< Previous10 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.neton lineNo need for programming throughpropriety robot languages any longer CSi is introducing the third robot brand on itspalletising platform ‘i-Pal’. It is now also possible toorder the i-Pal with a Yaskawa robot. The cooperation is very logical: Yaskawa is one ofthe world’s largest producers of robots and CSi is oneof the largest global producers of palletising solutions. The Yaskawa DX200 controller is programmedusing the same Add-On-Instructions as used in theRockwell Automation programming environment.Operators and maintenance technicians that arealready familiar with the Allen-Bradley PLC can noweasily program the work-cell and robot with minimal retraining. This makes integrating therobot systems into an Allen-Bradley standardised production line much easier.In many situations the high speed of the Yaskawa robot enables greater throughputcompared to competitive brands. The CSi i-Pal can be delivered with two different Yaskawarobot models: the MPL80 II and the MPL100 II. These models differ in reach, payload, range ofmotion and speed. Ishida X-ray helpsmeet dried fruitquality standardsAn Ishida X-ray inspection system is helpinga leading Turkish dried fruit supplier meet thestringent quality standards of UK and WesternEuropean retailers.Farmeks produces a range of dried fruitswhich are packed in bulk. Nearly half of thecompany’s products are exported to the UKwith the remainder going to other WesternEuropean countries and the USA.One of the major quality challenges fordried fruit packers are the contaminants thatcan get into the fruit during the two weeksun-drying process. With the majority ofproducts exported to Europe, quality controlbecame the main priority for Farmeks, as thefruits had not only to be free of contaminationbut also intact and consistent in size andcolour. As part of this process, the Ishida IX-GA-4075 is able to detect glass down to 1.5mm insize, stones down to 1mm, metal spheres to0.6mm and metal wire to 0.3mm. It has surpassed Farmeks’ expectations, thecompany said.Cimcorp secures order with Carlsberg GroupCimcorp, the logistics automation supplier,is celebrating an order from Sinebrychoff – aCarlsberg subsidiary – for a robotic dollypicking system at its facility in Kerava,Finland. Due to be operational at the beginning of2018, the Cimcorp solution will take care ofmaterial flow from the high-bay warehouse tothe loading docks and order fulfilment forbeverages supplied to customers. Cimcorp’s solution will replace Sinebrychoff’s order picking of dolly loads, which until nowhas been a manual process and accounts for some 30% of the company’s deliveries.Automating this process represents a significant cost saving, as well as providing theopportunity to eliminate picking errors and thereby enhance customer satisfaction. From its base in Kerava, Sinebrychoff distributes beers, ciders, soft drinks, energy drinks andbottled water directly to retailers across Finland.Kai Tuomisaari, Sales Director at Cimcorp, said: “The Cimcorp solution will ensure 100%picking accuracy and 100% product traceability, as well as providing flexibility for futurechanges.”Key Technology introduces newenhancements to vibratory conveyors Key Technology hasintroduced new features thatenhance their vibratoryconveyors – Iso-Flo, Impulse,Horizon and Marathon – forfood processing and packaginglines. Together with establishedfeatures that promote foodsafety and equipment durability,the innovative new grounding arm, label stand-offs, sanitary drives andVector-Lock Gen 2 ease use, reduce maintenance and maximizesanitation.“As the world’s leading provider of vibratory conveyors, we work veryclosely with our customers to constantly look at the challenges they faceand create new solutions. This strategy fuels continuous improvementand reflects our commitment to maintain our leadership position,” saidJim Ruff, General Manager of the Integrated Solutions Group at Key.All of Key’s vibratory conveyors are inherently sanitary, presenting astainless steel bed surface that is easy to clean. They are backed byKey’s five-year warranty, which ensures equipment reliability and limitsthe processor’s total cost of ownership.Tesco suppliers unite to tacklefood wasteIn a groundbreakingmove, Tesco haspartnered withsuppliers who willadopt the UNSustainability Goal tohalve food waste by2030.The suppliers –representing over £17billion worth of Tesco sales – will publish food waste data for theirown operations within 12 months and have committed to take thesteps needed to reduce food waste in their supply chain.Moreover, suppliers – including Yeo Valley; Greencore; IcelandicSeachill; Kerry Foods; Bakkavor; Müller Milk & Ingredients and more –will make it easier for consumers to reduce waste in their own homes.In addition, Tesco announced its businesses in the Republic ofIreland, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary havepublished their food waste data, following four years of publication inthe UK.This follows the launch of Tesco’s food waste hotline earlier thisyear.