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The specialty beverages market is booming

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T

he food and beverage industry has proven to be adaptable and innovative over the generations, meeting changes in consumer trends and helping develop better quality products on pace with changes in society.

Think ready-meals and frozen foods addressing issues around time-poor people needing to get a good meal.

There are countless cases of the food and beverage industry filling a need, whether novel or existing, in the market. This type of innovation breeds success, and over the generations Australians have seen the number of food and beverage options skyrocket.

As I cover the industry one of the common themes I come across is the ever changing trends of consumers and how manufacturers need to be abreast, or ahead, of these trends if they want to gain brand recognition.

An example of this is White Claw Hard Seltzer.

The company was founded in 2016 and already has more than 40 per cent market share in the US and is gaining traction in Australia. For me, the product’s offering led to brand recognition, in this case among younger consumers, and from there the product was associated with the hard-seltzer space ahead of its competitors. Gaps in the market, innovation, product release, brand recognition. These steps helped White Claw gain early, and huge, growth.

The food and beverage industry will always experience change and innovation on the back of consumer trends, but advancements in production technology is also ever changing, and as a result, always impacting on the industry.

Automation, for example, is one piece of technology that has helped the industry in so many ways and has been adapted to the changing landscape. If not for automation processes many companies might have suffered even worse than

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4 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

they did during the COVID-19 pandemic, through employee shortages and increased market demand.

Automation also makes food and beverage production safer and allows manufacturers the ability to repurpose that labour elsewhere, which is only a good thing for a company. Being agile in the food and beverage space is critical to long-term success.

Our Specialty Beverages Feature will highlight some of these key points of success from reading and following the changes in the industry.

The impact of COVID-19 on consumer trends also has to be accounted for.

I have covered the ready-meals space extensively over the last year and all stakeholders are of the same mind, forcing people into lockdown also forced them to eat at home more, and once restrictions eased people hosted at home more.

Those same stakeholders expect this trend to remain, and even evolve, and as such new manufacturers who moved into the space during the pandemic will look to stay the course and diversify the sector. A key indicator of the ever-changing industry.

Research from a number of firms also shows that consumers are actively seeking out newer, and most cases healthier, options for their food and drinks. In response, many manufacturers released sugar-free or healthier versions of existing products.

Coke Zero may have been mocked as a novelty when it was released in 2005. Now go to any supermarket and see how it competes with the traditional product.

To stagnate is to risk falling behind the competition, to innovate is to stay ahead of the curve.

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CONTENTS

INSIDE

18

24

08 NEWS 18 MEET THE MANUFACTURER Beak & Johnston has invested $90 million into a new ready-meals kitchen facility.

38

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES FEATURE 22 We detail the state of the specialty beverages sector in 2021 and expectations for 2022.

24 Oterra has released a new red food colouring that promises to make a product stand out to the consumer.

26 NIRAS Australia is abreast of the changing public expectations around specialty beverages.

28 Supagas has built a reputation as experts in extending product shelf life through gas composition.

32 Glycol Sales are the Australian distributors for the FDA-approved DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid.

34 Allied Finishes helped a specialty brewer with non-slip flooring to fortify product and employee safety.

36 Endress + Hauser helped the Archie Rose distillery upscale its manufacturing capabilities.

38 O F Packaging successfully developed innovative packaging with its client.

40 MACHINERY Nupac Industries is working with companies to safeguard production.

42

42 DATA GS1 encourages manufactures and producers to increase digitalisation.

44 PACKAGING Select Equip showcases a host of product offerings for the industry.

46 INSTRUMENTATION Experts from ifm continue to encourage the industry to adopt automation.

54

48 FOOD SAFETY Ecolab’s Synergex sanitiser is the first of its type to be recognised by the US-EPA. 50 MICE Showcasing exhibitors for the 2022 Melbourne International Coffee Expo.

52 SUPPLY CHAIN FEATURE Details around the recent disruptions to the supply chain.

54 AIP 56 MARKET WATCH 58 NEW PRODUCTS

6 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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NEWS

Kraft Heinz nominates a new board member

K

raft Heinz has announced Berkshire Hathaway director nominee Alexandre Van Damme will retire from the Board of Directors at the end of his term.

Kraft Heinz announced its plans to nominate BHE Renewables president and CEO, Alicia Knapp, to fill the vacancy at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

“Berkshire Hathaway is delighted to nominate Alicia to the board of Kraft Heinz – she has shown tremendous leadership during her 20-plus years at Berkshire Hathaway Energy,” said Berkshire Hathaway vice chair for Non-Insurance Operations and member of the Kraft Heinz Board, Greg Abel.

“We are thrilled to add Alicia’s perspective to Kraft Heinz and believe that her experience will be especially relevant and valuable to the Board and

the company’s environmental, social and governance strategy.

“Additionally, I would like to thank Alexandre for his many important contributions to the Board over the past four years.”

BHE Renewables owns solar, wind, geothermal, natural gas and hydroelectric projects that produce energy for both the wholesale market and for customers under long-term power purchase agreements.

In her role at BHE Renewables, Knapp leads Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s unregulated development and commercial management of renewable projects.

Knapp has also earned a reputation as a strategic leader with a history of operational, risk management and financial acumen.

She previously served as vice president of Renewable Generation

Knapp served as VP of gas delivery at MidAmerican Energy. for MidAmerican Energy, where she was responsible for both renewable generation operations and electric trading.

Prior to this role, Knapp served as vice president of gas delivery at MidAmerican Energy (where she managed a natural gas business serving over 750,000 customers)

and general manager of Project Development at BHE Renewables (where she managed the development and construction of wind and solar farms).

“It is an honour to be nominated

by Berkshire Hathaway to the Kraft Heinz Board of Directors,” said Knapp. F

8 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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NEWS

The new sustainability agenda also focuses on achieving 2025 packaging targets.

Asahi Beverages commits to new sustainability targets A sahi Beverages recently unveiled a new sustainability agenda as it uses its scale to create a more sustainable future for the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The agenda introduces new targets while incorporating previously announced ones, all aimed at helping protect the planet and build a sustainable business for the future.

Asahi Beverages brands, from Cool Ridge water and Schweppes soft drinks to Victoria Bitter and Carlton Dry beer, will be even stronger because of upgraded sustainability

commitments from the company.

The agenda covers climate change, sustainable packaging and the circular economy, supporting local farmers and much more.

“Many of our brands date back to the 19th century. These targets will help us create an entirely sustainable business so we can continue producing some of Australia and New Zealand’s favourite beverages for the next 200 years and beyond,” said Asahi Beverages Group CEO Robert Iervasi.

“We are determined to do much

more than make vague and distant promises that gather dust.

“That’s why we’ve already made some important transformative and tangible changes to become more sustainable.”

Brooke Donnelly, CEO of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), praised the moves being made by Asahi.

“It’s fantastic to see a member of both APCO and the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island (ANZPAC) Plastics Pact showing strong leadership in such a critical

area,” said Donnelly.

“Achieving the 2025 National Packaging Targets is one of the most crucial sustainability goals facing the industry in Australia and it is vital that our biggest and most influential companies step up and make sustainable packaging a priority.

“It’s so pleasing to see Asahi Beverages not only making a firm commitment for a sustainable future, but also already rolling out exactly the kind of packaging initiatives we need to see across the industry moving forward.” F

10 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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08-02-2022 08:44:48

NEWS

Food and Beverage Hub has been shortlisted for Trailblazer Program

The project is aligned with the Food and Beverage National Manufacturing Priority road map.

A

Charles Sturt University research project has been shortlisted to receive a share in $242.7 million in federal government funding under the Trailblazer Universities Program, to create a Food and Beverage Commercialisation Hub. The project, entitled Reshaping Australian Manufacturing: Food and Beverage Commercialisation Hub, would support Australia’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers from the Charles Sturt School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences would work

with industry partners to create new jobs within the food and beverage manufacturing industries to help boost the local economy.

Charles Sturt deputy vicechancellor (Research), Professor Mark Evans said the FIAL-Charles Sturt, partnership represents strong connections with industry, including agricultural growers and producers who provide the critical inputs into food and beverage manufacturing across Australia.

“This represents a total of 180,000 businesses across the food and agribusiness sector. Examples of key industry partners include Teys

12 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Australia, Wine Australia, IBM and KPMG,” he said.

“Such a strong, independent, industry-led, multi-disciplinary Hub will build on Charles Sturt’s existing capability and world-class research and teaching excellence in agriculture, food, horticulture and wine to unlock commercial potential and develop new products and services for the market.”

The Charles Sturt Hub is one of eight projects that has been shortlisted to compete for funding under the Trailblazer Universities Program.

The project proposals were selected by a panel of university, industry, science and research leaders.

The Hub supports the federal government’s goal of helping to achieve the Ag2030 target of setting the foundations for the agriculture sector to grow agriculture to $100 billion by 2030.

The university’s proposal is also aligned with the federal government’s Food and Beverage National Manufacturing Priority road map, which aims to double the value of Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing through a focus on smart food and beverage manufacturing; innovative foods and beverages; and food safety, origin, and traceability systems by 2030. F

NEWS

The project will create up to 44 new jobs and lead to $46 million worth of new Victorian fruit exports.

Australian fruit grower progresses on new packing factory in Victoria G

eoffrey Thompson Holdings, one of Australia’s largest apple and pear growers, has progressed on the construction of its new export-standard fruit packing factory in Mooroopna, Victoria.

The fruit packing and selling warehouse is being built on the former SPC Ardmona site with the aid of a grant under the Victorian government’s Food Source Victoria program.

This program aims to boost exports, build industry capabilities and generate jobs in regional Victoria

by encouraging food producers and supply chains to collaborate with one another.

“This project delivers big benefits to growers and local workers by slashing the cost of sorting, grading and packing fruit from the Goulburn Valley,” said parliamentary secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green.

“We have the best product in Australia and that’s why we’re investing in the future of our agricultural sector.”

Works are well underway to repurpose and refit the site into a

14 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

state-of-the-art fruit packing and grading factory, which includes installing new sorting, grading and packing equipment.

Fruit grown in the Goulburn Valley food bowl and processed at the factory will be sold locally and used for purees and juices.

Stock will also be exported to international markets.

The site will use automation and advanced software to operate equipment and assist with sorting fruit for its highest value use.

The project will also reduce

sorting, grading, and packing costs to make Victoria’s exports more competitive in the global market.

The project, which is expected to be operational later this year, will create up to 44 new full-time jobs and lead to $46 million worth of new Victorian fruit exports by its fifth year of operation.

The Geoffrey Thompson Holdings redevelopment is expected to halve post-harvest costs for fresh and processed fruit in Australia and will directly benefit more than 50 growers in the Goulburn Valley region. F

NEWS

Coca Cola to sell interest in Australian Beer Co. C

oca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia (CCEP) has agreed to sell its interest in the Australian Beer Co. to joint venture partner Casella Family Brands, following CCEP’s earlier decision to exit the production, sale, and distribution of beer and Magners cider products in Australia.

The decision to sell its interest in the Australian Beer Co. followed a strategic review of CCEP Australia’s arrangements relating to beer and apple cider to focus on its spirits, alcohol ready-to-drink and non-alcohol ready-to-drink portfolios.

“The launch of the Australian Beer Co. joint venture in 2013 was our re-entry into the beer market in Australia. The Australian Beer Co. brewed its own brands at the brewery located next door to the Casella winery in Yenda, NSW,” said CCEP vice president and general manager, Australia, Pacific and Indonesia, Peter West.

Coca Cola sold its interest in the Australian Beer Co. to focus on other portfolios.

“With CCEP’s exit from the Australian beer and apple cider categories in Australia, the decision to sell our interest in the Australian Beer Co. was the natural next step.

“We have had a terrific partnership with Casella Family Brands for almost a decade now and exit on good terms.

We genuinely wish them the very best for the future.”

Casella Family Brands welcomed the opportunity to acquire full ownership of the Australian Beer Co. “We will endeavour to maintain the excellent relationships the CCEP team has established with customers in the beer and cider category in Australia,” said Casella Family Brands managing director John Casella.

“We have enjoyed partnering with CCEP to grow the Australian Beer Co.’s business, and we both leave the joint venture arrangement on excellent terms.”

Casella Family Brands, an Australian wine company founded in in 1969, will take over full ownership of the Australian Beer Co. from July 1. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 15

NEWS

Nestlé also has the option to fully purchase Orgain in 2024.

Nestlé Health Science to acquire majority stake in Orgain N

estlé Health Science has agreed to purchase a majority stake in Orgain, a leader in plant-based nutrition, from founder Dr Andrew Abraham and Butterfly Equity, who will continue to be minority share owners.

Orgain complements Nestlé Health Science’s existing portfolio of nutrition products that support healthier lives.

“Nutritional protein plays a key role in supporting our health and wellness, whether we enjoy an

active lifestyle or are facing health challenges,” said Nestlé Health Science CEO Greg Behar.

“Orgain’s emphasis on clean, all natural, plant-based, organic ingredients has made it a leader in the US, and we look forward to combining our company’s expertise to bring Orgain to more people around the world.”

Orgain was founded in 2009 in California by Abraham, an integrative medicine specialist and cancer survivor. He developed the protein-

16 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

based shakes, powders and snacks based on his belief that everyone deserves access to good, clean nutrition.

“Nestlé Health Science and Orgain share the same philosophy: better nutrition can change lives,” said Abraham.

“We’ve worked hard to develop innovative products that make a real difference in consumers’ lives, and now through Nestlé Health Science’s capabilities, resources and dedication to nutrition, we will be able to reach

more people around the world.”

Abraham will continue to serve as the CEO of Orgain.

The transaction will be subject to customary regulatory approvals that surround such transactions.

The deal is expected to be slightly accretive to Nestlé’s organic growth, while slightly dilutive to the Group’s underlying trading profit margin in 2022.

The agreement includes the option for Nestlé Health Science to fully acquire Orgain in 2024. F

NEWS

New program trials low emissions feed technologies T

he federal government has awarded grants to a series of research projects to further explore how new feed technologies for cattle and sheep can help to reduce emissions.

Six projects will receive $4 million in grants from Stage One of the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) program, supporting Australian producers to

trial low emissions livestock feed technologies such as the seaweed Asparagopsis.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, said each project would collect data to help support research and development of new feed technologies and understand their impact on productivity and the environment.

“Australian farmers have always

Six projects will receive grants from Stage One of the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock program.

been at the forefront of innovation and environmental management,” said Taylor.

“These successful projects will increase our understanding of the benefits of these technologies and help farmers make informed decisions on technology adoption in their dayto-day operations.

“We are backing technologies which have the potential to reduce emissions while increasing productivity because we know that is the key to meeting and beating our targets without imposing new costs on households, businesses or the wider economy.”

The projects aim to quantify the emissions reduction and productivity benefits of low-emissions livestock feed technologies, including using Asparagopsis seaweed and the organic compound 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), as feed supplements for cattle and sheep.

Grant guidelines for Stage Two and Stage Three of the MERiL were released on 21 February. These stages will support the development of technologies to deliver feed supplements to grazing livestock.

Stage Two will provide $5 million to develop and determine the feasibility of the proposed technology with grants between $250,000 and $1 million available for projects running up to 12 months.

Stage Three, which will consist of two funding rounds, will provide $15 million to undertake trials to validate the technology and demonstrate its emissions reduction and productivity impacts.

The MERiL program is one of two major new initiatives the federal government is delivering to help the agriculture sector access low emissions technologies without imposing new costs. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 17

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

Manufacturer invests heavily in ready meals as market booms Beak & Johnston is building a strong reputation as a ready meals manufacturer. CEO Ray Hanley said listening to consumers has been a critical part of the company’s continued success. Adam McCleery writes.

B

eak & Johnston, an Australian ready meals manufacturer, is expecting to complete construction of a new $90 million kitchen facility in Western Sydney after the sector experienced rapid growth over the past seven years.

The 12,000 sqm facility sits next to the company’s existing 10,000 sqm City Kitchen factory and is expected to open in October.

Beak & Johnston was founded in 1986 and since then has grown

to include meals, pastries, sausages, and burgers as part of its offering.

Its current brands includes Simmone Logue, Pitango, Beak & Sons, Strength Meals Co, as well as producing private labels.

