Liftvrac saves time and increases production

In Offranville, France, The Taste Workshop specialises in supplying ready to cook dishes for the catering trade. By using the IQF ( Individually Quick Frozen) freezing process, The Taste Workshop is able to pre-coat many of these dishes with sauces. The problem was that as the product is conveyed to the packing lines, it starts to de-frost. This leaves a trace of sauce on the conveyer belt meaning a significant amount of time spent cleaning before a different dish can be processed.

A purchase of a Liftvrac to replace the existing gooseneck slat conveyor has solved a major part of the…

Flexicon introduces base model carbon steel flexible screw conveyor

Flexicon has introduced a new base model 1450 flexible screw conveyor with 115 mm O. D. polymer conveyor tube and low cost carbon steel floor hopper and discharge housing. Round, square, flat or beveled flexible screws in any length from 3 to 12 metres are offered to convey virtually any free- and non-free-flowing bulk material including products that pack, cake, seize, smear or break apart.

The only moving part contacting material is the inner screw, which self-centres as it rotates, providing ample space between the screw and tube wall to minimise or eliminate grinding. The lower…

X-Weigh feature identifies packaged product waste discrepancies

As a result of a clever innovation by ‘Check & Detect’ market leaders, LOMA SYSTEMS®, food manufacturers are able to provide retailers with assurances that their packaged products contain at least the quantity displayed on the label, and not less. Intended to be used to complement end-of-line checkweighing, the X-weigh feature is available on LOMA’s X5 X-ray system, is fast to set-up and uses algorithms to convert data from an image into a weight.

Food manufacturers, by law in the UK, should package their products to an average measurement that is on the label, ensuring that a random…

Spiroflow responds to snack food increase

Fuelled by changes in consumer eating habits, the snack food category has seen an uplift of 40% during the pandemic, resulting in an increase in processing equipment orders from Spiroflow - the Clitheroe-based manufacturer of dry ingredients conveying and bulk bag handling equipment.

With their US counterparts reporting a similar spike in demand, Spiroflow’s innovative mobile sack tip unit with conveyor is currently helping provide food processors with scalability during this unprecedent-ed time. Perfect for adding seasoning, salt and seeds to snack products from ground floor up to…

New mixing system defeats biogas digester crust at pig producer

A thick floating layer of crust that was hampering the biogas operation of a forward-thinking Danish pig producer has been defeated by Landia’s GasMix digester mixing system.

The Roslev-based business ( established 1933) , which includes pig production, plant breeding and green energy, first encountered problems with its existing propeller stirrers when a steel wire broke, as Ny Rybjerggaard’s owner, Jens Henry Christensen explains:

"In one of our reactor tanks ( 3300 m³) , it transpired that a stirrer that was meant to be operating at the top of the digester had only been running at…

HBM launches a hygienic single-point load cell

HBM has launched its new hygienic single-point load cell - PW37P.

This Load Cell is EHEDG certified, ensuring it meets the strictest hygiene requirements, making it ideal for food packaging - especially in aseptic filling, weighing or packing of food and beverages. With capacities of 50, 100 and 200kg, the PW37 complements the PW27 ( 10-20kg) and allows hygienic weighing of higher loads for the first time.

The PW37P can withstand use in humid environments and powerful chemicals, due to its robust build and stainless-steel materials. It has a smooth outer layer, so liquids slide off…

Weighing operations to benefit from 97-99% uptime with unique service cover

Avery Weigh-Tronix today unveils Uptime Select – a brand new range of service cover packages for weighing equipment. In an industry first, Uptime Select offers 99% operational uptime and all-inclusive service cover.

From airline check-in desks and warehouses, to food production lines and landfill sites, accurate weighing is crucial for most industries to satisfy legal compliance, ensure safety and to protect revenue.

Designed to safeguard operational weighing performance, Uptime Select™ spans routine preventative maintenance, recalibration, reverification, emergency call out and…

The right ingredients for success

From accurate weighing to contamination detection, it’s imperative that the ingredients used in food production are handled and processed carefully. Our feature looks at some examples of the equipment and technology that enables manufacturers to do just this

Barfoots of Botley is one of Europe’s largest processors and packers of fresh semi-exotic produce such as asparagus, broad beans, courgettes, sweetcorn, squashes and sweet potatoes. Given the diversity of produce and the varying sizes of individual pack constituents, a proportion of Barfoots’ products are packed by hand.

Five questions you shouldn’t be afraid to ask

The food industry has a growing number of challenges to overcome in order to achieve efficient operation and profitable production. Weighing company Marco advises processors on the five important questions they must address and shows how ERP and MES can offer practical solutions

All companies need to make a profit, but maintaining profitable momentum in today’s roller coaster economic environment can be a challenging task. Making money in the fresh food industry is particularly difficult and the challenges of managing large volumes of low cost items, with limited shelf life, moving at…

The 5 key questions everyone should ask to make their food factories more profitable….but rarely do…

Maintaining profitable momentum in today’s roller coaster economic environment is a challenging task. Whilst management recognise that focussing on short term financial stability can be counter-productive, sanctioning capital investment to improve productivity when resources are stretched can be a difficult call. Challenges include:

• Rising global raw material costs
• Pressures from large retailers to reduce prices.
• Increased legislation and red tape
• Increasing staff costs
• Potential fines and brand damage resulting from EPWs and RTMs

However despite these restrictions, every company…