Food & Drink Process & Packaging Issue 22 2019 | Page 26

How to Overcome Your Production Challenges In Meat, Poultry and Seafood Meat, poultry and seafood manufacturers Particularly on production lines where the face many pressures on their production product signal can vary due to the varying lines. Maintaining a hygienic production moisture content of each inspected area, adhering to stringent regulations product. and standards and maximizing uptime are just some of the key challenges in the industry. Bradley explains: “One of METTLER TOLEDO Safeline’s latest developments is the Profile Advantage metal detector METTLER TOLEDO works with customers which significantly reduces the from across the world to develop robust occurrence of false rejects through its inspection programs to maximize patented Multi-Simultaneous Frequency productivity and ensure they produce the and Product Signal Suppression highest quality products to meet retailer technology. This innovative technology and customer requirements. dramatically reduces the size of the We spoke with Mike Bradley, Head of Sales at METTLER TOLEDO Safeline, one of the leading metal detection manufacturers for the food processing industry. In this article, Bradley discusses five key inspection challenges that meat, poultry and seafood manufacturers face and how, by using the latest metal detection technology, they can overcome these challenges and provide additional benefits to their enhance production lines. Reducing waste signal created by the product, which in turn means the metal detector can detect up 50 percent smaller irregular- shaped metal contaminants, and more importantly virtually eliminate false rejects.” Maximizing process efficiency In a world where uptime and productivity is key, food manufacturers are looking to equipment suppliers to come up with innovation that addresses both issues. With this in mind, product inspection equipment needs to be operating as As with most food production companies, effectively as possible in terms of meat, poultry and seafood manufacturers detection capability, whilst minimizing the are under constant pressure to maximize occurrence of downtime. productivity. One way to do this is to reduce, or better still eliminate, false rejects and unnecessary product waste on their production lines. Bradley explains: “Our Profile Advantage metal detector isn’t just designed to detect more and smaller pieces of metal; it’s also designed to support customers Historically metal detectors have to maximize production line uptime struggled to maintain the highest and improve their overall equipment sensitivity levels without suffering from effectiveness (OEE). some level of false triggering. 26 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk Here’s how: Intuitive clustering technology means that a single product setting can be used for multiple products, reducing the set-up time during product changeovers. Condition monitoring continuously monitors the metal detector’s performance, providing an early warning of any potential issues so they can be addressed during periods of planned downtime, before potential downtime is incurred. On-board OEE reporting documents the metal detector’s availability, reliability and quality as part of the overall production line performance. “Ensuring manufacturing processes are robust, efficient and streamlined adds value to a business and enables manufacturers to develop the edge over their competition. Profile Advantage metal detectors provide a vital building block to establish improved processes and manufacturing efficiency,” adds Bradley. Complying with food and operator safety standards In a competitive industry governed by strict standards, regulations and legislation, the stakes for manufacturers are high. Bradley explains: “Inspection devices sit at the heart of any well-designed production process, and manufacturers need complete peace of mind that they are meeting all compliance requirements.”