< Previous30 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netINCREASING PRODUCTIVITYMuch has been made of the greenbenefits of using more sustainabletechnology in food and drink production,but there’s also a raft of savings to bemade too after initial investment.Powering manufacturing with biomass orsolar power, for example, is not only greatfor the environment, but also providesuntold benefits financially, thanks tobeing off-grid or receiving a feed-in tarifffor excess energy produced but notconsumed.Energy management is something thatis increasingly important formanufacturers, not only by usingalternative methods of acquiring power,but also in performance of machinery.Recent compact anaerobic digestionsolutions are now becoming a morewidely-used part of the industry. Rod Benham, Managing Director ofDawsonrentals temperature controlsolutions, says, “We have been lookingfor a game changing new technology topromote within our food supply chainmarket for some time. SEaB Energy’stechnology represents a strategic fit to ourproduct portfolio. We are hugelymotivated by the two to three yearcustomer payback available and we arelooking forward to selling and deployingmany units in the coming months.”The SEaB Energy systems, which arehoused in 40 foot shipping containers,generate energy and income from foodwaste and other bio wastes, on sitesgenerating between 200 and 1000 tonnesof waste per year.Monitoring equipment for the food anddrink industry is obviously somethingalready heavily used. Traceability andfocusing on waste is important, butsometimes it takes stripping it back tobasics to understand how best to savevaluable cash flow.Companies are increasingly doing this,getting right back to basics and installingelectricity monitoring systems in largeroperations. Often used in high-demandlocations like cold stores, there aresystems that seek to reduce power usageat peak times. It also allows energysuppliers and transmission grid operatorsto look to energy users to relieve theenergy market and the grid of excessdemand at critical times it also limitsunnecessary power usage at peak times.Keep it cleanThe challenge of using hi-specequipment but being able to keep themclean and hygienic at all times is one thatmany food and drink manufacturers arefamiliar with. A new x-ray inspectionsystem has recently been released thatincorporates new features that delivermaximum uptime in round-the-clockmanufacturing sites while identifying andFreshThinkingIncreasing productivity can take several guises within food and drink.With an emphasis on sustainability driving cost savings down andinnovation within machinery and equipment doing the same, a littleinvestment can go a long way as many companies aredemonstrating.30-32:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:17 Page 1Food & Drink International 31www.fdiforum.netINCREASING PRODUCTIVITYAbove: Loma’snew x-rayinspection unitnot only helpsavoid waste butcan also becleaned in aflash too,eliminating time-consumingcleaningpractices.Left: Anaerobicdigestion can notonly createenergy to bereused, but alsocuts costssending suchwaste to landfill.rejecting the smallest contaminants. Retailer compliance demands the highest levels ofcleanliness, and the machine’s rounded, sloping surfacesensure food particles and wash-down droplets cannotaccumulate on its surfaces, unlike equipment with flatsurfaces which can leave areas of potential contamination.Additionally, impermeable seals have been added to thex-ray cabinet to prevent water ingress. Contaminants such as metals, glass, PVC, bone,rubber, stones and ingredient clumps are automaticallydetected, and the affected packs diverted from the line forinvestigation. Under- and over-weight packs can also beeliminated from the packing line, along with irregular andimproperly packaged items and packs with incorrectcontent levels. Inspection data can be automatically32 30-32:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:17 Page 232 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netINCREASING PRODUCTIVITYControl BoardsControl Boards A proven management tool to help keep track, allocate and improve efficiencytel tel 01732 871 417 01732 871 417 web web www.tcardsdirect.comwww.tcardsdirect.comComplete System only££98.00+ P&P and VAT•Information at a glance•Risk Assessment Boards•Near Miss Reporting•Staff Evacuation •Permit to Work•Standard or tailor mademonitored and extracted to provide aneffective and reliable audit trail for eachproduction run. The machinery also comes with a‘green’ bonus, an advanced x-raytechnology that delivers high qualityvisual images with energy efficient