Food Engineering August 2011

SPECIAL REPORT: FLEXIBILITY, SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY DOMINATE INTERPACK 2011 August 2011

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FEATURES COVER STORY

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Third-Party Audits: Adopting an Open Door Policy Bigger welcome mats are being laid out for third-party auditors as the food industry reconciles itself to customer and public demands for greater transparency.

43

Options Abound in High-Speed Door Technology Processors have special needs when it comes to staff and materials entering and leaving, as well as separating critical operations and zones in the plant.

53

Tech Update: Filling Equipment Faster fill times are nice, but a host of other considerations also are part of manufacturers’ value calculations. Those needs are evident in the systems being developed.

61

36

Dry Processing Technology As processor/packager verifies incoming powder products have the right granularity, it relies on air-jet test sieve to deliver results.

18 DEPARTMENTS 8

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Editor’s Note

10

Calendar of Events

13

Manufacturing News Kids, junk food and media—the debate continues

17

Flexibility, safety, sustainability dominate Interpack 2011

Connect with FE on Facebook www.facebook.com/FoodEngineering

Follow FE on Twitter

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Food Engineering Magazine

Technology Sourcebook Focus on Plant Floor Instrumentation

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Join FE’s Group on LinkedIn

Food Packaging

70

ADLit

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Classified Advertising

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Ad Index

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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www.foodengineeringmag.com EDITORIAL Joyce Fassl Editor in Chief [email protected], 610-436-4220 ext. 8519 Kevin T. Higgins Senior Editor [email protected], 847-405-4045

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FOOD ENGINEERING Volume 83, Issue 8 (ISSN 0193-323X) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $115.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $149.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $165.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FOOD ENGINEERING, P.O. Box 2146, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to FOOD ENGINEERING, P.O. Box 2146, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or [email protected].

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www.foodengineeringmag.com NORTH AMERICA SALES Patrick Young Publisher & District Sales Manager 600 Willowbrook Lane, Suite 610 West Chester, PA 19382 [email protected] Tel: 610-436-4220, ext. 8520; Fax: 610-436-6277 Mid-Atlantic Territory: CT, Eastern PA, NJ, NYC and LI, VA, MD, DE, Washington DC Paul Kelly District Sales Manager 155 N. Pfingsten Rd., Suite 205 Deerfield, IL 60015 [email protected] Tel: 847-405-4048; Fax: 248-502-1017 Midwest and Northeast Territory: Northern IL, WI, MN, IA, KS, MO, SD, ND, CO, WY, NE, TX, OK, NM, AR, NH, VT, MA, RI, ME, Saskatchewan Brian Gronowski District Sales Manager 13973 Meadowlark Ln. Newbury, OH 44065 [email protected] Tel: 440-564-5732; Fax: 440-564-5734 Midwest and Southeast Territory: OH, IN, WV, KY, TN, MI, NY, Western PA, FL, GA, NC, SC, AL, Southern IL, MS, LA, Ontario, Quebec Wayne Wiggins Jr. District Sales Manager 454 Funston Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118 [email protected] Tel: 415-387-7784; Fax: 415-387-7855 West Coast Territory: AZ, CA, OR, WA, AK, UT, ID, HI, British Columbia Carolyn Dress Inside and Online Sales Manager Tel: 847-405-4046; [email protected] Suzanne Sarkesian Classified Sales Manager Tel: 248-786-1692; [email protected] INTERNATIONAL SALES Gabriele Fahlbusch IMP InterMedia Partners GmbH Tel: 49 (0)202-27169-15; Fax: 49 (0) 20227169 20 [email protected] Germany, Switzerland and Austria Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications SRL Tel: 39-010-5704948; Fax: 39-010-5530088 [email protected] Italy

The industry’s only pre-filed hard bound catalog listing equipment, supplies and services to the food and beverage industry is only a phone call away. No need to work with an incomplete vendor list or wade through hundreds of consumer listings online. The Food Master is the most comprehensive reference source for Plant Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing and Packaging executives.

To order your personal copy, call Ann Kalb at 248-244-6499 or go to www.foodmaster.com

CORPORATE DIRECTORS Publishing John R. Schrei Corporate Strategy Rita M. Foumia Marketing Ariane Claire Production Vincent M. Miconi Finance Lisa L. Paulus Creative Michael T. Powell Directories Nikki Smith Human Resources Marlene J. Witthoft Information Technology Scott Krywko Clear Seas Research Beth A. Surowiec

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August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

See Food Master, p. 64

EDITOR’S NOTE

Embracing the new methods of manufacturing leadership

F Joyce Fassl, Editor in Chief e-mail: [email protected]

or those who think social media is not worth the time, I want you to know I came across an interesting webpage on manufacturing leadership this week as a result of something I saw from one of my LinkedIn connections. Yes, I actually hit the “like” button on it. The topic: Today’s traditional manufacturing cultures simply aren’t good enough for the next generation of high-performance leaders. According to a column on the Manufacturing Executive’s website, the days of management by walking around the plant are long gone, and more collaborative work sessions and wireless tools will be embraced by future manufacturing leadership. W hen I think about Food Engineering readers addressing that future, I’m not concerned. Five years ago, many would have dismissed social media as a waste of time. Today, I see many subscribers among Food Engineering’s LinkedIn ranks, and no one in

food and beverage manufacturing management could function in 2011 without nearly constant contact to a wireless device. Maybe it’s the nature of the beast. Our industry’s output is one of the few absolutely essential elements for sustaining human life. And supporting and improving human wellness is one of our industry’s leading mandates. That’s why this month’s cover story is about embracing not only change, but the quest for manufacturing transparency that supports food safety and enhances corporate social responsibility. After having spent a quarter of a century working in this industry, I don’t think I have experienced as many changes as we have seen in the past two or three years from the Food Safety Modernization Act, third-party audits and the increase in sanitary design, to manufacturing transparency and industry strides to make healthy eating choices available. Thanks for embracing the change. ❖

Food Engineering Editorial Advisory Board Tom Lance Vice President-Operations The Boston Beer Company Ed Delate Vice President, Global Engineering and Corporate Social Responsibility Keystone Foods LLC

8

David Watson Vice President-Engineering Campbell Soup Company International and Baking Technology Sam Casey Director of Engineering H. J. Heinz

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Alex Peele Director of Project Engineering Interstate Brands Corp.

Dan Sileo Vice President, Manufacturing Sunny Delight Beverages

Diane Wolf Global Vice President, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Kraft Foods

David Haase Vice President of Operations WILD Flavors

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OCTOBER 2011 2-4: All Things Baking; Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, Schaumburg, IL; The Retail Bakers of America, American Bakers Association and Bakery Equipment Manufacturers & Allieds; www.allthingsbaking2011.com 5-6: Conventional and Advanced Continuous Flow Thermal Processing; NC State University, Raleigh, NC; 919-515-2957; www.ncsu.edu/project/foodengineer/ short-course 17-20: ISA Automation Week; Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center, Mobile, AL; The International Society of Automation; 919-990-9206; www.isaautomationweek.org/2011

NOVEMBER 2011 1-4: PROCESS EXPO 2011; McCormick Place, Chicago, IL; Food Processing Suppliers Association; www.fpsa.org

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`NEWS PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS Cargill announced a $12.5 million expansion of its Mason City, IA plant. Work will begin this summer, with the expansion fully operational by spring 2012. General Mills Inc. plans to spend $36 million to build a new distribution center in Fort Wayne, IN. The 1.5 million-sq.-ft. center will approximately double the size of an existing leased site.

Bell Aquaculture broke ground on a $5 million expansion at its yellow perch production facility in Albany, IN. Santa Monica Seafood opened its new Phoenix, AZ distribution hub and will be providing delivery four days a week to the area. The building features a 1,330-sq.-ft. office space and a 3,830-sq.-ft. warehouse space, housing offices, two loading docks and refrigerated and frozen storage. Tate & Lyle is reopening its sucralose plant in McIntosh, AL that closed in 2009. The processor paused production at the facility and started production in Singapore, but because of increasing demand, the plant is expected to reopen in 2012. Mars Chocolate North America plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Topeka, KS. Phase I is planned for completion in 2013 and will produce M&M’s and SNICKERS brand candies. Mars expects to investment more than $250 million in phase I. The facility will pursue a LEED Gold certification.

Kids, junk food and media— the debate continues

“

W

e’ve created a perfect storm for childhood obesity—media, advertising and inactivity,” says Victor Strasburger, MD, FAAP and a member of the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP). “American society couldn’t do a worse job at the moment of keeping children fit and healthy—too much TV, too many food ads, not enough exercise and not enough sleep.” Strasburger is the lead author of an AAP statement entitled, “Children, Adolescents, Obesity and the Media,” which appears in the July 2011 issue of Pediatrics. The AAP policy statement calls for, among others, a ban on junk food advertising (of which Strasburger says kids see 5,000 to 10,000 food ads per year), restrictions on interactive food advertising to children via digital media, parental discussion with kids on food advertising and more pro-social media platforms to encourage and educate children to choose healthy foods. According to Ginny Smith, Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) senior director of communications, much of the AAP information is based on 2005 data, and there have been many changes in the right direction since then. “The number of food and beverage ads seen on shows viewed primarily by children has decreased 50 percent since 2004. Ads for cookies and soft drinks fell by 96 percent. Ads for frozen pizza, gum, mints, candy waffles and pancakes each fell by at least 70 percent.”

Much of this progress can be attributed to the commitment of those companies that make up the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), says Smith. Under CFBAI, which was launched in 2006, 17 of America’s largest food and beverage companies apply science-based nutrition standards to marketing viewed by children, including television advertising and digital media. According to Smith, GMA members have accelerated their efforts to help consumers build healthier lifestyles. For example, they have: • Changed more than 20,000 products to reduce calories, fat, sodium and sugar • Pledged to remove 1.5 trillion calories from the food supply by 2015 • Launched Nutrition Keys, a front-of-pack nutrition labeling initiative that will provide consumers (especially parents) with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions when they shop • Applied strict nutrition criteria to advertising. “The food and beverage industry looks forward to working with our nation’s healthcare providers to promote sciencebased and true solutions to obesity,” says Smith. “A healthy diet and physical activity, rather than bans or restrictions, are the keys to a healthy lifestyle.” For more information on AAP, visit www.aap.org; and GMA, visit www. gmaonline.org. ❖

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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INDUSTRY` & PEOPLE Campbell Soup Company elected Denise Morrison as president and chief executive officer. In October 2010, Morrison was named executive vice president and chief operating offiMORRISON cer and elected a director of the company in anticipation of her appointment to the role of CEO at the beginning of fiscal year 2012. Morrison succeeds Douglas R. Conant.

Yamagishi. He also serves as president of Toyota Industries North America, Inc.; vice chairman of Toyota Material Handling North America of Columbus, IN; and a member the board of directors for Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. of Irvine, CA.

Keystone Foods Chief Operating Officer Larry S. McWilliams assumed the company’s leadership role as president and CEO, succeeding Jerry Dean, who recently elected to retire after leading the company for 17 years.

Del Monte Foods signed a one-year agreement with Truitt Brothers to co-pack Truitt Brothers’ cherries and pears in 2011 at the Del Monte Yakima, WA location.

Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM) named a new president, Toshiya

ConAgra Foods, Inc. purchased Marie Callender’s brand trademarks from Marie Callender Pie Shops, Inc. for $57.5 million. Sabine Sagaert joined Cargill Malt as the general manager of malt operations in Europe.

