< Previous38 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE CONTROL & MONITORINGIt’s vital to ensure that products stay atthe correct temperature throughout theprocess, and that accurate information isavailable across the supply chain.Fortunately a host of innovations haveensured that products remain of the veryhighest quality, regardless of the ambienttemperature. One place where this isparticularly valuable is across thedeveloping world, such as Africa, whereconstant refrigeration can’t always beguaranteed.Marc Evans, CEO of The Sure ChillCompany, points out, “A global brewerrecently told us they have extremedifficulty in serving cold beer acrossAfrica, and recognise that they are sellingan inferior product, because they justcan’t keep it cool enough due to the localpower supplies. In those countries wherethe infrastructure is a lot more robust, theshopkeepers themselves can ill afford tohave fridges running all night.“We’re working with a number ofglobal companies from the beverageindustry to help them pilot andimplement our cooling system inchallenging retail environments in theworld. “Sure Chill technology doesn’t require aconstant power source – what power itdoes need can be drawn from the mains,or from solar in an off-grid situation.The technology works in an entirelydifferent way from conventionalrefrigeration. Simply put, water is mostdense not as ice but as a liquid at 4°C. Atthis temperature, water will sink. At anyother temperature, warmer or cooler –even as ice – it will rise. Sure Chilltechnology creates a constantly chilledenvironment of 4°C around a refrigerationcompartment. Coincidentally, 4°C is alsothe ideal temperature for storing vaccines,fresh food and drink.As Marc stresses, “The temperaturewithin a Sure Chill refrigerator, whenstabilised, can only ever be a perfect 4°C,with no difference in temperature fromone shelf to the next. Sure Chilltechnology means that a farmer in ruralMadhya Pradesh could enjoy a perfectlycooled cola just the same as a shopper inManhattan.”Distribution is the major aspect wheretemperatures can become rather waywardthough and to this end, Asda haspurchased a number of low noise whisperunits from Thermo King, as part of theiraim to reduce their carbon footprint.Thermo King supplied Asda with sixteenSLXe Spectrum units featuring Whispertechnology. These multi-temperatureunits are designed for operators who wantto minimise environmental impactwithout compromising performance,capacity or cargo protection.Yearsley Logistics, meanwhile, havemade a further order of 35 refrigeratedtrailers from Schmitz Cargobull. The newS.KO Cool reefer trailers have beenselected on the basis of their low total costof ownership, thanks to their durability,ease of maintenance and residual value.The trailers incorporate split internalcushion doors to allow the loading of asmaller number of pallets when required.They also have three-phase electricalsockets, allowing the refrigeration unit toThehot topicWith many aspects of distribution now being outsourced, temperaturecontrol is taking on increased importance38-40_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:55 Page 1Food & Drink International 39www.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE CONTROL & MONITORINGOur complete truck range atyour serviceYou can call us for further information on 01844215501 or email sales@atlet.co.ukwww.atlet.co.ukbe connected to an industrial powersupply and kept running at any ofYearsley Logistics sites without usingdiesel fuel. The FERROPLAST panelsutilise the latest NX 17 foam technologydeveloped by Schmitz to offer improvedinsulation and body strength. The trailers’joint-free in-process corner cappingsystem also ensures a water tight seal tomaintain thermal efficiency.Concepts such as these are offeringincreased flexibility for companies aroundthe world – but the other challenge ismonitoring these temperatures to makesure they remain acceptable throughoutthe supply chain. Companies such asGemini Date Loggers have, over the years,continued to innovate to ensuremonitoring is as accurate and unobtrusiveas possible.Their latest development sees thelaunch of new Ultra Radio loggers, which40 ÁPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/NODFFEnsuring products remainin top quality across thesupply chain requireseffective temperaturemonitoring38-40_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:55 Page 240 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE CONTROL & MONITORINGBig Bear invest inKlimate DoorsBig Bear Confectionery, producers of own brandsweets and products for household names, havemade use of Klimate high speed doors at theirBlackburn factory to make the manufacturingprocess faster and more efficient, while at thesame time reducing cross contamination betweenproducts.As part of the project to improvefunctionality throughout the factory,Big Bear aimed to create a one waysystem through the process room withthe aid of two of Klimate’s high speeddoors. Big Bear wished to be able to seeoutside of the room at all times so, as Klimate’s doors are bespoke,the doors were constructed with the top half completely transparent– allowing people entering and leaving the room to see if it is safe todo so.Having previously had two high speed doors installed by Klimate,Mark Walsh from Big Bear was well aware of the quality of both theproduct and the workmanship of the engineers. He says, “We havetwo larger doors already on loading bays and are more than happywith the result – and, more importantly, the response times shouldwe ever need an engineer to attend the site.”The room where these two doors are situated has been completelytransformed from what it was to what it is now – a modern, clean,and efficient food