In 2020, the company also bought two more ready meal brands, Ready Chef and Pasta Maker, as well as a production licence from General Mills.

Beak & Johnston CEO, Ray Hanley, said being in touch with consumer trends and needs was the

Beak & Johnston has doubled down on its commitment to the ready-meals sector after investing $90 million into a new kitchen facility.

18 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

foundation for success in the ready meals space, especially when these types of products were unpopular.

“We initially opened the first ready meals facility in 2015 to produce ultra-fresh ready meals, but to be totally truthful the market wasn’t ready for that yet,” he said.

“Because of that, we had to course correct and get something that we could logistically produce to the Australian consumer.”

Hanley said the company’s expansion would deliver the trifecta

of additional capacity, new product ranges and more jobs. But the key challenge still tends to centre around consumer trust in ready meals.

For years the ready meals sector was looked at as a cheaper alternative with poor quality ingredients – the ‘TV dinner’ effect, Hanley said.

“Building that trust with the consumers was ultimately what drove penetration into the Australian market, because

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

penetration at the time was in single digits in 2015/16. That number has more than doubled since then.”

The rise in ready meals popularity is attributed to several factors, not least the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and the improvement in product quality perception.

“We heavily invest in product quality and source fresh within Australia.

“The message we are sending to consumers is we produce at scale but using the same methods and processes that people do in their kitchen,” said Hanley.

After seeing the rapid growth of the ready meals sector, and being well prepped for it, Beak & Johnston invested in the new manufacturing technology and launched an automated lasagne production line. The first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

“It also has precision assembly, which removes variation from the

process so that every product is exactly the same, which helps build that consumer trust,” said Hanley.

“We’ve grown the sales of our lasagne from nothing in 2018 to over $1 million a week, which shows the benefit of getting the cost, quality, and availability right.

“The company is passionate about these aspects. We have the goal of being best in class for quality and innovation, best in class for service and best in class for value.”

Hanley and his team were relentless in their pursuit of getting their core right so they could present a high-quality product to the consumer and start to build that trust.

“When you are doing frozen, or post-pack pasteurised products, there was an ongoing perception it was full of preservatives,” said Hanley.

“Successfully changing perceptions could only be done with quality products.”

Beak & Johnston CEO Ray Hanley said the readymeals sector will continue its strong growth.

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 19

MEET THE MANUFACTURER

The new facility will have a state-ofthe-art automated pastry line.

The investment in the new $90 million Western Sydney factory is one that was made with an eye towards the future, as the industry anticipates continued growth for the ready meals sector and making sure they were prepared.

“Customer and consumer trust are paramount,” said Hanley.

“The investment we are making now is based on a three- to fiveyear horizon, because if we only

come at it from a short-term view, then we probably wouldn’t do it.

Looking ahead and maintaining relevance to meet consumer demand is absolutely critical.”

The new facility is also a key example of Beak & Johnston’s commitment to reinvesting profits back into the company with an eye towards the future.

The existing factory currently manufactures $140 million worth

Advancements in ready-meals manufacturing technology has helped the sector gain consumer trust.

20 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

of meals a year, but the company knows it needs to continue to expand to meet the expected future demand.

“We know that to continue to grow we have to bring in the best available technology and remove variation from the process. We’ve got to be best in quality price and service, to maintain that relevance,” said Hanley.

“There are other channels, too because consumers don’t just buy from retailers. Consumers also get orders delivered directly to their homes, or pick up a quality ready meal from an independent seller.”

Beak & Johnston recognise that choice for consumers is an important area of focus for the company.

Hanley said giving consumers variety of choice from a product, and that product being of the same high quality every time, means they are more likely to stick with their product selection.

“Consumers also don’t want to pay for activities that don’t add value to the product. Where you can eliminate non value-added cost by employing leading technology is another key driver for us and the strategy behind the new facility,” said Hanley.

The company kept a keen eye on consumer feedback and trends when investing in the new Western Sydney facility so that it could employ the best possible technology and equipment for continued success.

“Our strategy is about removing variation in the product, and again that is driven from a quality perspective, by bringing the best available technology and automation it will insist on process excellence,” said Hanley.

“I refer to people that operate this equipment as pilots because they monitor variation and respond accordingly. Being able to produce a product at 100 per cent specification

“I refer to people that operate this equipment as pilots because they monitor variation and respond accordingly. Being able to produce a product at 100 per cent specification every time is the key driver about bringing this technology in.”

MEET THE MANUFACTURER “Getting the packaging solution right is paramount from a consumer perspective and a second factor in that is higher consumer demand for manufacturers to meet environmental obligations.” every time is the key driver about bringing this technology in.”

For example, one piece of equipment procured by Beak & Johnston for the new facility is a fully automated pastry line designed to produce a range of savoury and sweet products, from dessert pastries to sausage rolls.

“The drive behind that purchase was to produce a fresh and ready-toeat product, or one that can carry a 10 to 12 days shelf life or be frozen.

The consumer’s choice is very important, and this line’s technology gives them that variety,” said Hanley.

The importance of having the right people in the company is another critical area of success for Beak & Johnston.

“Ultimately, it is all about people. From consumers, customers, and employees to the supply base. We are passionate as an organisation about getting people in who are also passionate about the products and their responsibilities environmentally,” Hanley added.

Hanley said the voice of the consumer was an invaluable resource for the company.

By doing so, Beak & Johnston foster a company culture around best practices and making sure the highest quality product is being produced for the market.

“We are highly reliant on people as an industry, so engaging those people from the consumer right up the ladder, is paramount,” Hanley added.

Meanwhile, the rapidly evolving regulations and standards around sustainability and the environment are also areas of importance for the manufacturer.

This is no more obvious than in the use of ready meal packaging, which not only has to be pleasing to the consumer’s eye but meet several requirements to create extended shelf life while also being sustainable and recyclable.

“Packaging is a critical factor for the success of the category because consumers shop with their eyes,” said Hanley.

“Getting the packaging solution right is paramount from a consumer

The new kitchen facility is being built right next to an existing Beak & Johnston site in Western Sydney. perspective, a second factor is higher demand from consumers wanting manufacturers to meet environmental obligations.”

Being able to minimise energy consumption and waste created from manufacturing ready meals is a critical point when Beak & Johnston invest in new equipment and technology.

“It’s business critical that we respond to the environmental obligations, and I see that as a personal and business responsibility.

It also ensures we adopt the best available technology to achieve this,” said Hanley.

One of the many methods used

by Beak & Johnston to ensure the company is abreast of current technologies is to be active in the market.

Hanley has visited Europe recently as part of the manufacturer’s continued efforts to see first hand what is working in other markets around the world.

“Having worked globally I have a good understanding of what is available, not only in terms of current technologies but also in terms of emerging,” said Hanley.

“I don’t want our business to be a ‘me too’ in Australia. I want to ensure we are leading edge and first to market with new technologies.

“That does bring risk because we

are investing upfront against that consumer need but if we want to create a unique point of difference, we have to be leading edge in everything we do.”

By capturing global learnings and seeing what is relevant to the Australian market, Beak & Johnston can get ahead of the curve in the local market.

For Hanley, the voice of the consumer continues to be an invaluable resource in the success of Beak & Johnston and the foundation from which they build their strategies.

“We invest heavily into consumer research and getting the feedback about how they want products to perform for them,” he said.

“That research is really important for our innovation strategy. The second part is capturing global learnings and sharing it through consumer insight forms in Australia to make sure it is relevant.

“Ultimately it is the voice of the consumer helping us to develop that innovation strategy.”

Hanley said even after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the ready meals space will remain unchanged in its popularity, in no small part due to the changing of consumer perception around the sector. F

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 21

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Specialty beverage space is in a period of change as trends evolve Some manufacturers have noticed changes in consumer habits around specialty beverages and have started to supply the market with new and interesting product varieties. Adam McCleery reports.

A

s consumer tastes continue to evolve, the specialty beverages market continues to reap the benefits.

In recent years, the specialty beverage space – everything from craft beers and spirits to sugar-free juices and sports drinks – has seen a spike in popularity on the back of several factors.

Research figures from Ibis World give some insight into the current state of the specialty beverage market in Australia.

The Australian beverage market grew by 9.2 per cent over the past year with earnings expected to see growth up to 18 per cent per year soon.

As of 2022, the Australian functional beverage market was worth $451 million, with an expected growth rate of 2.8 per cent by the end of the year, which is a large increase considering the market only saw growth of 0.9 per cent from 2017 to 2022.

Functional beverages are

non-alcoholic drinks that contain non-traditional ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, fibres, probiotics, and added fruits. This includes products like energy drinks, sports drinks, and enhanced water.

The report attributed functional beverage market growth to several factors including a rise in health consciousness in consumers, which is causing an increased demand in products like nootropic and other health drinks.

The main factor expected to impact the growth of the functional beverage market is a rise in competition as manufacturers continue to move into the space. However, the expected containment of the COVID-19 virus will also help production and distribution numbers.

Currently, there are 32 manufacturers of functional beverages in Australia including Coca-Cola Amatil, Asahi Holdings and Nexba Beverages. However, these figures are expected to grow with the popularity

22 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

of functional beverages.

Innovation in energy drinks is expected to slow as manufacturers address product variation and innovation in other areas of functional beverages.

One such beverage manufacturer, Nexba, is seeing continued success in the specialty beverage space and founders Drew Bilbe and Troy Douglas expect that growth to continue well into the future.

During his early market research, Bilbe discovered that consumers were looking for healthy alternatives to traditional soft drinks.

“It was only about one to two per cent of the beverage market and it seemed like they just weren’t resonating with Australian consumers because they were packed full of sugar, which caused consumers not to recognise them as a better-for-youbeverage,” he said.

“At that time, we didn’t have much else. There were traditional energy drinks, but people understood they

weren’t healthy. This concept of better-for-you-beverage space really didn’t exist in Australia.”

A jump in brand awareness for Nexba was also an indicator that the consumer was eager for more specialty beverage offerings, whether better-for-you or functional and similar offerings.

The rapid growth of Nexba wasn’t just an Australian market phenomenon, the company launched its line in the United Kingdom in 2018 and within a few years became the nation’s number one Kombucha brand.

“But the idea of functional health, gut health, cognitive health and all these other things have been a more recent focus, COVID has helped drive that. People are more aware of their immune system requirements, for example,” said Bilbe.

According to figures from the Australian Bureau of statistics, non-alcoholic beverage consumption accounted for 22.6 per cent per daily capita in 2019-20, indicating

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

a push towards specialty beverages pre-pandemic.

Non-alcoholic beverages were also the second highest growth area in food and beverage for the same period (1.7 per cent).

Further figures from SmartCompany Plus research also found a rising trend in consumers looking for better beverage options from the specialty space.

“The rise of non-alcoholic drinks reflects a broader trend where consumers are choosing to drink less, but drink better. We expect this trend to continue,” said Bree Coleman, Endeavour Group’s head of merchandise transformation.

The research also stated that large manufacturers are beginning to change up processes to meet new consumer demand, with many committing to 20 or 30 per cent of their portfolios now covering non-alcoholic beverages.

Meanwhile, the hot drinks market is also expected to experience growth in the coming years with Global Data predicting the market will be worth $4.1bn by 2024, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5 per cent.

“While hot coffee continues to reign, hot tea is also widely consumed among the Australians. Hot coffee and hot tea are gaining favour among health-conscious consumers of diverse age groups, who are gravitating towards novel tea varieties such as specialty, matcha and herbal teas,” said Anchal Bisht, consumer analyst at GlobalData.

“Considerable opportunities are emerging from the foodservice sector, where these tea varieties are finding more space in their menus as consumer preferences evolve, aiding the overall category growth.”

Data from the Endeavour Group, owners of Dan Murphy’s and BWS liquor, also showed an overall 83 per cent increase in sales over the past 12 months, indicating further growth in specialty alcoholic beverages.

“The majority of customers are choosing non-alcoholic drinks because they want to moderate, which is a reflection of a broader trend of Australians drinking less but better,” said Coleman.

“Many also simply enjoy the taste of the new wave of non-alcoholic drinks. The quality and innovation are quite incredible.”

Both BWS and Dan Murphy’s are expanding their range of non-alcoholic beverages to meet the increase

in demand.

Dan Murphy’s will soon boast one of the country’s largest offering with more than 200 different products to choose from with everything from craft beer, rosé, and bubbles to craft gin and bourbon.

A 2019 craft beer survey also found that 66 per cent of respondent enjoy following the latest craft beer trends and 85 per cent of respondents were excited about the direction of craft beers.

Non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic wine have seen an increase in popularity with consumers looking for an alternative option.

“Non-alcoholic beer has been around for quite some time, and brewers have really managed to perfect a product that tastes like the alcoholic version. Now, we are also seeing a great range of delicious non-alcoholic craft beers explode on the scene,” said Coleman.

“Many winemakers have spent the last few years refining methods to make non-alcoholic wines, and many craft the wines as they normally would, and then remove the alcohol, which means the wines have all the flavours, but none of the alcohol.”

Although beer and wine are the best-selling non-alcoholic drinks, the sales for non-alcoholic spirits (136 per cent growth in the last 12 months) and premix (968 per cent) are the fastest growing.

Australian’s consumption of beer and wine account for 78 per cent of total consumption. Spirits also make up 20 per cent.

Innovation in the specialty beverages space is not expected to slow down any time soon – The Australian Beverages Council predicts further investment into the sector.

“The ABCL understands the risk commonly associated with pioneering new products. This uncertainty is a hindrance to creating jobs within the sector and expanding into critical markets at home and overseas,” said ABCL CEO Geoff Parker.

“Our members are constantly innovating through new product development, broadening their customer base and creating economic certainty for their employees and communities.

“Programs such as the Australian Economic Accelerator show our members that they have a partner in the Federal Government who will help ensure they remain competitive

and resilient.”

In terms of near future forecasts for the specialty beverage sector, research from Drinks Trade concludes long-term recovery from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the Asia Pacific market (APAC) won’t return to pre-COVID levels until 2025.

Meanwhile, when it comes to exports over the pandemic years, Australian beverage exports decreased from $271 million in November 2021 to $249 million in December of the same year. It’s hoped that the easing of international border restrictions will see that number climb.

Possibly in response to the challenges presented by international border closures and a slowing of global supply chains, Asahi Beverages pledged to source its barley from Australian farmers.

Moves like this demonstrate the beverage market’s ability to overhaul processes when presented with external problems or while looking to evolve.

“Under the old model, the grains we purchased generally weren’t segregated but this program allows us to track the provenance of barley used to brew our major beers and gives us direct relationships with more farmers,” said Asahi Beverages’ group chief brewer Jaideep Chandrasekharan.

“Until recently, the expertise to develop and maintain an intricate program like this at scale didn’t exist in Australia but we’re now working

with supply chain managers Origin Trail and Pure Grain to bring it to life.”

A recent, and substantial, example of how innovation in the specialty beverage space can bring with it early success is the White Claw Hard Seltzer.

Launched in 2016, White Claw Hard Seltzer was an instant hit with consumers looking to change up their traditional drinking habits.

Now the company has more than 40 per cent of the US’s hard-seltzer market, almost three times the size of its nearest competitor White Claw was released in Australia in 2020 and since then has experienced popularity here too, becoming the country’s top-selling hard seltzer inside of its first year, selling 7.8 million cans.

With 30.9 percent volume share of the hard seltzer market for the last quarter, Lion attributes White Claw market dominance to taste, genderless appeal and innovative tactics that continually seek fresh ways to connect with the modern drinker.

All are indications of how changes in consumer tastes and habits can lead to success for manufacturers.

It’s an exciting time for the specialty beverage space on the back of new a string of innovations to traditional products, such as going sugar free and other factors like changing tastes and the success of other traditional beverages such as soft drinks, spirits, and beers. F

The rapid growth of White Claw Hard Seltzer is a prime example of the evolving specialty beverages space. www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 23

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

A new natural food colouring promises positive results Image courtesy of Oterra

Food colouring can be a great way to help a product standout and Oterra’s latest offering comes off the back of nearly 10 years of research. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

Bold red shade beverages, like those created with Oterra’s newest red food colouring, can create emotional responses in the consumer.

B

old and bright reds conjure thoughts of passion, raw emotion, strength, love, excitement, mystery and even festivities. The power of colours has always been the area of focus for food colouring specialists like Oterra.