POWER Engineers, Inc. is expanding its commitment to the food and beverage industry with the acquisition of Minneapolis-based Food Systems Design, Inc.

Ray Richard joined Stratas Foods LLC as senior vice president, risk management and procurement. Gordon Hardie joined Bunge Limited as its managing director, food & ingredients. Eriez combined its US and Canadian sales organizations into a consolidated North American sales team, and promoted Dave Heubel to the newly created position of director—North American sales. Seattle-based Powerit Solutions, an international company that plugs energy-intensive businesses into the smart grid, won a Connectivity Week Buildy Award for its work with Four Star Fruit of Delano, CA. SPX Corporation’s Flow Technology segment plans to combine two existing facilities, and build out the newly integrated facility’s equipment offerings and capabilities to upgrade its food and beverage processing Innovation Center in Soeborg, Denmark.

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F O O D PA C K A G I N G Maureen Byrne, European Correspondent

Flexibility, safety and sustainability themes dominate Interpack 2011

`

Held May 12-18 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the triennial exhibition featured innovations that packed a punch.

I

f anyone needed reassurance the recession is nearing its end, a visit to Interpack 2011 would certainly have done the trick. With 2,700 exhibitors from 60 countries, the 19 halls of Messe Düsseldorf were packed with visitors all seven days of the shows. Not only were the visitors of high caliber (75 percent of the 166,000 visitors were decision-makers), they had dollars and euros to spend. Automation supplier Gerhard Schubert displayed what it calls the world’s first packaging machine featuring fully automatic tool changing. The equipment can easily be changed to work with different products, and two layers can be handled at one time. “From chocolate Easter bunnies to yogurt cups, the changeover time is only 4.5 minutes,” says Managing Director Gerhard Schubert. “It’s a decisive step toward the ideal of digital production, which responds immediately and flexibly to changed conditions.”

` For loading two layers of products, the TLM machine positions the upper citrus juice bottles upside down in between the spaces of the first layer. Source: Gerhard Schubert.

Flexibility was also a theme at Sealpac. The company presented Duo tooling seals, which seal two different formats in one operation. “What makes the concept unique is that it will seal two different packs with two different heights and shapes at the same time,” says Marcel Veenstra, marketing and communications manager, of SEALPAC. Each can be used separately, too: By means of a handle, each tooling can be activated or deactivated, so the two formats can be produced simultaneously or one after the other. The concept is suitable for multi-component packs such as ready meals or snacks. Environmental issues were prominent at Interpack, and materials to meet the demands for reliability, protection and sustainability were in abundance. With bioplastics reportedly set to pass the one million ton mark this year globally, according to industry association European Bioplastics, this topic was on many visitors’ minds. According to Hasso von Pogrell, managing director of European Bioplastics, Interpack was an outstanding stage for presenting innovative packaging materials. “By presenting the new Danone Activia yogurt cup made of PLA bioplastics, we have been able to reach a whole new group of customers overnight, and bioplastics have finally crossed the consumer threshold. We are expecting production capacities to more than double over the next five years.” Sustainable and clever There were plenty of other innovations at Interpack. For example, Ardagh, which bought the metal packaging group Impress, demonstrated the OptiLift, a new ring-pull for cans to overcome the “broken fingernail” problem when consumers try to grasp the ring. Woep Muller, group commercial director with Ardagh, explains how it works: “A flex panel does the trick: It is convex during seaming and becomes concave after sterilization due to the creation of a

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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F O O D PA C K A G I N G

pending product is engineered to survive vacuum-shrinking without wrinkling. The labels can be applied on- or off-line prior to filling and vacuum sealing. “Compared with traditional shrink-bag labeling, the Shrink PS solution offers enhanced labeling flexibility and the opportunity to differentiate product at a later stage in the packaging process. As a result, food processors can reduce or eliminate multiple sets of pre-printed shrink bags in inventory, cutting overall costs,” says Coté.

` SEALPAC presented Duo tooling seals at Interpack. They can seal two different packs with two different heights and shapes at the same time. Source: SEALPAC.

` The new OptiLift ring pull from Ardagh makes can opening effortless. Source: Ardagh.

vacuum. Concavity is reached automatically without the need for mechanical manipulation.” In addition, material savings of up to 10 percent contribute to its sustainable credentials. “The vacuum trick is new, and customers love it,” says Muller. “We’re going to change all our lines by the end of the year to incorporate the OptiLift.” Another innovation on display was the incorporation of a spoon in the top of the lid of baby food powder cans to prevent contamination when scooping out the powder. After use, the spoon is held in the lid’s rim so consumers don’t have to put their hand in to fish it out. Among the new launches from Avery Dennison were a pressure-sensitive, one-way valve for high-speed application and shrink PS labels for meat and dairy applications. The Flexis Air valve thoroughly de-gasses packaged coffee, and can be applied using automatic label application systems at speeds nearly twice those of injection-molded, heat seal-applied valves, explains Marcel Coté, business development manager, label and packaging materials for Avery Dennison. In addition, the company’s new shrink PS labels are said to offer superior visual appeal, while saving costs. The patent18

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Migration issues Ink migration in food packaging made mainstream media news coverage after government lab tests in Zurich found unacceptable levels of mineral oils in food packaging in, for example, cereal packages. Chemicals in these mineral oils have been linked to inflammation of internal organs and cancer. Recycled board containing newsprint was the culprit, but mineral oil migration in general has led companies such as Kellogg and Weetabix to take steps to reduce the amount of mineral oil in packaging. Following these findings, food companies and suppliers have rushed to find solutions. This was evident at Interpack where, for example, ink manufacturer Siegwerk displayed a vegetablebased ink, which is non-toxic even if migration occurs. Alcohol-based ink is another alternative. It is used in a new product from REA and inkjet print head manufacturer Trident. To prevent blockages, patented sub-pulse technology agitates the ink but does not eject it, allowing the print head to clean it in periods of inactivity. The printer can coat porous and nonporous surfaces. “Traditional ink won’t dry on a non-porous surface,” explains Reto Heil, head of marketing, coding and marking systems at REA. “Traditional wax-based inks sit on the surface of the pack, so if there is any rubbing or heat involved, you can get smearing. With barcodes, it is particularly important that this does not happen. This is an entirely new alternative.” The piezo printer can be used for high-resolution printing of logos, graphics and barcodes in heights up to 50mm x 100mm. Cott Beverages is currently using the printer, and trials are beginning in Europe. ❖ For more information: Gerhard Schubert, Schubert, 49 7111 16446 16, [email protected] Marcel Veenstra, SEALPAC, 31 341 46 20 30, [email protected] Hasso von Pogrell, European Bioplastics, 49 30 28482 350, [email protected] Woep Muller, Ardagh Group, 31 570 682 168, [email protected] Marcel Coté, Avery Dennison, 61 3 9271 0648, [email protected] Christoph Thünemann, Siegwerk, 49 2241 304 732, [email protected] Reto M. Heil, REA Jet, 49 6154 638 1122, [email protected] Des O’Neil, Trident, 353 1 8014005, [email protected]

The ultimate in high speed powder dispersion. Powder Inlet

Liquid Inlet

Completed Dispersion

An intense vacuum draws powders including silica, thickeners and pigments into the mix chamber of the SLIM Solids/Liquid Injection Manifold. They are injected through a ported rotor directly into the high shear zone and dispersed instantly.

SLIM eliminates the clogging and poor dispersion quality associated with eductor-based systems. It also eliminates the need for an auxiliary pump in most applications. Operation is simple – and the portable inline SLIM easily serves multiple process lines.

SLIM will boost production and operating efficiency. Nothing boosts production faster.

See the new SLIM video online.

The SLIM powder dispersion system is the world’s most efficient and reliable device for dispersing powders into a liquid stream.

See for yourself how SLIM outperforms eductors, turbines, propellers and other rotor/stator mixers. Visit www.PowderInjection.com.

With this technology, proven on process lines around the world, SLIM routinely cuts process times by 80% or more.

Contact Ross to arrange a no-charge demonstration in the Ross Test & Development Center or in your plant.

1-800-243-ROSS • [email protected] See Food Master, pages IFC 11, 122-127

THOUGHT-LEADER WEBINAR SERIES: PRESENTED BY:

www.hixson-inc.com

Anticipating the Next Generation Thursday, September 29, 2011 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT Exclusively for thought-leaders in food and beverage processing facility management, Food Plant of the Future webinars are presented by Hixson, a leading design and engineering firm of food processing facilities in North America. Anticipating the Next Generation continues the dialogue about issues and advancements that will define how tomorrow’s food plants are built and operated. Can’t attend live? Register and watch anytime.

Register for free at webinar.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K Focus on Plant Floor Instrumentation

TANK CLEANER

LASER ALIGNMENT KIT The Pinpoint Laser Systems Microgage 2D multi-purpose, universal alignment kit measures and realigns misaligned rolls and web systems, uneven travel on CNC machine tools, misaligned extrusion casings and poorly aligned bore tubes. Readings are shown on an LCD screen in 0.0001-in. increments or millimeters. A rotating base is included for aligning and checking flat planes such as machine beds, roller assemblies and sliding mechanical stages. A right-angle beam bender squares machinery, checks the vertical axis of machine tools, monitors the parallelism of rails and realigns rollers. A heavy-duty tripod, mounting fixtures and interface cable for connection to a laptop or PC are included. Pinpoint Laser Systems; 800-757-5383; www.pinlaser.com

CHECKWEIGHER Designed for speeds up to 250 pieces/ min., the OCS HC-MEDIUM check-

weigher is operated by an industrial PC. It has a compact design with sloping edges and high ground clearance. A modular sub-frame allows scaling to various applications and individualized integration with metal detectors, cameras, etc. A spectrum of reject devices is available to discharge products with incorrect weight without disturbing the ongoing flow in production. The checkweigher is available as a washdown unit for harsh environments (IP 69K) and with stainless steel construction for damp rooms (IP 65). OCS Checkweighers, Inc.; 678-344-8300; www.ocs-cw.com

Providing 180° downward coverage, the Spraying Systems TankJet 190D tank cleaner removes sticky residues/skim lines and cleans heavy sludge from the bottom and shadow areas of tanks. The cleaner operates at pressures up to 1,000psi and uses high-impact, solid-stream nozzles to clean tanks up to 34 ft. in diameter. Powered by a motor rather than fluid, the unit eliminates clogging. Air, electric or explosion-proof electric motors are available. Shaft length options range from 3 to 6 ft. The cleaner can be installed permanently or moved from tank to tank. Spraying Systems Co.; 630-6655000; www.spray.com

SPECTROPHOTOMETER The Hach DR 3900 bench-top spectrophotometer has guided testing procedures and RFID technology for accurate water analysis; it eliminates false readings by taking 10 readings of a prepared sample from different angles and removing outliers. The unit automatically recognizes the lot, expiration and calibration curves associated with each TNTplus chemistry sample when a TNTplus box is placed next to the machine. Hach Company; 800-227-4224; www.hach.com