powerconsumption. There are a number ofcooling options to suit individualapplications and the innovative energy-saving heat exchange system deliversexcellent thermal dissipation. Thinking about every strand ofoperations seems to be the best option.Obsessing over machinery performance isan obvious road to go down, but when it’sat the expense of monitoring energy useor looking at sustainability options thatcould save money then you mayencounter problems. The way in whichenergy is consumed is changing, so don’tget left behind.Energy consumption in largerefrigeration facilities like cold storesis something manufacturers need tokeep a more beady eye on.PHOTO: ACS&T/RESTORE30-32:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:17 Page 3Food & Drink International 33www.fdiforum.netMIXING AND BLENDINGEnsuring products are mixed andblended effectively has always been achallenge for the food and drink sector,but never more so than now. Labellingrequirements that demand productscontain exactly the correct make-up ofingredients and weight, along with anincreased focus on cleanliness, has meantaccuracy and effectiveness is now a toppriority. However, this has to becountered with the changing tastes ofconsumers who now prefer products toappear natural and not totally uniform inappearance.Hence the importance of investing ineffective mixing and blending equipment,from companies such as AdvancedEngineering, whose range of mixersincludes top entry batch, sealed bearing,bottom entry, single stage and three stageinline high shear rotor stator mixers andfluid mixers. They are available with aselection of precision interchangeablemixing heads to perform essentialprocesses including homogenisation,emulsification, blending, dispersion, solidssuspension, solubilisation and particle sizereduction. Mixers can be supplied asindividual units or integrated with skidmounted process vessels, lifting framesand control panels.This flexibility is particularly valuable asit’s hugely important for manufacturersthat the correct mixer is chosen for thejob in hand. To this end, AdvancedEngineering also offer free on site trialswith purpose built test rigs.The importance of the right mixer forthe right job is also behind the range ofhigh quality mixers available fromSilverson. One recent addition to theirrange is the Flashmix, produced as aneconomical solution for powder and liquidmixing applications. It will rapidly wetout powders at rates of up to 5000 kg perhour to give a uniform, agglomerate-freemix.Their Ultramix, meanwhile, is a mixerdesigned for applications which arebeyond the capabilities of conventionalagitators or stirrers, but don’t necessarilyrequire the intense high shear of a Rotoror Stator mixer. With its innovativesingle-piece mixing head, the Ultramixoffers minimised cleaning andmaintenance, and it is designed for clean-in-place with Sterilise-in-place as anoption. It is suitable for bulk powderdispersion and high viscosity mixes, and isalso ideal for mixing in IBCs, butcapacities range wildly and it can also bemade available on a laboratory scale.A major challenge in mixing andblending is that of ensuring traceability isin place. Labelling regulations mean thatpackaging needs to explain exactly what isin the product so it’s vital manufacturerscan identify ingredients during the mixingprocess. Companies such as StevensGroup can assist in this regard with theirmixer ingredient control machinery whichis making a major difference in manyleading manufacturers around the world.They make use of Stevens’ VantageTouch Screen Terminals which are usedto prompt for each of the steps requiredto complete the recipe formulation priorto the production of the finished product.At a bakery, for example, the terminalswill display the formulas and mix sizes foreach of the dough options. Once selected,the system prompts for the bulkingredients –like flour, oil, sugar, waterand yeast – plus their location and theirrunning batch numbers. The latter allowmixed lots for liquid usage, and FIFO forthe powder ingredients. Smoothly does itIncreased traceability and hygiene benefits areapparent from the new breed of mixing andblending equipment35 Mixing and blending machinery makes it easierfor natural ingredients to remain intact, such asthose from Taura Natural Ingredients33-37:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:24 Page 133-37:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:24 Page 2Food & Drink International 35www.fdiforum.netMIXING AND BLENDINGAfter the bulk ingredients are tracked, thecontainer reference number is entered forthe submixes produced earlier in eitherthe weighing room or at the