production area. The decision has already beentaken to have a similar sized door installed across the corridor fromthese on a room which currently houses nuts. This door could beinterlocked with the production facility to prevent any possibility ofcross contamination.With over twenty years’ experience in maintaining high-speeddoor products, Klimate is recognised as a UK leading specialist inmaintaining all makes of high-speed doors. For moreinformation, visit www.klimate.co.uk.have a low profile, compact design,making them ideal for discreetindoor environmental monitoringin a variety of premises. Theloggers monitor voltage, currentand count as well as temperatureand humidity and are powered byalkaline batteries, with mainspowered versions also available.Loggers of this kind areconsidered ideal for use in premiseswith a medium to large number ofmonitoring points, gatheringenvironmental data automatically using wireless communications.Data is sent via a receiver for direct viewing on a PC, across aLocal Area Network, or remotely across the internet. The systemself-configures to form a mesh network and is flexible, allowingloggers to be moved or added as requirements change.Many warehouses and distribution facilities now work at a rangeof temperatures and this means much of the equipment has to beable to cope with several extremes. Companies such as Atlet byUnicarriers are dealing with this by offering a host of solutions.Their Piccolo PLL trucks, for example, can handle many types ofload carriers, in practically any condition – from ambienttemperatures to cold store environments.Keeping on top of temperatures is a vital part of ensuring foodand drink is of the highest standards and across the industry thereare many ways in which this is being ensured.Sure Chill technology doesn’trequire a constant powersource – it can be drawn fromthe mains or from solarMany warehousesand distributionfacilities now work ata range oftemperatures andthis means much ofthe equipment has tobe able to cope withseveral extremes38-40_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:55 Page 3Food & Drink International 41www.fdiforum.netFRUIT & VEGETABLESHow can the fruit andvegetable industry emphasisethe natural approach while alsoguaranteeing product integrity?The fruit and vegetable industry hashad to consistently innovate in recentyears to meet with consumer demand.Certainly, while the natural approach is ofhuge importance to consumers, theimportance of food hygiene and safetymeans processing is now required toensure products are of a uniformly highstandard, while retailers demandconsistency and accuracy in portion size.Improvements in automation andtechnology across the sector have madethis aspect easier in recent times, butthere is a further complication –manufacturers have to meet thesedemands without it being obvious that theproducts have undergone extensiveprocessing, which often provesunappealing for consumers. It’s thereforevital products are treated with great carethroughout the process, emphasising theirnatural appeal while guaranteeing productintegrity.Many companies can assist in providingmachinery that can deal with freshproduce in an efficient and effectivemanner. Bizerba is one company whohave placed a particular emphasis on theimportance of weighing fresh produce,with the aim of avoiding excessive productgiveaway and ensuring total accuracy andsafety.For example, their checkweigher CWDwith integrated metal detector weighs andclassifies up to four hundred packs perminute and prevents out-of-tolerancepackages from being put into circulation.It begins with the packaged fruit on aconveyor belt passing through the metaldetector which quickly and reliably detectsall ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This isfollowed by the checkweigher with twopushers – the first which separatespackages whose weights deviate from thetarget value and the second whichremoves packages containing metals.Certain fruits such as raspberries,blueberries and strawberries are frequentlysold in smaller packages, and to facilitatefilling and packaging Bizerba offers a scalewith a traffic light system which indicateswhether the trays have been over- orunder-filled. The scales are connected42 ÁNaturalselection41-43_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:10 Page 142 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netwith industrial PC iS70 on which thePortion Control software runs. Itadministrates article data and preparesmeaningful statistics which means that theuser knows, at any time, what quantityhas been produced of which products –and, perhaps even more valuable for thecompany how productive the individualemployees have been in this.The fruit and vegetable sector hasenjoyed the benefits of extensiveinnovation over the last few years. Therecent Food Valley Awards highlightedthe success of Pluckr, a machine that usesultrasonic vibrations to rapidly de-bunchgrapes without damaging them, developedby JFPT/foodlife and TOP.The new grape de-buncher is a compactpiece of equipment featuring three totwelve heads, each of which consists of asmall, stainless steel gripper and avibration system. Depending on thenumber of heads, Pluckr can de-bunchbetween 300kg and 600kg of fruit perhour – which is some benefit given thetop speed of manual de-bunching is 20kgper hour.The equipment is unique in its use ofultrasonic vibrations combined with themultidirectional drive technology. Grapesare gently shaken off their stems and staywhole, in comparison to existing systemswhere the fruit can offer suffer damagefrom being ‘massaged’ off the stalks. Anadditional benefit is that the machine caneasily be combined with technology forpackaging the loose grapes in a modifiedatmosphere that