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

DOUBLE PLANETARY MIXERS Ross double planetary mixers are available with high-viscosity blades that feature a precisely angled helical contour which generates a sweeping curve that firmly pushes batch material forward and downward, keeping it within the mixing zone at all times. The blades also extend the viscosity range of the mixers to approximately 6 million cP. The mixers feature polished stainless steel 316 wetted parts, labyrinthstyle gearbox sealing arrangement, double-lip seals on each stirrer shaft, dust shield, flush-mounted discharge valve and platen-style discharge system. Standard sizes range from 1/2 pint through 750 gal. Optional surface coatings, rotating and sidewall thermocouples, vacuum pump, level sensors and PLC controls are available. Charles Ross & Son Company; 800-243-ROSS; www.mixers.com

ULTRAFILTRATION MEMBRANE MODULES ITT PCI Membranes A19/A37 stainless steel ultrafiltration membrane modules for the clarification of apple juice have a removable core design. Manufactured with materials compliant with FDA, CFR21 and EU regulations, the modules feature an open-channel design that processes liquids with high levels of suspended solids without plugging and facilitates cleaning in place. Maximum operating pressures of 7 bar with temperatures up to 60°C are possible with the modules. ITT PCI Membranes; www.pcimembranes.com

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

PASTEURIZATION/STERILIZATION Compact in size, OMVE HT121 and HT122 bench-top pasteurization and sterilization units process a range of products and simulate industrial scale. The systems allow conducting trials with less than one liter of material, reducing the required amount of ingredients, as well as preparation, start-up and processing times. Including different holding times and temperature profiles, they heat and/or cool various products from water up to concentrates with high viscosities and small particulates. Data logging can be stored on a USB stick. OMVE USA; 856-241-9970; www.omve.com

3-WAY SORTER Including a 3-way sorting capability and 2 ejector systems, the Key Manta sorter automatically ejects product that can be reworked and recovered separately from material sent to waste; good product continues though the camera/laser sorter unaffected. The high-capacity sorter has a 2-meter wide scan area and handles up to 60,000 lbs. of product an hour. It performs high-resolution imaging of each object to detect and remove defects and foreign material via both color and laser sorting. The sorter can be changed over via the touch screen to achieve traditional 2-way sorting if off-grade products have no recoverable value. Key Technology, Inc.; 509-529-2161; www.key.net

Visit us at the AMI Show, Booth #2419 www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

ADVERTORIAL

PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 (September 26-28; Las Vegas Convention Center) will be the most comprehensive resource for food processors in North America in 2011. ith more than 1,600 exhibitors, PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 is the only food processing show in North America where food and beverage manufacturers can discover solutions across the supply chain to address critical issues like: s Food safety s Sustainability s Shelf life s Freshness s Lean manufacturing s Machine-to-machine communication s Flexibility For food processing attendees, having both packaging and processing technologies all in one place doesn’t just make it faster and easier to find

W

solutions for the whole manufacturing line, it broadens their sourcing horizons. Integrated Solutions An increasing number of brand owners are taking a unified approach to processing and packaging and reaping significant benefits including: s Streamlined production s Increased output s Minimization of energy consumption or waste s Improved sustainability s Enhanced efficiencies s Greater automation This total systems approach also allows processing and packaging teams to better understand what product or packaging changes can feasibly run on the line. Communication between food processing and packaging operations also helps to assure that any new machinery added to either line is equally adaptable to future changes. Having machinery that can be adjusted or replaced all at the same time helps to minimize downtime and keep the pace of production. The Processing Zone at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 will address the trend of integration at a greater level. This special area of the show will highlight the latest processing technologies for a range of market sectors including food, beverage, baking and snack, meat, dairy and produce. Food processing attendees will find additional examples of these technologies throughout the exhibit halls. Added Value at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 PACK EXPO Las Vegas offers more opportunities to food and beverage processing professionals than any other trade show in North America. PMMI is collaborating with several industry partners to facilitate value-added programming around PACK EXPO and add an extra layer of depth for food manufacturers. Partnership with Anuga FoodTec Anuga FoodTec, (March 27-30, 2012; Cologne, Germany) the largest food and beverage processing and packaging show in Europe, will have a presence at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011. Experts will be on hand to help packaging and processing suppliers seeking to expand into the European market.

“The show allowed me to initiate some commercial relationships with suppliers I didn’t know before. PACK EXPO is definitely a ‘must-be-at’ show,” said Stephane Boubee, Global Technician Procurement Manager at Nestlé. speaker at the PACK EXPO Leadership Lecture presented by Title Sponsors DuPont and Morrison Container Handling Solutions & Gold Sponsors Dorner Mfg. Corp., Eastman Chemical Company and Fox IV Technologies. The event will take place Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. General Powell’s address is titled “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values.” Tickets can be purchased at www.packexpo.com. Single tickets are available for $125 or packages of 10 tickets are available for $1,000.

Food Safety Summit Resource Center Featuring leading industry and subject matter experts, the Food Safety Summit Resource Center will help manufacturers and processors respond to the many challenges they face on the job. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the latest breakthroughs in food safety and gain valuable insight into potential solutions. More Innovation at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 The Innovation Stage will debut at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011. Located in The Candy Bar, The Baking and Snack Break and The Rx Lounge, The Innovation Stage will feature live, 30-minute seminars about the latest packaging and processing solutions in the Confectionery, Baking and Snack, and Pharmaceutical industries. The Conference at PACK EXPO Food and beverage processors can gain further insight into pressing industry issues by participating in the comprehensive Conference at PACK EXPO program. Following are just some of the industry groups that will contribute to the program: s Alliance for Innovation and Operational Excellence (AIOE) s Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) s International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) s Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) s Converting and Package Printing (CPP) In addition, former Secretary of State retired General Colin L. Powell will be the keynote

Value in Vegas PMMI signed an agreement with the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM) to co-locate AIM Expo 2011 with PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011 (Sept. 26-28; Las Vegas, Nev.). The AIM Expo conference program will include tracks on government, healthcare, manufacturing, mobile workforce and retail. “Auto ID in Packaging” and “Internet of Things,” two new sessions, will identify state-of-theart applications and solutions to improve operations, streamline production, reduce costs and enhance overall business processes. AIM attendees are eligible for complimentary admission to the PACK EXPO show floor. (Registration required.) PACK EXPO Delivers Food manufacturers continue to rely on PACK EXPO as the only North American processing show with a proven track record for delivering innovative solutions on the show floor. s 97 percent of past PACK EXPO attendees visit the show to see both packaging and processing innovations. s 93 percent of past attendees indicated that PACK EXPO clearly fulfilled the overall expectations they had for attending the show. s 42 percent of attendees at PACK EXPO are from the food industry.

Register for PACK EXPO Las Vegas now at www.packexpo.com and make sure to secure an early registration discounted ticket. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

Food Processing. Food Packaging. Powerful Solutions. PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011

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s 1,600 exhibitors. s 600,000 square feet. s Comprehensive education program dedicated to food processing and packaging. Register Today! www.packexpo.com/processing

P R O D U C E D B Y:

September 26-28, 2011 Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada USA

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TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

PRESSURE GAUGES Ashcroft PLUS! Performance pressure gauges eliminate pointer flutter in the presence of pump pulsation and high vibration; the engineered internal feature also inhibits movement wear. The PLUS! Performance option is available on a variety of Ashcroft pressure gauges, in a range of service types, sizes and configurations. Ashcroft; 800-328-8258; www.ashcroft.com

carrying case are included. E Instruments International; 215750-1212; www.e-inst.com

DOUBLE-DIAPHRAGM PUMPS

PRESSURE/VELOCITY METER The E Instruments MP120 compact manometer plus anemometer measures pressure and air velocity. It features an up to 8,000 FPM air velocity range, 0.1 resolution and accuracy of +/-1% of rdg. Pressure is measured in kPa, inWg, mbra, mmHg and psi; air velocity is measured in FPM, m/s and Km/h. The meter has a 128 x 128 pixel display and dimensions of 5 in. x 2.5 in. x 1.25 in. Pressure tubes, battery and

See Food Master, p. 73

Designed for food processing operations, Almatec BIOCOR Series aseptic, air-operated, double-diaphragm pumps are available in 3 sizes, with maximum capacities of 15, 34 and 70gpm at a maximum discharge pressure of 100psi. The pumps feature step-less flow control via air pressure and volume without mechanical control units. Wetted housing parts are constructed from electro-polished 316L stainless steel with a center block of PE conductive; the diaphragms, ball valves and O-rings are made of PTFE or EPDM. A metal-free, pneumatically pilot-operated air control system ensures accurate reversal of the main piston, does not require maintenance and operates without any lubrication. The pumps have earned certifications for hygienic design and cleanability from the 3A and EHEDG organizations, as well as material compliance as stipulated by FDA. Almatec Maschinenbau GmbH; www.almatec.de

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

LOGGER/TEMPERATURE MONITOR Designed for use with the FlashLink RF 2.4 GHz wireless system, the DeltaTRAK RF logger with external probe monitors and tracks temperature history information by either penetrating the product with the probe or by placing it between boxes or packages of product. The logger has an internal temperature range of -40˚F to 185˚F; the probe’s temperature range is -40˚F to 302˚F. DeltaTRAK; 800-962-6776; www.deltatrak.com

TANK CLEANER The Gamajet PowerFLEX low-pressure, fluid-drive impingement tank cleaner creates high-impact cleaning jets that scour an entire tank interior in a repeatable 360˚ manner; at a 10-ft. distance, operating at 30gpm and 50psi, it produces nearly 10 lbs. of force. Average operating conditions are between 50 and 100psi and from 20 to 80 gal./ min. The cleaner incorporates a sanitary design, including FDA-compliant materials; self-cleaning and draining capabilities; and a high-polish, sanitary finish, making it suitable for both sanitary and industrial applications. Gamajet Cleaning Systems; 877426-2538; www.gamajet.com

TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTERS TURCK TTM temperature transmitters have an analog output that eliminates the need for specialized RTD PLC input cards. They provide a 4-20 mA output using an integrated PT100 resistance temperature detector. Plug-and-play, they come pre-scaled at 0˚C to 100˚C, 0˚C to 150˚C, -50˚C to 50˚C, or -50˚C to 150˚C. Stainless steel connections make them suitable for food and beverage applications. TURCK; 800-544-7769; www.turck.us

See Food Master, p. 68 www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

clear. safe. solutions. Clarion provides the most highly refined white oils available to help protect your facility from contamination, equipment failure and downtime. EXPERIENCED We have a 40-year history of processing white oils and continue to redefine the leading edge of industry innovation. SECURE As an established national manufacturer, we know the importance of a strong supply chain: When you need our white oils, you’ll be able to get our white oils. COMPLETE Clarion Food Grade FR Fluid Clarion Food Grade White Mineral Oils Clarion Food Machinery Grease, No. 2 Clarion Food Machinery A/W Oils Clarion Food Machinery Gear Oils Clarion Food Machinery HT EP Greases Clarion PM Hi-Temp Food Machinery 100 Greases Clarion Chain and Trolley Lube

PALLETIZING SOFTWARE Combining the features of a graphic system simulation tool with application programming software, ABB Robotics Palletizing PowerPac programming software for RobotStudio allows users to configure, simulate and program ABB robots and grippers for palletizing solutions in one step; it automatically generates a RAPID application program utilized to command the activities of the robot. The software also allows users to validate the performance of their palletizing system before making equipment investments. ABB Robotics; www.abb.com

bration via a U S B connection. A wireless transmitter option sends readings to remote locations and allows PC-based chart recording and data logging. Omega Engineering, Inc.; 203-3591660; www.omega.com

COMMITTED Our technical field support team is able to optimize your operation by creating custom solutions. RELIABLE Clarion Food Grade Lubricants are NSF registered and Kosher certified.