The colour red has so many associations in society, from the perceived hyper energy given out by red drinks such as cordials and red creaming soda, through to red cocktails that can create images of class, while bright red drinks are pleasing to the eye.

The colour red plays a crucial part in telling a story, in suggesting the flavour and defining the emotional experience.

This is how Oterra approaches its food colouring solutions, with a deep understanding of the power of food and beverage colouring.

The natural colouring supplier has launched the industry’s newest natural alternative to Red40/Allura Red for beverages – Hansen Sweet Potato FruitMax Red 116 WS. The result of nearly a decade of research and development, the Hansen Sweet Potato range became an awardwinning industry favourite, scooping up prizes in three continents: Europe, North America, and South America, including the Clean Label and Natural

Innovation Award at the Fi Innovation Awards in Paris.

The new vegetable variety is designed to be a stable, vibrant, and natural red alternative to similar offerings in the marketplace.

In a post-COVID world, consumer desires for experiences with food and drink have catapulted to the next level.

According to a spokesperson from Oterra, the company believes consumers have let go of expected combinations of colours and flavours and want to be surprised with new and creative ways of showcasing beverages and colour shades are key in evoking emotional reactions.

Bold red shade beverages can deliver a myriad of new concepts driven by emotional responses. Bold red holds a hint of danger and allure of the unexpected. Red can suggest exotic flavour combinations such as strawberry and watermelon with a hint of chilli to quench a thirst.

Peoples’ senses allow them to experience the world, but sight and colour become the first sense in the digital world, and it will only become more prevalent in the future, according to the spokesperson.

Red is sometimes associated with joy – with the thrill of bright red, you can make a moment cheerful, uplifting and truly memorable. There

24 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

is no better category to than beverages to deliver these emotional responses because a beverage is suited to almost any setting and occasion.

To date, natural red colours for use in beverages from sources such as radish, beet, and others have been hindered by some technical restraints, making formulating-coloured red beverages challenging.

HSWP FruitMax Red 116 WS is designed specifically for beverage manufacturers and their needs.

Oterra did not rest on its laurels. Feedback from beverage manufacturers told them they wanted to launch more red shades of drinks across different formulations.

Oterra’s technical team embraced the challenge and went back to work until they discovered and refined the next generation of HSWP Reds.

An intense crystal-clear red, FruitMax Red 116 WS is flavourneutral, with stability. Its clean label credentials support clear, easyto-understand labelling that helps position beverage products as healthy and less processed, which can have a positive impact on brand awareness.

Besides being a natural alternative to Allura Red/Red 40, this new red shade also offers a range of other features that address the needs of differing formulation bases.

FruitMax Red 116 WS has potential for vitamin waters and sports drink formulations whereby achieving natural red colours has been difficult to date.

The vitamins and/or minerals in these formulations often creates a destabilising effect on the anthocyanins and for this reason there has not been many launches of natural red products to date.

HSWP FruitMax Red has also improved stability for alcoholic beverages that contain a lot of herbal infusions, like pre-mixed cocktails, which can have big benefits as consumers flock to specialty beverages like cocktails and craft spirits Additionally, ciders are another growth segment because the product often contains sulphites, a known destabiliser of anthocyanins. However, manufacturers can now launch a new range of tempting red shade combinations.

The consumer demand for non-alcoholic beverages also sees an opportunity for beverage manufacturers to capitalise on this trend by launching new line extensions in popular flavours such as strawberry, raspberry and grapefruit in beverages such as fruit juice drinks, fermented carbonated soft drinks such as kombucha or switchel, and high-end syrups. F

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Demand for specialty beverages is not slowing down Sustainability and environmental credentials of specialty drinks manufacturers has long been discussed but public expectations have shifted. Edward Lynch, managing director at NIRAS Australia shares his views

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he past decade has seen a vast, dynamic and ever-growing diversity of food and drink offerings making it easier than ever for health and environmentally conscious consumers to firmly establish themselves and specialty beverages in the mainstream having previously been a relatively niche choice.

Demand for specialty beverages is showing no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Clearly more than a passing fad, manufacturers are now looking to the future, either by retrofitting existing facilities or developing new ones to meet changing consumer tastes.

Historically, many boardrooms have looked at sustainability as a box-ticking exercise that can be used by their marketing teams to sell the CSR credentials of the business.

But consumer and market awareness has now reached a tipping point where the sustainability agenda must be incorporated into every area of a drink manufacturer’s business – influencing decision making on everything from capital projects to operational philosophy and engineering execution.

Sustainability is non-negotiable for any manufacturer embarking on a major capitalisation.

Far from being a ‘nice-to-have’, a facility that supports sustainable production processes not only creates a commercial advantage, especially in a market where green credentials go a long way, but it is a license to operate into the future.

Consumers are increasingly questioning whether all products are sustainable, and it’s not just the raw materials that are under scrutiny but as much production processes, energy sources, social impacts, and supply chains.

Where to start with sustainability is a huge challenge because it’s potentially an expansive brief. It can

seem like a daunting prospect and may be a reason why many business leaders choose to prioritise other objectives where they feel more comfortable making decisions.

This is where creating a culture of sustainability within organisations becomes vital – if every department in a business has its own sustainability objectives and criteria, a critical mass begins to build, and change can really come into effect.

Improving the sustainability of food and drink manufacturing facilities is not limited to reducing the carbon emissions and the use of green power such as wind, solar or biogas.

The location of a factory and the sustainability benefits it can bring are often overlooked, which is a prime example of why it’s important to involve sustainability experts from the conception of a project.

Reducing transport for deliveries and the supply chain, making use of renewable natural resources in the vicinity of the factory site, and having a close population base to reduce emissions from the commuting workforce must all be factored into the environmental credentials of a factory.

Water wastage is a huge issue for the drinks manufacturing industry but there’s been good progress in this area.

At NIRAS, the company has recently worked with Carlsberg to help deliver water saving initiatives that increase the amount of water that is recycled within its factories.

Recently completed, the Carlsberg Brewery in Frederica, Denmark, enables Carlsberg to recycle 90 per cent of all process water and halve its overall water usage.

While Carlsberg’s sustainability objectives reach beyond just reducing water waste, this is an example of a drink’s manufacturer assessing its environmental impact and working

26 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

on a single issue that is relevant to its operations.

In this way NIRAS work with some of the world’s largest drinks manufacturers, and when it comes to capital projects, sustainability drives decision making in the planning of new factories and upgrading existing facilities.

The sustainability credentials and carbon output of any project should be an influencing factor from day one of any project.

While every food and drink manufacturer is different, much depends on what’s being produced and the raw materials used.

It’s important to understand what element of sustainability a business should focus on, and ultimately where they can make the biggest positive impact.

When sustainability is recognised as a core objective, it’s important to take a long-term view and to look beyond the initial period of the factory being operational.

Demand for specialty beverages has manufacturers looking to the future.

The right location, design, equipment, and technology implementation can all ensure factories are sustainable from day one of operation. Building a factory is a big investment, so it’s critical they are future-proofed from both an operational and sustainability perspective.

Technology, and our understanding of sustainability, is advancing at a rapid pace and choosing systems and equipment that can be easily adapted, upgraded or replaced makes upgrading the factory a simpler process, reducing any operational downtime and the costs involved.

Factories should be designed and built to last decades and need to be designed and built in a format that allows for the upgrading of machinery or technology as it develops.

The decision to focus on sustainability is a sensible, and forward-thinking approach that will deliver benefits beyond being able to present a robust CSR policy.

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

There are also long-term financial savings that can be made by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and driving efficiency in the use of raw materials.

Attracting and retaining the best industry experts will also be easier.

In such a competitive talent market, graduates and young jobseekers are increasingly looking to work for businesses that mirror their own views and beliefs, and environmental concerns are often high on their agenda.

As the public and government become more aware of their own carbon footprints, there is a growing movement towards more transparency and openness from businesses, consumers want to be informed of how their purchasing decisions are impacting the environment and society.

In a future, where consumers can select products based on a sustainability rating, or retailers may not stock items which do not meet their own CSR standards, food and drink manufacturers who are ahead of the curve and have implemented sustainability strategies into their factories will be best placed to take commercial advantage of these changes.

We are moving towards a food and drinks market where operating sustainable factories won’t be a USP or ‘nice to have’ – it will become a de facto license to operate.

All businesses across every sector will face similar challenges and be forced to rethink how they operate and serve their customers and clients.

But, given the appetite for change, I believe that the food and drink manufacturing sector can lead the way.

Carbon neutral plants are now a reality, as NIRAS has demonstrated in its recent collaboration with Innocent, producing the world’s first carbon neutral juice plant in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

As public sentiment about climate change grows stronger, there’s a real incentive for food and drink manufacturers to make this their ambition when planning a new site, since it will enable them to futureproof their operations and scale up successfully.

The food and drink industry, like every other, has to play its part in mitigating the impact of climate change, and manufacturers are making great strides.

Sustainable and transparent

The specialty beverage space shows sustainability and commercial goals can be achieved side by side. practices are becoming a minimum requirement – a license to operate – and genuine producers cannot afford to cut corners.

What’s clear too, is that sustainability is not at odds with

commercial goals. Indeed, strategic investment in plants and processes can deliver strong returns in the form of reduced energy consumption and waste, and larger and more loyal market share. F

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 27

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Industrial gas helps companies expand their reach Food-grade gas has become critical in the manufacturing of food and beverages – especially when it comes to extending shelf life. Food & Beverage Industry News explains why.

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ndustrial gas plays a critical role in the manufacturing of food and beverages, helping to keep food fresher for longer, which in turn creates a better value proposition for a manufacturer.

One company that specialises in these gases is Supagas, a company that has worked in this space since its inception in 1968 and continues to work with a range of food and beverage manufacturers.

George Elhlou, national specialty gases manager at Supagas, said the company incorporates all specialised gas applications across the industry on the back of continued development in the space.

“We are talking about applications which are scientific based,” said Elhlou, “such as research and development at universities and research facilities, and we also look after Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) for food.”

MAP keeps food fresher for longer by sealing the product in its packaging with a gas mix that slows the decaying process.

“A lot of products without Modified Atmosphere Packaging will obviously spoil quicker due to oxygen degradation.

“It’s not one approach fits all.

But MAP tends to be a combination of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen mixtures, and each product determines the mixture of gases needed,” said Elhlou.

MAP machines are used to flush oxygen out of packaging and inject the required pure gas or mixture before sealing, ensuring a longer shelf life and in turn giving a manufacturer the opportunity to look at markets further abroad.

Each product’s gas composition is worked out between Supagas and its clients prior to its application, with Supagas ensuring the mix is the best possible solution.

“These are specific food packaging

machines and there are different types and designs for different products,” said Elhlou.

“The most common machine for this is tray sealing, but it could be in any form.

“A bag of potato chips is a great example. Typically, they will most likely get flushed with pure nitrogen, expelling the oxygen, which is what makes it spoil.”

However, red meat, for example, requires some level of oxygen in its MAP. This method means the product remains pleasing to the consumer’s eye and mitigates the risk of the product not selling prior to its expiry dates.

As critical as industrial gases are in the production process, the evolution of the technology has not required much updating over the years.

“Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are the dominant gases used. It’s about-

ensuring we do enough experimental work with the client to determine what is the most efficient mixture for their product.”

Meanwhile, David Petroff, national industrial bulk manager at Supagas, said customers contacted Supagas not just for its expertise in gas applications but also for its ability to help the companies grow.

“One of our critical roles is to work with them to pick the best type of solution for them,” he said.

“If you can imagine a customer has an idea of what they want but we help them sharpen the focus onto what will work best for them.

“The concept of small, medium and large customers is very important to be able to pick the appropriate size of tanks, for example, or packages they use, to do gas flushing, tray sealing, mat packaging, carbonation and so forth.”

Supagas also supports companies of any size, from small to large

Food-grade gases have had a huge and positive impact on the food and beverage industry.

28 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

manufacturers, while also helping clients when the product gains a high level of success.

“Some customers start off much smaller. For example, we have a beverage client that started off in a small shed. It’s important you don’t offer a bulk system to someone who has just started out,” said Petroff.

“Instead, we supplied the client with smaller carbon dioxide cylinders to help with the carbonation process.”

Petroff said the client’s product became ‘wildly successful’ in the market and as a result the company moved to a larger factory and contacted Supagas to help them figure out what new gas applications and mixes would be needed for expansion.

“We supplied them with larger cylinders and their maturity grew as they became more successful with their drinks, so they needed more production lines, hence the need for bulk tanks,” said Petroff.

“It’s important that you size

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Supagas works with manufacturers of all sizes across the food and beverage industry and supports growth when needed.

Supagas has seen companies start small and experience organic growth through correct packaging and gas solutions. something that not only suits the client’s budget, but also what they are trying to achieve. But then you might get to a point where cylinders aren’t efficient or appropriate for the output and that’s where bulk systems come into the equation.”

On the flip side of the coin, some Supagas clients have remained the same size by choice and the gas experts work with them to make sure they always have the most efficient gas applications available.

“There are small to medium enterprises who want to stay at that

size and are reluctant to grow into something that isn’t manageable, so our job is to help make sure they are competitive in the market,” said Petroff.

“We have to be mindful of the customer’s efficiency for their business; that is one of the primary reason’s clients come to us.”

Petroff said, until recently, there wasn’t always a strong emphasis on the shelf life of food and beverage products, but globalisation and more export markets means this feature is critical for companies looking to

expand its’ products into foreign markets.

“As a consumer you want something that looks and is fresh,” he said. “When things like meat or potato chips, for example, are being packaged and distributed domestically, it isn’t so critical.

“But if any company wants to export something then shelf life needs to be extended to six or even 12 months because it may not get on the shelf for three months.”

Petroff said it was all about making sure the product remained in the best

possible condition to entice consumers and mitigate the risk of product recalls when a product is out of date or spoiled.

“There has always been some confusion in the market about use-by dates and best-before dates,” said Petroff.

“Use-by dates are generally about when the product is expected to spoil such as becoming mouldy and so on.

After that date it may be unsafe to consume. Whereas best before is more about a recommended time but if you miss it, the food is still safe to eat as long as it isn’t damaged, deteriorated or perished.”

The use-by and best-before dates are calculated by the manufacturer after a series of trials and experiments to determine the best window of time for a product to remain viable on the shelf.

“This is crucial in being able to understand the shelf life of the product, because no one wants a recall, so they need to be pretty spot on with those dates,” said Petroff.

“It’s about how much gas flushing they need to do before sealing, so that’s where we come in to help them come up with the best gas mixture for them.

And we do this across multiple sectors to help companies make sure their product meets customer expectations.”

Elhlou highlighted the rapidly growing ready-meals market, where further growth is expected in the coming years.

Petroff believes the COVID-19 pandemic, and advancements in packaging, have played key roles in the growth of the ready meals market.

“The trick for ready meals is keeping them fresh in pack for as long as possible by freezing them or packaging them. Some meals are ready to cook or ready to eat without cooking,” he said.

“These days, when these meals are packaged and frozen, they are snap frozen and everything gets locked in, but ready-to-eat meals have a much shorter shelf life.

“The gas helps preserve the food as long as possible without freezing.”

Petroff said companies in the ready meals space were ideally placed to go from starting small to organic growth by improving efficiency in packaging.

The same concept rings true across the food and beverage sector.

Extending product shelf life through the correct application of industrial gases and packaging brings with it a range of positive outcomes. F

30 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

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SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Protecting brand reputation with the right heat transfer fluids DOW, a fluid specialist company, has been producing FDA-approved DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid for more than 50 years but it’s only recently become widely available in Australia. Food and Beverage Industry News reports.

I

ndustrial heat transfer is a critical component to food and beverage manufacturing. The heat transfer fluid, DOWFROST, from DOW, is distributed in Australia by Glycol Sales Australia.

DOW is a diversified chemical company focused on innovation, science, and technology throughout many global industries.

DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid is the only inhibited glycol made with DOW PuraGuard Propylene Glycol USP/EP, a pharmaceutical grade of monopropylene glycol with specified purity greater than 99.8 per cent.

While the product has experienced long-term success in other global markets it’s only recently been gaining traction in Australia and New Zealand and Glycol Sales Australia has taken on the role of local distributor.