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/TONY BAGGETT 04-11_Layout 1 25/09/2017 14:29 Page 7Emblème Maximizes product quality andyield with VERYX sorterEmblème Canneberge was established bythree families of experienced growers last yearto add value to the supply chain by offeringfrozen cranberries of superior quality. Tomaximize quality while maintaining the highestprocess yield, they needed the best digitalsorter for their application. They selected theVERYX sorter from Key Technology. Key tailors every VERYX system around theproduct characteristics and productionobjectives of each processor to detect andremove more foreign material.To sort their frozen cranberries at the high throughput they needed, Emblème selected thechute-fed VERYX C140, which features a 1400 mm-wide inspection area that sorts up to 13.6metric tons of frozen berries per hour. Key equipped Emblème’s sorter with front- and rear-mounted laser scanners that operate within the visible light and near-infrared wavelengths.VERYX performs object-based sorting, recognising both the colours of objects and their structural properties and selecting optimal ejectionstrategies for each item in the product stream.Food & Drink International 11www.fdiforum.neton lineMulti-format wrapping line handles twodifferent snacksAn automatic high-speed flow-wrappingline able to handle two different but highlyfragile products has been designed and builtby Italian manufacturer PFM for one of thecountry’s leading organic snacks producers.Based on a single PFM Falcon four-axisservo-controlled flow-wrapper, the compactline uses an automatic feeding system anddynamic sorter to switch between runs ofthe two cereal based snacks – rice bars filled with cocoa and hazelnuts, and flat corn crackers.The bars are wrapped side-by-side in twin packs at speeds up to 200 packs a minute, whilethe corn crackers are handled penny stacked in three, four, or five sheets at speeds of 150, 112and 90 packs a minute respectively.Product collation and feeding is carried out via a dynamic sorter with a combined race-trackconveyor and upper pusher circuit, which is automatically adjustable to the pre-setconfiguration for each product. A multi-belt conveyor accelerates each collation into thewrapper with the correct spacing.Global companies commit tosimplified food date labellingThe Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has approved a Call to Actionto standardise food date labels worldwide by 2020.The Call to Action says retailers and food producers should takethree important steps to simplify date labels and reduce food wasteby 2020 – only one label at a time; choice of two labels – oneexpiration date for perishable items and one food quality indicatorfor non-perishable items, and consumer education to betterunderstand what date labels mean.The CGF Board of Directors unanimously adopted the Call toAction to simplify date labels, includingcompanies like Tesco, Kellogg, Walmart,Nestlé and Unilever.The announcement expandsnational efforts to streamline datelabels in the United States, UnitedKingdom and Japan to the rest ofthe world.In addition, the Call to Actionrecommends companies partnerwith non-profit organisations andgovernment agencies to educateconsumers about how to interpretdate labels.Fastest-ever snacks bagmaker offersuser and sustainability benefits Ishida has launched a snacksbagmaker which, the company says, isthe world’s fastest VFFS bagmakerwhile delivering the highest levels ofproductivity performance, systemefficiency and pack quality.It is available in both intermittent androtary motion versions, with topproduction speeds of 120 bags perminute for the intermittent version andover 200 bags per minute for the rotaryversion. At the same time it is able todeliver an Overall EquipmentEffectiveness in excess of 99%.Features include automated centring and tension adjustment of thefilm, auto-splice film management and new automated air-fill technologywhich optimises pack thickness for downstream automated case packing. By shortening the path of the film from printer to sealing jaw, the newdesign also helps to further reduce film waste.The new models offer a wider choice of bag sizes with the minimumwidth reduced to 50mm, along with a wider choice of film reel weights,up to 50kg.Sainsbury’s CEO Mike CoupeSupply chains to sufferas Brexit bites, warnsSainsbury’s CEOSainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe has cautionedthat strict customs controls ushered in afterBrexit could leave food rotting at the Britishborder.Mr Coupe said that any disruptions to EUsupply chains would be calamitous for both theUK’s retail sector and consumers.He said: “The UK sources roughly a third ofits food from the European Union and food isby far and away the UK’s largest export.