< PreviousGUARANTEED PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT througha SINGLE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONThe Harford END to END Manufacturing Execution SolutionAutomated coding &labelling verificationto meet retailers' codes ofpracticeOptimisedAverageQuantity LawRoving quality audits,H&S checks,engineer lineattendance, HACCP Automatedline efficiency& OEEIntegrated productionperformanceimprovementOn-lineVisionReal timepaperless qualityAutomated Short Interval Controlon factory monitorsIf you missed us at PPMADon’t miss out on a FREE SITE SURVEYcall 01225 76446128-32_Layout 1 24/11/2014 10:47 Page 432 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONIntelligent cutting from WMHWestern Mechanical Handling has worked on a number of successful robotic projects and their latest innovationis designed to help prepared food manufacturers reduce costs and improve production performance and quality.Working in close partnership with Mitsubishi Electric, WMH has developed a high speed cutting station whichincorporates an intelligent vision system guiding an ultrasonic cutter mounted on a robot. The trial demonstrationunit uses a Mitsubishi RV-7FM MELFA robot fitted with a Telsonic ultrasonic cutting blade enabling clean, highspeed portioning.Mitsubishi’s MELFA F-Series robots are designed to be flexible, fast, functional and food safe meeting IP67standards, allowing easy cleaning of the arm, while HG1 food grade grease is used for lubrication. As a result, theyare ideal for many applications in the food and drink industry. The six-axis robot can rotate the blade to form radial slices from round products like pies and cakes. It can also be programmed to cut in a parallelmotion for individual portioning of meat or fish and has been used for squaring the edges of non-linear products.When coupled to a vision system, the unit can be used for accurate portioning of random sized products like fillets of meat or fish. The software linkedto the camera system calculates the weight and determines the position for each cut, providing repeatable very accurateportions, reducing the percentage of giveaway.For more information, call 01579 383788, email enquiries@wmh-uk-ltd.com or visit www.wmh-uk-ltd.com.speed processes, where the detection andimage processing speed is critical. In otherapplications having several inspectionpoints on a bottle demands the use ofmultiple cameras. Pre-processing thesedifferent camera images into a singleimage for evaluation can be crucial forsome manufacturers. A third aspect oftenraised is the required flexibility to adaptinspection to different sizes, containersand marketing programmes.“To address challenging inspectionspeed requirements, Omron has adoptedseveral methods. Firstly, image acquisitionand pre-processing speeds have beenimproved by using parallel hardwarearchitecture, also software imageprocessing speeds have increased by usingnew algorithms, such as the ‘sparse edge’detection feature and variation prediction.Omron’s Shape Search III visionalgorithm allows fast, precisemeasurements to be made even if imagesare out of focus.“In addition, communication speeds todatabases, PLCs or other devices haveimproved by utilising the EtherCATmachine control network. In particular,Omron’s FH compact vision system canachieve communications cycle times asshort as 500μs and this enables theimplementation of motion control to besynchronised with the communicationcycle.”As Roy Green points out, automationalone isn’t the answer to every solution,but if you go into the process with eyeswide open and a clear set of criteria ofwhat you hope to achieve, the results canbe hugely impressive.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ELENA LARINA28-32_Layout 1 24/11/2014 10:47 Page 5Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netINNOVATION SPOTLIGHTConsumer tastes change fast and thereare plenty of examples of products thathave enjoyed a brief flowering of successbefore falling out of fashion. Companiesthat fail to invest while at the top soonfind their rivals overtaking them, oftenwith more efficient production methods.This explains why many companies aremaking large investments in their R&Doperations, ensuring they identify newopportunities in products and productionmethods before their rivals do. Makinguse of the skills and resources of localuniversities and educationalestablishments is one way to innovate stillfurther – with the added bonus ofintroducing new talent into the industry.Others too are the results of a handful ofcompanies pooling their resources tocreate concepts that are of benefit to thewhole sector.For example, UV treatment specialistHanovia has launched a new UVApplication Centre in Shanghai. Servingas an R&D centre of excellence forresearch into the science of UV for newand emerging applications worldwide, thecentre will directly support existing andfuture requirements in the food and drinksector, among others.The Centre involved Hanovia workingin