We look at food differently.

Today’s processors must adapt to a quickly changing market: Deville takes care of helping you achieve the perfect cut while designing hygienic, simple,  ;uv-ঞѴ;-m7;-v |o1Ѵ;-m1 মm] voѴ ঞomv|_-|;m-0Ѵ;ruo1;vvouvѴ-u]; and small, to keep up with demand. Because we don’t just see food, we see the whole picture.

Combination systems can combine more than one inspection function into a smaller footprint than two standalone machines, helping processors with limited floorspace in their operations.

Installation and innovation

Though it’s possible for a manufacturer to adjust its budget to purchase additional inspection systems, it might be more di cult to find room within a facility to place those systems. Many processors have limited footprints in their plants, so custom-engineered equipment can be one path to overcoming those challenges.

“It is important for food processors to engage closely with inspection system suppliers and express their specific requirements, because every line in every plant is unique, even when processing the same product type, and the inspection system should be tailored to each instance to maximize value,” observes Azzaretti.

Combination systems are becoming more popular because they reduce the footprint over multiple standalone systems, Garr notes. “Also, specific to metal detection, something to consider is that the aperture size and resulting metal-free area will dictate the minimum overall length for a system,” he says. “So, ensure that metal detection apertures are as small as possible, fitted for the product that is being inspected.”

Not all product inspection equipment will require additional space, according to Foley. “In many applications, the equipment can be inserted into the existing line space whether using the customer’s existing material handling solution or replacing a section of their existing line with product inspection equipment,” she says.

Calibration and testing of new inspection systems upstream is also a vital step before finalizing installation, especially since inspection will be new to those parts of the line. “Prior to making a purchase decision, it is essential to validate and measure the performance of the system through application tests that replicate the actual product and production conditions in which the equipment will operate,” says Azzaretti.

Today’s inspection systems feature a variety of innovations, and while not designed specifically for upstream placement, they are helpful for processors to maximize their investment. “First and foremost is the ability to detect varied, ever-tinier contaminants, as well as the capability of defining when contaminants are introduced into the production process,” says Kelvin Binns, food and CPG director for Wipotec-OCS.

“Inspection systems for contaminant detection have become more powerful in terms of what they can detect,” Garr says. “To put it simply, the technology is being doubled up to cover holes and improve performance. Metal detectors operating multiple simultaneous operating frequencies and electromagnetic field orientations are innovations that help improve performance. Similar is true with X-ray inspection where dual-energy detection is allowing detection of less dense contaminants than was possible in the past.”

Connectivity and data collection are also features that can help processors make sense of target inspection areas further up their lines. “The ability to pull live data into plant monitoring software and ERP [enterprise resource planning] systems is becoming more of a prerequisite than ever before,” Garr explains. “This makes sense as having live data to make on-the-fly operational decisions can be invaluable.”

Menezes adds, “We live in a connected world that demands transparency. Traceability [of ingredients] and connectivity are becoming vital requirements in the marketplace.”

Ultimately, processors will have to weigh their financial and facility footprint options before adding one or more inspection systems upstream to comply with recent retailer demands. Assessing the big picture might help make that decision a bit easier. “Product inspection should play a central role in any manufacturer’s production line upgrades,” Binns says. “Leaving it out of an upgrade budget may leave a food producer out of a retailer’s supplier network.”