SIDELOADERS

To learn how Clarion can refine your operation, call 855-MY-CLARION or visit clarionlubricants.com.

PRESSURE GAUGE Omega DPG409 series digital pressure gauges feature a large backlit display that makes it possible for users to read digits from over 35 ft., and a stainless steel enclosure designed specifically for washdown and sanitary applications. Tested to Industrial CE specifications, the gauges have ranges from vacuum to 5,000psi; all units include setup software for installation and caliSee Food Master, p. IFC 13, 36-41

Designed to handle long or bulky loads in narrow aisles, Raymond Models 9300 and 9400 sideloaders feature a high stacking capability, and can be used in applications such as pallet-less handling, long-load handling, transport and rack storage. Featuring AC drive and AC lift, they have a 12,000-lb. lifting capacity in various configurations and a 30-ft. stacking capability for loads as long as 26 ft. The sideloaders have a high-voltage system powered by two 24-volt batteries, a single-axis control handle and power steering that allows each set of wheels to turn independently. The Raymond Corporation; 800-2357200; www.raymondcorp.com

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT CONTAMINATION OR DOWNTIME.

FOOD GRADE

We know how hard you work to meet demand and stay competitive. But no matter how meticulously you service your equipment or how much skill your workforce acquires, accidents happen. Something as simple as a ruptured hose can lead to lost profit, missed deadlines and even e damaged reputations. That’s why we created Clarion Food Grade Lubricants. This full line nee of NSF registered register food grade products including oils, greases and fluids has been sp pecifically formulated to iinhibit nhibit oxidation and provide anti-wear properties to safeguarrd your operation and givee your bottom line the security it des deserves. ser

clear. safe. solutions.

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

STRADDLE STACKERS MCFA Jungheinrich EJC B14 and EJC B16 heavy-duty electric Walkie straddle stackers have a 3-phase AC technology drive system, proportional lift and lower control, and multifunction control tiller head. Precise speed and torque control allow easy maneuvering even in confined warehouse applications. All forklift truck movement functions are accomplished via the tiller head mounted low and toward the side of the truck. Other features include a dual-articulating load wheel design, crawl speed button that allows travel with handle in the upright position and auto reversing switch. Optional features include adjustable base leg widths, a cold store package for refrigeration and freezer applications and electric power steering. Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc.; www.mcfa.com accuracy of full scale and pressure ranges from vacuum to 500psi, or 0 to 10,000psi. Options include 2 solid-state relays or SPDT mechanical relay outputs for basic to semi-advanced automation. Automation Products Group, Inc.; 888-525-7300; www.apgsensors.com

SHIPPING/RECEIVING FLOOR SCALE

PRESSURE GAUGE The APG PG10 IP65-rated indoor/outdoor digital pressure gauge features a 5.5-in. display casing, 4-button setup, 5-digit display with 0.68-in. tall characters and 270˚ digital dial or radial bar graph that shows a user-selectable pressure range from 0 to 100%. Standard features include tare, peak hold and max-min readings; user-selectable units of measure; and an auto-off timer. The gauge has an operating temperature range from 0˚F to 160˚F, +/-0.25% See Food Master, p. IFC 12

Made of carbon steel with a durable 2-part, epoxy-painted finish, the METTLER TOLEDO PFA261 fully electronic, painted steel floor scale for shipping and receiving provides accurate, repeatable weighing for a variety of industrial applications. Designed to be installed on top of the floor, it can weigh uniformly distributed loads such as pallets; it is not designed for forklift traffic. Adjustable feet allow leveling the scale on uneven floors. Options include a pre-calibrated scale terminal and ramps that provide access to all 4 sides of the scale and allow heavy loads to be wheeled onto the scale platform. METTLER TOLEDO, Inc.; 614-4384511; www.mt.com

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

For consistant food grade lubricant quality, buy from a company that is NSF H1 and ISO 21469 CERTIFIED.

FIXED-MOUNT BARCODE READER Used for food and beverage factory automation applications, the Cognex DataMan 500 QL fixed-mount barcode reader is powered by a proprietary vision chip. It offers 1-D barcode reading with up to 90 decodes per second and image acquisition with autoexposure at up to 1,000 frames per second. Options include a choice of C-mount or variable focus liquid lens; field interchangeable lighting options include integrated LED lighting and a high-powered illumination accessory. The reader can be accessed from any terminal connected to the network, eliminating the need for a host PC to translate data to a PLC or central network. The protocols also allow data files and images to be archived directly through FTP support for later review and analysis. Cognex Corporation; www.cognex.com

Summit Industrial Products is one of the fast growing synthetic food grade lubricant manufacturing companies in the US.

Try us out and see why!

point, the lasers are aligned with the edge of the belt, and a cut line appears. The belt square operates on battery power and can be used for 60 continuous hours without changing batteries. Flexco; 630-971-0150; www.flexco.com

COMPRESSION FITTINGS LASER BELT SQUARE Lightweight and portable, the 2-lb. Flexco laser belt square can be used by traveling maintenance crews to find a belt’s average centerline without conventional measuring methods. To square the belt, an operator attaches the magnetic targets to the conveyor sidewalls, positions the belt square on the future cut line and depresses the power button. Once the lasers are activated, the square is moved toward the side of the belt until the spring-loaded pin extends below the belt surface. Using the pin as a pivot

Hayward Flow Control CCP Series Tank-Tite compression fittings provide a constant load on the gasket of a bulkhead fitting to overcome and compensate for tank wall expansion or contraction due to changes in temperature and/or pressure within the tank; they also maintain a constant load on the bulkhead fitting nut to reduce the possibility of loosening due to vibration within the system. The fittings have a PVC upper- and lower-body construction, 17-7PH stainless steel wave spring and a rating to 150psi non-shock at 70˚F. Hayward Flow Control; 888-4294635; www.haywardflowcontrol.com

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

ISO 9001:2008 KOSHER CFIA HALAL

800.749.5823 www.klsummit.com

SUMMIT

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS

Third-Party Audits:

Adopting an Open-Door Policy

34

May 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Bigger welcome mats are being laid out for third-party auditors as the food industry reconciles itself to customer and public demands for greater transparency. ` Kevin T. Higgins, Senior Editor

A

t a 1987 signing ceremony for a nuclear weapons reduction treaty with the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust, but verify.” Manufacturers can relate. Some may wax nostalgic for a simpler time when a man’s word was his bond. If that was ever the case, it most certainly is not in today’s business world. As any manufacturer can attest, customers expect transparency and demand access to the production floor. Independent verification that good ASSET MANAGEMENT manufacturing practices are being followed is almost a condition of doing business. Industry guidelines and self-certifications are going the way of the electronic pager. Pressure for third-party audits and documented procedures is coming from multiple directions, most notably trading partners. Speaking at Food Engineering’s 2011 Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference, Dennis Treacy, chief sustainability officer at Smithfield Foods Inc., described the hog producer’s efforts to rehabilitate its environmental record by seeking certification to ISO 14000, the environmental standard of the International Organization for Standardization. The Smithfield, VA-based firm’s 480 hog farms were certified in 2002, with processing facilities brought into compliance two years later. “There was a cost,” Treacy allows, “but we needed third parties coming in and seeing we were doing what we said we were going to do, because nobody believed us anymore.” The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will require food companies to, among other things, demonstrate a management system for food security is in place, according to Mark E. Powers, regional security manager for MillerCoors LLC, Milwaukee. The legislation primarily focuses on imported products, but in-plant defenses also will be more closely scrutinized. “You can’t get to what FSMA says without historical records of CCTV recordings, access-card use, et cetera,” says Powers. While food defense is addressed in audit standards under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), he predicts more rigorous requirements soon will be in place. The GFSI food safety audits are more rigorous than the proprietary standards that have existed for years. Almost 13,000 North American food and beverage sites have been certified so far, and worldwide, 120,000 certificates have been issued, a four-fold increase in three years, according to Catherine François, director of food safety programs

at GFSI’s headquarters in suburban Paris, France. “Many European-based retailers no longer have their own proprietary schemes [audit programs] and rely on third-party certification for food safety management,” she states. François says circumstantial evidence indicates fewer audits are occurring at some European food companies. American processors regard the prospect of fewer audits with a healthy dose of skepticism. In a straw poll, no US food professionals indicated they expect fewer audits. Most say they are audited four to nine times annually, and the GFSI audits are taking two to three times longer to complete than the proprietary standards developed by organizations such as AIB International and Silliker Labs. Some welcome the change: “What has been done in the past by third-party auditors has not nearly been rigorous enough,” one manager says. While self-certification is possible with many ISO standards, GFSI involves multiple levels of third-party review. GFSI is the review body for SQF, BRC and other standards. The companies that offer the audits also must be certified, and their auditors are certified only to inspect production processes with which they have a demonstrated level of expertise. Their inspections are not limited to the review of good manufacturing practices and proof of functioning prerequisite programs; they also demand evidence of oversight by senior management and corrective actions taken when a problem occurs. No gain with pain Wherever livestock is involved, animal welfare has emerged as a hot button rivaling food safety. Conditions of confinement are addressed in legislation approved by several states, most notably California’s Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, better known as Prop 2. Though not in effect until 2015, Prop 2 is reshaping practices involving veal calves, gestating sows and laying hens. As with similar legislation signed into law in June by Oregon’s governor and in May in the state of Washington, Prop 2 mandates the use of crates and cages that allow captive animals to lie down, turn freely and fully extend their limbs and wings. Traditional battery cages for hens have been on the way out in Europe for a decade, and next year, they will be banned, as egg producers complete the transition to enriched colony housing. JS West & Cos. in Modesto, CA converted housing for 10 percent of its flock of 1.5 million laying hens to enriched colony two years ago. Last year, the system was the first to be www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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THIRD-PARTY AUDITS

` Customers are casting a wider net in plant audits, moving from line operations to the far corners of manufacturing sites to assure their suppliers are doing everything possible to meet new standards for sanitary procedures, worker safety and other practices not directly related to product integrity. Source: Orkin.