collaboration with leading universitiesfrom around the world, such as ImperialCollege in London and Karlsruhe Instituteof Technology in Germany, as well assome of the leading global brands in thefood and drink industry. Having beenopen for a couple of months, the centre isalready enhancing the sector’sunderstanding of UV efficiency in thecontrol and destruction of inorganiccompounds.Hanovia’s Technical Director Dr MarkAston says, “The centre is completelycustomer-driven and is set up with a veryclear mission – to develop UV applicationscience that our customers actually needand to answer those searching questionsthat only empirical test work can answer.This means working as a partner with ourcustomers to push the boundaries of UVscience and align our product range withtheir existing and future needs. This willdirectly help them achieve their primarygoal of meeting all necessary qualitystandards with ever increasing efficiencyand security.” Many companies make majorinvestments in R&D – the PuratosGroup, for example, invested 2.5% of itsgroup revenues towards it in 2013, and€15 million of that has been spent ontheir new Insperience Centre in Groot-Bijgaarden. The Centre provides aplatform for innovation throughcollaboration that will enable Puratos tocontinue to support its customers’The Puratos Group hasinvested €15 million on theirnew Insperience Centre inGroot-BijgaardenThe future’s brightMany food and drink companies have enjoyed great success in 2014 but it’s constant innovation that willensure they continue to succeed for many more years to come. 26 Á25-27_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:06 Page 126 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netINNOVATION SPOTLIGHTbusinesses around the world in the bakery,patisserie and chocolate sectors.The Centre houses six laboratories, equippedwith state-of-the-art material over an space of3000 sq m, and each focuses on a differentstage of research. Puratos researchers work intandem with universities, research institutesand suppliers to research and develop productsfor the future in which nutrition, taste andconvenience are key drivers. The benefit of thenew Centre is that it encourages collaboration– internal and external research teams interactand exchange knowledge in a receptive andencouraging environment.Those companies wishing to expand theirR&D offerings are often assisted by thefunding that is now available on a national andinternational basis. The EU-fundedHealthGrain and HealthBread projects, forexample, set out to develop wheat-based rawmaterials that would help to improve thenutritional value of baked goods and, followingseven years of research and productdevelopment and a total investment of €17.5million, the biggest by the EU in this area, theresults are now starting to be incorporated inproducts.Hanovia haslaunched a new UVApplication Centrein ShanghaiAt Packaging Innovationsthe panel of Lionshighlighted Italiancardboard packagingcompany Pringraf’sinnovation with itspioneering product Packly25-27_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:06 Page 2Food & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netINNOVATION SPOTLIGHTInnovative newpackaging offerscompetitive advantageCosmetics and drinks brand owners can gain acompetitive advantage from innovative newtransparent packaging for bottles and flacons.Brand owners usingbottles and flacons fortheir consumer productscan differentiate theirofferings by usingelegantly designed andsustainable newtransparent packagingfrom leading Europeanpackaging supplierSeufert TransparenteVerpackungen GmbH.STV’s unique ‘ogive’design features threeconcave lenses on atriangular base around abottle or flacon, whichcan be transparent, orcoloured and decorated to best showcase the product. Die cut andassembled without glue, the efficient packaging can incorporate lowmigration inks and R-PET materials that are up to 85% recycled.This delivers brand owners a genuinely sustainable and attractivepackaging solution.Thomas Pfaff, STV Managing Director (Sales and Marketing),says, “Brand owners face the challenge of differentiating theirproducts on the perfume and cosmetics counter, or on thesupermarket shelf. Our ‘ogive’ design is distinctive, elegant andhighly flexible, enabling brands to display their products with fulleffect.”Protected by an EU community design registration, the packagingis produced to each brand owner’s specifications. Decoration optionsinclude transparent, opaque or colour film, offset and screen printing,embossing and hot foil stamping. A range of materials are availablethat include PET, PP, PLA and R-PET film. Carbon neutral printingis an option.For more information, visit www.seufert.com orcall +44 (0)7872 552285.The project partners have developed new technology for theproduction of more nutritious raw materials on an industrialscale. The new wheat products can be used to produce white andwholegrain baked goods with better nutritional profiles. Artisanbakeries