By Kati Hope, Global Account Manager, Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection
This article looks at how potato product manufacturers can enhance the optimisation of raw material resources and reap the rewards of heightened productivity through the strategic implementation of product inspection technology.
In today’s potato product manufacturing industry, being smart about processing is like scoring a win-win jackpot. Think about it – being considerate to the planet, others and, of course, our precious resources are crucial to longevity and success. In particular for manufacturers, this eco-conscious approach is not just a feel-good vibe; it’s the secret to keeping those costs in check.
Smart product inspection technology – such as checkweighers, metal detectors and x-ray inspection systems – all can help potato product manufacturers keep a tight grip on their materials. Less waste, more control over resources, and a smoother-running business – sounds like a recipe for success, right?
In food manufacturing, checkweighing systems can reduce product giveaway through better control of fill levels and accurate weighing capabilities. In fact, they are like the maestros of avoiding product giveaway blunders. Even a tiny overfill can snowball into a mountain of wasted goodies after a mega production run.
Then there’s metal detection where advanced systems equipped with Multi-Simultaneous Frequency (MSF) technology and smart algorithms not only detect ferrous and non-ferrous metals plus stainless steel but enable greater sensitivity and optimise detection capabilities.
X-ray inspection checks for contaminants and offers a wide range of quality assurance checks. For example, in real time, the technology verifies if products are complete, as well as measuring mass. This technology is like having an extra set of bionic eyes that can spot incorrect fill levels, saving the day and avoiding unnecessary waste. What’s even better – potato product manufacturers don’t need a whole arsenal of machines; they can blend checkweighing with either metal detection or x-ray inspection technologies into a single combination system. Efficiency level: expert.
As well as optimising the yield gained from the materials purchased, these systems can also both measure and adjust automatically, with, for example, control data being fed back to the filling machines so that incorrect measures are quickly corrected, without any human intervention. The benefits are a productivity boost with a side of compliance, and no room for slip-ups.
Decreasing Giveaway
Sophisticated product inspection can also help avoid unnecessary waste while boosting productivity by reducing false rejects. This is where non-contaminated products are incorrectly flagged as being contaminated and, therefore, rejected from the production line. Whatever the reasons for a false reject being triggered, and there are numerous potential factors around the set-up of the inspection equipment, the characteristics of the product and the factory environment, there is clearly potential to reduce unnecessary waste.
Quite simply, by reducing good product giveaway, raw material costs can be protected. Additionally, with less time needed to investigate incorrect rejects and possible reworking of products, manufacturers can enjoy a boost to their productivity. Dual energy x-ray systems can also discern more accurately between product and contaminant than traditional x-ray technologies, helping to improve quality and reduce false reject rates.
Reducing Unnecessary Waste
Unnecessary waste can be incurred by potato product manufacturers in other ways – ways that can be easily avoided by a commitment to best practice in product inspection. Manufacturers should check that inspection equipment is well-maintained and therefore operating at its highest level. The danger here is that poorly maintained machines fail to detect contaminants, such as stones and other foreign body materials that can be found buried in the earth, that are picked up later in the process, possibly after further value has been added to the product. Such a scenario compounds the wastefulness of the initial failure. But with the right technology in place, this wastefulness can be easily avoided through a proactive approach to servicing, maintenance and performance testing, including automatic testing capabilities that some advanced product inspection systems have.
Productivity can also be improved, and waste reduced, by replacing manual sample checks with automated inspection of 100% of products. Combination checkweighing and vision inspection systems can monitor fill levels for accurate portion sizes, such as a tube of potato crisps, at the same time as inspecting for label and packaging integrity and overall product quality, whilst x-ray systems can perform multiple quality checks in parallel.
This objective of eliminating the practice of time-consuming manual sample checks has been the driver for many potato product manufacturers. Depending upon the contaminant, companies install either a metal detection system or x-ray inspection technology to inspect potato waffles, frozen bags of fries and ready meals containing mash potato for foreign invaders. The result? Saved time, fewer rejected potato products and the ability to pinpoint and reject only the rotten potatoes as it were, instead of tossing out the whole sack. Talk about a win for potato product manufacturers and the planet.
By being considerate to resources and adopting best practices, processes and technologies, potato product manufacturers can clearly improve their productivity and efficiency, gain greater control over the plant and improve quality and safety output. Some careful consideration really can go a very long way to avoiding unnecessary waste and boosting productivity.
