< PreviousTrack and trace with pinpoint accuracyProduction line variables and packaging material affect the way text is printed. Deformed, degraded or obscured text? Not to worry. Matrox® SureDotOCR™ is the most comprehensive solution for reading dot-matrix text.With its unique reading capabilities and improved speed1, Matrox SureDotOCR ensures accurate, reliable reading of product information written as dot-matrix text by inkjet printers.Track and trace items from beginning to end— with utmost peace of mind. Be sure with SureDot ™ www.matrox.com/trackandtrace/fdiAvailable inMatrox Imaging Library (MIL) & Matrox Design Assistantsoftware1. Speed of over 2,000 ppm when using an Intel® Core™ i5-6500TE platform.30-31_Layout 1 21/11/2017 15:48 Page 1Food & Drink International 31www.fdiforum.netTRACEABILITY - SUCCESS STORY Effective tracking and tracing is anintegral part of manufacturing,packaging, and distribution industries,as well as general automated handling;track and trace accountability protectsthe organization, providing a crucialquality-control measure and limitingliability if a product recall were to occur.Verification software for ID markreading helps ensure effective productidentification by way of dot-matrixcharacters and printed barcodes.Machines easily read barcodes, but thisformat is challenging for humanlegibility. Consequently, inkjet-printeddot-matrix characters remain the mostcommon form of human-readable texton product packaging. These printersare not without their own challenges,and imperfections or variations in theway text is printed are commonoccurrences. These imperfections makereading for automatic tracking difficult. Thankfully, the world’s mostcomprehensive solution for reading dot-matrix text resides in MatroxSureDotOCR™, a software toolspecifically designed for the uniquechallenge of reading dot-matrix text.Using Matrox SureDotOCR is asstraightforward as specifying thenumber of characters in a potential textstring, the size of the dots, and theapproximate dimensions of the textregion—and yields accurate, reliableresults every time. This powerful software tool easilyreads multiple lines of text, even ininstances when lines contain differentfonts. Choose from a set of pre-definedfonts and punctuation marks, or inputcustom fonts for more precisematching. SureDotOCR accepts a rangeof user-defined constraints, overall andat specific character positions, that helpimprove character recognition rates.Skewed angles, uneven backgrounds,variation in character scale or contrast,or distorted characters pose no issuefor this robust tool. Recent optimizations to SureDotOCRhave improved reading speed.SureDotOCR can now read two timesfaster than before, reaching an industry-best speed of over 2,000 ppm whenusing an Intel®Core™ i5-6500TEplatform. Speeds of four times previousrates have also been measured underspecific conditions. Powered by Matrox Imaging software,SureDotOCR is available as a featuredtool in both Matrox Imaging Library(MIL) and Matrox Design Assistantsoftware. MIL is a softwaredevelopment kit (SDK) for creatingvision application through traditionalprogramming, while Matrox DesignAssistant is an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) where visionapplications are created byconstructing an intuitive flowchart.Whichever development environment isselected, be confident thatSureDotOCR delivers rapid, accurate,and reliable track and trace capabilitiesfor applications with stringentregulatory requirements.Whatever the requirement, be surewith SureDotOCR. Be Sure WithMatrox SureDotOCRDot-Matrix Reading OCR Tool for Rapid, Reliable ResultsWe are thrilled to see therelease of Matrox’s muchanticipated andinnovative OCR technologybecause it will be a majorenhancement to our CIVCore®platform, finally allowing us toconfidently address asignificant packaginginspection requirement.““Tobias Vancura, Head of R&D, SBUVision Inspection, Mettler-Toledo®For more information visit www.matrox.com/imaging Watch www.matrox.com/imaging/en/products/software/mil/videos/#sureDotOCRFollow www.linkedin.com/company/matrox-imaging-machine-vision30-31_Layout 1 21/11/2017 15:48 Page 232 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESSESWhen 2016 came to an end, therewere whispered prayers for 2017 to bebetter, although looking back it nowseems like that wasn’t the case, it’snot all been doom and gloom –especially for the food and drinkindustry. While numerous factors haveseemingly conspired to make lifedifficult, the UK’s almost impressivelack of progress on Brexit being onesuch example, the food and drinksector has not allowed the uncertaintyand confusion to impede its progress.After all, whatever decisions are madeand whosoever gets into power,© shutterstock/Rawpixel.comSuccessin 2017Despite the year being hailed as one of the worst onthe political, environmental or social scene, the foodand drink industry has remained as strong as ever, withnumerous success stories across the sector.32-34_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:25 Page 1Food & Drink International 33www.