from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria havealready illustrated their value by incorporating them into popularregion-specific baked goods. In addition, the findings of theprojects have now been put together in a bakers’ manual which isbeing made available to bakeries across Europe to encourage theproduction of health-promoting staple foods, and giving adviceabout possible health-related claims that can be used whenmarketing the products.Dr Carola Funk, Head of R&D at Kampffmeyer FoodInnovation, says, “These projects provide an impressivedemonstration of how outstanding and innovative products cancome to life if research is combined with artisan craftsmanship.The HealthBread project was particularly exciting because of itsdiversified character. On the one hand, we were able to draw onour expertise in the development of grain-based raw materials.On the other hand, it allowed us to demonstrate our competencein regulatory and marketing related issues.”The packaging sector is one where innovation is definitelyencouraged as manufacturers continue to look for new ways tohelp their products stand out on the shelves – while still meetingtough criteria regarding its safety and security. Shows such asPackaging Innovations illustrate the continued stream of newideas on the market and their Lions’ Lair event allowedcompanies to showcase their latest innovations to a panel ofexperts.At this year’s event the panel of Lions included Duncan Castle,Technical and Packaging Manager at Tesco, Paul Jenkins,Managing Director at The PackHub and Chris May, PackagingManager at John Lewis Partnership, and they judged Italiancardboard packaging company Pringraf the most innovative withits pioneering product Packly. Packly is aimed at making itpossible to create die-cut templates and order short runs ofpackaging as well prototypes or mock-ups comparable to theindustrial standards, all from a web platform – filling a gap in themarket for companies that don’t wish to invest in large amountsof a structural packaging design.As we see elsewhere in this issue, sustainability is one of themain drivers of innovation in the sector and SeufertTransparente Verpackungen are among those making use of newdesigns and materials. Their unique ‘ogive’ design features threeconcave lenses on a triangular base, which can be transparent, orcoloured and decorated. Die cutand assembled without glue, theefficient packaging can incorporatelow migration inks and R-PETmaterials that are up to 85%recycled.Companies that invest wisely inR&D are well placed to enjoycontinued success – though ideascan come from anywhere and oftenthe simplest ideas, where anobvious gap in the market has beenspotted, can have the greatestimpact.The packagingsector is one whereinnovation isdefinitelyencouraged asmanufacturerscontinue to look fornew ways to helptheir products standout on the shelves25-27_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:06 Page 3Food & Drink International 33www.fdiforum.netexpanded field of view technology. The pallets leave the stretchwrapper on a conveyor and move past the camera, which readsthe barcode on each box contained within the pallet. Thebarcodes can appear anywhere within a 500mm tall x 1m wideFOV with the 1-D barcode code being only 60x30mm. Thecamera is integrated to the pallet labeller via Ethernet tosend the scanned codes and set up the appropriatepallet label, which is then affixed automaticallyto the pallet ready for shipment. Withline speeds of approx. 0.5m/sprocessing around threepallets per minute,the system hasprovided a 100%read rate.Bytronic achieve CognexPlatinum Partner SystemIntegrator statusMidlands-based Bytronic Automation Ltd are celebrating being named as the UK’s firstCognex Platinum Partner System Integrator. The award was achieved in October2014 and Bytronic are one of handful of companies worldwide to attain this status.At the manufacturing plant and distribution centre of a globalconsumer product manufacturer, boxes of powder products areproduced and packaged ready for distribution. As part of the vitalpre-shipment labelling process, approximately 150 boxes arestacked on each pallet which is then stretch wrapped before a labelis printed and affixed. This ensures complete product traceabilityand accurate delivery of goods to their destination.Previously, information on the pallets’ contents was stored on aPLC. However, this was not 100% accurate and occasionally led tomislabelling. To overcome this and ensure products were shippedaccurately, a new system was required to identify all the productswithin one pallet.Bytronic, experts in test and measurement, automation andprocess control solutions, developed a system that could cope withthese challenges. Responsible for the complete design andinstallation, Bytronic undertook extensive testing using a CognexDataMan barcode reader with enhanced Field of View (FOV)capabilities. This high performance camera delivered significantlyimproved results at a lower cost option than a laser scanner system.Stewart