Using DOWFROST for the heat transfer process leads to reduced downtime, due to its food-grade status, and extended machine life, according to a spokesperson from the distributor.

DOWFROST, along with other offerings from DOW such as DOWTHERM and DOWCAL, are used for their freeze/burst and

corrosion protection within closedloop, water-based heating, and cooling systems.

Next to freeze-ups, corrosion is considered one of the biggest threats to heating and cooling efficiency. Even under relatively moderate conditions, corrosion can still present issues and strip away layers from machinery.

DOWFROST provides substantial corrosion protection for steel, cast iron, copper, aluminium, brass, and solder as demonstrated by ASTM D1384 corrosion testing.

The food safe corrosion inhibitor used in DOWFROST fluid not only helps prevent corrosion of metals commonly used for construction of brewery process equipment but helps ensure long-term thermal stability of the fluid. They are also used in waterbased process heating/cooling circuits, which makes it suitable food and beverage manufacturing applications.

Mixing DOWFROST solutions into water provides freeze protection down to -50°C and burst protection below -73°C. The product is also made from food-grade raw materials that meet requirements for both the FDA’s

Glycol Sales are the Australian distribution partner for the US-FDA approved DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid.

32 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Code of Federal Regulations and NSF guidelines, which means it adds extra food safety in areas where incidental food contact may occur.

The list of viable applications for DOWFROST is a long and varied one, which includes thermal energy storage, immersion freezing/chilling of solid or wrapped foods, batch processing, refrigeration coil defrosting, and process chilling, to name a few.

DOWFROST fluids have also been shown to operate at greater temperatures than other propylene glycol-based fluids and are low in acute oral toxicity, a necessary feature in food and beverage production.

Glycol Sales Australia is a specialist in industrial heat transfer fluids and company director Rod Beams said the industry was buying up DOWFROST stock as quickly as it is coming in.

“We bring in 18 to 19 different products and DOWFROST is proving extremely popular due to the FDA and NSF approvals, especially with breweries and wineries,” said Beams.

The company’s main aim is to fill the gap in the industry as a heat transfer specialist and not just a chemical supply company.

“We really understand the process and application where they are used as all our staff are from the trade,” said Beams.

Several craft brewers in the United States have had success with their use of DOWFROST for up to 50 years, including the Deschutes Brewery in Oregon, which produces 250,000 barrels annually, and Bell’s Brewery in Michigan, which produces around 337,000 barrels annually.

“We have been using DOWFROST fluid here at Bell’s for about 18 years,” said John Mallett, director of operations for Bell’s.

“We would not be interested in considering another brand of coolant, because we know the quality we are

getting with DOW.” Deschutes’ utilities manager, Tim Alexander, said the brewery had relied on the accurate temperature control from using DOWFROST for as long as he can remember.

“Most of our production is top fermenting ales between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but we also brew lagers at 50 to 55 degrees,” he said.

“With some of our special Belgian beers, we ferment as high as 75 degrees. We rely a lot on the heat transfer fluid to provide consistent results,” he said.

Mountain Town Brewing Company’s owner, Jim Holton, asserts that temperature control is vital to maintaining the quality and consistency of the regional brewer’s beers.

“With our ales, it’s very important that we keep temperatures very close to 70 degrees,” said Holton.

“Too much above that, and we could have trouble with off-flavours from wild yeast strains.

“We’re very pleased with the temperature control we get with the DOWFROST fluid, and we plan to continue to use it as we grow our operation.”

These features are applicable across the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Manufacturers and producers who use DOWFROST are also given around the clock technical support from DOW as part of the company’s quality guarantee, with fluid experts on hand from day one to help customers design, operate, and maintain their thermal fluids system for maximum productivity.

DOWFROST Heat Transfer Fluid continues to build a reputation for not only protecting manufacturing equipment but also helping to protect product quality and brand reputation as a result. F

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Taking safety to the next level at a manufacturing facility Allied Finishes has a strong client and contractor relationship, which was why brewers turn to the construction company for solutions to flooring safety concerns. Here’s why.

F

ood and beverage internal construction and flooring provider, Allied Finishes, continues to work on projects with industry-leading clients seeking to increase the hygiene and safety in their manufacturing facilities.

No two projects are the same for Allied Finishes. It takes a consultant and designer to thoroughly review the areas in focus, to understand exactly what’s required.

One of Allied Finishes’ core principles is to focus on the customer, not the product. They take the time to understand the challenges the customer is facing, and design a solution tailored to their needs.

In the food and beverage manufacturing industry, timing is critical. Allied Finishes believes that it is essential to complete projects flawlessly within the allocated time frame. Downtime is huge, and these manufacturing facilities can’t afford it.

As the company expands its

capabilities from not only flooring and drainage, but to internal construction projects, working with industry-leading clients, Allied Finishes has experience like no other.

Recently, the company completed a new project, redesigning and carrying out a project involving the falls, drainage, flooring, and hobs in a refrigeration room for a beverage manufacturer, a long-time client.

With many large refrigeration machines in one room, and liquid coming off the machines, this room was a slippery, dangerous environment. Drainage was poor, positioned incorrectly, resulting in water pooling in various areas throughout the room.

Machines were previously situated in brick bunds, with minimal waterproofing, allowing water to seep through to the floor. There were multiple challenges to be solved in this project. The client required a safe, non-slip floor, with efficient drainage, no pooling of water, and

SteriFloor Beschützen is both odourless and abrasion resistant.

34 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Among Allied Finishes offerings is SteriFloor Beschützen, an antimicrobial and food-safe flooring. sealed, safe bunds that eliminated water leakages.

Allied Finishes made multiple visits to the site prior to thoroughly understand the client’s requirements and ensure that every challenge would be met successfully.

To rectify the drainage issues, Allied Finishes installed drip tray outlets, which were plumbed directly into the nearest point drains.

Unique, double-drainage points were created, to ensure all other liquid in the area would still flow to the existing drainage points.

Drip tray outlets were attached to the second drainage point to ensure the majority of the water coming off the refrigeration machines would flow directly into the drains.

Following the drainage issues being rectified, falls were created to allow for efficient draining. Bunds were installed to seal the area that the machines sat in, as well as coving, to

ensure no water could seep through the walls.

Allied Finishes then resurfaced the area in their patented SteriFloor Beschützen system, with a non-slip finish in Traffic Grey.

SteriFloor Beschützen was the selected finish, as it is an antimicrobial, food-safe floor, that is fast-curing, and suitable for high wear areas with heavy foot traffic.

It is an odourless, abrasion resistant solution that is easy to maintain.

This was ideal for the refrigeration room, where the time frame for completion was tight, and the client needed a hard, non-slip surface in a short turnaround.

The client reported to have been very impressed with the final result, with the area being transformed into a safe, efficient area, reducing downtime in the area, and allowing people to operate safely in the area. F

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Endress+Hauser helped the Archie Rose distillery upscale its manufacturing capabilities.

Modernising traditional processes for future success Endress+Hauser helped the Archie Rose distillery upscale manufacturing after the company experienced rapid growth in its first years. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

A

fter hitting the market in 2014, Australian distillery Archie Rose experienced rapid growth when its products became popular with consumers. As a result, the company had to scale up its manufacturing capability and turned to Endress+Hauser for its instrumentation requirements.

The project to help modernise the craft distillery kicked off in 2019 with a key challenge being centred on retaining the heritage of a centuryold method of whiskey production while also overhauling the method of gin distilling, too.

Modernisation at scale comes with many challenges. Ensuring the distillery is running safely and within specification is critical, but it is also important that resources are being used efficiently to extract the most from each process step.

From a process control perspective, instrumentation plays an important role in guaranteeing optimal conditions for each step.

Gustavo Queiroz, industry manager at Endress+Hauser, said the company helps manufacturers of all sizes to enhance, overhaul and upscale processes.

36 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The core of the process is distillation, where temperature is carefully controlled to ensure operational safety and an effective cut of heads, hearts and tails in the downstream. This step is crucial for a high-quality and consistent product.

Meanwhile, blending and storage areas require instrumentation for accurate transfer of products and consumables as well as inventory control of final products. This makes production planning more effective.

Both process steps were looked at by experts from Endress+Hauser who developed a multi-

pronged solution.

“We worked together with an engineering company and supplied all the instrumentation they needed from a monitoring and control perspective,” said Queiroz.

“They needed to upscale from the handmade production of spirits, to an automated system that created a reliable way to protect the brand and ensure product quality.”

The resources offered by Endress+Hauser also had to meet resource requirements for a successful expansion.

“Our instrumentation is present

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

from the beginning to the end of the manufacturing process,” said Queiroz.

The solution put forward by Endress+Hauser was designed to meet Archie Rose’s requirements; to improve process control, energy efficiency, product consistency and ensure employee safety. To achieve this, various levels of instrumentation were supplied.

First, the company supplied instrumentation to ensure operational safety for the pumps and tanks using level switches to avoid overfills and prevent pumps running dry. This is an integral part in ensuring the safety of employees.

Second, flow meters were provided to ensure an effective monitoring and control across multiple process steps.

Endress+Hauser also supplied inline quality parameters such as density measurement for a real-time monitoring of distillation streams, allowing to quantify the ethanol content and have a clear picture of the distillation process.

“This supports the distiller to understand which stage of the process the product is in, supporting the decision making process,” said Queiroz.

“Once through the distillation process, the product goes to storage tanks where level measurement and overfill prevention solutions are installed.”

And finally, full compliance of instruments with hygienic and hazardous approval, which certify both the quality of the product to the consumer and the safety of distillery workers, as required by industry standards.

“From the beginning to the end of the process different safety devices have been installed due to the flammable nature of the alcohol,” said Queiroz.

“Endress+Hauser have a broad range of offerings that cover everything from basic instrumentation, for monitoring, right up to advanced solutions for process and control optimisation.”

Queiroz said the trickiest part of scaling up from manual to automated processes was engineering the

correct solution for the desired outcome.

Archie Rose had already employed the services of an engineering firm to help complete all the process engineering design.

“One of the key challenges when it comes to instrumentation is finding the right piece. Tailoring the right instrument for the application is key for successful performance; this is especially true in food and beverage where the measurement instrument usually needs to be in contact with the product,” said Queiroz.

Automation also allows for future growth and scaling up of processes and the team from Endress+Hauser is available for site visits to make sure everything continues to work as it should.

“We are able to sit down with them and ask them what they specifically need,” said Queiroz.

“Then we can bundle up a solution and deliver not only instrumentation, but we can support other applications like cloud computing solutions, for example.” F

Process control was a key area of the partnership so instruments such as absolute gauges and pressure transmitters were used.

"The process is mixing the grinded malt to prepare the mash and then they have a filter. We do all the instrumentation monitoring of the mashing conditions, temperatures and so on."

Finding the right machinery is critical for successful performance. www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 37

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

Major changes forecast for the packaging sector means rapid innovation is needed Experts at O F Packaging have seen first-hand what the future of packaging will look like as conventional materials are set to be replaced with sustainable alternatives. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

O

F Packaging is more than a packaging solution company, according to marketing manager Jessica Ansell.

Instead, the company prides itself on being a champion of innovation and collaboration.

“We are heavily involved in the services that surround not just being a supplier but helping with innovation, education, and the training side of things,” said Ansell.

“We get a lot of clients coming to us who get projects that might be deemed too difficult or out of the box, or with requirements that might be too difficult for a standard supplier to meet. This is the area where we really shine.”

Ansell said O F Packaging has thrived on a thirst for innovation, including extensive R&D projects, trials, and testing – all designed to bring a client’s novel new ideas into reality.

“We are heavily involved in multiple markets and clients come to us asking for something new in their sector and we work with them to achieve making that a reality for them,” said Ansell.

For the company it is a great way to demonstrate its willingness to put in the time and effort, through trials, R&D, and testing stages, to meet the client’s needs.

“That side of the process has always been very important for us at O F Packaging,” said Ansell.

“And with innovation comes sustainability. Recently we joined with sustainability solution provider Close the Loop as part of our sustainability initiatives going forward.”

The partnership will focus on the backend recovery of packaging.

Innovative packaging can help set a product apart while also meeting sustainability goals.

As a result of its ties to sustainability and recycling programs, O F Packaging works on an end-toend spectrum, giving the company the ability to provide more sustainable packaging for its clients from the beginning of production, through to backend recovery.

“Innovation and sustainability really do go hand in hand, and we always pride ourselves on saying yes when others say it’s too hard,” said Ansell.

38 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

“Working and collaborating with people is so important for us. We build relationships and are in it for the long term.”

As part of its emphasis on collaboration, O F Packaging offer seminars to help clients get a better understanding of the company’s approach, ethos, and what the future of packaging could look like.

“We help customers by often giving them training on substantiality and flexible packaging, because

end-of-life recovery for flexible packaging is the hard one. That’s because of the different laminated films used to ensure product performance,” said Ansell.

“Those individual films have to be separated during end-of-life recovery, which often doesn’t happen, and because of this they mostly go to landfill.”

By coming up with single material solutions, or at least easily separated materials, it’s hoped the number of

SPECIALTY BEVERAGES

O F Packaging employs a team of experts to develop products for clients.

used packages going to landfill will decrease.

Recycling programs are also playing a part in helping to reduce the level of used packaging ending up in landfill.

“Recycling programs have proven successful at getting people, and brand owners, to update and change what is seen as conventional packaging material specifications and make them more sustainable,” said Ansell.

“That includes doing things like removing PVDC and making waste recovery better. APCO are predicting that PVC and PVDC will likely be banned eventually, and they are products that have been used to give a bit more of a barrier to packaging.”

The removal of metallised film is another, things like polyester and aluminium foil, which give high barrier protection against oxygen and moisture.

These materials have been critical and creating better shelf life, with something like coffee for example.

If the moves come to fruition, then many companies will be looking for alternative solutions.

“Trying to obtain the same level of protection without using these types of materials has been a challenge but

now the industry has some excellent innovations and solutions as a whole,” said Ansell.

A recent success story from O F Packaging was its ongoing partnership with Kick Ice Cocktails, a homemade cocktail mixer pouch for consumers.

The product had to be designed with a specialty material structure to withstand the expansion of freezing liquid, because consumers must fill the pouch themselves before freezing it for use. This type of pouch structure is not common practice in the industry for liquids, Ansell said, so O F Packaging were tasked with helping come up with a better solution.

“They knew what they wanted it to do. They had their product and a clear idea of what they want the product to be, an easy and effective solution,” said Ansell.

“They do a lot of food service as well as E-commerce and they sell to hospitality and end consumers, so they wanted something that catered to all of those areas.”

Ansell said O F Packaging was more than happy to step up to the challenge, with flexible packaging presenting a range of issues to be overcome.

“Because of the challenges of

flexible packaging in that space, we were more than ready to complete trials and tests to ensure product quality,” she added.

“We ended up getting great feedback from Kick Ice Cocktails and we will continue to work with them,” said Ansell.

Another example of O F Packaging developing new and innovative packaging designs was

with an Australian-based coffee company, which was using the conventional foil to seal its product.

“We helped the company figure out what barrier they needed and what they were using,” said Ansell.

“Then we worked on a new barrier solution made from one type of plastic, instead of multiple types. In terms of moisture of oxygen barriers, it gave them close to the same value it used to have.”

Being abreast of what potential changes are coming for the future of packaging is a critical area of success for O F Packaging, which is always looking to stay ahead of the curve.

“It’s so important for us and one of the reasons when we hear things are changing, we immediately go to customers and use it as a good tool for them to start thinking about solutions for the future when their current packaging might not be viable or recyclable anymore,” said Ansell.

“It’s always better to start that testing and trial phase sooner rather than later, and we help clients through that. Whether it is an immediate or future change, we can walk our clients through the process.”

Ansell said it was an important part of the company’s approach to give clients the time and opportunity to work with O F Packaging experts in key areas such as R&D, testing, and trailing, to ensure an easier transition.

“Being ahead of the game is key and looking abroad to see what changes are happening. This all comes into the equation when we speak with our clients,” said Ansell. F

Kick Ice Cocktails turned to O F Packaging for help developing its innovative pouch packaging.

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 39

MACHINERY

Manufacturers supporting their businesses and staff via innovation The past year has seen staff shortages and production challenges within the food and beverage space.