36

certified by the American Humane Association (AHA), which began offering third-party audits of slaughter facilities in the UK in the mid-1990s. “The conventional [hen housing] system is not inhumane, in my opinion,” offers Jill Benson, vice president of JS West. On the other hand, “we realized there was a societal shift,” with members of the public demanding to know more about farm practices for industrialized production. The vast majority of egg operations are held to standards developed by the United Egg Producers, but those standards only apply to battery cages and cage-free production. Because AHA’s standards are science based, JS West adopted them for enriched colony. AHA emphasizes it is separate and distinct from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the activist group that takes a more adversarial approach with industry. American Humane consulted with animal husbandry scientists when drafting its certification program, points out Kathi Brock, director of strategic partnerships for the Englewood, CO organization. One of the experts helping to shape the certification audits was Temple Grandin, the designer of humane livestock-handling systems praised by both industry (the American Meat Institute touts her work) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “Our mission is animal welfare, but if animal welfare is too expensive, you haven’t helped anyone,” says Brock. “It has to be economically feasible to convert to enriched colony.” At JS West, partial conversion came with a $3.7 million price tag, and if Prop 2 passes muster in court, “our family alone will face a bill of $30 million,” says Benson. Statewide, she estimates California egg producers will have to invest $556 million to convert. The housing’s impact on production still is being evaluated. “She eats a little more feed,” Benson says

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

of the laying hens, “but her livability is good and production is good.” Brock predicts the system should make JS West a preferred supplier for companies such as Unilever, which only accepts eggs from operators with the American Humane Certified designation. (Unilever officials did not respond to requests to confirm that requirement.) Cage fabricators already have revised their designs to allow conversion of battery cages to enhanced colony, a capability that adds hardware cost for all egg operations, regardless of where they do business. But many are rallying around the tougher standards and stricter certification in part to blunt more extreme requirements. “The beauty of the AHA is that they look at the science and have an advisory council that is really a solutions-based group,” suggests Greg Satrum, co-owner of Willamette Egg Farms in Canby, OR. “Unfortunately, we have some groups that are looking to erode consumer confidence. The way to combat that is through transparency.” Industry finds its voice Finding a reasonable middle ground is essential if onerous requirements are to be avoided. “We’re starting to tell our story to the world,” says Smithfield’s Treacy. Providing an organized response to critics is the essence of the Center for Food Integrity, a four-year-old group that includes the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply. The latter group includes McDonald’s, Michael Foods and the American Veterinary Medical Association, while the former unites farmers, ranchers, university researchers and a few processors such as Foster Farms and Tyson in the mission of “building trust and confidence in today’s food system.” Another industry initiative is the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization Inc. (PAACO), Redfield, IA. Audit training and auditor certification for animal welfare have been provided since 2005. AHA requires its auditors to be PAACO certified and ISO 9000 trained. The down side of unqualified audits spurred PAACO’s formation, according to Mike Simpson, executive director. A pork packer lost three weeks of production when a food safety auditor who “didn’t know animals from up” gave the facility a failing grade because he mistook a standard hog watering system as a danger to the pigs’ health. Pork and poultry are on the front lines of the animal welfare debate because those segments are most closely linked to industrial practices. To counter the criticism, groups like the National Pork Board are raising their standards and winning industry support. When the pork board introduced the PQA Plus

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THIRD-PARTY AUDITS

` Video monitoring by third parties is being used by some food companies to augment in-house audits of food safety and animal welfare programs. Source: Arrowsight Inc.

38

certification for on-farm hog production, Hormel announced it would only purchase from pork producers who are PQA Plus certified. “If it’s happening with broilers and hogs, why won’t it happen with dairy and beef?” Simpson asks rhetorically. All food production involving livestock will face animal-welfare audits at some point, he predicts, and PAACO wants to ensure the people conducting those third-party audits are qualified. Fewer than 300 individuals are PAACO certified, however, and most only are certified for poultry. Many are employees of the companies whose facilities they audit. One processor says his firm’s PAACO auditors conduct in-house audits at facilities other than the one where they work, and while the results so far have been accepted by customers, the system is vulnerable to conflict of interest charges. Though useful for continuous improvement and generally accepted by customers, internal reviews based on the AMI Foundation’s checklist fall into the category of “biased” audits, points out Len Huskey, director of animal welfare at JBS USA Holdings Inc., Greeley, CO. “It’s only human nature for employees to be on their best behavior” when an auditor is recording livestock slips and falls, stunning outcomes, the use of electric prods and other activities covered by the AMI audit. Remote video monitoring, on the other hand, delivers an unbiased audit, which is why JBS extended a pilot program with Arrowsight Inc. in its Souderton, PA facility last year to its seven other beef slaughter plants. From their control room in Huntsville, AL, Arrowsight’s staffers, under the direction of PAACO-certified supervisors, emulate the AMI slaughter audits performed in person, with two important differences. An in-house auditor observes 100 cattle being unloaded from trailers, for example, and notes which ones slipped, fell or disembarked without incident.

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

If more than three slip and one falls, a failing score is recorded. After the butcher plunges a long knife into the animal’s chest cavity to end life, the carcasses move along a bleed rail, where workers make cuts between the hide and the epidermis, to prepare the carcass for the mechanical hide-removal machine. The inspector again observes 100 carcasses, watching for any signs of life. If any signs of a return to sensibility are detected, procedures such as skinning the head must cease until the animal is re-stunned. Otherwise, the plant fails the audit. Instead of monitoring 100 consecutive animals, Arrowsight’s technicians observe them in increments of 10, then aggregate to 100. And although the technicians are limited by the camera’s field of vision, they have the ability to zoom in to evaluate individual workers’ performance. When live audits were performed in Souderton, “there were some applications that were perfect” under the AMI scoring system, according to Adam Aronson, CEO of Mount Kisco, NY-based Arrowsight. When video monitoring was performed, scores as low as 85 percent were recorded for the same procedures, and “some workers were below 40 percent compliance.” Based on Arrowsight’s work in health care, the discrepancy was hardly surprising: Presurgical procedures include scrubdown, and the assumption is that 60 percent compliance occurs. When video monitoring was done, proper handwashing only occurred 10 percent of the time. For JBS, video auditors not only look for signs of life on the bleed rail, they zoom in to observe individual workers’ compliance with glove and knife sanitation and the depth of incisions they make to facilitate hide removal. Huskey calls this auditing for cuts, folds or flaps: An accidental or deeper than necessary incision creates a contamination point. By zooming in, the monitors can evaluate details of the carcass dressing and give JBS supervisors a tool for improving workmanship. “As a result of that, their microbial counts were reduced by about 70 percent” in the pilot, says Aronson. Given meat and poultry plants’ previous experiences with video, remote monitoring requires a slight leap of faith. In 2004, a PETA investigator, embedded in a Heflon, AL Tyson plant, recorded abusive chicken-slaughter activities with a hidden camera. Public dissemination proved a lightning rod for animal-welfare advocates and ushered in a series of similar undercover videos. Bills banning unauthorized photographs and videos are pending in the state legislatures of Iowa, Florida and Minnesota. A Smithfield farm in Waverly, VA was the subject of a 2007 undercover video by HSUS, which criti-

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THIRD-PARTY AUDITS

cized the company’s animal-handling practices and took the company to task for the cramped gestation stalls. “We ended up firing three people,” Treacy recalls, and almost a third of sows have since been converted to group housing. The firm also commissioned an independent review of its animal welfare

practices by Grandin and her colleague, Jennifer Woods. The report is posted at www.smithfieldfoodstoday.com, a site devoted to highlighting the company’s reformed practices. The company also is using video to tell its story. Seven videos in the series, “Taking the mystery out of pork production,”

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August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

are posted on the site of Murphy-Brown LLC, Smithfield’s livestock production subsidiary. “It’s the ultimate in transparency,” Treacy declares. Actual ly, that distinction might belong to JS West, which features a live stream with six camera angles of hens in enhanced colony housing. “It’s mostly for education and outreach,” explains Benson. The hens live in a computercontrolled environment, and workers walk the barns daily as a failsafe measure. The camera’s purpose is to build public trust, not to guide animal-welfare practices. “With our live cam, we felt this was a great way to be completely transparent to everyone,” she says. Don’t fear the auditor Audits often are anticipated with fear and loathing, regardless of whether it is an internal review, a regulatory inspection or part of a comprehensive management assessment. “It’s a vague term, but it wakes you up, and you don’t want to fail an audit,” points out Zia Siddiqi, director of quality systems for Atlanta-based Orkin LLC pest management. Proper training and clearly defined responsibilities help reduce stress levels, but the key to taming the audit beast is a well-defined management system. “You’re allowed to make mistakes, but don’t make that mistake twice,” he advises. “Be prepared to document not only corrective actions but preventive actions,” as well. Siddiqi, who instituted an ISO 9000 quality management system at Orkin 17 years ago, sees the growth in certified standards programs as a consequence of the growth in global trade, with both ISO and GFSI migrating from Europe to North America and now taking root in other regions. Donna Garren, president and general manager of NSF Agriculture, Watsonville, CA, seconds that view, adding the growth of outcomes-oriented standards is a positive trend. “Compliance to a standard is secondary,” she adds. The real value of GFSI and FSMA is development of a plan that identifies and recognizes risk and provides a structure for managing it and improving outcomes.

After serving as one of GFSI’s first US food-safety administrators, Garren joined NSF International, the Ann Arbor, MI standards-writing organization that also delivers audit services. Garren headed the firm’s NSF Davis Fresh unit, which recently expanded its scope beyond the produce industry to include animal welfare, environmental impact and sustainable practices assessments throughout the agricultural market. Animal welfare is not simply a matter of humane treatment, Garren points out. It includes risk assessment of animal diseases, a critical skillset and an area of particular expertise for NSF’s CMI business unit. CMI’s staff, which will be advising NSF Agriculture, ASSET operates in theMANAGEMENT UK. In working with dairy herds and other UK livestock, CMI auditors are on the front lines of preventing outbreaks such as foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease, both of which devastated British agriculture a decade ago. In 2001, an estimated 7 million sheep and cattle were destroyed while fighting a foot and mouth outbreak. Instead of focusing on the audit du jour, Garren suggests food companies consider the financial costs of practices that can allow an Avian influenza outbreak or other event that results in destruction of a flock or rejection of a crop due to excessive pesticide application. “The whole drive today is to third-party verification,” Willamette Egg’s Satrum observes. “We literally live from audit to audit: food safety audits, animal welfare audits, insurance audits, environmental audits. It just goes on and on.” Just as companies are concluding effective quality programs have to be organization-wide efforts and not departmentalized activities, specialists are discovering positive outcomes from stiffer oversight of other activities. When JBS workers were shown the results of their video audits, “they were astonished and surprised,” says Huskey, “but with that feedback, we saw instant improvement.” No one likes someone looking over their shoulder, whether it’s a customer, regulator or independent auditor. But accountability and transparency are

required in today’s business environment. The challenge for food industry leaders is to turn that oversight into a tool for continuous improvement rather than a scenario for second guessing.❖

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41

PLANT DOORS ` ASI Enviro 715D AirSeal High Velocity Airdoor connects an automated high-rise freezer to a cooler dock at a large grocery distribution center. The door uses horizontal high-velocity laminar airflow to create a seal between rooms without the use of a physical door. Source: ASI Technologies.

Options Abound in High-Speed Door Technology Processors have special needs when it comes to staff and materials entering and leaving, as well as separating critical operations and zones in the plant. ` Jaan Koel, Contributing Editor

D

oors would do their best if they were shut 100 per cent of the time. But that, of course, is impractical. Doors that open and close quickly, provide sound safety features, deliver good temperature and humidity controls, maintain utmost hygiene through their design and washdowns, self-reinsert if impacted and operate automatically are the next best thing. High-speed fabric doors can help meet these needs, particularly for coolers and freezers. A few companies offer

both standard and custom solutions ranging from $1K to $20K or higher per opening. The good news is, depending on the amount of energy savings these doors can deliver, both new and retrofit projects are eligible for rebates from a variety of states, as well as energy utility grants, to make payback as short as one to two years per opening. “We just finished a $100K project for a customer in Denver,” says Chuck Zimmerman, vice president of sales for ASI Technologies in Milwaukee, WI, “and we got them in touch with the local branch of Excel Energy that got them an $18K rebate from the energy savings they

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

43

PLANT DOORS

` Closed: Dynaco high-speed roll-up door at Shearer’s Foods Inc. in Massilon, OH with motion-sensing device mounted on the top rail. Open: Same door with Shearer’s Warehouse Associate Tammi Gindlesperger transporting a forklift carrying a pallet of Shearer potato chips through the door opening. Source: Shearer’s Foods.

