 years W A R R A N T Y o n i f m R r oF W E t s 26-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2020 08:26 Page 228 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net VISION AND INSPECTION SICK Launches SensorApp for Colour Inspection and Sorting SICK is continuing the roll-out of its customisable SensorApps for ‘easy’ machine vision, with the launch of its Colour Inspection and Sorting App, a cost-saving and simple solution for common inline quality control tasks in food and beverage automated production and packaging applications. The SICK Colour Inspection and Sorting SensorApp is a ready-made, yet flexible, packaged solution based on the ultra-compact SICK picoCam or midiCam 2D streaming cameras. It is the first to be integrated with a choice of SICK Sensor Integration Machines as well as providing LED illumination and a photoelectric sensor to complete the set-up. The Colour and Sorting SensorApp can be used to check that goods, assemblies or packs on a conveyor are the right size or colour. It can count objects with different sizes and colours as well as validate the correct colour or colour gradations e.g. of baked goods. Objects with anomalies, such as the wrong colour or size, can be identified for rejection and the integrity and completeness of secondary packaging can be confirmed. For more information, visit www.sick.co.uk 26-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2020 08:26 Page 3Food & Drink International 29 www.fdiforum.net VISION AND INSPECTION availability of these systems means that companies can ensure maximum productivity whilst being sure of the quality of their products; swift production can now take place without cutting corners. We are now looking at a situation where the machinery can inspect over 3,000 small products per minute. If you’ve ever wondered how food manufacturers make the products you see on supermarket shelves so consistent in size, shape, colour, and weight, and why there are now relatively few cases of food poisoning caused by pre-packaged, mass- produced products, Machine Vision Systems provide the answer. Supermarket retailers demand absolute consistency of portion size, and laser technology is by far the most accurate way to achieve this. And there’s more: this technology can also be used to ensure that the best, most visually appealing examples of a particular product appear at the top of a multipack or crate. Some vision systems can even be used to aid the assembly of multi-part products such as portion control, and testing for faults in the packaging of a product which could result in contamination or degradation. These systems are also employed during the initial stages of the manufacturing process to measure individual ingredients, so detailed information is available at every step of the supply chain thanks to their integration with ever-more sophisticated hardware. One-hundred per cent quality control is the bottom line, and virtually every process from harvesting to sorting to packaging is now using these technologies, significantly cutting down costs while reducing the risk of contamination at every stage. The options in this area are certainly becoming more advanced, however – meaning contamination and mistakes can be spotted almost immediately without the requirement of lengthy downtime or the need to destroy a large number of products. Of course, product recalls are also something to be avoided, especially since they can fatally damage relations with both customer and consumers. It is of course welcome news for those using machine vision technologies, that they are becoming much more cost effective: multispectral cameras – a relatively inexpensive technology that is already used frequently in other industries – are used to inspect large quantities of perishable harvested products such as fresh vegetables, which they sort according to colour systems, while laser triangulation systems are employed to ensure that the volume of each unit is consistent. The data is then processed using the integrated hardware and any undesirable products are rejected. The increasing 30 Á © Shutterstock /Jan Faukner sales@dimaco.co.uk 01234 851515 A Jenton Group Company Everything has changed. Combination label verification, check weighing, x-ray & metal detection NOW VERIFIES DATA EMBEDDED BARCODES (DEB)! 26-31.qxp_Layout 1 28/08/2020 08:26 Page 4Next >