Manufacturers need to consider solutions to manage production. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

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OVID is impacting society in a totally different way in 2022 to the previous two years. The impact to manufacturers and their staff has been significant causing production line interruptions, stress and anxiety across all levels, including consumers who have seen supermarket shelves empty.

Employers have had to navigate impromptu staff absences due to positive COVID tests or ‘close contact’ situations.

This makes rostering challenging and often falls on their fellow staff to work overtime, double shifts or second people from other areas to try to cover vacant positions.

This situation is going to continue and possibly amplify during the colder months and is looking to become a major issue for CEOs, managing directors and operations managers for the foreseeable future.

Syntegon and its Australian and New Zealand partner, Nupac Industries, are working with companies to safeguard production and protect staff with automation solutions tailored to manufacturers’ specific needs.

These manufacturers are the industry’s ‘Employers of Choice’, which is why they are considering methods to better support their staff and alleviate the ongoing pressure and stress faced by employees in this complex environment.

Coupled with the challenges of

recruitment, border closures and travel restrictions, the implementation of compatible automation solutions will ensure operational continuity and minimise downtime.

“We are in a unique situation where automation can be utilised, not as a threat to workers, but as a benefit to both manufacturers and employees, ensuring production continues in a way which is safer and less stressful for employees, benefiting the industry, its workers, the end customers and society in general,” said Peter Pontikis, managing director at Nupac Industries.

As a solutions providers in a range of industries and with expertise in food and confectionery, Nupac and Syntegon have been providing machinery to improve production and packaging processes for more than 35 years in Australia and New Zealand.

With its customer-centric approach, Nupac has always looked to find the right solution for a customer’s needs.

With additional factors now in play, and COVID here to stay, the importance of finding the right machinery and automation solutions is key.

“In a time where manufacturers are having to adapt to daily labour shortages and workers are battling with extended hours, the utilisation of the right automation is something every business should be considering,” said Pontikis.

“If actioned correctly, the

After the COVID-19 pandemic impacted production lines, manufacturers were being encouraged to safeguard production and staff for the future.

40 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

benefits to production consistency and the opportunity to ensure staff are not overworked, will allow the manufacturing sector to not only stabilise and increase their production, but also ensure the workforce is kept safe and happy and effective in their jobs.”

Automation has always been a tool to increase capacity, output and reduce costs.

This still remains a key factor, with Nupac working closely with manufacturers of all sizes to decrease downtime and increase their output, speed and OEE, as well as ensuring production remains operational when staff absences arise.

By decreasing the pressure on staff and creating safe, socially distant working environments with increased output and efficiencies, upgrading and implementing automated solutions should be an easy decision for manufacturers.

With a focus on the future, Nupac believe now is the time to act.

“Although this is a stressful time for manufacturers who are dealing with a range of ongoing issues, it is the right time to plan for the future,” said Pontikis.

“We foresee ongoing challenges in the industry and although there is never a perfect time to start the process, we encourage manufacturers to look to the future and start futureproofing their business now”.

There are various versions of automation solutions available via Nupac and Syntegon to suit manufacturers of all sizes.

Nupac has worked with organisations such as Arnott’s, Mars, Cadbury, McCains, and Nestlé, as well as many small/medium businesses looking to upgrade and improve their packaging and processing machinery.

Future-proofing your business It is important that manufacturers look at implementing the correct machinery as not all automation will provide benefits to manufacturing processes and support staff. Implementation of the wrong automation may hinder overall packaging and processing performance.

In order to ensure that automation will be efficient and effective, manufacturers should speak to experts in the field.

This is where Nupac, along with Syntegon, provides insight and knowledge to its customers tailored to their specific requirements and desired outcome.

Nupac’s ‘solutions-based’ and ‘customer-focused’ approach, has established it as a trusted and wellrespected machinery and equipment supplier to the manufacturing industry. The ongoing local support, sales and spare parts teams are what

MACHINERY

For All Your Businesses Bulk Carbon Dioxide Needs Syntegon and its Australian and New Zealand partner, Nupac, offer a range of automation solutions. makes Nupac the obvious partner of choice for the industry.

As Australian and New Zealand partners of Syntegon, Nupac works hand in hand with the global leaders in packaging technology to offer the best solutions the market has to offer.

With reliable, high quality and flexible machinery, Syntegon has been paving the way internationally with innovation, sustainability, and future-proof solutions, driven by a technological-focused backbone.

Previously Bosch Packaging Technology, Syntegon has more than 50 years’ experience in packaging and processing across the food and beverage industry, with trusted machines in businesses all over the world.

With COVID here to stay, companies need to ensure their manufacturing operations are future proofed and they are ready to minimise disruptions and downtime.

Automation at all levels There are many automation levels that can be implemented and expanded within a manufacturing operation – from stand-alone options to complete turnkey systems.

Depending on the size, goals, and operations of manufacturers there are certain options that will be much more suitable than others will.

With staffing pressures across all manufacturing, it is an important for manufacturers to consider the most suitable options for their processes.

At the basic level, smaller, standalone solutions, which allow for the automation of single processes, can be beneficial for operations that do not require high-speed outcomes. Such solutions may include intermittent motion baggers, standardised standalone flow wrappers and robotic palletisers.

These can replace previously monotonous, manual operations in smaller manufacturing facilities,

which in turn means they can speed up and safeguard the production process, while also reducing staff proximity.

For some smaller manufacturers, this automated packaging helps with labour-intensive steps, allowing these companies to operate without worker intervention, protecting staff from overworking, as well as allowing manufacturers output and stability when they are facing labour shortages.

On the other end of the spectrum, turnkey solutions can allow high level automation to replace entire lines, from processing through to packaging and palletising.

These solutions are seamlessly connected and allow communication throughout the whole packaging process.

This level of automation allows manufacturers to operate in a safe and efficient manner, with consistent and continuous outcomes.

Some level of operators will be required to monitor the equipment.

They will, however, work in spaced out environments, where they are likely to be less at risk of COVID implications and in turn the stresses and pressures associated with such an workplace situation.

For larger manufacturers, full turnkey systems can be a valuable investment.

Automating the packaging process in such a way can guarantee output levels, which is invaluable at a time when COVID factors have and will continue to cause delays in these processes.

These systems require larger investment and may not be suitable for small to medium manufacturers.

This is why Syntegon provide a diverse portfolio, offering highquality solutions across all levels of automation, including affordable solutions for manufacturers taking their first steps into automation. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 41

DATA

Master data is critical for future industry success As consumers increasingly turn to digital platforms for their retail needs, GS1 is encouraging manufacturers to adapt quickly if they want to make the most of the emerging market trend.

Food and Beverage Industry News explains.

Experts from GS1 recommend manufacturers consider product master data and new product portals.

I

n 2020, the online food and beverage consumer market saw a 57 per cent increase year on year and the sector is only continuing to grow. To be successful in this crowded market requires a well-oiled supply chain that sets companies apart from the crowd and grows sales across retail digital platforms.

Emma Morrison, marketing program manager at GS1, outlined various ways that manufacturers can achieve this goal.

“Developing and manufacturing a product are the first steps. Once the product is ready, then comes the packaging, labelling, and barcodes, just to name a few,” she said. “But then the focus turns to what happens next.

“How do you give the product the best chance to succeed in an overcrowded marketplace and how do you meet retailer requirements?”

Morrison said that essentially there were two parts to solving this product puzzle.

The first is about product master

data and how this is important to an efficient supply chain. The second part relates to a product and brand’s visual identity in the eCommerce space.

“GS1 Australia realises the importance of supporting business and knows that product images and content are integral to both growing sales and a successful supply chain,” said GS1 Australia service and customer engagement manager Mark Blitenthall.

Product master data Managing and sharing data for new products and updates between trading partners can often be complicated.

Studies have repeatedly found high levels of data inaccuracy and misalignment between and across supplier and retailer systems.

KPMG’s recent report, Unlocking the Value of Tomorrow’s Retail, said master data “defines the attributes of an organisation’s products, customers and suppliers, is and

42 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

always has been a core component of business operations, providing essential information, and serving as an enabler of efficiency across many aspects of business”.

Although this is true, a company’s product master data is only as good as the input information.”

Meanwhile, the report said companies could ill afford to ignore master data.

“Businesses that neglect their master data will only realise after it’s too late that quality data is no longer a competitive advantage, but an expectation,” the report stated.

GS1’s National Product Catalogue (NPC) is used by retailers including Woolworths and Coles and is a solution that enables the user to enter, validate, maintain and share all product information including pricing, trade and marketing related details.

Companies can maintain data integrity and alignment in systems both internally and externally, across retailer systems.

All product updates are in realtime and delivered automatically to trading partners. George Georgiou, Food & Nutrition NPC projects manager for PZ Cussons, uses the NPC. “The NPC provides critical information for retailers and is one source of truth.

“It’s a permanent record in terms of product data and they can go back any time and retrieve that information,” said Georgiou.

Some of the key benefits of this service include greater data accuracy and visibility, improved stock levels in the supply chain, and a reduction in administration, and therefore costs.

While the NPC helps decrease the misidentification of products, it also provides a foundation for rapid product recall and precise product tracking.

Meanwhile, James Hulse, Coles head of supply, said retailers continue to invest in a ‘technologyled supply chain’ as data integrity becomes increasingly important in the process.

Images and content “Although it sounds simple, brand owners often underestimate the importance of their visual identity online,” said Blitenthall.

“High-quality product images are not only critical for helping boost sales, but images also need to meet certain retailer specifications and standards for compliance.”

Elyptol president and CEO Tim O’Connor, whose company utilises the NPC, said the company was saving on costs after it stopped using marketing people to take photographs.

Another important element that retailers need for eCommerce is on-pack data, including information such as allergens, dietary, nutrition, storage instructions, country of origin, and so on.

Blitenthall said consumers can look up the product based on its description and be presented with a range of information.

“Information about the product, such as the allergens it might contain,” he said.

“As people become more conscious of the food they consume, they are looking for specific ingredients, so it is integral that brand owners provide this information.

“Consumer expectations are evolving too, therefore people keep expecting more detail on ingredients.”

GS1 Smart Media is a digital marketing solution that enables users to store, capture and share their product content including images, with retailers and marketplaces.

All product images are stored in

DATA

a single location and comply with retailer standards and specifications.

Metcash Food & Grocery national shelf manager, Michael Joiner, said Smart Media presents an ideal solution for receiving product information from suppliers.

“It definitely saves us time and effort downloading images, digital assets and other data,” he said.

Regardless of whether you’re a new or existing seller, Smart Media is a good retailer platform for sharing images and digital assets with trading partners.

Smart Media provides peace-ofmind to users who know they are meeting retailer requirements as well as the opportunity to sell more product.

GS1 Product Photography provides high-quality product images, including 2D and 3D photography, and specialises in innovative photography including lighting, spritzing, concept, and stylised photography for digital and print.

Envy Distilling director, Nathan Wheat, employed the use of GS1 Product Photography and was pleased with the results.

“We were thrilled with our

product images – which were beautiful, crisp shots on a clean background – exactly what we needed for our online store and social media,” he said.

GS1 is also offering complementary services: • renders – high-quality photorealistic 2D and 3D product images for marketing and pre-visualisation.

• mobile-ready hero images that allow customers to browse products on all mobile devices, anywhere, anytime and view callouts.

• clipping paths to ensure product images can be used in any marketplace, on any background; and • romance or marketing copy for a unique on-brand narrative so customers can connect with a product in a crowded marketplace.

A new primary product portal GS1 Australia will be integrating Smart Media and the National Product Catalogue into one service early in 2022.

Brand owners will soon be able to access and maintain all their product master data, images, and digital content in one place.

The rise in digital retail platforms means manufacturers must consider production from different standpoints.

Amy’s Kitchen country manager, Hayley Hutton, said the consolidation will only enhance their service.

“The main benefit for us is that we will be able to manage all product master data and images in one central location.

“While we access and maintain data and assets in a single interface, Woolworths will receive all our

product information in a single feed,” she said.

The main benefit of this development is that all product data and images will be consolidated into one main interface or a “single feed”, making it easier and simpler to load, maintain and share all product information relating to pricing, on-pack data and more. F

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www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 43

PACKAGING

Simple changes in packaging can have global impact Select Equip, specialists in food packaging equipment, sees first-hand the benefits of changes in packaging and is touting innovative offerings from GKS Packaging. Food & Beverage Industry News looks at what they have to offer.

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GKS Packaging has built a reputation for developing simple yet innovative packaging solutions.

44 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

KS Packaging prides itself on being able to solve real-world challenges in simple ways. To do this, the company delivers reliable, costeffective, flexible modular packaging machines, made to meet a company’s requirements.

The company subscribes to the concept of ‘why make things more complicated than they need to be?’

GKS is a family firm that was founded in a garage by father and son duo, Eli and Ivo Geukes, in 2000. The sale of three machines in their first year helped the team finance a drilling and milling machine and a lathe and welding machine. In its second year, the company moved to the Ekkersrijt industrial estate and today GKS has developed a range of Vertical Form Fill Seals (VFFS), built on the ethos of innovating simplicity GKS Packaging throws out the rule book on vertical form, fill and seal machines with its innovative design.

For example, the GKS LEAF, the company’s first vertical form, fill and seal machine, was specifically developed to produce paper bags out of 100 per cent recyclable and compostable paper mono material.

Meanwhile, the VFFS machine’s innovation and flexibility is all about the ability to not only meet current needs, but adapting to future requirements and trends, especially when it comes to the consumer needs and wants.

The ability to have a range of VFFS machines that offer the flexibility, innovation and sustainability is critical for manufacturing.

Based in the Netherlands,

inventive simplicity, user experience and hygiene are what characterises GKS products.

With its flexible packaging solutions available for all businesses, be it a small family-run business right through to large industrial pack houses, its range of VFFS machines embrace adaptability.

GKS LEAF GKS LEAF has been designed to do what it needs to do – produce bags with paper, without compromise.

The team at GKS had the mindset that “plastic never existed”.

It developed, not just modified, a machine that it said achieved maximum performance of all functions resulting in a perfect seal under high pressure, optimum folding of the bag, perfect shaping, and stable paper transport.

The packaging machine itself is also made from recycled and recyclable materials and the first VFFS machine with iPad interfaces on both sides of the machine, offering easy access and worldwide availability at low costs.

Fresh produce products, such as potatoes, can be packed in both pillow and stand-up block bottom bags that do not absorb the moisture of the packed products.

The paper retains its strength and structural integrity. Alternatively, the machine operates with conventional packaging film.

The MINI The MINI is suitable for medium- to high-capacity packaging applications using relatively small bag sizes.

It is also deal for processes in which a compact form factor is essential, such as hand sorting and

PACKAGING

The GKS LEAF is the company’s first vertical form, fill and seal machine. packaging samples or composite products such as nuts and bolts.

The EP 250 The EP 250 is as versatile as it is compact, suitable for retailers who regularly need to package a variety of small series.

It is a stripped down, compact machine that offers the basic options needed for lower volumes, with no unnecessary extras.

CP Series The CP Series is based on the new GKS machine platform, which offers modular construction, open structures, ergonomic design, minimal downtime, and low maintenance costs.

The fully stainless-steel machines are partly servo-driven, and feature components from well-known suppliers. Modules can be swapped out in minutes.

The company’s MINI form, fill, and seal machine is optimised to create bags efficiently.

UP Series - high volumes without hassle The UP series handles a range of

packaging sizes and volumes. It does what it needs to, without complexity and at a low cost.

Its modular design means individual function groups can be swapped out quickly with minimal downtime, allowing machines, or complete packaging lines, to perform many different functions.

FLOW series The FLOW series combines unique hygienic design with fully stainlesssteel construction without aluminium parts, high packaging speeds and user-friendly control.

The FLOW is designed for medium- to high-capacity packing requirements.

The UP650

The fully stainless-steel CP Series offers minimal downtime .

The UP650 is a self-contained VFFS machine that distinguishes itself from other bulk packaging machines through its fundamentally smaller dimensions.

The self-supportive system is suitable for production processes in which bulk volume bags are created

without compromising on flexibility.

The NP350 The stainless-steel NP350 features a user-friendly interface and has been designed for net-packaging with a handle. It features a touch screen for simple operation and control and can be washed down on the outside and inside of the frame.

