Yellow metal detectable cable ties give early warning to food manufacturers
A new metal detectable cable tie has been developed by HellermannTyton in an easily identifiable yellow colour . The tie gives food manufacturers improved visibility and traceability of potential contamination issues on a department by department basis .
Contamination of food or beverages with foreign objects is a concern on all food processing lines . If undetected , contaminants can threaten the lives of customers , damage brand reputation , or have cost implications in terms of legislative fines or product recalls . Plastic is a significant cause of contamination ; indeed , the Food Standards Agency has issued 10 alerts around plastic contamination since the beginning of 2017 .
Standard plastic cable ties are an oft-neglected issue in this regard . Hundreds or even thousands of ties will be used throughout food manufacturing facilities to keep cables secure , especially where machinery is installed above production lines . In environments where such machinery is regularly cleaned , there is the risk of ties breaking or becoming dislodged due to the effect of the chemicals and cleaning agents , where they might contaminate food on the line .
To combat this , all HellermannTyton Metal Content Tie ( MCT ) - Series products contain a fine metal pigment , allowing them to be detected and rejected by food grade detection systems . The cable ties are manufactured in a food safe raw material , providing compliance to European food contact standards and Food & Drug Administration ( FDA ) requirements .
Previously , HellermannTyton only offered a range of blue pigmented MCT-Series cable ties , chosen because of their ease of visual detection given the rarity of blue food products .
The first new detectable coloured cable tie is the MCT50L Yellow , available from HellermannTyton or through any UK electrical wholesaler or distributor . It is supplied in 380mm x 4.7mm , a length that makes it ideal for most food environment applications .
The decision to add further colours is based on HellermannTyton ’ s experience in dealing with food manufacturing customers . “ It ’ s common for food manufacturing facilities to colour code different parts of their process . In the event of contamination , the source can be identified and traced back to a particular process ,” explains Richard Rands , Product Manager at HellermannTyton .
“ It makes sense for cable ties to be colour-coded in the same way . Detectable coloured objects – such as pens , scoops and stirrers – are already widely used in the food industry . By extending the colour options in our MCT-Series detectable cable tie range , we ’ re helping food manufacturers to integrate cable management into their existing colour-coded safety procedures .
“ This means that , when a contaminant is detected , the source can be traced back quicker , helping manufacturers to isolate affected batches and minimise downtime or wastage .”
HellermannTyton is working on further colours to be launched later in 2017 . This will give food manufacturers a suite of colours to use across different processes , such as ingredients , blending , processing and packaging . The company also offers a range of RFID-tagged and X-ray detectable cable ties , cable tie mounts , ID markers and a range of detectable cable protection solutions – all to support food manufacturers with identification and traceability .
The launch reinforces HellermannTyton ’ s commitment to supporting end users in the food manufacturing industry with their specialist cable management needs . “ As well as our suite of products for food and beverage processing , we provide consultancy to some of the sector ’ s biggest names to identify and resolve their challenges , in a safe , compliant and effective way ,” Richard confirms .
For more information about cable management solutions from HelllermannTyton , please visit www . hellermanntyton . co . uk
22 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk