< Previous20 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIESPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/GUTZEMBERG20-21_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:33 Page 1Food & Drink International 21www.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIESCelebratingsuccess2016 will go down in history for a variety of reasons,looked back on for its chilling spate of celebrity deaths,great paradigm shifts in politics and societal upheaval. Butit hasn’t all been doom and gloom. As the next few pagesprove, the food and drink industry is in rude health.The result from the British EU referendum has thrown aspanner into the works, and the market is still recoveringfrom uncertainty. The architecture of Britain’s departure isstill being hotly debated in Parliament, never mindtriggering Article 50. Brexit has left a question marklooming over the food industry; with some saying it will bedetrimental, while others claim it will be an opportunity.Either way, we are still waiting for some sure sign or definiteresult one way or the other, while the financial marketsdrastically react to the push and pull from the top dogs. Likewise, the surprise result of the US presidentialelection has cast doubt over the world, though punditsbelieve that a Trump presidency will strengthen trade bondsbetween the US and UK. Despite all that, the food industry has, as a whole,remained steadfast and focussed. As we come to the end ofyet another year, it’s time to take stock of the industry’smany successes and celebrate the quality of companiesworking right across the sector. Over the last 12 monthsthere’s been deals, mergers and acquisitions; the launches ofnew products; the delivery of ever more advancedmachinery and equipment and much more besides. Over the next twelve months we’ll be highlighting thistrend by looking at some of the industry’s success stories. Asuccess story a month to welcome the new year in style.PHOTO: JSTONE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COMPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ESBPROFESSIONAL20-21_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:33 Page 222 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIESA bespoke processing system fromrenowned British machine manufacturerAE Mixers Ltd has enabled Huddersfield-based pharmaceutical company Thorntonand Ross to boost its efficiency and outputof a medical creams products – and theapplications have massive crossovercapabilities for the food, chemical,cosmetic and process based industries.The similarities of many processtechnologies means many of the samemachines can be used by all variants ofindustry. That may be the case in some ofits other undertakings, but the bespokesystem AE designed and manufactured forThornton and Ross, one of the largestover-the-counter liquid and creamspharmaceutical manufacturers in the UK,is as much a display of its own engineeringand design prowess – a celebration of whatthey can accomplish and provide. The £2 million bespoke system iscomprised on four key components. Thefirst is the 3,000 litre premix vesselcomplete with a steam jacket and variablespeed agitator used to prepare water andwax based premixes. From the premix stage, the product isvacuum transferred across to the mainprocess vessel – a 6,000 litre machinewith a 110KW high shear inlinehomogeniser with movable stator, variablespeed anchor/scraper and a steam andcooling water jacket used to maintain thesensitive process temperature parametersrequired. It’s during this stage of theprocess where various oils and waxes areadded, mixed and homogenised beforebeing cooled and deaerated under vacuumconditions. Following cooling, the product istransferred into one of two 6000 litreA year ofsuccessA bespoke processing system from renowned Britishmachine manufacturer AE Mixers Ltd has enabledHuddersfield-based pharmaceutical company Thornton andRoss to boost its efficiency and output of medical creamsproducts – and the applications have massive crossovercapabilities for the food, chemical, cosmetic and processbased industries.storage vessels using a high pressure twinscrew pump.Given the significant cost of the rawmaterials, wastage not only meansproductivity suffers, but also thecompany’s bottom line. Where thereexists a challenge, though, there alsoexists opportunity. For AdvancedEngineering, the solution is a piggingsystem, three of which are used on22-23_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:34 Page 1Food & Drink International 23www.