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESSESDynascan celebrate a year of success With 2018 almost upon us, Dynascan has revised some of its exciting achievements from thelast year. With an excellent and exciting growth in 2017, this has allowed Dynascan to extend its familywith new roles within the technical design department.A new fully furnished manufacturing area and research and development facility has broughtabout its new innovative products to be released in early 2018. Dynascan has proved its value within the pharmaceutical market. Working with some of the largestnames within the industry, Dynascan repeatedly proves its customer driven philosophy.As a bespoke solution based product provider, Dynascan is proud that the business is focused aroundunique issues our customers face within the food and pharmaceutical industry. 2017 was the introduction of LiveChat onto the website. With our sales staff ready to answer a questionat a moment’s notice, pleasing our customers has never been easier.For more information, visit www.dynascan.co.uk.people will still need to eat and drink,and with the global populationcontinuing to expand, that customerbase is getting ever larger. Many of the shows and exhibitions forthe industry enjoyed their largestattendances for some time, and withtentative steps out of recession in somegrowing nations, the sector does seemto be gradually growing again. Indeed,this was the year that food and drinkbusiness leaders reported positive levelsof optimism for consecutive quarters. Itseems that, despite continuinguncertainty in the economy, food anddrink manufacturers’ business optimismhas remained fairly high. Businesseshave continued to invest in research anddevelopment, product launches andhuman resources. As the sector that hasset itself the challenge to grow by 20%by 2020, these investments areparticularly valuable – and governmentsare citing food exports as a major driverof a growing economy.Shifts towards new sectors and targetmarkets has helped boost innovationand sales, with many new launchesaimed at vegan, gluten-free, sugar-freeand functional health. While this has notbeen a new trend by any imagination,2017 has seen a marked increase inlaunches, especially for new companiesentering the market. Demands for suchvariety do not seem to be slowing downeither, and it’s expected that suchcontent-specific markets will continueto grow into 2018, providing stabilityand revenue for those with the meansor intent to tap it. According to a report by BDO, thefood and drink industry is set forgrowth in 2018 despite the uncertaintyaround Brexit and a reality of steadilyrising prices at the tills into the nextyear. While the increasing cost of foodwill increase inflation levels, BDO reportsthat customers have already avoidedprice rises in recent years, so the impactshould be lessened by that. Accordingto Paul Davies, Head of Food and Drinkat BDO, “The British food and drinkindustry is famously innovative and isparticularly good at exploiting newniches. It is clear that the commerciallandscape has changed, but theindustry is rising to the challenge andexpects to deliver growth frominnovation in new product developmentand process automation.”What quickly becomes clear is thatcompanies will need to innovate in thefuture, and that those who haveinnovated more now have benefitted asa result. One such company is Uelzena,whose ingredients are used in a varietyof food products from confectionary tobutter, yoghurt and vegetable oils.Among the range of ingredients theysupply are lactose-free milk and creamproducts, allowing them to benefit fromPhoto courtesy of Uelzena34 Á32-34_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:25 Page 234 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEND OF YEAR SUCCESSESThe specialists in leak detection solutions.www.dynascan.co.uk info@dynascan.co.uk | +44 (0)1480 462142 䈱 the increased investment into suchmarkets. In addition, Uelzena’scertifications include kosher and halalproductions, providing versatility thatensures their ingredients can be usedin as many markets as possible, nicheor otherwise. This willingness toexpand and diversify into a range ofmarkets has seen marked success forthe company. While it is obvious the market haschanged drastically, on not only tastelevels, but also an international scale,it should also be clear that the foodand drink industry has managed toadapt and align itself with thosesame changes – and this will beintegral moving into 2018. Whateverthe world may throw at it, theindustry needs to remain asinnovative as ever, adapting andtaking advantage of any changesthat may arise. © shutterstock/Nadir Keklik32-34_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:25 Page 3Food & Drink International 35www.fdiforum.netEND OF LINE PACKAGINGIt’s absolutely vital product security isthe top priority and items can betransported quickly and efficiently, andthe latest cases, containers and boxesare ensuring these high standards canbe met. Yet it’s also doing this whilemeeting the growing