extends their shelf life tothree or four weeks.Patrick Jansen of JFTP/foodlife says,“It’s a real perk to continue to innovate.Launching a new technology and findingmarkets for it is quite a challenge. We areincredibly proud of the fruit of ourpartnership, and it shows that innovativetechnologies can help increase profitmargins in the sector. We are happy to becontributing to that.”The issue of shelf life is an importantone in the fruit and vegetable sector –where the window of opportunity to sellthe items in their best condition can bevery short and consumers demand theyare in the best possible condition. Thechallenge is therefore to make sure thesupply chain is effective and initiativessuch as PROflow, BITO’s pallet livestorage system, are proving valuable. Thisis being used by international distributorsThe Greenery to ensure distribution ishighly effective.For example, in their Netherlandsoperations, which supply some 27641-43_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:10 Page 2Food & Drink International 43www.fdiforum.netFRUIT & VEGETABLESsupermarkets with upto four thousand palletloads of fresh home-grown and importedproduce each day, itspallet live storageinstallations have beenequipped with picking tunnels to linkbuffer areas with picking areas.Pick pallets are supplied in live storage lanes, with palletbuffer stock located on top. Buffer stock is also kept in livestorage lanes, as well as seasonal products that don’t grow inthe Netherlands all year round. Relocating fully loaded palletsfrom the buffer area on top to the live storage lanes at floorlevel guarantees continuous supply to the order pickers and,in turn, ensures an uninterrupted supply chain to retailers.Consumer demands in the fruit and vegetable sector can bea challenge, as products must look and taste as if they’vebeen picked that day but must also have guarantees of safetyand security. The latest technology offers the best of bothworlds.PHOTO: FRANK LODDER [O] PHOTOGRAPHYThe Food Valley Awards highlighted the success ofPluckr, a machine that uses ultrasonic vibrations torapidly de-bunch grapes without damaging them,developed by JFPT/foodlife and TOPProductsmust look andtaste as ifthey’ve beenpicked that dayBizerba Product & OCM Labellingfor all food weigh-labelling applicationsBizerba Product & OCM Labellingfor all food weigh-labelling applications01908 682740 info@bizerba.co.uk www.bizerba.co.ukA varied range of Bizerba’s robust and reliable printers, terminals & platforms can be combined to make compact workstations for every application ... wet or dry.As standard, all OCM’s come complete with: Network ready High resolution barcode GS1 ready Remote diagnostics Up to 250mm/sec print speed Shelf Life Protection QR Code ready 100 standard PLU’sOACKECM PAGGLP-80 Stainless Steel Printer with GT-7-C Terminal, iL Economy 300F/SP (30kg or 60kg) Platform and Stand Contact us for special end of year pricing packageContact us for special end of year pricing package41-43_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:10 Page 344 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netSUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGProduct packaging is often thefirst thing customers see, socommitting to sustainablepackaging is now essential ifcompanies don’t want to beshunned by consumers.No longer seen as a fringe activity,sustainable packaging has now become amainstream business concern, and ratherthan consumers treating it as a novelty,it’s now increasingly the case that nomatter how good a product is if it comesin packaging that isn’t sustainable orefficient, buyers take a dim view.This means the vast majority ofcompanies in the food and drink sectorare having to measure and report on theenvironmental performance of theirpackaging. In fact, some companies areeven taking a more proactive approach byusing packaging assessments at the designphase, which can offer an opportunity toreduce costs in their supply chains whilealso reinforcing their corporate socialresponsibility activities and brand image.All this, obviously, has to come inaddition to the packaging remainingsecure and robust throughout the supplychain.Many packaging specialists haveboosted their research and developmentdepartments to emphasise this newapproach. Smurfit Kappa, for example,have launched their global brand initiative“Open the future”, which highlights itsfocus on opening opportunities with itscustomers by utilising its expertise andinnovation, including the development ofnew customer experience centres aroundthe world.This was illustrated when it picked uptwo prizes at the prestigious Pulp & PaperInternational Awards in Boston. Theaward for Advances and Innovations inSpecialty Papers went to the CatcherBoard MB12, a unique solution whichprevents the migration of mineral oilhydrocarbons from packaging into foodproducts. It is 100% recyclable, FSCcertified board and made of naturalcomponents that meet the regulatoryrequirements of the food industry. LadyBiB won the award in the categorydevoted to Innovation in LuxuryPackaging. A three litre Bag-in-Boxpackaging solution for wine, it alsopossesses the sustainability benefits ofhaving a low carbon footprint and is easilyseparated for recycling streams.At the World Beverage InnovationAwards, meanwhile, Tetra Pak’s TetraTop with Separable Top was named BestLess is moreThe averagealuminium closuresrecycling rate acrossEurope is now at 45%One packaging concept thathas proven particularlypopular in recent years isthat of corrugated, as SmurfitKappa illustrate PHOTO: WWW.MIKEELLISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM44-46_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:12 Page 1Food & Drink International 45www.fdiforum.netCarton for its