< Previous30 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONss_engl_engl_qr_420x105.indd 117.01.14 15:20POWER DISTRIBUTIONENCLOSURESCLIMATE CONTROLEnclosures from the smallest to the largest.ss_engl_engl_qr_420x105.indd 117.01.14 15:20used in engineering and food and drinkproduction. These simple-to-operatemachines are used to test for flaws inhydraulic components, valves, pipes and soon. Pressure and flow measurementtechniques are utilised in order to assess theintegrity of each component – somethingthat is especially important if dangerousgases or wastewater are being piped.Readings are then transmitted directly tointegrated software. Although thesemachines need to be operated by trainedstaff, the potential cost-saving benefits areobvious: flawed components equal waste,and waste can be financially deleterious forbig and small companies alike. Quite simply, automated solutions helpto speed up production. Product uniformityis absolutely essential within the food anddrink industry, yet it is difficult to achieveon a fast-moving production line.Automated laser profiling devices provide ahandy solution, with laser triangulationensuring that every surface of a product isinspected. The product’s overall mass cantherefore be determined quickly and easily,and, moreover, there are intelligentconveyer solutions on the market that canhasten the inspection process even furtherwithout compromising on quality.The food and drink industry is inparticular expected to benefit from higherlevels of automation, thanks not only to thestringent hygiene requirements which willbe easier to meet in an automated system.But also to the quantity of products thatmust go through a factory in any givenday. Throughput often numbers in thetens of thousands, so even the smallestsaving on each product soon adds up tosubstantial cost-benefits. There are those who argue that factoryautomation will bring about job losses inthe sector, and that the rights of theindividual employees should be betterpreserved, but current evidence suggestsotherwise. Investing in the latestmachinery will encourage productivity andgrowth in the area, which in turn will leadto the creation of more jobs. Indeed, byutilising the latest technologies to speed upproduction, enterprising companies canuse savings as a platform to invest in otherdepartments, or further growth. Manual systems and manual recordingwere fine when production line speedswere typically 30 or 40 packs per minute,but today, some production line speeds areten times this amount and more. Coupledwith this has been the shift away from longbatch runs to shorter and shorter batchruns, brought about by increased consumerchoice, leading to dramatically increasedproduction complexity and frequentPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/FILIP KRSTIC33 Á29-33_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:43 Page 2Food & Drink International 31www.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONIT INFRASTRUCTURESOFTWARE & SERVICESwww.rittal.co.ukss_engl_engl_qr_420x105.indd 117.01.14 15:20ss_engl_engl_qr_420x105.indd 117.01.14 15:20Rittal advises companies toconsider cooling solutionssooner rather than later “Prepare your panelsnow and be ready fornext summer.” That’s themessage from leadinginternational panelmanufacturer and climatesolutions specialists,Rittal.By getting expertadvice, and planning andputting in solutions now,managers can get aheadof the game and safeguardtheir production processes– and not find they arecaught out by risingambient temperatures. “Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security because thetemperatures are dropping,” advises Christian Westwood Rittal’sProduct Manager for Climate offers advice on designing effective climate control systems. “Instead why notuse this time to consider your best options?”“I cannot underline how important it is to choose the rightproduct. Climate control is not a one size fits all solution, and itssuccess depends greatly on the local environment,” addsChristian.Enclosures which are located in a cool and clean environment,may find fan-and-filter units are adequate, given a single deviceprovides more than 4 kW of cooling in ideal conditions.29-33_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:43 Page 3GUARANTEED 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 PPMAcall us today for yourFREE site audit29-33_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:43 Page 4Food & Drink International 33www.fdiforum.netFACTORY AUTOMATIONQuin Systems launches versatile newVersapackTMfor faster, more efficient packingQuin Systems, the Wokingham-baseddesigner and supplier of intelligent end-of-line automated packing systems, haslaunched a new VersapackTMmachine.The compact design allows themachine to be used in a wide range ofpacking line operations without theneed for line reorganisation and theservo-driven robotic case erectorsystem gives faster, smarter and moreefficient results.Managing Director, Mike Webb said:“VersapackTMis the smallest and fastestintegrated case erecting and packingmachine on the market with the abilityto pack products in any orientation,including on-edge.” Working closely with customers, Quin has incorporated the ability to pack into new-stylebag formats and stand-up pouches to give producers the