spongeterminals. The container referencenumber allows the minor ingredients tobe linked to the bulk mix to ensurecomplete traceability. After the ingredientstages are complete, the inventory isdeducted in real time to allow purchasing toknow the status of the inventory. Various qualityassurance prompts allow the software to track doughtemperature, trough numbers and so on. The result is absolutecertainty over the make-up of the individual products.One example of technology making a huge difference to thesuccess of a company comes from Denmark, where GEA LiquidProcessing in Skanderborg has reported huge sales of its new InlineFormula mixing technology – in fact, it broke its 2013 sales target forthe product before the end of June. The new inline mixing system issignificantly reducing energy, equipment and maintenance costs forbeverage processing plants.Inline mixing plants are used throughout the food and beverageindustry for the single or multi-pass mixing of dissolvable powdersup to 400cP. This includes applications such as milk recombination,juice concentration, beverage preparation and the manufacture ofbase slurries. The new design of mixing rota can create the necessaryshearing force to mix the product, but it can also develop sufficientcentrifugal pressure to pump the product to the storage silos withoutthe requirement of introducing a separate centrifugal pump. It cando this by splitting the vanes of the rotor around the stator to createthe necessary external pressure.There are several benefits from this new technology, not least theelimination of the need for a separate centrifugal pump, savingmoney and resources. It also limits the need for further downstreamprocessing, which can reduce capital, installation and maintenancecosts. The increased pressure also means that storage silos can be re-circulated more quickly, reducing batch processing time, while itsincreased efficiency allows the use of less powerful motors – of45kW – which can cut power usage by up to 15%Inline mixing is the preferred technology for food and drink plantsthat require the high volume mixing of low viscosity products. Thismeans that plants producing milk-based beverages and baby foodsare making most use of the new technology, but GEA point out thatthe new system is equally suitable for the production of fruit juiceswhere similar capital, production and power usage savings can beachieved.A further bonus of using inline mixers such as these, or thoseproduced by companies like Silverson, is their ability to work withmuch larger volumes than Batch mixers. It’s possible to use a Batchmixer for a large scale jobs but inline mixers concentrate all theirenergy on what is within the mixing chamber at any one time,making it more efficient than having to continually circulate theentire contents of the vessel at the same time. This means a largebatch can be processed using only a very small inline mixer.They also offer increased hygiene – which does not just allowPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/PHLOEN36 Inline mixingplants are usedthroughout the food andbeverage industry for thesingle or multi-pass mixingof dissolvable powdersup to 400cP33-37:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:24 Page 336 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netMIXING AND BLENDINGmixingis our businessCreamsandOintmentsPaintsandResinsGelsSoupsandSaucesSalsaandDressingsEcoFuelsHigh Shear Mixersand Agitatorsproducers peace of mindin avoidingcontamination, but canalso allow for theproduction process to runsmoother with lessdowntime needed to removeblockages. Take Silverson’sUltra Sanitary In-Line mixers, forexample, which offer a self-drainingtangential outlet, a single-piece inlet plateand stator and hygienic mechanical shaftseals. Its design is such that it means nomaterial, whether liquid or solid, can passfrom the inlet to the outlet without beingsubjected to intense mechanical andhydraulic shear. In turn, this means there’sno need to dismantle it for manualcleaning and fewer chemicals are required.Changes to the make-up of mixing andblending equipment is ensuring safety,hygiene and traceability remain a toppriority for manufacturers – and ensureconsumers get exactly what they desire.