In the face of escalating costs, leveraging product inspection systems can help food manufacturers tackle price hikes, reduce waste and boost productivity. by Kati Hope, global account manager, Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection
If we know (and we do) that a savvy move involves integrating the right product inspection systems into your production line, paving the way for substantial savings in raw materials by curbing product giveaway and minimising false rejects, let’s look at an example. Step forward a flour manufacturer embracing an advanced checkweigher equipped with FlashCell EMFR (Electro-Magnetic Force Restoration) technology. With sophisticated algorithms, the smart checkweigher identifies excessive flour dispensing and triggers automatic corrective action. Transmitting this intel directly to filling stations makes for precise fill levels, thanks to tight tolerances and high precision load cells, leading to material savings and heightened production efficiency.
While the per-pack savings might seem modest when adjusting flour weight, the cumulative impact over time is colossal. Let’s break it down with a simple calculation: 100 one-kilogram packs produced per minute across three eight-hour shifts daily result in a whopping 144,000 kilograms of flour produced every day.
(100kg x 60 minutes x 8 x 3 shifts) = 144,000 kg produced every day (144,000 bags)
The scale of potential savings hinges on regulatory standards. Operating within the European Union’s Measuring Instruments Directive (MID), for instance, tighter tolerances can save approximately 720 kilograms of flour per day (5 grams saved per 1000-gram bag x 144,000 bags), translating to a significant annual saving of 216,000 kilograms based on 300 working days.
Combating Costs
This strategic use of product inspection technology is vital for combating escalating manufacturing costs and boosting productivity. A prime example is the current global scenario, where food manufacturers grapple with inflation impacting raw material and energy costs.
While there is nothing that food manufacturers can do about these kinds of escalating costs, there are ways that inflationary pressures can be mitigated within the production facility and these need to be seriously considered by manufacturers.
The example of the flour company already mentioned is a perfect one: incorrect fill levels, once identified by a dynamic checkweigher, can be quickly rectified through feedback control linked to the fillers. Alongside the potential savings through less product giveaway, manufacturers can reduce the risk of reputational damage and retailer fines through inadvertent underfill.
Reducing Energy Costs
The cost of energy is another big concern for manufacturers. Since there is no option but to use energy, the answer for food manufacturers is to use it more efficiently. Advanced x-ray inspection systems, for example, are now designed to operate at one fifth of the energy required by a traditional x-ray machine. Therefore, companies can look to tackle rising energy costs by being smarter in their consumption, while also benefiting from the innovative features of modern inspection systems, which can boost productivity in many ways. Another positive consequence is that the manufacturer can also tell a better corporate social responsibility (CSR) story regarding its more sustainable operation.
Smart Product Inspection Solutions
One of the innovative features on modern product inspection systems referred to above is a greater ability to minimise false rejects. This is when perfectly good products are incorrectly rejected by inspection machinery, leading to wasted resources and production time that could have been better used. False rejects can be caused by factors such as incorrect system set-up, the nature of the product and its orientation as it is inspected, and environmental factors such as temperature variations. The risk of this happening can be virtually eliminated by using advanced software that optimises detection sensitivities on certain types of metal detection and x-ray inspection systems.
Calculating Potential Savings from Reducing False Rejects
A meat processing company with eight metal detectors installed across eight production lines (one per line) has a false reject rate of 1/10,000, resulting in 160,000 products wasted annually due to false rejects. They purchased their metal detectors more than ten years ago, when tuned frequency was standard for food applications. Since then, Multi-Simultaneous frequency technology has evolved, in parallel with sophisticated algorithms that significantly enhance detection accuracy and virtually eliminate false rejects. Switching to the latest technology could reduce the false reject rate to just 1/100,000.
With revenue per product of €2.50, and a reduction in waste of good product from 160,000 to just 1600 units annually across the site, the increase in production revenue potential equates to EUR396,000 (EUR2.50/unit x 158,400 units). This is in addition to the productivity gains that can be achieved through time saved by not having to investigate as many false rejects, allowing key resources to spend more time on value added tasks.
Good products, the raw materials that have gone into them, and the human resources involved in the production process are therefore saved by optimising product inspection.
Conclusion
Optimising product inspection proves to be a lifeline for saving good products, raw materials and the human resources involved in the production process. Installing inspection systems early in the production line, such as metal detection and x-ray, further enhances efficiency by identifying contaminants before subsequent manufacturing steps.
In the constant pursuit of efficiency, especially in times of high inflation, the key takeaway is clear – smart product inspection technologies play a pivotal role in helping food manufacturers exercise tighter control over resources. As this challenge continues to shape the future, embracing the right technology becomes a strategic move to combat costs, minimise resource wastage, and often, give productivity a much-needed boost.
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