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIEStransfer pipework throughout the system. Sowhether it’s moving from the main process vesselto storage, or from storage to the filling machinelocated some 30 metres from the bulk of thesystem. The pigging system is fired across at highspeed through the pipes where it pushes throughany remaining product to ensure minimal wastage,meaning Thornton and Ross get the best possibleyield from the product between batches. Although the pigging process helps to stemwaste, the system still needs to be regularly andthoroughly cleaned. Whether its food orpharmaceuticals, maintaining a clean environmentis key to the end product and to a company’sreputation. The Advanced Engineering clean inplace system ensures a thorough, systematic but,crucially, quick wash of all vessels, process andtransfer pipework ensuring that downtime is keptto a minimum. This is especially advantageous asregular cleaning between batches could havesignificant repercussions to overall productivity. As in each of the processes before it,maintaining temperature is critical during storage.In order to sustain the correct temperature andensure the cream remains optimal, the storagevessels have trace heating and insulated jacketsthat keep the heat in. From the storage vessels, the product is pumpedacross to the filling machine through a traceheated and insulated transfer line using twin screw highpressure pumps. As filling takes in a different area of thefactory, the length of the pipe needed could well contributetowards a dip in yield and wasted product. The piggingsystem once again is fired through this end stage pushingas much of the cream as possible through to be filled intubs. The system is operated by three touch HMI screens,whose bright display and simple layout are ideal foroperators. It’s all operated by ASI system, with all thepumps and motors connected and in communication viaEthernet. It’s safe to say that there aren’t many companies inBritain that would be able to design and manufacture abespoke system of this magnitude. As a UK-basedcompany, Thornton and Ross were keen to support Britishmanufacturing, and the system delivered by AdvancedEngineering was fully designed, built and delivered in theUK. The proof is in the processing. For more information, visit www.aemixers.com, email info@aemixers.com or call +44(0) 1706 759003. 22-23_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:35 Page 224 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTThe fallout from a health, safety orhygiene scare can be difficult for anycompany to manage. Depending on theseverity of the case it might mean fines,media attention – or worse – loss of amajor contract. Despite this, properhealth and safety management isconsidered a nebulous concern, one tobe adhered to at a bare minimum level,leaving many companies left off-guardand out of place when someoneeventually goes wrong.With the increasing use of automationand robot systems, the demands on plantand machinery have risen considerably inthe last few years. New legalrequirements for the maintenance andoperation of machinery also play anincreasingly important role. It’s acompany’s duty to ensure that its staffcan cope with the increasing demands sothe international CMSE qualification hasbeen designed to meet this requirement.Gaining certification enables people todevelop a greater understanding of therequirements of the relevant regulationsand standards, discover how these maybe applied to the design, build,maintenance and operation ofmachinery, and manage projects fromMore thanjust a minorconcernHealth, safety and hygiene are key concerns within the foodand drink industry, yet many companies continue to prioritiseother factors above them. With rising rates of product recalls,this cannot continue. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/TYLER OLSON24-27_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:37 Page 1Food & Drink International 25www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTFood giants commit to reduce pollutants in supply chainsSeven global food and beverage companies have committed to work withthousands of growers in their global supply chains to reduce water use andpollution impacts.The companies – Diageo, General Mills, Hain Celestial, Hormel Foods,Kellogg, PepsiCo, and WhiteWave Foods – are participants in the AgWaterChallenge, a collaborative initiative organized by Ceres and World Wildlife Fund(WWF). Participants submitted detailed sustainable sourcing and water stewardshipplans and the companies meeting specific criteria were recognised by WWF andCeres as AgWater Stewards. A progress report on their commitments will beissued in one year.One-third of the world’s food is grown in areas of high water stress orcompetition, and agriculture is a leading cause of water pollution worldwide. Thefood sector, which uses 70 percent of global freshwater supplies, primarily forgrowing crops, can play a critical role at protecting limited freshwater resources by working with farmers to become more water smart.WWF and Ceres will complete a more in-depth analysis of the companies’ water stewardship efforts and report on their progress in one year.risk assessment to safety upgrade andimplementation.Much