packaging flexibility they need toremain competitive.The new VersapackTMis already in operation in the food sector, packing filled Stabilo packsand pouches into a range of shelf-ready cases.For more information on VersapackTMvisit www.versapack.co.ukFor more information on Quin Systems visit www.quin.co.ukTel: +44 (0) 1767 316422 •Email: sales@endoline-automation.com •www.endoline-automation.comproduct changeovers.Given this scenario, any company relying totallyor largely upon paper-based systems faces hugerisks in operator error. In this highly chargedenvironment, with the need to maintain somesemblance of efficiency amongst the increasedcomplexity and frequent changeovers, it is not somuch a question of if something goes wrong, butwhen.One aspect that many automation specialistsare advising though, is that automation shouldnot be undertaken with a view as it being a quickfix – but rather that it is a long-term solution to anumber of different problems. Many newinvestors of automated systems have done so notout of a desire to make their supply chain morelean, but due to external pressures or a singlefailing event such as a product recall. In thesecases an automated system can be a bitterlyexpensive pill to swallow for a problem that couldbe handled using other means. Automationshould only ever be undertaken with a clear endgoal in mind, not to mention a strategy for how tobest utilise the new system in an efficient manner. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/OLIVERSVED29-33_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:43 Page 5INTERNATIONALFood&DrinkFood&DrinkWWW.FDIFORUM.NET MINIMUM COST…MAXIMUM IMPACT!Plan your campaign with Food & Drink International…...your competitors are!As marketing is the vital ingredient for the success and growth of any business, we can offer advice and packages to suit all budgets. Speak to one of our experienced account executives to find a package to suit your needs. Join some of the biggest names in the industry and give your brand the best chance of being seen by your target market.Can you afford not to? Our 2016 editorial schedule is now available, please ask for details.Call today on +44 [0] 1472 310310 or email: s.trott@blmgroup.co.uk 34_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:45 Page 1Food & Drink International 35www.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROLTemperature controlled storage anddistribution remains one of the mostpowerful industries in the food and drinkindustry, with the cold chain accountingfor roughly 9% of the £187 billion of salesin the food and drink industry. In fact, inthe month of October 2014, figures showthat approximately 41p of every £1 spentin the retail industry was in food stores,with a large share of the goods movingthrough the cold chain. With the demand for food and drink inthe UK rising by 3% year on year,according to the ONS, many food retailersand supermarkets are facing difficultquestions on whether they should increasethe size of their temperature-controlledtransport fleet, or whether they shouldlook to invest in more temperature-controlled storage facilities closer to home. For many in the industry the choice isnot a simple one. While investing in alarger transport fleet at first might seemthe cheaper choice, it does carry the largerenvironmental impact and of course hascosts dependent upon the price of oil. Onthe other hand, storage facilities require alarger amount of initial capitalinvestment, and would also require morestaff to man and maintain. One way that retailers are adapting tothis is to better utilise what space theycurrent have available, either throughPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/CHANAWITMONEYon iceMaintaining temperature in warehousing or distribution can be costly,so increasing efficiency within these areas saves both time and money. 36 Á35-39_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:46 Page 136 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROLXQLFDUULHUVHXURSHFRPCold store operations?Your cold store operations leave no room for half measures. Choosing UniCarriers, you’ll get advanced trucks, born and raised to deal with the toughest material handling conditions on the planet. And to ensurthe-art heated cold store cabins and the industry’s most ergonomic working environment combine for optimum performance during the whole shift. Want more heat from your cold store operations? We’re happy to support.better allocation of resources, or bybringing in outside companies to designand identify ways to more effectivelyutilise the same space.When it comes to distribution centreswhich play a key role in the supply chaintowards the retail market, the costs oftemperature control systems can quicklyscale out of control. Therefore it’simportant at all times to focus on methodsof efficiently maintaining temperaturelevels, with as little ambient loss oftemperature as possible. At the endof the day, it’s far more expensive tokeep air cool, then it is to warm it up. Doors and loading bays create animmediate but necessary breach in awarehouse’s defences, allowing thecooler air inside to escape viaconvection currents. What’s more,this is an inescapable consequence, asthe ultimate goal of these facilities isto store and ship out goods as quicklyas possible