BRIC bag machine The BRIC bag machine is designed to create brick-shaped bags. It has a hygienic open design with plugand-play exchangeable function modules. It also fits on the most VFFS machines The range of GKS VFFS machines are supported and available in Australia. “GKS packaging has a mindset of producing machines that achieve maximum performance that result in perfect high-pressure seals with its range of VFFS machines that suit all business sizes,” said James White, sales and marketing director at Select Equip. F

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 45

INSTRUMENTATION

Manufacturers not automating risk falling behind the pack Experts at ifm efector talk about the importance of adopting automation technology as the food and beverage manufacturing sector continues to evolve. Food & Beverages Industry News investigates.

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he future of the food and beverage industry will be shaped by the implementation and impact of digitisation and experts from ifm efector, a German manufacturer of automation, process, and communication sensing technologies, has been helping with the transition.

The company specialises in incorporating its instrumentation solutions with customer needs by focusing on overall process efficiencies, productivity and reduction of downtime, which improves the product taken to market.

The scope of automation reaches all industries at all levels, which affords the company added insight

into what functions can work in which sectors, including food and beverage manufacturing.

Glenn Thornton, the company’s national product and brand manager, said the future was coming fast and the food and beverage industry must continue to prepare.

“Food automation is critical because we must get into the digital world somehow. Every industry is trying to digitise or change processes to increase productivity and that is the big message we put out there,” said Thornton.

“We tell customers they aren’t alone in the need to adapt automation and digitisation into their processes.

By doing so, a company can improve quality, efficiencies, and productivity.”

Automation will only become more prevalent in the industry and ifm efector are well placed to help manufacturers transition to the future.

46 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Thornton said automation isn’t just about being cost-effective but building higher quality products. It also mitigates the risk to their product having quality issues that might lead to health risks.

“Food is a critical part of society.

If you manufacture a poor quality food product that doesn’t meet a health standard, just from a lack of monitoring, then brand reputation can be destroyed,” he said.

A team of technical experts at ifm efector work with clients to educate them on the finer points of instrumentation and automation to get a clearer sense of what is required.

“Anyone we work with – directors, business owners, production

supervisors, or quality insurance officers – all have KPIs to meet,” said Thornton.

“The main thing they try to do is get a high performing product with high efficiency rates on machinery to ensure the product that hits the market is of the highest quality possible.”

Thornton said one of the most common requests they get from clients looking to change, or smarten up, their existing processes was around the need for reliable instrumentation. ifm efector prides itself on not repurposing existing pieces to meet a new need but how its team works on ways to create new designs that are tailored specifically for the food and beverage industry and the client’s needs, such as non-contact level measurement.

“The next main point is to make sure it’s designed for hygienic applications; it is directly focused on this task. We know doing level measurement is not a straightforward topic because there are many ways to do measurement with their own benefits and downfalls,” said Thornton.

“Depending on the food or beverage product, the viscosity can change so our clients want to know if the level measurement will impact every other application or instrument where the radar has benefits where viscous media doesn’t bother it.

Which it doesn’t.”

One example of why the company has success with crafting new machine pieces instead of repurposing, is with spray balls in tanks.

Spray balls hang from the top of a tank and spin around the inside, creating high-pressure that heats all the corners of the tank. As a result of spray balls being present in tanks, any level measurement piece needs to avoid causing any disruption.

“We can accommodate for spray balls and other things like steam and

INSTRUMENTATION

ifm efector develops new products that are tailored to a client’s specific needs, such as non-contact level measurement.

“We deal directly with our customers and want to be able to show them we can give process reliability and to prepare for a new environment, especially going into 2022 with mindsets changing after the impact of COVID-19.” condensation, they don’t present any problems,” Thornton said.

This is mainly because ifm efector endeavours to create the smallest possible pieces for the task at hand, which overcomes issues caused by cumbersome instrumentation.

“We come from an automation background, making small components. As we went into the food industry, that was our mindset. We need small instrumentation for less impact and less cost,” said Thornton.

The company’s new radar level sensor LW2720 is a prime example of how the company approaches the development and implementation of new instrumentation devices.

The LW2720 was designed with

speed and accuracy in mind and can be installed quicker than any of its alternatives.

A standard M12 cable allows for faster parameter setting using IO-Link, while a large selection of adapters enables easy and customised out-of-the box start-up.

“The radar itself is an 80GHz, which is a high frequency and means it is a narrower band.

“The advantage to that is that is misses the spray balls in the tanks and we miss agitators and the sides of tanks. It is a nice solution that narrows it right down, so you get high accuracy down to plus and minus 2mm up to 10 metres,” said Thornton.

The radar has also been certified

for use in hygienic environments and comes with a five-year warranty.

“This radar technology is not revolutionary but the style that we have gone into of knowing this is good cost, small footprint, more or less plug and play, maintenance free.

It also lines up with this transition into being digital ready,” said Thornton.

A key reason for the company’s approach with clients is to make sure they understand how important it is to start thinking about the future of automation and instrumentation, so they don’t fall behind.

“It’s about making sure companies understand that, to progress into the future and be strongly competitive, they need to make sure that they are future proofing themselves by being digital ready,” said Thornton.

“Digital ready can sound daunting but can be simplified by the notion of starting small and grow as you know.”

Thornton’s advice to existing and future clients is always the same – dip your toes into the waters to get a sense of what the company is talking about.

“That way the client can extract

information from a machine that they didn’t know they could. It’s a quick and effective way to prove how you can become digital ready with little to no impact on business or production as its running now,” he said.

The idea is to give actionable insights to ifm’s clients, which demonstrate real-world capabilities beyond theoretical testing.

“Creating actionable insights that clients can implement – from modest and small changes to drastic and major changes, which will improve everything from productivity, efficiencies, quality, and profitability – is an effective tool.”

The offering from ifm efector is a promise to improve process and brand security.

“We deal directly with our customers and want to be able to show them we can give process reliability and to prepare for a new environment, especially going into 2022 with mindsets changing after the impact of COVID-19,” said Thornton.

“It is important to seek industry advantages where you can.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 47

FOOD SAFETY

Sanitising technology takes care of biofilm contamination Synergex is the first US EPA-recognised sanitiser that’s been proven to kill biofilms on food contact surfaces, improving food safety. Food & Beverage Industry News investigates.

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he challenge of eliminating biofilms from the food production process has been an ongoing headache for manufacturers who have had to rely on less-thanideal sanitisers to try and break through tough-to-kill bacteria and other microorganisms.

Synergex has been developed to kill 99.9999 per cent of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes pathogens in biofilms on hard, non-porous food contact surfaces, at no-rinse concentration levels.

As a result, Synergex is the first US EPA-registered sanitiser for biofilm removal.

Biofilm generates during the production of food, no matter the sector, and continues to build up over time if not kept in check, said Dr Colin Court, senior program leader at Ecolab.

“There are always residual microflora contaminations in food process streams and over time accumulated food soils create further harbourage and food sources for these residuals to flourish,” he said.

“This seeds biofilms in crevices allowing exponential growth in microorganism populations. At this point, microorganisms will excrete polysaccharides and create their own ecosystem different to the external environment. These excretions are extremely sticky facilitating an accumulation of inorganic and organic particulates that form a layer that protects the biofilm. “ “If these biofilms are not removed, and they are extremely difficult to remove, they will cross contaminate subsequent foods produced on the same production line.”

Historically cleaning and sanitising agents used to tackle biofilms were either chlorine or peroxide based, and these chemistries would struggle to penetrate through a biofilm’s protective layer. They

Biofilm generates during the production of food and will build up over time. worked great against planktonic microorganisms but were not effective against aggregates protected within a biofilm,” said Dr Court.

“For any intervention to be effective, either temperature or chemical, it needs to penetrate through the outer layer of the biofilm to kill the microorganisms within,” said Dr Court.

“Synergex is able to penetrate into biofilms where other agents can’t and can be used in many applications, including lines, tanks, and processing equipment.”

Ecolab developed peroxygen compounds with increasing lipophilic properties for better penetration into cell walls, allowing for much greater efficacy than traditional sanitisers.

“Synergex takes this concept even further,” said Dr Court. “It has a unique active raw material with surface-active functionality, per-sulphonated oleic acid (PSOA), that gives the product an extra mode of action.

“The reason why the product is called Synergex is because in addition to PSOA it also contains hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid and peroctanoic acid. Used together these active components provide a highly

48 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

effective broad spectrum kill against a multitude of pathogenic and spoilage organisms.”

Since its implementation Ecolab has observed Synergex being far more effective than previous chemistries.

“Having the ability to remove those biofilms and mitigate the risk of cross contamination is a critical step for the future of safe food processing,” said Dr Court.

The production capacity in many food processes is dictated by quality outcomes. The food itself is a major contamination vector that limits production, but so is the residual micro load in processing equipment.

“A hygiene program that reduces or eliminates the starting micro load in the system is highly desirable and this is where Synergex provides a distinct advantage over other sanitisers,” said Dr Court.

Dr Court said it was difficult to get a total top-to-bottom clean in most food production streams and to remove food soils completely.

“There are going to be some areas such as gasket seats, elbows and dead ends in a production stream that are difficult to clean, so the ability to penetrate and remove biofilms as they form is extremely powerful across all

food sectors,” he said.

There are various ways to apply Synergex; including batch or direct dosed into CIP and in various open plant cleaning applications.

It can be sprayed onto external surfaces of processing equipment, but if a stronger residence is needed then Synergex can be combined with a foaming agent for longer contact times.

“In effect foaming is the same principal as spraying except that foam solutions cling to the surface better than free rinsing spray solutions,” said Dr Court.

The best results from the use of sanitisers such as Synergex are always going to be during a standalone sanitiser step after cleaning.

“But we have found that we can also achieve good results with Synergex by dosing it into an acid cleaning solution to save time, energy and water,” he said.

Tests also demonstrated Synergex’s ability to kill a minimum of six of the 10 Listeria monocytogenes and pseudomonas aeruginosa as a no-rinse sanitiser.

The high mineral solubility capability of Synergex can, in some instances, eliminate the need for an acid wash cycle, helping save water, energy and time allowing food manufactures to increase production.

“Most of the domestic sanitisers will claim a 3-log reduction which means it kills 99.9 per cent of microflora, but that only works if you can contact the microflora,” said Dr Court.

“You can spray that surface but unless you have some type of cleaning happening concurrently then the sanitisers won’t work.”

Synergex has a proven ability to perform deeper sensitisation through tests and practical application and in doing so, enhancing food safety, product quality, productivity, and safety. F

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE EXPO 27 - 30 SEPTEMBER 2022 MELBOURNE CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE WWW.INTERNATIONALCOFFEEEXPO.COM

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MICE

The Melbourne International Coffee Expo returns in 2022 After three years of postponements and cancellation due to COVID-19, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) is set to return with a bang in 2022. Food & Beverage Industry News explains.

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or the first time in three years, due to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) returns in 2022.

This year will see Victoria’s capital city once again host some of the world’s premier coffee companies and manufacturers from September 27-30.

A who’s who of exhibitors have already committed to the expo and organisers are putting out the call to potential exhibitors to join the ranks, and with only around 20 stands remaining, time is running out to be part of one of the world’s most important coffee events.

MICE is the largest dedicated coffee show in the Southern Hemisphere.

More than 200 exhibitors fill the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition centre demonstrating speciality coffee and equipment.

Roasting manufacturers, packaging manufacturers showcase their latest equipment technology as well as the world’s leading coffee trends.

In 2020, exhibition stands had sold out before the expo, and organisers are expecting similar demand for 2022.

“MICE launched in 2012 with the purpose of bringing the global coffee community together and that’s exactly what this world-class expo has done,” said MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom.

Exhibitors include, Satake, the company that developed the first two-colour sorting machine for green coffee beans, will be showcasing its wares at MICE. Other exhibitors scheduled for the event include Opem, specialists in packaging for coffee including pods; AF Systems; and aroma recovery, extraction, and evaporation specialists Flavourtech.

Others include ADM Packaging experts in domestic packaging material production; and BWT Water, which specialises in water treatment research.

ICA Spa, manufacturers of packaging machinery such as pouches and vacuum packs, will also have a presence at the expo.

Demonstrating MICE’s focus on highlighting all sectors of the industry, Pentair, a company that provides water treatment solutions for the sector, has also committed to the expo.

This is just a taste of the extensive list of exhibitors already set for MICE 2022 but there are still spaces left and organisers are encouraging others within the coffee space to take the opportunity to showcase what they do.

Some of the other exhibitors already include De’Longhi, AMC Roastery Supply who are the distributors of Diedrich Roasters and packaging automation machine manufacturers Actionpac, as well as Australian Beverage Corporation who distribute original equipment manufacturers WMF, Dalla Corte and Mahlkonig.

Exhibiting at MICE is a great way to showcase a brand to thousands of qualified experts as the expo routinely attracts more than 11,000 attendee’s each year, from café owners and roasters to equipment manufacturers and service suppliers.

MICE is also presenting Melbourne Coffee Week to run alongside the expo, from September 24 to October 1, which will help spread the coffee vibe throughout the city.

The benefits of exhibiting at MICE are numerous, with several auxiliary events schedules to excite the crowds and showcase everything the industry has on offer.

Roasters Alley returns to showcase more than 25 local and international coffee roasters while Origin Alley is set to feature farmers and green beans from all over the world.

In February, MICE also announced the Product Innovation Awards, which will recognise the best new products on the market.

The Awards offer the chance for

50 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

The expo attracts hundreds of exhibitors from across the coffee industry.

exhibitors to showcase their newest products to a wide-ranging MICE audience before they are judged by an independent panel of industry leaders, as well as those in attendance at MICE. As well as the Product Innovation Awards, MICE will play host to the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup competition.

MICE was set to host the competitions in 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted plans and international travel.

“We are thrilled to have secured these prestigious World Coffee Championships,” said MICE Show Director Lauren Winterbottom.

“We already knew Australia was a renowned coffee destination, and now we have the chance to share our coffee culture with a global audience.”

The preeminent international coffee competitions are produced annually by World Coffee Events, a subsidiary of the Specialty Coffee Association.

Both competitions involve thrilling, time-restricted performances by the baristas on a stage in front of judges and a packed audience to see who has

are the top performers in what is a very competitive space.

Each focuses on promoting excellence in coffee, advancing the barista profession, and engaging a worldwide audience.

There are two rounds with the first seeing competitors complete two coffee services, a compulsory service, and an open service.

For the compulsory service the competitors will have to prepare three beverages while utilising whole bean coffee, which will be provided by the competition.

For the open service portion of the competition, competitors must utilise any whole bean coffee and prepare a presentation for the beverage preparation.

The six competitors who receive the highest score from judges will then go onto the finals where they will battle over who can compete the best open service. F Limited exhibition spaces are still available and stakeholders in the industry are being encouraged to contact organisers, at internationalcoffeeexpo@primecreative.com.au, to book a spot.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

Industry stakeholders look to strengthen supply chain for the future The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some areas in the supply chain that need to be addressed. Food & Beverage Industry News looks at the impact COVID-19 has on this aspect of the industry.

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he international and local supply chain has faced unprecedented challenges over the past two years as the COVID-19 pandemic crippled so many industries.

In recent months the supply chain issues faced in Australia left supermarket shelves bare, or close to, and logistics companies having to navigate state borders and changes in local COVID-19 restrictions.

Food and grocery remains the largest manufacturing sector in the nation and one of the six national priority areas, worth almost $133 billion and employing more than 270,000 people.

By late 2021 industry stakeholders were being heard loud and clear before the Federal Government made changes to its COVID-19 restrictions around essential workers in the food and beverage industry after mandates had left many factory floors unable to operate at full capacity.

The end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 was a great microcosm of what the food and beverage industry has faced during the last two pandemic years.

Now, just as things look to be on a clearer road to recovery, the industry

can ask itself important questions and assess the lessons learned should it face a similar situation in the future.

Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CEO Tanya Barden said the COVID-related disruption to food and grocery manufacturers has been broad and unprecedented, impacting shipping, domestic freight, and other areas of the supply chain.

“Global shipping delays have affected, and continue to affect, the availability of imported inputs such as ingredients and packaging, as well as finished goods, while exports of goods have also slowed,” she said.