ability to offer theconvenience of a bottle and theenvironmental profile of a carton.Designed to facilitate sorting andrecycling, the plastic top can be separatedfrom the sleeve with a press of the thumb,thanks to the pre-cut perforation on theouter layer of the cardboard. In the Best Closure category,meanwhile, Tetra Pak’s bio-based capswere highlighted for their innovative useof high density polyethylene derived fromsugar cane, instead of traditional fossilfuels. Global delivery of these renewablecaps is expected to reach 1.7 billion in2014, a 45% increase over the previousyear. The success of these bio-based capsis seen as a major step towards thecompany’s ambition of developing theindustry’s first fully renewable package.Charles Brand, Vice President Marketing& Product Management at Tetra Pak,says, “We live in an age where consumersexpect companies to offer products thatenable them to adopt environmentallyresponsible behaviours in their everydaylives with relative ease.”One packaging concept that has provenparticularly popular in recent years is thatof corrugated. With a wide range ofbenefits, including an inherent flexibility,corrugated can be modified for differentcrops and misshapen produce, therebyreducing the potential for bruising andskin damage that can sometimes occurwith rigid packaging. Companies such asDS Smith specialise in this concept andhave enjoyed great success with theirsolutions for numerous food and drinkmanufacturers.Over 80% of corrugated is recycled,while new boxes are made from recycledmaterial. Where new fibre is used, itcomes from sustainably managed forests.This commitment to responsible forestmanagement has made a hugecontribution to the increase in the size ofEurope’s forests – up by 30% since 1950.Although it has been used in one form orother for many years, the corrugatedpackaging industry is continually investingin new technologies to ensure it retains itstop table place.Innovative technology is improving in-store performance as well through betterprint capability. High Quality Post Printhas transformed corrugated packagingfrom protective transit packaging intomulti-functional, colourful retail readypacks, without compromising productintegrity. Liners and coatings are alsobeing developed for corrugated material toprovide even greater food freshness and,with the advent of modern corrugated46 ÁPHOTO: WWW.ALUFOIL.ORG44-46_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:12 Page 246 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netSUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGprocesses, such as new flutings that offerup to 23% storage space saving, it alsooffers more efficient logistics managementthrough better use of pallets, resulting infewer vehicles on the road.Andy Barnetson, the Confederation ofPaper Industries’ Director of PackagingAffairs, says, “Corrugated provides safefood logistics and lower costs thanalternative packaging systems because it isrecyclable. Being single-use saves onadministration and working capital.Corrugated will continue to evolve andadapt to the challenges ahead. There willbe more pressure to reduce carbonfootprint and the environmental impact ofpackaging. Corrugated, which is fullyrecyclable through a closed loop, is wellplaced to facilitate this.”Improved collection and recycling hasalso made a major difference to thepackaging sector’s carbon footprint. Forexample, the average aluminium closuresrecycling rate across Europe is now at45%. Depending on the instructions tothe consumers and the collection andsorting infrastructure in place, recyclingrates for closures vary and range fromover 85% in Germany to 65% in Italy and45% in the UK. Encouragingly, countrieswith smaller alu closure market shares likeSpain and France recycle more than onein three aluminium closures.Aluminium closures are mainly used forwine, spirits, water and olive oil and aparticular advantage is that they can becollected either together with the mixedpackaging fraction or along with the glasscollection stream. The aluminium is easilyextracted from both material streams sothat it can be recycled.EAFA‘s Executive Director StefanGlimm says, “Aluminium closures areprobably the world’s most recycledclosures in the wine and spirits sector.Particularly, European consumers areincreasingly aware of the sustainabilityand convenience benefits of aluminiumclosures. Nevertheless, the industry willcontinue supporting national initiatives toenhance the collection and recycling.”Although small in size, aluminiumclosures collected together with the mixedpackaging fraction are often separatedwith eddy-current systems. Similarsystems are also used to completelyseparate the closures in the glasspackaging fraction from the glass fraction.This is due to the productionrequirements in glass recycling. The valueof the recycled aluminium supports theeconomics of the recycling process of bothmaterial routes. Once separated, thealuminium closures go into the aluminiumrecycling stream for re-melting to be usedagain for other valuable aluminiumproducts.Throughout the supply chain, there havebeen great strides in creating andmaintaining packaging that meets targets insustainability – while still looking attractiveand ensuring total product integrity.Tetra Pak’s Tetra Top with Separable Top was named Best Cartonrecently for its ability to offer the convenience of a bottle and theenvironmental profile of a carton44-46_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:12 Page 3FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINTWWW.RENEWABLESANDENVIRONMENT.COMYou can read Renewables &Environment on the go!Available on smartphones and tablets. Ideal forthose whospend time away fromtheir office47_Layout 1 21/11/2014 10:14 Page 1Next >