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MEDIAGRAMChanges tothe make-up of mixingand blending equipmentis ensuring safety,hygiene and traceabilityremain a top priority formanufacturers33-37:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:25 Page 4Food & Drink International 37www.fdiforum.netMIXING AND BLENDINGContainer blending -the ‘Lean’ choiceMatcon specialises in providing flexible and efficientsolutions for handling powders, granules, tablets andother materials in IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers). One clearadvantage ofcontainer blenders,is that they do notrequire cleaning.The bins are filled,discharged andwashed ‘off-line’ (inparallel) so the blendercan be used batch afterbatch without stoppingfor product changeover. In addition,loading andunloading of themachine (placing andremoval of containers) onlytakes a few minutes. These extreme benefits result in a very highOverall Equipment Effectiveness. Also, there are no ‘opentransfers’ taking place around the blender, which reduces thecleaning load of the production area.These advantages make container (in-bin) blending the preferredprocess for flexible and efficient manufacturing, with its onlylimitation being a maximum batch size (3000 litres). The introduction of a revolutionary contained Intensifier featurehas further opened up a large field of additional opportunity notonly for food, but also plastic and general chemical applications.Now, shear energy can be brought into a batch, withoutcompromising housekeeping or the Blenders benefits.As well as having the knowledge and expertise to successfullyinterface with sieving, milling and many other processes, Matconalso has considerable experience in providing for:Increased productivity and flexibility (parallel processing)Prevention of allergenic ingredient cross-contaminationComplete emptying of IBCs, including fatty and interlockingproductsAutomatic and controlled feed to processesPrevention of segregation of blended materialsGentle handling of delicate materialsFull batch tracking and traceabilityMatcon Ltd, Bramley Drive, Vale Park West, Evesham,Worcestershire WR11 1JH UKTel: +44 1386 769000 Email: matcon_marketing@idexcorp.com www.matconibc.comConsistent resultsfrom SilversonSilverson have helped a manufacturer of ready-madechilled pancakes enjoy smoother running productionThemanufacturershad beenexperiencingproblems withtheir battermixing process –batchescontained lumpswhich causedproblemsdownstream,includingclogged nozzlesin the sprayingsystems, filtersfrequently requiring manual cleaning and poor yield of rawmaterials.Silverson provided an Ultramix for a 900 litre vessel, andattended the trials to offer technical assistance. Initial tests showedan improvement compared with the competitor mixers but therewere still small lumps in the mix. It was suggested that a reactionbetween the ingredients was causing the problem. A further trial was carried out, with inspection after eachingredient addition, to establish if one or more of the ingredientswas causing the agglomerates. The milk powder was easilydispersed, but the flour and buckwheat flour both formed lumpswhen incorporated into the mix. The conclusion was that the lumpsmight be caused by the milk fat encapsulating the flour.Another test batch was made, this time dispersing the flour andbuckwheat flour first. The resultant mix was lump-free. The milkpowder and remaining ingredients were added and the finishedbatch was perfect.As a result of the trials, the customer revised their order ofingredient addition, and purchased an Ultramix for the first of theproduction lines. Three more mixers are now on order. They alsopurchased a Silverson L5M-A Laboratory mixer for their testkitchen “for further improving of recipes”, because they had beenvery impressed with the consistency of results obtained on both thelab scale and production units during trials.Tel: 01494 786331 Email: sales@silverson.co.ukwww.silverson.co.uk33-37:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:25 Page 5INSTRUMENTATIONManufacturers are aware thatinaccurate weighing, ineffective pumpingand scrambled recipe formulation, nomatter how minimal, can have a majorimpact on the bottom line. It can alsocreate substandard products, risk fallingfoul of regulations that demand accuratelabelling and, if it translate into enduringa huge amount of product giveaway.As Iuliana Nita of Saint-GobainPerformance Plastics points out, “Foodand beverage manufacturers are requiredto reduce operational costs while stillproviding safe, technologically advancedand eco-friendly product. We call this asafe, smart and sustainable approach tobuilding operations, wherein it is criticalto work with a highly reliable andforward-looking partner to gain acompetitive edge in the market.”The recent drinktec exhibition featuredflow measurement as one of its majortopics. During the seminar programme,Knuth Lorenzen, the President of theEuropean Hygienic Engineering & DesignGroup, illustrated how consistent use ofall the suggestions fromhygienic