“There is an ongoing shortage of domestic freight such as road transport. There was a shortage of the diesel additive Ad Blue, which fortunately has now resolved, and there is an ongoing shortage of timber pallets that are used to store and move products through the supply chain.”

Barden said the industry was working to rectify these negative impacts and have made difficult decisions while doing so.

“The industry has also worked collaboratively with supermarket retailers to minimise disruptions to consumers,” she added.

While Australia has a largely localised food manufacturing industry, supermarkets were still impacted by COVID-19.

52 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

Australia’s supply chain was put under immense pressure during the pandemic.

“However, the supply chain disruptions and mitigation measures have resulted in significant additional costs of supplying food and grocery products, which will likely lead to some price inflation.”

Last year, Barden also called for a ‘supercharging’ of Australia’s sovereign food and grocery production capabilities coupled with measures that would support investment, create jobs, and develop more advanced manufacturing onshore.

A robust local supply chain working with more advanced local manufacturing would be an important step towards strengthening the supply chain against external factors, such as a global pandemic.

Barden said one thing the COVID19 pandemic had shown was that the Australian food and grocery manufacturing sector remains strong.

“Its performance in maintaining supplies in the face of the enormous challenges COVID has thrown up is clear evidence of that,” she said.

“That said, Australian food and grocery manufacturers are facing unprecedented pressure, not only from COVID-19-related disruption but also from supply chain pressures and rising input costs.”

In early 2022, when the Federal Government, and some state governments, started to relax isolation rules around close COVID-19 contacts, it was seen as a big win for the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Many workers were prevented from working due to existing isolation mandates at the time, and due to the nature of many manufacturing

SUPPLY CHAIN

plants, close contacts spread across companies quickly.

The AFGC called for a consistent national approach to COVID-19 isolation for essential workers, after New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland had pledged to do so.

“We urged all state and territory governments to develop a uniform approach that will allow asymptomatic workers to return to their critically important jobs, subject to strict controls to protect public health, so that they can continue the work of supplying food and groceries to the nation,” said Barden.

“However, for these arrangements to be effective, there needs to be either priority access to Rapid Antigen Tests for daily testing of food and grocery manufacturers, or a more pragmatic approach such as the Day 6 testing in Queensland.”

Barden said the same approach to consistent rules and access to testing had to include all food and grocery production (such as personal care and cleaning products), as well as key supply chain inputs such as packaging companies and ingredient suppliers, without which food and grocery manufacturing would stall.

The Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment conducted an analysis on Australia’s food security in the face the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis makes it clear that as a nation Australia is one of the most food safe on the planet, ranking equal first for lowest undernourishment and seventh for affordability.

Australia also only imports around 11 per cent of its food, which includes processed products like frozen vegetables, and some out-of-season fruit, while producing far more for export.

Australian households spend just 11 cents on the dollar on imported products as a share of total food and beverage expenditure The government department concluded that although supermarket shelves were hit with unexpected shortages during the pandemic, it was caused just as much by a surge in demand, because Australia doesn’t have a food security problem.

“Uncertainties around the impacts of COVID-19 triggered a sudden increase in purchasing by consumers of a range of items, resulting in disruption to stocks of some basic

The disruption to the supply chain also attributed to a surge in consumer demand due to COVID-19.

food items in supermarkets,” the analysis stated.

“This disruption is temporary and not an indication of food shortages.

Rather, it is a result of logistics taking time to adapt to the large and unexpected surge in purchasing.

“The purchasing surge already appears to be abating, and supply chains are adapting. Panic buying and stockpiling of staple goods, such as rice and pasta, is likely to be balanced over time by a reduction in future purchases.”

The government analysis also concluded any disruption to Australia’s food imports would not be significant enough to impact on the country’s food security.

“This is in terms of ensuring a sufficient supply of healthy and nutritious food – although higher prices or limited availability of specific products may disappoint or inconvenience some consumers,” the analysis stated.

It also highlighted the importance of international arrivals for industries such as agriculture, to help get fruit processed and then sent to the consumer, and touched on the critical role national freight services play.

“Road and rail transport are likely to continue to operate with minimal disruptions, with arrangements in place to safely exempt freight services from restrictions designed to limit the community spread of COVID-19,” the analysis stated.

“Trucks appear to be moving freely between regions, including interstate, and will continue to do so.

This will facilitate the distribution of inputs to farms, outputs (including livestock and produce) from farms to processing facilities, and food from

processing facilities to retail outlets.”

Air freight did take a significant hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, with meat exports being the most impacted food stuff. However, meat only accounts for three per cent of Australia’s export.

Despite the large percentage of nationally supplied food and beverages, many within the sector believe more can be done to strengthen local manufacturing, and with it, the local supply chain.

National Farmers’ Federation chief executive ,Tony Mahar, was one of the early voices behind a renewed push towards creating more regional manufacturing centres.

“COVID-19 has been an absolute disruptive force,” said Mahar.

“The NFF’s Regionalisation Agenda urges government and industry to work together to capitalise on the disruption and ensure the bush can deliver for all Australians.

“Regional Australia should be the host of a world-leading export industry in food and fibre manufacturing. The fact we are not, is a missed opportunity.”

And according to NFF research, up to 80 per cent of Australians believe the government should invest more to support regional food manufacturing.

Meanwhile, in a submission to the Federal Government on the effects COVID-19 has had on Australia, the Institute for International Trade stated that the view that Australia is self-sufficient in agriculture was ‘mistaken’ after a weak point in the supply chain was identified in early 2020 after drought and the onset of the pandemic.

“A lack of these crucial inputs posed a major risk to Australian

farmers seeking to plant crops,” the submission read.

This was compounded by the lack of itinerant workers, predicted to be about 40,000 per season, arriving to help pick produce for the market.

In a decision designed to ease the impact of employee shortages, the Federal Government allowed seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands in before international borders were opened on February 21 for vaccinated tourists and other visa holders.

Meanwhile, the National Manufacturing Priority Road Map’s focus points for the food and beverage industry includes an increase in smart manufacturing and the onshoring of commercialisation and manufacturing activities.

These two steps are designed to improve processing and packaging through co-investments in translation, integration, and collaboration by the end of 2022. If successful, it could help strengthen local manufacturing, and by extension, the supply chain.

This year will hopefully see a return to something resembling normal supply chain practices with minimal disruptions from COVID19. However, the Australian industry seems to be working towards fixing any gaps that the pandemic identified at its peak.

“Global shipping is likely to take another 12 to 18 months to stabilise while in road transport there are ongoing issues with driver and vehicle availability, in part due to COVID-19 and in part due to pre-existing issues,” said Barden.

“We remain concerned about a shortage of pallets in the lead up to Easter and the longer-term outlook for this critical supply chain item.” F

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 53

Australia & New Zealand second in the world in 2022 WorldStar Packaging Awards The Australian and New Zealand food and beverage packaging sector has been recognised for its excellence at the WorldStar Packaging Awards where more than 400 entries battled it out over 240 awards for the 2022 round.

Author Nerida Kelton MAIP, Executive Director – AIP, Vice President – Sustainability & Save Food

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he Australian Institute of Packaging announced that Australian and New Zealand companies received the second highest amount of WorldStar Packaging Awards in the world. The global packaging design competition attracted over 400 entries from 37 countries, which represented a 30 per cent increase in submissions. Thirtysix judges from across the globe deliberated over the 440 submissions and determined 240 winners for the 2022 round of the awards program.

ANZ PIDA Award winners have been internationally recognised with 27 awards across 12 categories in the prestigious WorldStar Packaging Awards, which are run by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO).

This is the highest number of awards that have ever been won for ANZ, which is an outstanding achievement and recognition for the innovations that are being developed in this region.

Only companies that have won Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards are eligible to enter the WorldStar Packaging Awards.

The categories where ANZ designs were recognised include Food, Beverage, Labelling & Decoration, Health & Personal Care, Household, Packaging Materials & Components, Transit, eCommerce, Fresh Fruit & Vegetables, Electronics, Medical & Pharmaceutical and Other.

Wellman Packaging received four awards for Squeezepak sauce bottle and Colgate Palmolive, Zipform Packaging received one for Pana Organics and one for rPUMP,

Sealed Air received one for Junee Lamb and one for NZ Post Jiffy Shortuff mailer, O F Packaging received one for Brookfarm and one for Zero Co, Planet Protector Packaging received three for Vaccine Protector, Omni Group received three for VentX Unico and CHEP Australia received two for the 1/6th Retail Ready pallet.

Award winners for Australia and New Zealand are: Food: • Brookfarm Kerbside Roll N Recycle stand up pouch – O F Packaging • The Collective 100 per cent rPET drinking yoghurt bottle – Pact Group

This marks the largest number of WorldStar awards for both countries.

54 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

• Chobani Yoghurt cup – PakPot • Junee Lamb & Sealed Air for CRYOVAC Total Bone Guard • Squeezepak squeezy sauce bottle – Wellman Packaging • Woolworths paper seal Meat Tray Fresh Fruit & Vegetables: • VentX Unico – Omni Group Beverage: • Melbourne Coffee – Cyclpac • Schultz Organic Dairy – Rhima Australia Labelling & Decoration: • Pana Organic Drink Blends Zipform Packaging Household: • Cove – Natures Organics • Zero Co – O F Packaging • Colgate Palmolive – Wellman Packaging Packaging Materials & Components: • Blue Harvest Oyster Tray – BioPak • VentX Unico – Omni Group • Edgell Super Crunch Delivery Carton – Simplot Australia • Colgate Palmolive – Wellman Packaging • Squeezepak squeezy sauce bottle – Wellman Packaging Health & Personal Care: • Dove 50 per cent rHDPE bodywash bottles – Pact Group • Vaccine Protector – Planet Protector Packaging Medical & Pharmaceutical: • Vaccine Protector – Planet Protector Packaging Electronics: • Telstra packaging design system – Birdstone Collective eCommerce: • NZ Post & Sealed Air for Jiffy recycled Shortuff mailer

Australian and New Zealand companies were only bested by Germany.

Transit: • 1/6th Retail Ready pallet – CHEP Australia • VentX Unico - Omni Group • Vaccine Protector – Planet Protector Packaging Other: • rPump – Zipform Packaging The full list of 2022 WorldStar Packaging Award winners are available to view on the WorldStar website.

The WorldStar Special Awards won’t be announced until the 2022 ceremony in Milan, Italy in May. Applications for the 2022 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards, an official feeder program for the WorldStar awards, are open now. F

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MARKETWATCH

Activity seen as a strong start to 2022 for markets C

orporate activity in the food and beverage industry continued to be strong at the start of 2022. Fourteen transactions were announced over the two-month period to mid-February 2022.

CopRice, a subsidiary of ASX-listed Sunrice, acquired Pryde’s EasiFeed business for $38 million. The transaction valued the Pryde’s business on a 5.8x EBITDA multiple.

UK-based HungryPanda acquired Melbourne based food delivery business, Easi for a cash consideration of approximately $50 million.

Sea Harvest Australia acquired MG Kailis Holdings for a consideration of $70 million.

The acquisition includes vessels, licenses, and fishing rights for prawns in the Exmouth region and trawled fish in the Pilbara region. The transaction valued MG Kailis Holdings on an 11.2x price earnings ratio.

Nature One Dairy acquired Fei Fah Medi Balm (HK) Co’s adult dairy nutrition business in a script-based transaction, valued at approximately $30 million.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia sold its interest in the Australian Beer Co joint venture to Casella Family Brands. The disposal follows Coca-Cola’s announcement of its exit from the Australian beer market and the proposed sale of Feral Breweries.

Pacific Equity Partners acquired a controlling stake in the business that owns the popular The Man Shake weight loss product.

The transaction reportedly valued The Man Shake at approximately $200 million.

PAG Asia Capital sold The Cheesecake Shop to River Capital for an undisclosed consideration.

Suntory Beverage & Food sold its Oceania fresh coffee business to UCC Holdings for $225 million.

The Oceania fresh coffee business is the largest coffee roaster in ANZ and includes coffee brands Toby’s Estate, Atomic, L’affare, Robert Harris and Mocopan.

The outlook for 2022 is positive with strong investor interest in the food and beverage industry and a pipeline of exciting investment opportunities. F

56 Food&Beverage Industry News | October March 2022 2021| www.foodmag.com.au | www.foodmag.com.au

Date

Target Name

Acquirer

Sector

21 Dec 21

Chefgood

Marley Spoon

Prepared meals

23 Dec 21

Get Wines Direct

BoozeBud

Online alcohol retail

23 Dec 21

Pryde’s EasiFeed

Sunrice

Animal feed

29 Dec 21

Jetty Road Brewery (32.5%)

Mighty Craft

Craft beer

10 Jan 22

Easi

Hungry Panda

Meal delivery

11 Jan 22

MG Kailis Holdings

Sea Harvest Aust.

Seafood

18 Jan 22

Fei Fah Media Balm (HK) Co nutrition

Nature One Dairy

Value-added dairy

25 Jan 22

Australian Beer Co (50%)

Casella Family Brands

Beer

30 Jan 22

The Man Shake (controlling stake)

Pacific Equity Partners

Weight loss

1 Feb 22

Black Hops Brewery ($2.2 million)

Crowdfunding investors

Craft beer

6 Feb 22

The Cheesecake Shop

River Capital

Hospitality

9 Feb 22

Fen Food ($3 million capital raise)

Bombora Investment Mgm

Plant-based foods

10 Feb 22

Suntory Fresh Coffee business

UCC Holdings

Coffee

11 Feb 22

All G Foods (capital raise)

Investors including Woolworths

Plant-based foods

Ben van der Westhuizen and David Baveystock are directors of Comet Line Consulting, an advisory business that specialises in acquisitions and divestments within the Australian food & beverage industry. For more information visit www .cometlineconsulting.com.au.

NEW PRODUCTS

Modbus data concentrator collects and stores data ICP Australia has introduced ICP DAS’s MDCL-705i Modbus Data Concentrator with Ethernet, RS-485 serial ports, and data logger.

The MDCL-705i is used to collect and store data from multiple Modbus slave devices over the serial communication interface and make the data available to the back-end management system via Ethernet communication.

In this way, conventional devices can be attached to a modern control system and through the Modbus TCP protocol easily communicate with most SCADA/HMI systems and PLCs. Thus, the management system can poll the MDCL-705i for the data from several Modbus devices at once; making the process much more efficient.

The MDCL-705i can help users build a cost-effective data acquisition solution for reading real-time data from meters, sensors, and more. The ability to integrate with SCADA systems and other industrial devices and the reliable real-time data collection in combination with the data logger makes MDCL-705i a cost-effective IIoT products.

KEY FEATURES: • Support Modbus master/slave.

• Supports up to eight simultaneous Modbus TCP connections.

• Up to 250 Sets of Modbus RTU commands and built-in 9600 Modbus data Registers.

• Support CSV (comma-separated values) file configuration, easy to use and maintain.

• Built-in MicroSD memory card for storing Modbus data records.

• Each data can contain 120 parameters.

• The data record can support the ratio conversion function, which converts the original Modbus data into actual engineering units.

• Isolated RS-485 with 2500 VDC isolation voltage protection.

ICP Electronic Australia (02) 9457 6011 www.icp-australia.com.au

Precision compressed air thermal flow meter improves processes, reduces maintenance, and cuts costs The compact FS10i flow meter series is a dependable, economical and easy-to-install solution to measure the flow rate of compressed air, air and natural gas. They are accurate to ± 1.5 per cent of reading, ±0.5 per cent of full scale, with repeatability of ± 0.5 per cent of reading and have a response time of four seconds (1 time constant).

Their go-anywhere, small-size, plug-in wiring and inline or insertionstyle threaded connection into plant piping, ensures quick and effective installation.

In addition, they are SIL-2 rated for safety instrumented system (SIS) critical processes.

Providing precision direct mass flow measurement, the FS10i flow meters need no additional pressure or temperature sensors or other components to infer flow measurement. Their sealed and no-moving parts sensor does not foul or clog and requires no routine maintenance that ensures years of trouble-free, continuous operation.

The units provide a fluid-matched, calibrated and linearised 4-20mA output of flow rate, and a user-programmable high- or low-flow alarm/ trip point with a 1A SPDT relay output. For visual indication, the devices include a 10-segment LED array.

The meters are available in both in-line and insertion-style configurations to support installation in line sizes from DN25 to DN500.

