Software aims to improve food sector’s OEE
Tightened regulations require complete monitoring and documentation of all critical checkpoints and associated equipment; but while weighing technology and metal detectors supply much of the data needed for this purpose many firms have not yet networked their individual appliances to enable this reporting, claims the Germany-based Sartorius.
Colin Maher, product manager for QA systems at Sartorius, said an enhanced version of the company’s ProControl@Inline allows plant managers to connect both weighing technology devices and metal detectors to IT networks to coordinate them centrally, and eliminate labour intensive methods of working such as manual offline sampling.
Parameter control
He said the software thus enables control of parameters such as weight, packaging regulations compliance, metal contamination, and appliance monitoring, with users able to visualize information from the checkweighers and detectors on one or more monitoring computers.
Maher told FoodProductionDaily.com that one of the new features of the upgraded software is an automated email alert system which immediately informs users of any checkweigher process problems, metallic contamination, throughput rates and rejects to enable immediate intervention.
Email alerts
Moreover, production or quality assurance managers can be informed of any issues through email clients even when they are away from the site, he continued.
According to Maher, with the new ProControl it is easy for manufacturers to be legally compliant as the tool allows tracing of every batch and the recording of statistics:
“All data on appliance performance and downtime can be saved and archived to allow for year on year comparison,” he added.
Variants on a theme
Other equipment manufacturers have been focusing on improving overall plant efficiency by using similar control mechanisms, with Ishida launching a new version of its checkweigher software last year.
"The Ishida Data Control Software (IDCS), as well as ensuring legal compliance, can be used as a quality control tool by the food processor," Ishida marketing manger Torsten Giese told this publication previously.
He said the IDCS, as well as recording the percentage of packs rejected, allows processors to gauge line speed and downtime, thus providing its customers with a complete processing line control mechanism. "The software assists the line operator to monitor any weight variation developments in packs and can thus alert the user to probable causes in the processing line, such as a slicing or filling machine not working at the optimal rate or humidity in the factory causing clumping in gravy granules," said Giese He added that the software can also assist food processors in terms of tracking product: "If a pack containing chicken pieces shows weight differential, the data capture function can trigger an alarm in relation to the original grading of the meat by the supplier."