“If you take our fresh produce supply chains,for example, we put things on a lorry in Spainand it will arrive in a distribution centresomewhere in England, and it won’t have gonethrough any border checks.“Anything that encumbers that has twoeffects: it adds cost, and it also has a detrimentaleffect on freshness – if you’re shipping freshproduce from a long distance, even a few hoursof delay can make a material impact.”PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/FREEDOM_STUDIO04-11_Layout 1 25/09/2017 14:29 Page 812 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORT© shutterstock/LU JINRONGForgingnew linksThe food imports condition of the UKis tenuous at best, with Brexitnegotiations still on edge. Manycompanies are now looking foropportunities further afield, but whichmarkets are ripe for expansion?12-15_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:52 Page 1Food & Drink International 13www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTDespite the negativity around Brexit, andmake no mistake, for the food and drink importsand exports industry it is a negative factor, thereare still success stories of UK companiesexporting abroad. Many are now looking for newmarkets as well, ones which will not be effectedwhatever the Brexit deal finally becomes. The US has always been – and remains – astrong market for UK food. As one of our largestexport partners, our relationship with the US hasalways been important. Theresa May’sGovernment seems keen to maintain that, whichmakes sense given how unlikely it will be tomaintain a good relationship within the EU.While there are media scares of chlorinatedchicken, and this may pose problems forspecific sectors, on the whole UKmanufacturers can look forward tolucrative opportunities on the other sideof the Atlantic. British organic food inparticular is a potentially profitableavenue, with a rapidly rising £28 billion a yeardemand for organic food in the US.That said, many in the farming and agriculturalsectors are hoping a deal will be made soonwith the US, as while the Government isdiscussing a trade deal, there is potential forexports to be delayed if a deal is completedquickly. Considering US President DonaldTrump’s designs on an America First policy,some also worry that any deal made will favourone side more than the other. British beer is also in demand, and bringsin £600 million to the UK economy. In2016 alone, over 500 breweries openedup in the UK to meet the growingdemand – and this does not seem tohave lessened, with recordshipments to over 121 countries,including countries famous for13 Á12-15_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:52 Page 214 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTtheir brewing such as Australia andGermany. The Government is holdingmany initiatives to link UK brewerieswith importers in other countries, andthis may yield yet more interest in theBritish pint.Long has China been seen asexporting more than it imports, andwhile this may be true, in the food anddrink sector the huge population ofChina eats much British food. Thecountry has experienced a boom in itsmiddle class, which has boostedexports of premium British food such asbeers, spirits and fine alcohol – but alsomeat like UK pork and beef. In fact, anew £200 million export deal betweenChina and the UK was announced inAugust, and saw exports from twomajor slaughter facilities in NorthernIreland approved. In addition, exportsfrom several independent cold storesacross the UK were also approved,providing much more opportunity totrade with one of the largest markets inthe world. Trade with China does often hinge onthe political atmosphere andrelationship between the two countriesand Governments, but these have neverbeen warmer than they are today, withmany high-profile deals being made.Alongside that, China’s Silk Roadinitiative has already shown anincreased willingness to engage in tradeon a global scale, and the UK is in agood position to reap the rewards.There is good news from anotherAsian partner too, as British beef maysoon find its way past a ban and backonto Japanese plates as early as nextyear. Japanese Government officialsrecently carried out an inspection of UKbeef production controls in mid-July2017. This was as a result of the BSEoutbreak over twenty years ago, whichhalted sales to Japan in 1986. While nodecision has been made yet, the UKGovernment is confident that the resultsfound will alley concerns, and see theimport ban lifted – providing yet anotherlucrative market for the industry. According to records, before the banwas imposed, the UK industry exported30 tonnes of beef to Japan. This is evenbefore a shift in Japanese diet, whichhas seen meat a more regular menu© shutterstock/tonton12-15_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:52 Page 3Food & Drink International 15www.fdiforum.netIMPORT AND EXPORTchoice. Research now suggests that, onaverage, the Japanese person eatsabout 10kg of beef per person per year.Experts indicate that particularly famousbrands from the UK will benefit themost, such as Aberdeen Angus or theHereford. Trade between the UK and the EU hasalso remained relatively strong, thoughthere is no telling how that will continueas Brexit negotiations carry on. What isfor certain is that while the LeaveCampaign’s promise of forging newtrade deals was not a lie, the deadlinefor many of those are approaching, andnow is the time to show results on thatpromise. With the US, China, Japan andfurther afield, the UK needs to make asmany deals as it can.St Austell Brewery crowned ‘West ofEngland Business of the Year’St Austell Brewery hasbeen crowned 2017 ‘West ofEngland Business of Year’for businesses with turnovermore than £30 million. The prestigious award –sponsored by PwC – judgescompanies not only onprofitability and businessmanagement but also ontheir commitment to thecommunities they work in,the environment and theirworkforces, with winnerspicked for under £30 millionturnover and over £30million categories.Collecting the award onthe night at Aerospace Bristol, St Austell Brewery CEO James Staughton said: “It is a veryreal honour for all of us at the company to see our efforts recognised and rewardedamongst such great competition.”Awarding St Austell Brewery with the over £30 million accolade, the independentjudges hailed the company’s sustainable growth, the bold acquisition of Bath Ales,product diversifications, and continued investment back into the business, including newbrewing technologies.For more information, visit www.staustellbrewery.co.uk.12-15_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:52 Page 416 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCOLD STORAGEThe refrigeration and cold storageindustry continues to be one of themost important facets in the food anddrink supply chain, with the cold chainaccounting for roughly 9% of the £187billion of sales in the UK food and drinkindustry. With transportation ofperishable goods that require strictlevels of temperature control, it perhapscomes as no surprise that therecontinues to be innovation in theindustry. When it comes to distributioncentres, which play a key role in thesupply chain towards the retail market,the costs of temperature controlsystems can quickly scale out ofcontrol. Therefore it’s important at alltimes to focus on methods of efficientlymaintaining temperature levels, with aslittle ambient loss of temperature aspossible. At the end of the day, it’s farmore expensive to keep air cool, then itis to warm it up. Doors and loading bays create anThe working systemswithin a cold storefacility can be just asintegral to efficiency asthe cold store itself. Coolsystems16-19_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:54 Page 1Food & Drink International 17www.fdiforum.netCOLD STORAGEimmediate but necessary breach in awarehouse’s defences, allowing thecooler air inside to escape viaconvection currents. What’s more, thisis an inescapable consequence, as theultimate goal of these facilities is tostore and ship out goods as quickly aspossible to their final destination. Assuch while it might be result in energysavings to install a number of doorsbetween the cold storage facility, andthe loading bays. This only slows downthe productivity of the workers within,and how soon they can have the stockshipped out. Ultimately it becomes a difficultbalance between energy savings, andthroughput. Wherein the final focusmust always be on the efficiency of adistribution centre at its central goal –the storage and distribution of goods.Energy savings must come second tothis, though should still be pursued atevery opportunity. Air curtains provide a potentialsolution to this problem, or at the veryleast minimise the loss of heat atloading bays. A cold store air curtainworks by creating a curtain of air thatcuts through currents, creating a barrierbetween the external ambient air, andthe chilled temperature within a coldstore. The greatest benefit of thesesystems is not just the ability for the aircurtain to minimise energy loss throughtemperature contamination, but also toallow continual access for any workers.There is no door to be opened orclosed, and the curtain is safe forworkers to travel through as theydeliver and remove palletised goods.Not only does this improve generalefficiency within the cold store, but italso enables rooms to be kept atvarying temperatures – important when18 Á© shutterstock/Kokliang16-19_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:54 