requirement forenergy efficiency in the supply chain. Itis not enough nowadays for a productto simply be protected by its end of linepackaging. For the investment that hasbeen put into it, the packaging mustmake the process more efficient and – ifpossible – cheaper. This can be a daunting task at firstglance. How can a process which is notonly going to cost money, but alsosignificant investment in machinery –make the product cost less? The answeris simple and complex at the same time.Simply installing shrink-wrappingmachinery or palletising processes willdo little if there isn’t a bigger strategybehind it, as any within the industrymight say. There has to be a view oneverything that comes after the point,and what tangible benefit thepackaging offers.Take for example the transportationprocess itself. It is still more commonthan not for food products to betransported by road by lorry. In thesecases the biggest investment oftencomes from fuel, with the item that acompany is buying essentially being theempty space in the back of the vehicle.The problem comes from the fact thatin many cases, all of this space cannotbe utilised. The weight of products willpush down on those stacked beneaththem, often damaging products beyondwhat can be sold in a retailer. Obviouslythis is unacceptable, and thus it is notuncommon for space to go unused inthe back of a vehicle. This is emptyspace that has been paid for.Strong and rigid end of linepackaging can help prevent this,strengthening and protecting theproduct so that more of it can bestacked without damage. This can be adelicate task, least of all becausestronger material will undoubtedly bemore expensive. There is a necessity tojudge and test on how much is saved© mandritoiu/shutterstockTheendpackage37 ÁTheendpackageEnd of line packaging is integral fortransportation, display and safety – buthow is the market developing?35-39_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:27 Page 128 February – 1 March 2018 . NEC, BirminghamPackaging Innovations provides a great cross-section of packaging types provided by suppliers from across the globe.Quorn FoodsCo-located withREGISTERFREETODAYREGISTER FREE91%OF VISITORS SAY THE EVENT IS IMPORTANT TO THEIR BUSINESSA good range of products under one roof. Coty www.easyfairs.com/PIUK www.easyfairs.com/Label&PrintUK www.easyfairs.com/EmpackUK 35-39_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:27 Page 2Food & Drink International 37www.fdiforum.netEND OF LINE PACKAGINGHarkstead Hall Barn, Harkstead, Ipswich, Suffolk IP9 1DBTel: +44 (0)1473 893990 Fax: +44 (0)1473 893995email@penn-packaging.co.uk www.penn-packaging.co.uk• Case/tray Packing machines • Shrink Wrapping systems• Stretch-Film Wrappers • DepalletisersPalletisers • Bag Closing Machines• Pillow pouch systems • Pre-made pouch• Stand-Up / Doypack • Slider/Zipper• Spout • Ultra Clean FillingUniquely customized. Uniquely economical.by filling lorries further than they werebefore, and whether this takes asignificant number of vehicles off theroad. In many cases this will depend onthe product itself and how fragile it is.Products more prone to breakage willbenefit more from the strongerpackaging, with biscuits being a primeexample. Biscuits typically come intubes, but these are not solid in anyway, shape or form – leading to thefragile treats snapping or crumblingwhen even the slightest pressure isplaced on them. Corrugated end of linepackaging can protect them duringtransit, while also diffusing the weightof additional boxes down supportingframes. If twice as much content can beplaced into a single vehicle, then intheory it should allow for a 50% savingon transport costs (or at least fuel). This balancing act must be takenfurther, however, and it’s alwaysimportant to keep the end user in mind.While saving money on fuel – and thusenvironmentally as well – might soundnice, the enthusiasm will rarely reachthe workers in the warehouses ofsupermarkets, who will not appreciatepackaging that is difficult to get into.Rigid and unyielding end of linepackaging that might have been goodfor protecting the product from strain,will not always be the easiest to breakapart for the shelves.Unless it is specifically designed to beso, that is. Product display packagingand trays have helped to minimise thisproblem, with many forms of transportpackaging actually transforming intodisplay packs with relative ease. To usethe examples of biscuits again, lookingback fifteen years it’s possible toremember that many biscuits werehand stacked on shelves. Nowadays it isdifferent, with most transit packagingincluding perforated lines where the toppart can be torn off or pulled back,revealing the products inside a brandedcontainer. This is then placed onto theshelf itself, allowing consumers to reachin and take the product at will. This kind of innovation iscommonplace now, but wasrevolutionary at the time – not onlysaving the manufacturer time andmoney, but also the retailer. It alsoallowed manufacturers to have morecontrol over their branding andadvertising, as they could have free reinon designing the displays.