44

were able to achieve.” Meanwhile, Marketing Director John Schumacher of Milwaukee WI-based Rite-Hite Doors cites Focus on Energy in his state and says he’s seen rebates as high as 50 per cent of project cost. Soft technology ASI Technologies began in 1965 as a supplier of door systems for the food industry. The company then expanded to general industrial and pharmaceutical markets, giving it a leg up on hygiene and clean production design. “We make every type of swing door, personnel door and four- to six-inch sliding cooler and freezer door made of fiberglass and steel for good washdown performance,” Zimmerman explains. “We also manufacture single-panel, bi-parting and track doors that can slide around overhead rail systems, and high-speed fabric roll-up doors that can open and close at up to eight feet in one second.” Speed is important to keep one environment, and temperature zone, separate from another. The faster the door moves, the greater protection it provides against ambient contaminants and the greater money it saves by preventing cold and warm air transfer. “Less warm air infiltration prevents frost and humidity build-up, which helps to improve productivity, minimize energy costs and reduce vehicular damage,” Zimmerman explains. One of the reasons ASI fabric doors can move so quickly is that they’re made of soft, USDA-compliant fabric with no rigid bottom bars. They have a soft bottom edge and an integrated reversing device to enhance worker safety. If impacted, ASI doors reset themselves automatically. They don’t require lubrication, reducing any risk of drips on products passing through on forklifts below. Their edges are angled to direct any condensation away from sensitive areas.

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

The company recently completed a project in an Illinois food distribution facility which complemented its series of high-speed roll-up units with laminar-flow air doors to provide added temperature and humidity control along with frost and ice prevention. Fans are direct shaft driven as opposed to being driven by maintenanceintensive belts. The units can also inject heat into the air stream automatically in real time to manage moisture saturation between different temperature zones. “Often, mornings are more humid while evenings cool off. Our systems compensate automatically in real time through a series of temperature and humidity probes. Integrated PLCs and HMIs perform these functions plus a host of other operational and tracking functions,” notes Zimmerman. ASI systems can also utilize waste heat from refrigeration lines to provide a source of free heat. The horizontal laminar airflow is designed to capture as much warm air as possible for recirculation and to provide further operational efficiencies. In another installation for a frozen food producer, ASI was able to solve a frost build-up, fog and moisture problem between the plant’s -10˚F freezer and adjacent 50˚F dock. At the time, an old sliding door was mounted on the warm side of the opening; a bi-fold was mounted inside the freezer. Together, they were no match for the dual climates and constant door cycle levels required by the plant’s 20/6 operation schedule. A decision was made to keep the slider closed on nights and weekends, and the bi-fold was equipped with 20kw heat lamps, but fog and frost build-up continued to be hazards and slowed production. ASI replaced the slider with an Enviro IXP 1000 impactable sliding door and the bi-fold with an Enviro 715 AirSeal high-velocity laminar air door. Both doors were integrated as a system to provide optimum climate control, solving frost and moisture build-up, without limiting traffic flow.

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PLANT DOORS

` This Rite-Hite high-speed fabric door with radial track is installed at a Mexican food manufacturer in California. The processor washes its doors daily as part of its stringent sanitation routine. Source: Rite-Hite.

46

Zipper edge Dynaco Doors, located in Mundelein, IL, prides itself on safety, speed and the quality of its seals. The company’s patented technology provides high-speed operation without rigid curtain components. Its curtain is made from reinforced PVC and features a soft, flexible bottom edge. “Because of our soft technology and the improved safety it provides, our doors can open and close at 96 inches per second and 60-72 inches respectively,” says Dynaco National Sales Manager Robert Atterson. The side guide features a zipper design that allows the door to reinsert when accidentally dislodged by a forklift. Inner guides are made of UHMW—ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene—which encapsulates the curtain zipper edge to provide a secure seal with minimal wear and maintenance. Driving the doors is a push-pull system that eliminates rigid wind stiffeners and bottom bars. Standard IP65-rated motors use an absolute encoder and frequency inverter to provide rapid acceleration and deceleration without the need for motor brakes. Dynaco approaches new customers with an Excel spreadsheet that outlines how much energy its doors can save in dollars per year depending on temperature deltas, how big the door is and how many times it opens and closes. Every door comes with a standard wireless reversing edge and an infrared photocell, installed 12 inches off the floor to detect the presence of a person or vehicle. Upon detection, the door instantly reverses and remains open until the obstacle is removed. Dynaco’s SlimLine doors were installed at a 47,000-sq.-ft. expansion at snack food maker Shearer Foods Inc. of Massilon, OH in 2010. The project’s many high-tech and sustainability features earned Shearer’s the 2011 Plant of the Year award from Food Engineering. “We were looking for high-performance doors for our expansion,” says Shearer’s Director of Engineering Scott Hamilton. “We heard Biery Cheese, which is nearby, installed them and were very happy with

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

the result. So that’s the direction we took.” He says the doors are very easy to clean, can stand a lot of traffic and are fast. “We installed them between our processing and packaging room, which is air conditioned to prevent seasonings on our chips and other products from bridging. There’s about a 25º to 30º temperature difference between the two zones, and we needed these doors to maintain separate climates.” Albany Door Systems is a division of Albany International, a global company that has its headquarters in Albany, NY. This company has numerous product lines used in food manufacturing. One of them, UltraTough, is a high-speed roll-up door with a rubber curtain that can be used for both interior and exterior openings. Though rubber does not provide a high R-value (numerical measure of heat transfer through an object), it does a good job of resisting high and low temperatures, and is very durable. “It’s a mediumprice choice that’s ideal for harsh environments,” notes Albany Marketing Manager Joe Aiken. The company’s ThermaChill and ThermaFreeze doors are made from Climatex—two layers of vinyl wrapped around heavy-duty polyethylene air pocket insulation. They provide a 4-5 R factor and can withstand temperatures from -40ºF to over 100ºF with a 40ºF temperature variance. For loading dock applications, Albany’s UltraFast doors travel at up to 60 inches/second by wireless control; no coil cords are needed. “The doors break away and reset quickly during accidental impact, are energy efficient, easy to use and economical to maintain,” notes Aiken. Albany’s self-resetting UltraClean high-speed fabric doors are designed for high-traffic sanitary applications. In addition to fast opening and closing speeds, their two-piece side column design and stainless steel components allow for easy washdown and cleaning. Bottom bars are rigid but wrapped in foam and offer an automatic reversing edge for safety. “Our MCC Control system, which drives the doors, uses variable frequency technology that’s easy to use and features a soft start and soft stop capability,” says Aiken. “Many high-speed door companies have variable speed controllers, but our vector control only uses power as needed, saving energy.” The system also has a graphic user interface or GUI that’s scrollable. In addition to controlling door movement, it tracks the door’s performance—how often the door cycles in a given time, if and when it’s been impacted, and other events. Moisture and frost are controlled by the company’s low- or high-volume airflow systems and infrared light in conjunction with heat tape applied to strategic locations.

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PLANT DOORS ` Albany ThermaChill High Speed Cold Storage Door connects the freezer to the cooler at Restaurant Depot. The door travels up to 130 inches per second handling medium forklift and foot traffic. Source: Albany Door Systems.

Track-based alternatives Rite-Hite focuses on faster speed and total door cycle time, while maintaining a high enough R-value to avoid the use of heat lamps and air doors to control condensation and frost. “In many cases, we can save our customers as much as $5,000 to $15,000 per door opening per year in energy costs,” says Schumacher. Rite-Hite provides a variety of roll-up, bi-parting and birolling designs. For vertical types, most companies roll their high-speed fabric doors onto an overhead drum. Rite-Hite

pushes its doors up into a track, either straight up or radial. Its curtains also employ soft edge technology to promote plant safety. Using its unique track system gives Rite-Hite the flexibility to use thicker curtain material, which would otherwise be difficult to roll up. The track can be configured to almost any shape to avoid having to move pipes, electrical connections and other fittings. As a result, the company can offer higher R-value in its high-speed fabric door solutions. Rite-Hite’s FasTrax clean door is designed specifically for food processing. It minimizes surface-to-surface contact points (crevices where bacteria can hide). The rails and tracks are made from UHMW plastic and stainless steel to eliminate corrosion from thorough washdowns. If impacted, panels automatically refeed back into the tracks. Doors can be ordered in a variety of colors, not so much for aesthetic considerations, but for identifying raw areas from cooked in a food facility. One limitation of high-speed roll-up or track-based doors is they don’t provide much security if used at an outside opening.

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August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

` Chase Durulite Industrial Impact Traffic door is used in conjunction with a Chase ColdGuard cold storage sliding door. The impact traffic door maintains temperature differential when the sliding cold storage door is left open. Source: Chase Doors.

In this case, double-door systems are the answer—high-speed doors during production hours where there is a high level of traffic, complemented by heavy-duty steel or composite doors that can be closed and locked at night. Kurt Angermeier, vice president of marketing at Rytec Doors of Jackson, WI, says his company’s high-performance fabric roll-up workhorse is called Clean-Roll. This door meets a combination of USDA, FDA, NSF and ISO standards. One unique feature is a stainless steel piano hinge that attaches the fabric to the drum roller. It can be power-washed and has no hidden pockets where bacteria, dirt, old water or soap could otherwise accumulate. Both the top and bottom areas of the door have drip guards that prevent water or anything else from dripping onto product as it passes through the opening below. For freezer applications, the company’s Turbo-Seal door has multiple options. The panel is made from a proprietary Rytec material called Rylon Therma. It’s 1.5-inches thick and uses closed cell foam on the inside surface for insulation. “It has no air pockets, no stitching, and is essentially a monolithic piece

of material. As the door opens, the roll gets thicker, increasing speed,” says Angermeier. Motors are direct drive and can be fitted with optional counterbalances to reduce wear and tear. The trade-off to counterbalances, however, is added maintenance. Like other Rytec doors, the Turbo-Seal is completely washable and comes with three air curtain options to prevent frost build-up. Higher insulation Chase Doors in Cincinnati, OH specializes in impact traffic doors, cold storage doors and corrosion-resistant fiberglass doors. Impact traffic doors are designed to increase productivity from fast, effi-

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011 FEX04074Mart_2.indd 1

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PLANT DOORS cient, two-way movement through a door opening. Cold storage doors provide significantly higher insulation than their impact traffic door counterparts—anywhere from R28 to 37, compared to R8-12 and R4-5 of high-performance automated roll-up doors. There are three different designs of a cold storage door: sliding, swing and vertical lift. Both sliding and vertical lift doors can be

manually operated or automated, but open and close at a much slower rate than highperformance fabric roll-up doors. Fiberglass doors are designed for use in corrosive environments. They can be used for interior and exterior applications and can be fire label rated up to 90 minutes. A variety of materials can be used to construct an impact traffic door. One

High performance in a small footprint. The latest addition to the SORTEX E range, the SORTEX E1D offers a high performance sort in a small footprint. It has been designed to bring the benefits of larger sorters to smaller processors while delivering a high quality sorting in the freezing process. A combination of technologies and options allow for processors to tailor the sorter’s inspection system to their specific needs. It’s capable of inspecting product for discolored or misshaped product, subtle blemishes, FM or EVM, or any combination thereof. www.buhlergroup.com Buhler Sortex Inc. 209.983.8400 [email protected]