Jackson of Bytronic, commented “Cognex productsconsistently deliver unrivalled read rates across a wide range ofapplications. A laser scanner would not be able to handle thechallenges of this application, which is vital for maintainingaccurate product distribution.”The system uses a DataMan 303 camera permanently installedon the line. Only one camera is required per line due to thetraining and support. The Cognex Partner System Integrator (PSI)Programme aims to provide customers with superior servicestandards, as both Cognex and Bytronic are 100% committed toresponding efficiently to queries, with both teams dedicated tosatisfying customer needs throughout the life of a project.The award, for partner involvement and performance, is basedon the commercial actions taken by Bytronic to reach their goalsand turnover target and recognises the company’s advancedknowledge of Cognex hardware and software offerings. Bytronic’sinnovative vision system project planning and singular approach,together with great results and high standards, has enabled themto expand and contribute to Cognex’s global success. To date,Bytronic have sold hundreds of Cognex systems.Bytronic is the leading machine vision systems integratoroffering complete turnkey solutions from feasibility studies, designand implementation of vision systems through to documentation,Cognex barcode readers ensure accurate product labellingTel: 01564 793174www.bytronic.com33_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:53 Page 1DataMan® fixed-mount barcode readers are powered by industry-leading algorithms and provide the world’s most advanced barcode reading technology for decoding the most challenging Direct Part Mark (DPM), 2-D and 1-D codes. Patented imaging systems and exclusive modular industrial communications enable these flexible barcode readers to handle codes of varying sizes, quality or marking methods in the harshest environments.MOST RELIABLE 1-D, 2-D AND DPM CODE READINGINDUSTRY-LEADING IMAGE FORMATION TECHNOLOGY EASY INTEGRATION WITH ETHERNET INDUSTRIAL PROTOCOLSwww.cognex.com/readers34-35_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:09 Page 1Food & Drink International 35www.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONSun Pacific, the largest grower, packerand marketer of citrus fruits in the USA,recently overcame this challenge byimplementing the HarvestMark ProductTraceability Initiative solution with SaberEngineering VR-3000 vision inspectionsystems in several of its packing houses.These vision inspection systems utiliseCognex PatMax pattern recognitiontechnology to consistently recognise casedesigns and hand stamps in spite ofvarying case positions and orientations,changes in ambient lighting and othervariables.The PTI is designed to identify thesource of contaminated produce muchfaster and more accurately than is possiblewith conventional methods. The PTI alsohas the potential for large cost savings bynarrowing the impact of potential recallsand helping the supply chain resumenormal operation much faster than iscurrently possible.Saber Engineering developed the self-contained VR-3000 system that utilisesadvanced machine vision technology todistinguish between the different types ofpackages and stamps with near perfectaccuracy. The VR-3000 recognises andverifies attributes such as type of shippingcontainer, commodity and size and passesthis information to the HarvestMarkdatabase for processing. Trace-back, trace-forward and production data is securelyhosted, delivering supply chain reportingand enabling on-demand traceabilityanywhere in the supply chain.Saber Engineering’s vision solution usesa custom Visual Basic HMI integratedwith Cognex VisionPro vision tools torecognise package designs and stamps.The primary tool used is the PatMax partand feature location tool that usesadvanced geometric pattern matchingtechnology to reliably and accuratelyidentify and locate patterns. DennisHopkins, President of Saber Engineering,says, “We have tried all of the popularpattern recognition tools available.PatMax works the best and none of theothers even come close.”Sun Pacific recently embarked on aninitiative to achieve PTI compliance in itspacking operations. The company set up acompetition between Saber Engineeringand another supplier and ran them side byside for two months. Both solutions aredesigned to automatically recognise boxartwork, stamps and markings on cases ofproduce and based on these determine theGTIN associated with the box as it travelsdown the line at speeds up to 3100 boxesper hour. The solution automaticallygenerates the right label and applies it tothe box at fill line speed. In the competition, the VR-3000 readthe customer’s boxes and stamps with aread rate of better than 99.5%. Based onthe results of the competition, Sun Pacificordered a total of 15 VR-3000 systemsthat are now deployed and operating inseveral packing houses locatedthroughout central and southernCalifornia.Find out how Cognex Vision Systemscan help