to their final destination.As such while it might be result inenergy savings to install a number ofdoors between the cold storagefacility, and the loading bays. Thisonly slows down the productivity ofthe workers within, and how soonthey can have the stock shipped 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 ofgoods. Energy savings must comesecond to this, though should still bepursued at every opportunity. Air curtains provide a potentialsolution to this problem, or at thevery least minimise the loss of heat atloading bays. A cold store air curtainworks by creating a curtain of air thatcuts through currents, creating abarrier between the external ambientair, and the chilled temperaturewithin a cold store. The greatestbenefit of these systems is not justthe ability for the air curtain tominimise energy loss throughtemperature contamination, but alsoto allow continual access for anyworkers. There is no door to beopened or closed, and the curtain issafe for workers to travel through asthey deliver and remove palletisedgoods. Not only does this improvegeneral efficiency within the coldstore, but it also enables rooms to bekept at varying temperatures –important when a facility might haveto cater for a wide range of foodIt’s important at alltimes to focus onmethods of efficientlymaintaining temperaturelevels, with as littleambient loss aspossible35-39_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:46 Page 2Food & Drink International 37www.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROLgoods that require different refrigeratedtemperature levels. Of course there is more to efficientlyrunning a temperature controlled storagefacility than plugging up the entrances.Managing stock within the distributioncentre can become increasingly morecomplex, as the temperatures are keptlower. For instance, machinery andsystems that rely on battery power cancome under risk, as continued exposure tothe cold has a negative impact onbatteries – typically resulting in 50%38 ÁPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/BALONCICIwww.etiltd.comdigital thermometerSuperFast Thermapen 4®NEW‘With a number of new innovative features including a 360° self-rotating display, auto intelligent backlight,sleep mode & waterproof to IP66/67’degradation to batter life. This can becomea larger concern with the recent movetowards electric lift trucks and fork-lifts,which can see vehicles running out ofjuice at inopportune moments. When itcomes to workers within these facilities aswell, there are a host of new concerns andproblems to be aware of, many of whichwill require some remedial training forcompanies moving employees to cold storefacilities. In the above example of electricvehicles, staff need to be made aware thata vehicle which is marked down as havingan eight hour battery life, might struggleto manage more than four or five.Changing the labelling on these vehiclescan go a long way to preventing problems,alternatively investing in batteries withlarger voltages can help minimise theproblems. There are also concerns to be taken intoaccount when dealing with health andsafety. While provision of temperatureregulating clothing is fairly obvious, taking35-39_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:46 Page 338 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROLOur complete truck range atyour serviceYou can call us for further information on 01844 215501or email marketing-uk@unicarrierseurope.comwww.unicarrierseurope.comsteps to make employees aware of icebuild-up at doors can be less obvious.This can be of particular concernbecause the ice is often unnoticeableuntil the door is opened, and manyemployees will have their visionobstructed by materials handlingequipment that they might beoperating. Thankfully many companiesproviding products to the sector havecontinued to specialise their productsfurther so that they can operate intemperature extremes. Temperaturecontrol devices and panels havealmost universally begun to featurelarger buttons, taking into accountthat operators will likely be wearingthick gloves that impede the use oftraditional buttons or tools. Automation systems have alsobeen tailor-made to operate withinlower temperature ranges, withinsulated cables, seals and evenlubricants, specifically designed forfreezer environments. This leads tolarger savings considering that goodsmight before have needed to beremoved from a frozen environmentto be palletised, before being placedback within. Automation of cold storagefacilities can also reduce spacerequirements, creating a smallerfootprint for temperature control.Not only is it easier to chill a roomhalf the size, but this also minimisesthe area of walls, and ceiling thatneed to be treated to prevent heatloss. With dwindling storage facilitiesacross the UK, many companies arebeing forced to do whatever they canto make space count. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/BALONCICI35-39_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:46 Page 4Protecting frozen food product quality in thelead up to ChristmasIntegrated logistics providerPartner Logistics takes a rigorousapproach to maintaining food safetystandards within its cold storeswhich is doubly important duringthe festive period. From the moment products arriveat the warehouse, they are keptwithin an atmospherically controlledenvironment with temperature andoxygen reduction controls in place.This means making sure thatduring the unloading of a vehicle,products are not exposed to directsunlight, wind or rain; stacking pallets in a way which allows for free air circulation; puttingcontrols in place to check air and product temperatures; using a system to call on electronicrecords from any time that the system has been active.On a day-to-day basis Partner Logistics uses SMS alerts so that ifthere are any unexpected fluctuations in temperature, engineers andmanagers receive an automatic text notification enabling them to actimmediately.For more information visit www.partnerlogistics.eu or emailinfo@partnerlogistics.eu. Food & Drink International 39www.fdiforum.netTEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROLNew Control Systems forFrost Heave andCondensation PreventionSystemsBerkshire based Thermatek has announced theintroduction of two new control systems for the coldstore industry. For frost heave and condensation prevention, thenew control system offers a reduced sized transformer,regulated control of power to maximise efficiency, linksto a building management system (BMS) and quickand easy fitting. For cold store doors and thresholds,the new control system works to significantly reducethe carbon footprint and power usage, links to a BMSsystem, and is quickly and easily fitted. When combined, the two systems offer greateroperating efficiency, set-up optimisation, and ongoingmanagement control to ensure they remain operationaland effective. All the new systems mean the control unit isparticularly suited for both the UK and export marketswith much lighter weight.For more information visit www.thermatek.co.ukor call 01488 684888, alternatively you can e-mail sales@thermatek.co.uk. New – SuperFast Thermapen® 4ThermometerThe SuperFast Thermapen is the UK’s number one selling foodthermometer measuring temperature over therange of -49.9 to 299.9 °C. Used byhundreds of thousands of peopleworldwide, it offers a combination ofspeed, accuracy and convenience of use.Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd,the UK manufacturers of the Thermapenthermometer have now made it even better. Advanced technology makes the new Thermapen 4 even more intuitive than previousmodels. The patented 360° self-rotating display automatically turns so the user can read thethermometer in any position — in either hand, left or right. The Thermapen 4 knows when it’sdark and turns on the backlight for you, making it easy to read in poorly lit areas or completedarkness. Alternatively, just touch the sensor window with your finger and the display lights up.Each Thermapen 4 is supplied with a traceable certificate of calibration. Competitivelypriced, at £50 each exclusive of VAT and available in ten vibrant colours.These are available direct from www.etiltd.comSuperFast Thermapen DigitalThermometer for Food & Dairy Use The SuperFast Thermapen typeK, quick thermal responsethermometer incorporates a largedigital display with a precise read-out of temperature over the rangeof -49.9 to 299.9°C with a 0.1°Cresolution and an accuracy of ±0.4°C.The Thermapen incorporates a reduceddiameter tip, stainless steel food penetrationprobe Ø3.3 x 115 mm, that conveniently folds safelyback through 180 degrees into the side of theinstrument when not in use.The casing is washable and includes ‘Biomaster’ additive that reducesbacterial growth and the ergonomic rubber seal minimises the risk of theingress of water, dust or food.It is supplied with a traceable calibration certificate and comes complete witha water resistant protective case. The lithium coin cell battery has a 1500 hourlifetimeThe SuperFast Thermapen is available in 5 different colours, ideal for manydifferent applications. These colour-coded thermometers can be part of theHACCP and due diligence procedures, being used for different food types orpreparation areas, reducing the risk of cross-contamination. These can be found and purchased online at www.labfacility.com Adande commits to multi-millionpound investment in furtherdevelopment of AircellRefrigeration specialist, Adande®, has announced that thecompany and its consortium partners will invest over £4 million in thefurther development of Aircell® technology, which has beendesigned to improve the energy efficiency and operationalperformance of open front, refrigerated multi deck retail displaycabinets. The investment will be funded by equity finance and a £2.1million AMSCI grant. It will allow the company and its consortiumpartners, including refrigerated cabinet manufacturer, The BondGroup, to take the technology to new levels and meet retailers’specific merchandising requirements in the UK and abroad.Adande® is committing over £500,000 to the construction ofthree state-of-the-art test rooms. The chambers will provide facilitiesfor testing to BS EN ISO 23953, which is the industry standardspecifying the requirements for the construction, characteristicsand performance of refrigerated display cabinets used in the saleand display of foodstuffs. The facilities will also provide theresources to meet and exceed the terms of new test standards,scheduled for introduction in 2017.35-39_Layout 1 23/11/2015 11:46 Page 5Next >