© Robert Kneschke/shutterstock38 Á35-39_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:27 Page 338 Food & Drink Internationalwww.fdiforum.netEND OF LINE PACKAGINGFirst continuous motion case-packerfor BottlegreenSmurfit Kappa MachineSystems are pleased to haveinstalled their first System 3000continuous motion wraparoundcase packer for Bottlegreen. The machine is designed toreduce costs through efficiencyand packaging savings, whilst atthe same time delivering a newevolution of wraparound caseenabling greater operationalefficiencies.The machine is able to pack arange of products includingbottles, pouches, cartons andtubs into a range of one and two piece outer packaging styles. The machine has monitoredsize change capability, enabling repeatable format changes in less than 10 minutes with theoption of automatic size change. Speeds in excess of 40 cases per minute are achievable.All equipment is designed, manufactured and fully supported by the team based in Yatenear Bristol and supplied with a guaranteed efficiency. For more information, visit www.machinesystems.co.uk.What manufacturers are morefocused on today, however, isautomation. Can the packaging systemsbe efficiently integrated into a line insuch a way as to boost the efficiency ofthe process. Too often does it seemthat the manufacturing line and thesupply chain are separated by awrought iron fence, with manyaccidents happening in transit betweenthe two. The increased automation ofthis process can also cause problems inits own right. Most notably, in a high-speed packaging and labellingoperation at a bottling plant, un- ormislabelled packs have to be detectedby the human eye or by additionalscanners, removed, returned andrelabelled. In a competitive high-volumemarket, where product cost is low andmargins are squeezed, this handlingadds to costs. This is especially the case when theline has to deal with many differentproducts with a range of sizes andshapes – all of which remains themanufacturer’s duty. This places someburden on scanning and detectionequipment, which must be more robustthan ever. Of course, one company’sproblem is another’s opportunity, sothose who are able to adapt andmanage such difficult conditions will bein a position of competitive strengthover their rivals. What one company classes as an endof line packaging system will also differgreatly from another’s, creating asituation in which one size certainlydoes not fit all. Some companies havechosen to specialise in entry-level© shutterstock/Photographee.eu35-39_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:27 Page 4Food & Drink International 39www.fdiforum.netEND OF LINE PACKAGINGsystems, which have lower levels of investment but tend tobe somewhat more labour intensive. These can be moresuitable for individual lines, however, particularly forhandmade or low-quantity production lines.On the other hand, large-scale industrial packaging linescan be used to fully automate a process, albeit at a higherlevel of investment. The challenge comes in finding outwhat individual assets can be seamlessly integrated into aline without any real fuss, and thankfully this is somethingthat many packaging machine manufacturers are focusedon. In terms of the future, it is expected that end of linepackaging will become even more prevalent in our lives –and especially on our supermarket shelves. We alreadyhave examples of this with bag-in-box wine and otherdrinks, and while this may not be new, it is starting tocatch on with consumers. This is an opportunity forcompanies to experiment with new designs andtechnology, and to cut out their own niche within themarket - if they have the courage to do so. End of line packaging is important, not only in terms ofprotection of valuable commodities within food and drink,but also in terms of aesthetics. With more informationneeding to be displayed these days thanks to legislationchange regarding health benefits and nutritional values,the packaging industry may well have to adapt in thefuture to compensate.Endoline cuts programmingtime in half with new SMARTscreen technologyAs Industry 4.0gathers pace, andmobile technologybecomesincreasingly utilisedthroughout UKmanufacturing sites,Endoline Machineryhas announced plansto roll out a brandnew, icon based HMISMART screen.Featuring 50% lesspages than previousscreens, the newinterface will cutprogramming time by half.“This is a significant step forward for Endoline.” Andrew Yates,Sales Director for Endoline comments. “Our systems have becomeincreasingly high spec over the years, with greater throughputs,and the ability to manage an unprecedented number of case sizes.However, as manufacturing units become progressively digitalised,it is essential that we simplify processes and make programmingeven more efficient.”The new SMART screen is set to become a blueprint for allsystems built by Endoline, the UK’s leading end of line systemsmanufacturer, from January 2018, with retrofit options available onexisting systems.35-39_Layout 1 21/11/2017 16:27 Page 5Next >