The small footprint aids installation in areas with limited space Double sided viewing allows an even detection of subtle defects from two sides Advanced PROfile technology enables removal of defective material by viewing the product using shape characteristics Stainless steel open construction design ensures high hygiene standards and easy cleaning The UHMW PE chute feed system delivers frozen product to the optical vision system efficiently Consistent performance without daily calibration ensures a low maintenance requirement High quality color sorting permits both gross and subtle color blemishes to be removed

option is rotationally molded, crosslinked polyethylene and an injected non-CFC urethane foam core. “The advantage is that the polyethylene material stands up to a variety of chemical cleaning solutions, and its seamless construction allows for full water washdown without the concern of bacteria growth or premature door failure,” says Chase Doors Marketing Manager Sandy Ball. Beef Products Inc of Dakota Dunes, SD, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of lean beef from trimmings, processing millions of pounds of product per week in four facilities in four states. The company’s approach to doors is somewhat unique, explains Engineering Coordinator Tom Woolley. “We work with a stainless steel fabrication plant called Fusion Tech in Roseville, IL, and they custom build our doors according to our own specifications,” he says. “The doors are purposely overbuilt for minimum maintenance and maximum durability—our doors are so strong they’ll last a lifetime.” Types include electrically operated overhead doors, sliders and man doors. Woolley says they take about three times the labor to install, but even so he says the company saves money compared to buying ready-made doors for its particular needs, and never has to worry about maintaining or replacing them. Door technology is keeping pace with increasing demands by food processors. The good news is choices are abundant and payback can be remarkably fast—not only from ongoing energy savings, but also from the many state and utility rebates that are available for new and retrofit installations. ❖ For more information: Chuck Zimmermann, ASI Technologies, [email protected], 414-464-6200 Jon Schumacher, Rite-Hite Doors Inc., [email protected], 414-944-1717 Robert Atterson, Dynaco, [email protected], 317-490-8114 Joe Aiken, Albany Door Systems, [email protected], 770-338-5000 Kurt Angermeier, Rytec Doors, [email protected], 262-677-6170

Safe Food. Clean Food.

Sandy Ball, Chase Doors, [email protected], 513-603-2946

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T E C H U P DAT E : FI LLI NG EQU I PM ENT Kevin T. Higgins, Senior Editor

` Individual-portion meals represent a growing product segment that used to rely on manual filling but has largely converted to automated systems because of speed and precision. Source: Hinds-Bock.

Expanded expectations

`

Faster fill times are nice, but a host of other considerations also are part of manufacturers’ value calculations. Those needs are evident in the systems being developed.

F

or both liquids and solids, product identity begins at the filler. Whether it arrives continuously or as part of a batch, once food flows, drops or is wrapped in its primary container, a discreet unit is created. It is a critical transfer point, where speed, precision and hygiene are essential. Because filling operations easily can become choke points, speed always has been a priority. In many cases, it was viewed as the only factor in production profitability. But that calculation ignores the cost of unscheduled downtime, product waste, rework and, in extreme instances, defects that require recalls. Speed remains important, but optimum speed seldom is full throttle.

“Throughput is the name of the game,” allows Gail Barnes, vice president-technology and packaging for Dairy Management Inc., which manages the Innovation Center for US Dairy in Rosemont, IL. But downtime and quality issues require a nuanced approach. Sustainability considerations and hygienic design must be addressed. For example, many producers are exploring alternatives to plastic packaging, and that has a direct impact on filling operations. “It’s all about taking a holistic view and adopting a collaborative approach,” says Barnes, and several packaging and filler companies are working toward “full-on collaboration and joint ventures.” Collaborations have played a critical role in the commercialization of high-pressure processing

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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T E C H U P DAT E ` Turnkey systems that not only fill but also deliver ingredients to the filling point are in demand. Source: Multi-Fill Inc.

(HPP), the batch process that subjects packaged foods to pressures of 80,000psi or more to denature any microorganisms. Rapid loading and unloading were identified early on as key to payback on the cost of the presses. A partnership between NC Hyperbaric, which introduced the first horizontal HPP press, and Gridpath Solutions Inc. effectively addressed the throughput issue (see “Through a chamber, quickly,” Food Engineering, November 2005). More recently, Uhde High Pressure Technologies GmbH has worked with Multivac GmbH to devise a turnkey system that combines filling, packaging, material handling and processing.

Based in Germany’s Allgäu region, Multivac is most associated with horizontal thermoform packaging machines, with the largest units filling and sealing 150 units or more per minute. The company also builds robotic loading systems, and it formed a strategic partnership with Uhde to develop “a totally integrated, automated line” for HPP, according to Multivac engineer Tobias Richter. “We see HPP as one of the fast-emerging technologies for [improved] food safety. It was a logical step to integrate a Uhde press into our system.” Richter, product manager for the HPP system, estimates two to four tons of packaged foods per hour can be processed with the fully automated system. Efficiencies are gained by tying filling and processing together in the same room and by the semicontinuous nature of product infeed. A modified steel cylinder was designed to allow a robotic gripper to load packaged goods. Richter developed the software that optimizes loading, based on the geometry of the packages. The most significant advancement is in process control of the press itself: Short breaks that he calls “holding torque” during depressurization make the use of MAP packaging possible. These short pauses allow package polymers to regenerate and withstand compression rates higher than the 16 percent vacuum packages undergo in the press. Previously, few options to vacuum packaging existed for HPP. A single form/fill/seal machine and robotic loader can feed multiple presses. Automated unloading and labeling units com-

Failure analysis includes all aspects of machine performance Poor machine design is one of the major sources of process variability and must be considered and quantified in a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), even when another aspect of the process is suspected of being the root cause of waste, according to Tina Kovach, continuous improvement manager and a Six Sigma master black belt at Dawn Food Products Inc., Jackson, MI. In a presentation at Food Engineering’s 2011 Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference, Kovach outlined the 10 steps of a FMEA evaluation, including the importance of defining and analyzing the “five Ms” of any process: man, machine, method, materials and measurement. A disciplined approach to process improvement requires defining failure for each M and then quantifying the frequency and severity of those failures. To illustrate, Kovach cited a project she oversaw at Nestlé Prepared Foods. “It was pretty obvious we had excess labor” in the filling operation, she recalled, but that didn’t preclude quantifying the frequency of unfilled

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August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

and under-dispensed containers exiting the depositors. A multi-function team then began the FMEA process by assigning a risk priority number based on the severity, occurrence and detection probability to each failure mode. That exercise fed into a multi-step process resulting in corrective actions. “We had to measure out every piece of the five Ms,” she said. “What is the failure with the machine, what is the failure with the people?” In Nestlé’s case, filling failure was not mechanical per se but product infeed: When incoming ravioli cooled, it stuck, causing clumping and poor dispensing. Six workers were positioned downstream to inspect and correct underfilled trays. Besides the labor issue, “people were putting food into trays just because they were standing there and were bored,” Kovach said. Instead of six workers, one was deployed to break up incoming pasta as necessary. Elimination of the other workers system-wide resulted in savings of more than $2 million in labor and productgiveaway costs.

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T E C H U P DAT E

` Weighing and staging finished goods is an integral part of filler technology. Source: Bob Rossiter.

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plete the system, the first of which will be installed by New Zealand Food Innovation Manukau Ltd. End-of-line solutions HPP mimics retort’s in-container sterilization process. Typically, products arrive at the filler already cooked. Cartoning, case packing, printing and palletizing follow. Turnkey systems encompassing all these functions plus filling are rare, but the unification of machine builders under the Oystar North America umbrella will result in end-of-line solutions that extend from filling to palletizing. Early this year, Packaging Technologies, a Davenport, IA fabricator of chub, aerosol and rotary liquid fillers, was combined under the Oystar banner with RA Jones, best known for secondary packaging systems. Oystar also owns Hassia, a major supplier of liquid form/fill/seal machines. That division soon will be folded into Oystar North America. “Our idea was to have one R&D department, one customer-contact point, one face in the market,” explains Tom Graf, CEO of Oystar Group, Stutensee, Germany. Centers of competence teams are being organized to improve f/f/s, dosing and other technologies. By pooling inhouse expertise and tapping the financial resources of a larger organization, Graf expects greater success in bringing innovative fillers to the market. Oystar’s goal is to develop packaging lines for middle-tier food and beverage companies, as well as the global companies its business units traditionally have served. “More and more, global companies are moving into developing and under-developed countries where people don’t have the money to buy large cups,” says Graf. To ensure the same level of

August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

package integrity that is delivered by Hassia’s aseptic f/f/s cup fillers, Oystar has developed stick-pack machines for finite quantities. But that constitutes a specialty application, and Oystar mostly will steer clear of the stick-pack market, he adds, despite the format’s growing popularity. In neighboring Switzerland, Bosch Packaging Systems AG is taking a much different approach. The OEM recently introduced a new high-speed stickpack system that combines primary and secondary packaging for powders and free-flowing ingredients. Up to 1,000 sticks per minute in quantities of one to four grams can be formed, filled and sealed by one machine, with accuracies within 1.7 percent of the target weight, according to Uwe Jansen, vice president-product line free flow, Beringen, Switzerland. “Stick packs started on the pharmaceutical side, particularly in France, and now they are migrating to food powders and nutraceuticals,” Jansen says. The format is proving popular throughout Europe, where some manufacturers are converting singleserve packages to sticks, reducing package materials by up to a fifth. “Handling 1,000 sticks a minute is not so easy,” however, and Bosch felt compelled to combine the machine with an automatic cartoning unit, he says. European food manufacturers are focusing on OEE and taking their packaging cues from pharmaceutical manufacturers, Jansen believes. That focus puts a premium on precision filling and hygienic designs in machines that are easier to clean and minimize human interface. US food companies have similar concerns, and best-in-class fillers are evolving as OEMs standardize on the most demanding requirements of endusers, according to Christine Marchadour, founder and part-owner of Multi-Fill Inc., West Jordan, UT. Angled frames, acid-treated welds to prevent corrosion and a shift to 316 stainless from 304 exemplify the sanitary improvements that have occurred in recent years. Efficiency improvements include positive drives that reduce slippage and result in greater fill consistency. Faster changeovers are possible with today’s machines, and Multi-Fill offers a “quick clean mode” to clean in place between product runs. Growth in single-serve meals has been a boon for suppliers like Multi-Fill. A decade ago, copackers still relied on hand filling, accepting deviations of about 5 percent from target fill weights (see “Precision filling as requested,” Food Engineering, December 2004). Conversion to volumetric fillers narrowed deviations to 1.5 percent. Today’s production environment is even more demanding, and OEMs are trying to keep pace. For cooked rice and

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T E C H U P DAT E ` This artist’s rendition shows an automated filling, loading and unloading system for multiple high-pressure processing (HPP) presses. Multivac engineers developed the turnkey system in partnership with Uhde, another German OEM. Source: Multivac Inc.

cooked pasta meals, “the machine works better if the product arriving at the machine is consistent,” she points out, and that presumes delivery of cooked product in a timely manner to the filler—a level of process control that doesn’t always exist (see related story on page 54). Those issues are beyond an OEM’s control, of course, so they focus on concerns they can impact. “Worker safety, as well as food safety, has become a big issue,” observes Marchadour. Safety covers that suppress arc flashes when panels are opened are an example of the modifications that are being made to keep humans out of harm’s way.