of this also applies to hygiene, amajor concern within the food and drinkindustry and for good reason. Expensiveproduct recalls, not to mention thereputational risks associated with ahygiene scare, can outright destroy brandsin some cases. When it comes to hygienewithin the manufacturing process there isalso no `one size fits all` approach, andeach individual aspect of the process mustbe considered. Due to the differing nature of hygienerisks and how they can occur, it is often arequirement to bring in outside help tojudge and identify potential flashpoints.These can come from any number ofaspects, be it the ingredients themselves,the way employees work or simply theatmosphere of a given facility. The latteris one such aspect that many companiesmight overlook. Clean air is of paramountconcern for the food and drink industry,not only due to the stringent requirementsinvolved in the manufacture of foodproduce, but also to avoid the reputationalcrisis of any incidents occurring. With a26 ÁPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/COREPICS VOF24-27_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:37 Page 226 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTHolchem launches Hyperwipe rangeHolchem, the UK’s leader in hygiene technology solutions, has added a range of wipes to its productportfolio. The Hyperwipe range is a colour-coded range of lint freewipes specifically designed for the food, beverage, dairy and hospitalitysectors. The wipes are strong, high-quality and non-woven ensuring they arenon-abrasive. They also offer high absorbency qualities that areessential to help clean up quickly and ensure the job is done to thehighest standard first time. The range is equally strong wet or dry and is a food safe product.The range is available in centrefeed and large folded formats helping toreduce waste and cost. The centrefeed product can be dispensed fromthe Holchem centrefeed roll dispenser system to control cost in use.Nick Edwards from Holchem said: “The consistent quality means theygive continuous peace of mind to the user. They are also competitively pricedensuring budgets can be managed effectively.” For more information, visit www.holchem.co.uk. variety of harmful microbes and particlesable to travel via air, there is greatpotential for harmful microbes to interactwith the process at a crucial stage,possibly leading to contaminated products.A benefit to the food market however,is that many health and safety productsalso work towards improving hygiene –allowing a company to effectively kill twobirds with one stone. Non-slip andhygienic flooring is one such example thatcan both reduce the risk of accidentswithin the facility – while also adding aclear hygienic defence againstcontaminants. When it comes to hygiene itself thereare actually many things that can be doneto minimise both cost and downtime,some of which can be quite simple. Infood manufacturing in particular, build upinside machinery can prove a major sourceof contamination, requiring regularcleaning and downtime as workersscramble to clear this away. Small changesin how a site is set up, however, can helpto minimise this. Hard corners and rightangles, especially inside storage tanks andmixers, can be problem areas, as itprovides a sharp corner for food to getstuck in. Simple changes to make theserounded corners or to blunt them canhelp reduce levels of build up significantly. But there is also the question of wherehygienic material is kept and how easy itis to bring to bear if there is a problem.Sanitation stations are commonplace infood and drink production facilities andyet for many they are locked away out ofreach, wasting employee time as they needto leave an area entirely to ensure they areproperly sanitised. Moving these facilities,as well as any others that employees mightmake use of, closer to the actualproduction line can improve efficiency.This might seem a small factor, especiallyif it only saves a minute of an individualemployee’s time a day, but considering itover a longer period of time can make formore savings. That single minute mightalso become more important if a problemhappens during it, along with a productrecall because that staff member wasunavailable to solve the problem at theinstance it happened. Companies that aren’t able to point toclear health and safety regulations willusually find themselves unable to wincontracts from major organisations. Theimportance of security and speed acrossthe supply chain means retailers demandmanufacturers and distributors reach thehighest standards and must be able toillustrate their commitment to quality –and a formal health and safety policy, withfull information on potential flashpointsand the measures in place to deal withthem, is usually required.Companies that aren’t able to point to clear health andsafety regulations will usually find themselves unable towin contracts from major organisations24-27_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:37 Page 3Food & Drink International 27www.fdiforum.netHEALTH, SAFETY & HYGIENE SPOTLIGHTSince 1945 sera products have represented the highest measure of quality, safety and reliability in the treatment of drinking water, process water and wastewater.t Dosing and feeding pumpst Dosing systems and disinfection systemst Process measuring and control technologyt Fittings and accessoriest Extensive pre- and after-sales serviceMAKING THE DIFFERENCE IN CHEMICAL DOSINGWe don´t just promise, we do!sera ProDos UK Ltd.