Page 218 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netCOLD STORAGEa facility might have to cater for a widerange of food goods that requiredifferent refrigerated temperaturelevels. Of course there is more to efficientlyrunning a temperature controlledstorage facility than plugging up theentrances. Managing stock within thedistribution centre can becomeincreasingly more complex, as thetemperatures are kept lower. Forinstance, machinery and systems thatrely on battery power can come underrisk, as continued exposure to the coldhas a negative impact on batteries –typically resulting in 50% degradationto batter life. This can become a largerconcern with the recent move towardselectric lift trucks and fork-lifts, whichcan see vehicles running out of juice atinopportune moments. When it comesto workers within these facilities as well,there are a host of new concerns andproblems to be aware of, many ofwhich will require some remedialtraining for companies movingemployees to cold store facilities. In theabove example of electric vehicles, staffneed to be made aware that a vehiclewhich is marked down as having aneight hour battery life, might struggleto manage more than four or five.Changing the labelling on thesevehicles can go a long way topreventing problems, alternativelyinvesting in batteries with largervoltages can help minimise theproblems. There are also concerns to be takeninto account when dealing with healthand safety. While provision oftemperature regulating clothing is fairlyobvious, taking steps to makeemployees aware of ice build-up atdoors can be less obvious. This can beof particular concern because the ice isoften unnoticeable until the door isopened, and many employees will havetheir vision obstructed by materialshandling equipment that they might beoperating. Thankfully many companies providingproducts to the sector have continuedto specialise their products further sothat they can operate in temperatureextremes. Temperature control devicesand panels have almost universallybegun to feature larger buttons, takinginto account that operators will likelybe wearing thick gloves that impedethe use of traditional buttons or tools. Automation systems have also beentailor-made to operate within lowertemperature ranges, with insulatedcables, seals and even lubricants,specifically designed for freezerenvironments. This leads to largersavings considering that goods mightbefore have needed to be removedfrom a frozen environment to bepalletised, before being placed backwithin. Ultimately the goal is to movetowards higher levels of automationwherever possible. While robots and© shutterstock/Baloncic16-19_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:54 Page 3Food & Drink International 19www.fdiforum.netCOLD STORAGEISD Solutions builds Australia’s first coldstore construction project ISD Solutions, the UK specialist subcontractor in the design and construction of compositepanel, single envelope coldstore warehouses, is building an A$12 million super-efficient freezerstorage and distribution facility near Melbourne for NewCold. The first Australian cold store construction project, it involves the design and construction ofthe external single envelope for a 35 metre tall high-bay freezer operating at -25 degrees C anda detached 15 metre tall low-bay section. Bram Hage of NewCold said: “We’ve found the ISD team to be great partners, bringing withthem a successful track record of delivering complex projects to plan.” Significantly improved thermal performance compared to conventional construction andpolystyrene-based insulation is key. High-bay single envelope solutions are faster to build with a20% saving on site time, lower carbon and more viable as land prices increase. Operating withoxygen reduction fire safety technology partly as a result of the airtightness of the structurebrings further benefits.For more information, visit www.isd-solutions.co.uk.conveyor belts are almost universallymore efficient than workers, that isnever more true than in sub-zerotemperatures where vision andmovement is compromised. Astechnology in the industry continues toinvolve, the capability of movingtowards automated systems isbecoming more apparent. Where goods are palletised, a fullyautomated system can also remove theneed for entry points entirely, withpalletised goods being added andremoved from cold stores through asmall sealed opening that only allowsthe pallet entry. This entrance can thenbe sealed immediately to preventenergy loss. Automation of cold storage facilitiescan also reduce space requirements,creating a smaller footprint fortemperature control. Not only is iteasier to chill a room half the size, butthis also minimises the area of walls,and ceiling that need to be treated toprevent heat loss. © shutterstock/Kokliang16-19_Layout 1 25/09/2017 13:54 Page 4Next >