Caution: Speed bumps ahead Some of the fastest fill times known to man were reached in the 1990s, when rotary fillers that could put 100 bottles of beer on the wall every 12 seconds were being installed. If filling speed was analogous to the space race, technology would have pushed rotary filling from the moon to Mars in the last decade. But manufacturing priorities shifted to greater flexibility and away from ever-higher throughput. The speed race ended years ago for Fogg Filler Inc. The Holland, MI maker of rotary fillers topped out at 1,000 units a minute. Today, few of the dairies and beverage bottlers that use its systems strive to exceed outputs of 500 units a minute. Instead of faster fill rates, end-users want quicker changeovers, less product waste and enhanced hygiene, according to Susan Lamar, sales & marketing director. Filler turrets that do their work in the middle of the packaging area have been replaced by clean-room enclosures which are fed Class 100 HEPA-filtered air. “For liability reasons, we do not install fillers without sufficient guarding,” Lamar explains. An immediate payback from hygienic enclosures is

See Food Master, p. IFC 14

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longer shelf life: An Arkansas dairy extended its best-by code dates 10 percent recently after installing a Fogg monoblock system. Other contributions to overall equipment efficiency are a bottle sanitizer that uses ultraviolet light to achieve up to a six log reduction in microbial contaminants, and a trough system that allows operators to funnel product out of the filler bowl and return it to the beginning of the production line for rework when a changeover occurs. “Before, you had to dump it down the drain,” she says. “Your quality is only as good as the weakest link in your chain,” DMI’s Barnes points out, and filling and sealing operations are the most likely post-processing contamination points. She applauds supporting technologies like positive air pressure, UV lamps and package sterilization via electron beam for their contributions to filling safety. “There is more of a push for sanitary design than faster speed,” adds Lamar, an observation with which few would disagree. Just as Multi-Fill has responded to manufacturer specifications requiring compliance to the sanitary design principles outlined by the American Meat Institute, Hinds-Bock Corp. has redesigned its fillers to eliminate pooling of washdown water. It has also replaced square support bars with tubes and substituted angled surfaces for flat ones. “Our sanitary pumps are CIP,” notes Lance Aasness, vice president-sales and marketing at Bothell, WA-based Hinds-Bock.

Speed, precision and flexibility also are critical, Aasness adds. Servo-driven pumps are incorporated in the firm’s fillers for flowable products, such as sauces and dressings, and for products with particulates, such as macaroni and cheese. “Servo-drive technology provides high-speed depositing with custom-tuning of filling parameters to control the appearance of each fill, as well as velocity,” he says. Speed is and will remain the comparative measure for various classes of fillers. Nonetheless, manufacturers need to address a host of other considerations, as well, and the cost of product defects and downtime can quickly erode the advantage of speed when calculating return on investment. Cognizant of the balancing act faced by manufacturers, filler suppliers are engineering equipment that goes well beyond simple speed calculations. ❖ For more information: Uwe Jansen, Bosch Packaging Systems AG, 41-58 674 7458 Gail Barnes, Dairy Management Inc., 847-627-3221 Tina Kovach, Dawn Food Products Inc., 440-381-1716, [email protected] Susan Lamar, Fogg Filler Inc., 616-786-3644, [email protected] Lance Aasness, Hinds-Bock Corp., 877-292-5715, [email protected] Christine Marchadour, Multi-Fill Inc., 801-280-1570, [email protected] Tobias Richter, Multivac, 49-8334 601-30921, [email protected] Susanne Kleinhans, Oystar Group, 49 7244 747 111, [email protected]

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59

DRY PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY Focus on POWDER & BULK OPERATIONS Wayne Labs, Senior Technical Editor

Accurate test sieve calls for quality screen

`

As processor/packager verifies incoming powder products have the right granularity, it relies on air-jet test sieve to deliver results.

C

` The Hosokawa Micron Air Jet Sieve uses the pneumatic sieving principle. In Cumberland’s lab, this is a singlescreen operation where the fines are detected, eliminating the likelihood of particle cohesion. Should multiple analysis points be required, the process is continued using the next-coarse test sieve screen. Source: Newark Wire Cloth.

umberland Packing Corp., headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, started as a small condiments packaging company. Ben Eisenstadt, its founder, was the pioneer of the single-serve sugar packet. In the late 1950’s, Cumberland began packaging a formulation that used the zero calorie sweetener, saccharin, and by the mid-1960’s, Sweet’N Low became a household name. Some 400 employees work in the main Brooklyn facility, and the processor also has a facility in England that serves the European market. Over the years, Cumberland expanded its product line to include other zero-calorie products, such as NatraTaste Blue, NatraTaste Gold, Butter Buds (a natural dry butter granulated substitute flavor), Nu-Salt salt substitute and two other natural products—Stevia Extract In The Raw and Sugar In The Raw. Particle size analysis holds a place of prime importance in the food industry, and it is especially important as Cumberland monitors its incoming ingredients. For example, Cumberland’s ingredients are checked in its own labs to confirm the required specifications. The repeatability and reliability of measuring with a sieve determine the outcome of the analysis. Cumberland has laboratories with its own technicians. Screens are used, cleaned and inspected daily, with replacement screens always in stock. The ultimate goal for Cumberland is to produce a safe, superior, Grade A-quality product for its consumers, and sieves are an important component of that process. For ease of use, accuracy and reliability, Cumberland chose Hosokawa’s Micron Air Jet Sieve for its critical lab-testing procedures. A sieve analysis is dependent on the integrity of the sieve shaker and the test sieve. The Hosokawa device uses dynamic sieving principles

to ensure accuracy and reproducibility of the analysis. Hosokawa uses Newark Wire Cloth as its exclusive supplier of air-jet test sieve screens. The Newark Wire Cloth air-jet test sieve screen features a single-piece crevice, free-frame construction. In conventional airjet test sieves from other suppliers, frame design often allows for cracks, crevices, weld marks and the use of rivets for label identification, which reduce accuracy. While the Hosokawa unit is instrumental to lab testing of powders, the screens are critical. “The air-jet unit itself is not calibrated,” says Tony Fierro, Cumberland director – technical services. “The screen is the integral part that is monitored. The screens are inspected daily,” he adds. The machine, itself, undergoes routine maintenance, says Fierro. Hosokawa found that the Newark Wire Cloth air-jet test sieve’s intrinsic quality facilitates cleaning, autoclaving and sterilizing without the risk of damage. The expected lifecycle of a test sieve varies: Some sizes wear out more quickly than others due to constant usage. Cumberland insists on good lab procedures and cleaning techniques, so the most frequently used sieves are replaced every six to eight months. “We have a standard operating procedure of replacing screens on a rotating basis by usage,” says Fierro. “This was developed by determining the usages of the screens, which is, in most cases, a very lengthy period of time due to their quality.” In the lab, sieves are employed for product development, qualification of ingredients and final inspection of products. Other, larger screens are used in processing. Size 200, 325 and 400 screens are used to check granulation. An important part of the process engineering is to ensure the ingredients remain homogeneous, and sieves are available with screens of 200mm and finer for accurate sizing of very fine materials. ❖ For more information: Richard Campbell, Newark Wire Cloth, 800-221-0392

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

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DRY PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

explosion tests include Kst and Pmax values, limiting oxygen concentration (LOC), minimum ignition energy, minimum ignition temperature and resistivity/conductivity/chargeability. Chilworth Global; 609-799-4449; www.chilworth.com/ dust-explosions-fire.cfm

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DUST EXPLOSION TESTING Chilworth Global provides safety services to help prevent dust explosions and protect against their effects. A wide range of laboratory tests are available to determine the ignition sensitivity and explosion severity of materials being handled in an application and to quantify the risk associated with the process. Professional consultation is available for relief venting, containment, suppression, use of inert gas, isolation techniques, etc. Dust

HOIST-TYPE BULK BAG DISCHARGER Spiroflow Systems’ Type 6 hoist bulk bag discharger allows unloading of bulk bags without the need of a forklift truck. The unit can be used for unloading powder or granular product material into various processing equipment such as mixers, sifters and mills as well as packing equipment. Transfer from the discharger to process or packing can be direct or by one or more conveyors including flexible screw, vacuum, pneumatic and aero-mechanical conveyors. Each unit is tailored to suit individual customer specifications and is available in carbon steel and 304 stainless steel (SS) options. The discharger allows one operator to control a standard 1-ton hoist that positions the bulk bag into the discharger. Spiroflow Systems, Inc.; 704-2919595; www.spiroflowsystems.com

See Food Master, p. 49 August 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

clean or maintain the feeder. Flexible or all-stainless steel hoppers are available to accommodate any dry material feeding application. The feeders handle a wide range of volumetric or gravimetric feeding applications for materials such as starch, anti-cake, sugar and various seasonings. Additionally, the units can achieve feed rates from 0.002 to 1,100 cu. ft. per hour. Schenck AccuRate; 800-558-0184; www.accuratefeeders.com

SEPARATOR Kason Corporation Vibro-Air size/ density separator employs vibratory screening and airflow to remove fines and chaff from grain products simultaneously. Material fed through a port on the unit’s hood cascades over a series of strategically placed internal trays and ultimately onto a vibrating, fine mesh screen that moves on-size material in controlled flow patterns toward and through a discharge port at the screen’s periphery. Heavier fines pass through the screen onto a chute leading to a lower discharge spout. An optional coarse-screening deck can be positioned above the fine mesh screen to scalp stones, debris and other oversize foreign matter from the material. The separator is available in 24- to 100-in. diameters, carbon steel or stainless steel finished to 3-A, cGMP, USDA, FDA or industrial standards. It is available as a standalone unit or a complete system integrated with a dust collection system, exhaust fan and electrical controls on a mobile frame, ready to plug in and run. Kason Corporation; 973-467-8140; www.kason.com

DRY MATERIAL FEEDER Schenck AccuRate’s MECHATRON dry material feeder features complete disassembly from the non-process side of the feeder, eliminating the need to remove upper extension hoppers, bins, bulk bags and IBCs to

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Medium to fine grinding of powders, flakes and granules to as low as 400 mesh

RIBBON BLENDERS Ribbon, plow or paddle styles to 1000 cu ft at low cost

BULK BAG DISCHARGER Material Transfer’s modular Material Master bulk bag discharging system features 304 SS construction with continuous TIG welds. The Flowmaster bag massaging system promotes consistent material flow, while the Seal-Master access chamber allows easy operator access to the bag spout. The Sure-Seal pneumatic discharge spout clamping system ensures dust-tight operation, and a Flo-Lock slide gate quickly halts material flow for partial bag discharge. Material Transfer; 800-836-7068; www.materialtransfer.com

Dual rotor mill reduces compacted, lumpy, hard and friable materials Visit website for details on this and other Munson equipment including V-Cone Blenders, Continuous Rotary Blenders, High Intensity Blenders, Attrition Mills, Hammer Mills and Shredders.

Munson Machinery Co., Inc. 210 Seward Ave. Utica, NY, 13503 USA 800-944-6644 In NY: 315-797-0090 [email protected]

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www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | August 2011

ROTARY LUMP BREAKERS

DRY PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY High-Speed Doors for the Food & Beverage Industry

ROTARY FEEDER VALVES

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