improve your manufacturingprocess – download the Food &Beverage Applications Guide atwww.cognex.com.Machine vision helps citrus packerachieve product traceability complianceThe produce industry ismoving to implement asystematic, industry-wide approach toclosely track wherefresh produce comesfrom and where it goes.One of the greatchallenges is theautomatic recognition ofa wide range of differentpackage designs andhand stamps currentlyused to provideinformation about theproduce.34-35_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:09 Page 2PARTNERSHIP BASED ON TRUST – AND TRUST BASED ON QUALITYNSK UK Ltd · Northern Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 2JF · info-uk@nsk.comBearings for the food and beverage industry: compliant with the strictest hygiene requirementsNSK bearings for the food industry are robust, made from corrosion-resistant stainless steel, and have extended relubrication intervals. NSK’s special solid lubricant, Molded-Oil, is suitable for use in areas where hygiene is paramount. Molded-Oil guarantees reliable lubrication without oil leaks, safeguarding uninterrupted production and a long service life. NSK – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of bearings and linear systems. A premium brand since 1916. To find out more about NSK, visit www.nskeurope.com or call us on +44 (0) 1 636 605 123st hygiene requirementst stainless steel, and have extended relubrication where hygiene is paramount. Molded-Oil guarantees 36-37_Layout 1 21/11/2014 12:03 Page 1Food & Drink International 37www.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONThe producer was experiencing failuresevery six weeks with approximately 36bearings being replaced every year, whichwas causing considerable downtime andlost production. In a highly competitivemarket, these costs were obviouslyunsustainable, so an initiative waslaunched with a view to sourcing moredurable bearings.As part of this initiative an engineerfrom NSK’s Added Value programme AIPwas called in to give advice. The NSKapplication review determined that thebearings had failed due to a lack oflubrication as well as the ingress of waterand hard particulates.Having completed the review, NSKrecommended the installation of Molded-Oil bearings on a trial basis in order todemonstrate the benefits in reliability.That trial has been ongoing for more thantwo years and not one bearing failure hasbeen experienced. This clearly represents avery significant improvement over theoriginal average bearing life of just sixweeks and the client has made asubstantial saving in production efficiencyby avoiding lost production costs.Molded-Oil technology has beendeveloped by NSK to greatly improve theperformance of bearings in terms ofreliability and to deliver maintenance-freeoperation. Molded-Oil bearings use an oil-impregnated polyolefin resin to providelubrication to the bearing. Althoughsimilar designs are used by other bearingmanufacturers, NSK provides a lubricatingoil content of more than 50% by volumeconsiderably more than the competition.Molded-Oil is a patented lubricationmedium specifically developed forsituations requiring high levels of hygiene,such as in the food and drink industries.Molded-Oil lubricant is supplied via amechanism that releases the lubricantgradually. This ensures the requiredamount of lubrication is provided to thebearing over long periods of time. At thesame time, the risk of oil leakages isminimised, making the bearingsoutstandingly smooth running and highlyunlikely to cause any kind ofcontamination.The technical characteristics of thematerial provide a consistent lubricationflow, which is temperature dependent, soas the heat generation increases, so doesthe oil discharge rate. Bearings using theMolded-Oil technology provide a solutionto loss of lubricant in bearings subject towater ingress.NSK is offering this technology onstandard deep groove ball bearings,spherical roller bearings and tapered rollerbearings with inside diameters up to110mm. For applications where corrosiveenvironments exist or some foodproduction facilities, the bearings can bemanufactured from stainless steel.Rolling bearings are key components infood and beverage processing machineryand equipment, their reliability andoperating life has a significant effect inensuring that operating costs arecontrolled. Opportunities for technologytransfer also mean bearings can play awider role in reducing the whole life costsof food processing machines. This isachieved not by supplying cheapercomponents, but by applying the latestmaterials, sealing and lubricationtechnology to improve the machine designand reduce its maintenance costs.For more information, call 0500 232 7464, email info-uk@nsk.com or visit www.nskeurope.com.Bakery saves €27,000 per yearthanks to NSK bearingsNSK’s Molded-Oil technology has produced annual savings of morethan €27,000 for a major food producer on the operation of the mainmake-up conveyor within a bakery.36-37_Layout 1 21/11/2014 12:03 Page 2Next >