design canconsiderably reduce CIPtimes. The key expressionin the food and drinksector is ‘easy to clean’,because shorter cleaningtimes greatlyincrease theavailability ofthe plant.ProfessorMatthias Niemeyer, Chairman of KHSGmbH, was also at the event to sum upthe trends in filling technology. He said,“At drinktec we again see a clearorientation towards meeting customerwishes and, allied to this, a maximisationof benefit. In this context the aspect ofsustainability plays a key role. At the sametime modular-designed filling technologywill also be a central theme. This involvesincreased filling quality, better systemavailability and lower costs formaintenance, energy water and cleaningagents – advantages that are generatedalso by consistent application of hygienicdesign.”Happily there is a huge amount ofeffective instrumentation available to keepthings moving accurately and effectively.One particular aspect that makes a realimpact is flow measurement and control.At a time when companies are cautious ofthe need to reduce costs and often work24 hours a day in production, they oftenneed to be able to spot problems quicklyand a series of flow meters fromcompanies such as Micronics can make allthe difference.One example of this in use comes fromMicronics Ultrasonic Non-Contact openchannel flow measurement which iscontributing to reducing milk wastage andcosts for a dairy processing site. BradshawConsulting specialises in energy andprocess loss reduction and their clientDairy Crest’s processing38 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netBell Flow Systems’Dynasonics DXNPortable Flow Meteroffers auto-switchingdoppler and transittime technologyKeepingthings flowingDespite the huge quantities and immense speed often required infood production, it’s often a question of fine margins during theproduction process38-41:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:20 Page 1INSTRUMENTATIONsite in Gloucestershire is now home to an effluentmonitoring and analysis system incorporating theMicronics SLT32 Ultrasonic Non-Contact open channelflow measurement system.The purchase of the turnkey system and meters wasdriven by a need to provide online product wastageinformation from the various departments and hence,further reduce milk wastage from the site. Ultrasonic Non-Contact meters were chosen due to the ease of installationand maintenance benefits associated with the non-contacttechnology.The meters have the capability to measure and logeffluent flow and totalised flow. but in this applicationthey are providing flow data via a 4 to 20mA signal to thesystem’s separate control system. The meters are installedat three known process discharge points to assess effluentdischarge rates assuming flume characteristics. TheBradshaw system also analyses the effluent milk content toidentify the milk wastage using a volume x turbiditycalculation, which is further, analysed in terms of real timeand day total data within the site SCADA system.This means site staff are able to monitor live effluentdischarge rates, initiate action to investigate potentialreductions in process milk wastage and view the results inreal time or daily values. The results are the ability toidentify and drive down milk wastage and effluent costsusing M&T techniques in line with Best Practice.Improved measurement and visibility has enabled DairyCrest to improve the plant’s performance and as aconsequence less product is being wasted and thereforeless effluent is being discharged.Other instruments for flow measurement and control arealso available that emphasise increased accuracy andflexibility. For example, GEA Diessel has redesigned itsrange of IZMAG stainless steel electromagnetic flowmeters.The new IZMAG2 design, which was first unveiled atdrinktec, features a re-designed measuring tube thateliminates the need for inlet or outlet pipe sections. Thissimultaneously saves space, making it easier to positionprecisely into the tightest space and improves itsmeasurement accuracy by +/-0.2%. Vacuum resistance isachieved by mechanically anchoring the synthetic materialto a stainless steel lattice, which makes it impervious towater vapour and resistant to cleaning temperatures of upto 80°C.The leading flow meters now have various innovationsavailable as standard. These can include a visual display,360° positioning and also Bluetooth compatibility forsimple data gathering – vital as traceability becomes a toppriority. Electromagnetic flow meters like the IZMAG haveFood & Drink International 39www.fdiforum.net40 PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/WITHGOD38-41:Layout 1 18/10/13 11:20 Page 2Next >