+44 1733 396040sales.uk@sera-web.comwww.sera-web.comDespite all of this, and whatever methods are taken toreduce the risks of contamination, a stringent qualityassurance line will always be necessary. There is only somuch that human inspection can achieve in any productionenvironment. Given that food safety is absolutely essentialfrom both a commercial and an ethical standpoint, it is vitalthat any potential for error is eliminated. The human eye isa powerful organ, but with the advent of Machine VisionSystems we are entering an entirely new – and potentiallyflawless – world. For the most part, food and drinksmanufacturers use Machine Vision Systems to carry outtasks such as counting large numbers units on theproduction line, reading product labels to ensure theycontain accurate nutritional and allergen information,portion control, and testing for faults in the packaging of aproduct which could result in contamination or degradation. With traceability also a key concern, the advent ofOptical Character Verification (OCV) has been a hugeboon for the industry. OCV is principally used to ensurethat products are labelled correctly. Use-by and best-beforedates must match the actual product, and the informationprinted on a product’s packaging must be 100% legible incase of product recall and other worst-case scenarios. MostOCV devices used in food manufacture are font-based ID-readers that are pre-programmed to recognise particulardetails such as specific allergen advice and nutritionalinformation, while ensuring that these are labelledcorrectly. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/CYLONPHOTO24-27_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:37 Page 428 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netPROCESS, CONTROL & AUTOMATIONAs the 2016 year draws to a close,companies are faced with questions as towhat the following year will bring. Toutedby many as a terrible year for business,many are going to be faced with questionson what they can do in order to improveefficiency and drive a leaner, morestreamlined business into the next year.One way to maximise productivity –particularly in a manufacturing facility – isto embrace higher levels of robotics andautomation.The UK food and drink industry isfalling far behind other countries when itcomes to automation and the adoption ofrobotics into the food industry. Thesewere the findings of a recent study intorobotics within the food and drinkindustry, which found that even withinEurope, the UK is ranked 15th in terms ofrobotics usage. To give an idea of whatthat means, the UK is behind countriessuch as Germany, Sweden and France –but also now falls behind Slovakia,Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Thebigger problem still is that the changes inrobotic investment within the UK aresome of the lowest in the bloc, with manyfood manufacturers not seeking to makechanges and instead relying on outdatedand expensive labour models. With theintroduction of the National Living Wagethis has to change, but there are somewho fear it could already mean UKmanufacturers cannot compete with theirrivals.A big problem is that this phenomenonof the UK falling behind is actually quitelimited to the food and drink industry. Asan example, the UK is still highlycompetitive in the automotive industry,despite robust competition from othercountries, and lo and behold, the UKautomotive industry is a huge investor inrobotics and automation equipment. Inyears past there might have been a fearthat the initial investment into roboticsystems was too inhibitive (though clearlynot too inhibitive for our Europeanneighbours), but even if we consider thatthe price in the UK was somehow tentimes what was offered elsewhere,advancements in technology have causedthat price to fall dramatically. Nowadays arobotic unit such as a pallet stacker cancost less than the wages of what labour itwould replace. The good news for companies is thatautomated solutions are becoming cheaperand more flexible by the day. From basicassembly machines to leak-test fixturesand laser profiling devices, the latestinnovations in automated technology areAutomatingthe new yearLooking into 2017, efficiency is sure to be a bigger concern than everwithin the food and drink industry. Despite this, UK companies arestill behind the curve when it comes to control and automation. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ZAPP2PHOTO28-31_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:38 Page 1industrial.omron.co.ukInnovation by AutomationFood & Drink International 29www.fdiforum.netPROCESS, CONTROL & AUTOMATIONNiceLabel’s simple solution listsmandatory nutrition facts on foodlabelsDecember 13,2016 is thedeadline when allfood producersmust be fullycompliant with theEU Food LabellingRegulation1169/2011.NiceLabel hasdeveloped a free,simple software solution to help food suppliers achieve compliance with the regulation,with minimum effort and change to current procedures. Having a nutrition declaration on pre-packed foods becomes mandatory fromDecember 13 this year. Most organisations already adapted their labels in 2014, whenthe regulation required them to clearly highlight allergen ingredients. Now, all pre-packaged food must include the nutrition facts information in a table form. NiceLabel’s complete “out-of-the-box-solution” lets customers start printing compliantallergens and nutrition labels in minutes. It contains everything needed, including apredesigned label template, a printing solution pre-configured for the streamlinedprinting of allergens and nutrition labels and a database management form for themanagement of all product data. For more information, visit www.nicelabel.com/eufoodlabeling. helping businesses to reduce labour overheads andprevent costly wastage.In the past, no matter how skilled the operative,there was always potential for error on the productionline. Today, we are looking at the possibility of 100%error and waste-free production, all thanks to factoryautomation. Take, for example, the hydraulic leak-test fixture, a once-niche technology that is nowcommonly used in engineering and food and drinkproduction. These simple-to-operate machines areused to test for flaws in hydraulic components, valves,pipes and so on. Pressure and flow measurementtechniques are utilised in order to assess the integrityof each component – something that is especiallyimportant if dangerous gases or wastewater are beingpiped. Readings are then transmitted directly tointegrated software. Although these machines need tobe operated by trained staff, the potential cost-savingbenefits are obvious: flawed components equal waste,and waste can be financially deleterious for big andsmall companies alike. Quite simply, automated solutions help to speed upproduction. Product uniformity is absolutely essentialwithin the food and drink industry, yet it is difficultto achieve on a fast-moving production line.Automated laser profiling devices provide a handysolution, with laser triangulation ensuring that everysurface of a product is inspected. The product’soverall mass can therefore be determined quickly andeasily, and, moreover, there are intelligent conveyersolutions on the market that can hasten theinspection process even further withoutcompromising on quality.The food and drink industry is in particularexpected to benefit from higher levels of automation,thanks not only to the stringent hygiene requirementswhich will be easier to meet in an automated system.But also to the quantity of products that must gothrough a factory in any given day. Throughput oftennumbers in the tens of thousands, so even thesmallest saving on each product soon adds up tosubstantial cost-benefits. Manual systems and manual recording were finewhen production line speeds were typically 30 or 40packs per minute, but today, some production linespeeds are ten times this amount and more. Coupledwith this has been the shift away from long batchruns to shorter and shorter batch runs, brought aboutby increased consumer choice, leading to dramaticallyincreased production complexity and frequent productchangeovers.Given this scenario, any company relying totally or31 ÁAccurate fryer levelcontrol with 80 GHzRadarA leading UK food and beverage manufacturer hasa new, innovative solution for controlling an integralpart of their tortilla chip production. At this site, VEGA contactless radars are alreadyused to monitor the cooking of the raw corn, they arenow using new level sensors to control the fryer oillevels. The quality of chips produced in this cookingstage is controlled via a complex mixture of cookingtime, temperature, recirculation and oil level, soaccurate measurement is key. VEGA installed one of its pilot 80GHz radar VEGAPULS 64 units, an ideal test forfocusing, small range and sensitivity with hot oil based products. After the radar wasinstalled it was immediately apparent it could detect the oil level almost as soon asfilling began and measure over the 220mm range with mm resolution. Themanufacturer is looking to install these on all fryers at the site. For more information, visit www.vega.com.28-31_Layout 1 22/11/2016 09:38 Page 2Next >