They operate over a wide, 100:1 turndown from 1,6 to 122 NCMH depending on the fluid media and line size.

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration (02) 8197 2825 www.ams-ic.com.au

www.foodmag.com.au | March 2022 | Food&Beverage Industry News 57

NEW PRODUCTS

Network appliance well suited for carrier or enterprise-level network security applications

Backplane Systems Technology’s iBase’s INA7600 network appliance is based on two 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, codenamed Ice Lake. The IBASE INA7600 utilises Intel server-class Xeon-SP CPUs to provide computing power, which is suitable for carrier or enterprise-level network security applications, such as next-generation firewalls, IPS, DDoS, and DPI. In addition, Intel’s QuickAssist Technology on the Intel Xeon-based platform enhances Crypto and compression/decompression calculations through hardware acceleration.

The system’s modular design allows flexibly to configure network ports to suit requirements. It supports up to eight network modules to accommodate up to 64 GbE ports (with or without bypass) in copper or optical fibre cable.

To achieve high availability, the INA7600 is equipped with redundant power supplies and four hot-swappable fans. An optional IPMI 2.0 module provides direct access to server management functions and remote monitoring capabilities.

The INA7600 is available in two variants: INA7600-NIC and INA7600-SHQ, supporting a maximum of 66GbE ports and 34 GbE ports respectively.

KEY FEATURES: • • • • • •

Dual 3rd Gen Intel Xeon scalable processors (ICL-SP).

16x DDR4 RDIMM, Max. 512GB. 8x or 4x NIC Modules, Max. 64 GbE ports.

1x PCI-E x16 expansion slot.

Optional IPMI 2.0 module.

1200-Watt redundant power supply.

ICP Electronic Australia (02) 9457 6011 www.icp-australia.com.au

Beamex expands PG pump offering with portable and battery-operated Beamex ePG electrical pressure generator Beamex has expanded its successful PG pump family with the Beamex ePG, a revolutionary new electrical pressure pump for industrial pressure calibration applications.

The Beamex ePG is a robust, portable battery-operated pressure pump that enables easy and quick pressure generation from near vacuum up to 20 bar (300 psi). With a field-replaceable, long-lasting battery pack, users can perform many pressure calibrations on a single charge.

The Beamex ePG can be used together with any existing pressure calibrator, meaning users do not need to buy a new calibrator but can simply replace their manual hand pump with the ePG. It is intuitive to use, with coarse and fine adjustment buttons to easily generate the required pressure. The Beamex ePG can also be serviced by the user to simplify maintenance.

When the Beamex ePG is used together with the Beamex MC6 family of calibrators, it enables fully automatic pressure calibration where the MC6 calibrator automatically controls the ePG. This optional feature will be available soon with a firmware update to the Beamex ePG. Beamex (03) 9017 8225 www.beamex.com

58 Food&Beverage Industry News | March 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au

, D E E N U .

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Paddock Plate JANUARY 2022

|

EDITION 12

Customers stand to benefit from ‘One Motion’ Turn to page 04

Carrum Downs sealing experts restore seals to factory new

Harvesting the macadamia boom in Bundaberg

Environmentally sound industrial cleaning solutions

Sealing Solutions offers superior in-house seals testing

Dale Jackson talks about the local macadamia industry

CBC helps customer go green with CRC’s eco-friendly product range

06

16

22

contents 14 Dairy manufacturer gets its bearings

19

29

CBC Toowoomba helps drive local cotton industry

Banishing rust with a colourful palette of zinc aerosol coatings

January 2022 06 Carrum Downs sealing experts restore seals to factory new

20 Let Titan ensure your equipment is reliable, enduring, and safe

08 Need parts urgently? CBC has you covered

21 Hazardous areas require ignition proof motors

10 Flexible hose solutions yield huge cost savings 12 Fine filtration, from grape to glass 13 The Shell Rimula R4 range keeps tractor engines running smoothly 15 Staying ahead of the curve with modular conveyor chain 16 Harvesting the macadamia boom in Bundaberg 18 Torquing about drive shafts for irrigation pumps

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PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

22 A range of environmentally sound industrial cleaning solutions 24 Timken case study: Custom belt solutions for harvesting equipment manufacturers 25 The right V-belt solution is just around the bend 26 The perfect bearings brand for bread makers 27 Triple lip sealed bearings are a pretty sweet deal for sugar cane harvesters 28 LOCTITE® bonds with an instant classic

EXPERT PROFILE

Meet the Team Luke Westwick, Area Manager Over 2 years at Motion Australia

His focus is building AIP’s footprint in the market through sales growth and customer solutions.

Luke Westwick is the Area Manager for Advanced Industrial Products (AIP) in North Queensland – part of Motion Australia.

His focus is building AIP’s footprint in the market through sales growth and customer solutions. Luke’s 16 years of experience in the trade supplies industry has seen him in multiple roles including front line sales through to management. This gives him an extensive understanding of how the industry works and he uses this to service his customers in the best way possible. Luke hopes to collaborate with all the businesses within the Motion Australia team to create a service that is unparalleled in the Australian market.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS 1 What’s your favourite word?

Salubrious 2 If you could win an Olympic medal for any sport, real or fake, what would it be?

Barramundi Fishing 3 If you could change your name, what would it be?

Bond… James Bond

4 What was your favourite subject in school?

Wood work 5 What’s your hidden talent?

I am great at drawing cartoons

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

3

COVER

Customers stand to benefit from ‘One Motion’

T

4

he move to transition and consolidate all the Australianbased businesses owned

by Motion Asia Pacific into one singular business – Motion Australia – will translate to better services for customers in the agricultural and food and beverage industries, say industry experts.

Sales at Motion Australia. “Having these businesses integrated and streamlined under the one banner – whether it be solutions in fluid transfer, sealing, power transmission, bearings, fastening or engineering – simplifies how customers do business with us, and will significantly improve our ability to cater to all their industrial needs.”

“What’s exciting about this model, is that it will improve our product and service offering to customers under the ‘One Motion’, giving them better access to all of our active business streams, which each bring a specific set of skills, products and marketleading culture to the Paddock to Plate industries,” enthuses Grant Gray, who is the General Manager of National

The businesses that will now operate under Motion Australia include AIP, BSC, CBC, Cram, Hardy Spicer, Seal Innovations, Sealing Solutions, SpecFast, Walterscheid and WebsterBSC. Grant says that while customers have historically been aware of the businesses, they may not have made the connection that they fall under the same organisation.

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

“We can now have discussions with our customers about other areas we can help them with. For example, in an agricultural application where we’ve traditionally supplied bearings or power transmission products, we can now offer hydraulics, specialty plastics, sealing solutions, a whole gamut of products and services that they may not have realised we had,” he elaborates. “We also have a clear line of sight on our supply chain, which enables us to work with our customers on delivering what they need. For agriculture this means we can help ensure they’ve got supply of spares for harvesting equipment, which has been critical for bumper cropping seasons.

The move to ‘One Motion’ will enhance

a one-stop shop and trimming down the time spent locating the parts they need, is a big help.”

The Wagga Wagga branch in New South Wales already serves as an agricultural hub for the Riverina region where farming businesses come to as a ‘destination’ for all their equipment parts and maintenance needs. Russell believes this will be exemplified in other branches around the country under the one Motion Australia.

“We are able to offer specialised products and services in all these different streams of business, and for agricultural customers, it’s also having confidence that the quality of product is there and available, and is backed up by 24/7 service, which is what we do,” he explains. “Having all these businesses consolidated under one just makes it easier for customers, as they can get everything they need under the one roof. This will be accentuated in many of the branches around Australia now – customers will have access to these full-service hubs under ‘One Motion’.”

Leon Stefanec, the National Business Development Manager for Food and Beverage, says tangible benefits such as reduced costs in administration can be immediately realised by customers. and strengthen our supply chain even further.”

Russell Randal, who is the National Business Development Manager for Agriculture at Motion Australia, is enthusiastic about how the transition to ‘One Motion’ will make life easier for his farming customers.

“It will open up a lot of opportunities in terms of a widening of product range, but also being able to leverage our supply chain will bring benefits to customers, such as shorter lead times on parts and spares,” says Russell, who is based in the Agricultural heartland, Wagga Wagga. “The challenge for farmers is that they need all hands in the field during harvest times. Offering

“The reduced cost of having one purchase order is a clear accounting benefit for our existing customers, who have previously had to have multiple purchase orders to conduct transactions with the various businesses,” he notes. “Additionally, customers will now have access to subject matter experts in all these industrial businesses, so they’re not just dealing with one person, they have a whole team behind them able to provide technical expertise – this will be a huge benefit.”

According to Leon, the new business model will put Motion Australia in a unique position.

“What this move means to our customers is that we will be a truly national supplier for mechanical and

drive solutions, flow technologies and industrial and engineering support products, the likes of which has never been seen in Australia before,” he says. “What we can offer is priceless because it’s not just the supply of product, it’s the knowledge and technical expertise that come with those products, as well as a whole host of engineering capabilities. We can custom-make or reverse engineer products, and we can also provide workshops for product maintenance training, which is particularly useful for companies in the Food and Beverage industries where there is a skills gap and labour shortages.”

Moreover, Grant says the move will benefit Motion Australia’s partners, which in turn, will prove advantageous to customers.

“Our Strategic Suppliers have been operating predominantly through our Industrial Solutions business streams, however now they have access and a high level of engagement across all the Motion businesses, which means extended coverage across all Australian branches,” he explains. “Not only does this open up opportunities for our strategic suppliers in terms of increased customer exposure to their products, but it also gives our customers wider accessibility to different products too.”

To summarise, Grant reiterates that the move to streamline the business model will serve to improve and enhance Motion Australia’s value proposition to customers.

“It’s important to note that we will not lose any of the strength of our brands and what they stand for, and one of those core strengths is the ability to be nimble and respond to customer requests and requirements swiftly,” he says. “This move will not change that, but instead build on that foundation and increase our ability to deliver what our customers need, when they need it.”

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

5

SEALS

Carrum Downs sealing experts

S

restore seals to factory new

eal refurbishment is a costeffective solution for prolonging the life of a piece of equipment.

And as far as refurbishments go, “Sealing Solutions is widely accepted as the largest independent seal repairer in Australia,” says Garry Noble.

“It’s all in the spectrum of sealing repair work we do and our rigorous testing methods— these factors set us apart from our competitors,” he says, before he elaborates: “We have a general knowledge of everybody’s seals, whereas most of our competitors only understand how their own seals work because they prefer to make their own seals.”

“It’s a process we have evolved over 25 years,” says Co-Founder Luke Carlon.

“We have developed a series of fundamentals checks and balances that we go through when restoring a seal, and we know that putting a seal through these processes will get it as close as possible to the original spec.”

In addition to restoration, Luke notes, Sealing Solutions has developed some

test rigs that are to their own design.

“We cover a diverse cross section of industries, and as such, have developed a flexible array of in-house testing procedures that are in line with individual client needs and seal designs,” he explains.

“We use API682 seal leakage testing as a standard, but individual sectors often require more than just a single

“If the component is out of date or out of manufacture; we can repair, modify, or swap to bring it back up to industry standard. If someone else can’t do it —we can.”

As a Technical Engineer at Sealing Solutions, Garry brings a highly specialised approach to the Sealing Solutions team, backed by years of experience across different industrial sectors.

Since the business was founded in 1995, the Sealing Solutions team have worked tirelessly to establish a seal refurbishment model that has changed the way sealing solutions are supplied in Australia.

Sealing Solutions have an array of in-house testing procedures.

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PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

test by one industry body. Some clients require the addition of wet seal testing, increased pressure testing, or longer testing times.”

Sealing Solutions can test single or double seal arrangements to a range of pressures, fluctuating between seals to simulate the variable pressures during service.

Air pressure testing can be done up to 6 bar, while wet seal testing can go up to 5 bar with the ability to add constant water flow barrier supply.

In addition to these methods, the Sealing Solutions team have developed their

own unique test rig with inserted (shrunk) fit faced seals to test the integrity of the inserted face fit.

This unique point of difference has allowed Sealing Solutions to build a good rapport with seal manufacturers and OEMs. “We are recognised on the market because other people just aren’t testing seals the way that we are testing them,” says Garry. “Seals require rigorous testing to achieve confidence, so we test to a higher standard.

“We can apply a new seal supply warranty to our refurbishments,” he adds. “Our testing methods are part of how we guarantee a seal’s integrity.”

“Additionally, we can reverse engineer customer seals and restore the integrity of the original components.

We have tested the seals we have refurbished on equipment, versus the OEM seals. And in some cases, our seals have outperformed the original specs.”

Sealing Solutions enjoys a good rapport with their customers as well, working closely with their clients in the initial stages of a repair to test components and assess costs.

“Customers appreciate that we do a lot of testing for them before we even provide a quote,” says Luke. “The testing process helps us get from point A to point B more quickly. It helps us to determine what parts need to be replaced and what can be restored.

This is just one of the ways we keep

costs down for our clients.”

The team also takes care to keep track of the life cycles of their repairs.

“We have tried and tested methods that are proven by feedback from our customers,” Luke concludes.

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

7

SERVICES

Need parts urgently?

CBC has you covered

S

ometimes, when it comes down to the crunch and there’s an issue with equipment, it isn’t feasible to wait on a replacement part to be delivered by an OEM, which is why CBC regularly manufactures components for customers as part of their Local Production Requisition (LPR) service.

According to Leon Stefanec, National Business Development Manager for Food and Beverage, this service entails either CBC manufacturing components

8

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

to customer requirements in their own workshops or contracting the job out to local engineering companies. In either case, the flexibility and adaptability to changingchanging circumstances becomes a solution for customers who are in a tight spot.

“OEM parts are sometimes unavailable or have long lead times when customers require a custom solution,” Leon says. “So, LPRs are a unique special offer that we provide. We have

our own in-house qualified drafters or engineers who use the latest software to provide technical and manufacturing drawings which can then, in turn, be used to manufacture custom parts for our customers.”

Leon points to a recent example where a large-scale bakery, operating 24/7, required the services of CBC to supply a new 1.4-metre-long shaft for a robot packing machine that had broken one late afternoon.

We have our own inhouse qualified drafters or engineers who use the latest software to provide technical and manufacturing drawings which can then, in turn, be used to manufacture custom parts for our customers.

“The broken shaft was preventing a large batch of finished baked goods from being packaged ready for distribution to a major supermarket chain,” Leon explains. “We were called and were able to visit the site to collect the broken shaft and quickly prepare a manufacturing drawing. From there, we recommended a higher grade of material to prevent a repeat of such a breakage. We then contacted a nearby engineering company that had the material in stock and could manufacture the shaft to the Motion Australia drawing out of regular business hours.”

The shaft was completed by roughly 9:30pm and delivered straight to the bakery for installation.

“Had the site waited for a new shaft to become available from the OEM suppliers, the production line would have been out of commission for several days,” Leon says. “The bakery’s maintenance team fitted the new shaft and completed the packaging process without any additional loss and no loss of product.”

This was an example of how CBC can quickly respond with its own talents and professional network to satisfy an immediate need by getting a broken piece of equipment replaced

number then becomes the item part number and is maintained within our catalogue system.”

– although it’s more common for CBC to reverse engineer custom parts or manufacture entirely new items to rectify a precise customer problem, according to Leon.

“Each time we manufacture a new LPR item we identify it with a unique part number, which we file with our engineering department database along with relevant drawings, photos, and notes,” Leon says. “This unique

“Should our customers require a repeat order of these LPR items our engineers simply extract the drawings and details from our database and issue a purchase order to any of our workshops to commence the manufacture.”

This service is of great utility to customers and has established CBC as a name to trust when the going gets tough.

CBC manufactures components as part of their Local Product Requisition (LPR) service.

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

9

HOSE

Flexible hose solutions

I

10

yield huge cost savings

rrigation is one of the largest and most vital industries in Australia.

According to the New South Wales Irrigation Council, the Australian agriculture sector uses 50-70% of all the water consumed annually—and irrigation accounts for 90% of that usage. As a result, well-designed hydraulic pump systems are a hot commodity for local contractors looking to service the agricultural industry.

Luke Westwick, Area Manager for AIP North Queensland, works with local contractors supplying hose, valves, and fittings for large-scale industrial, mining and irrigation operations.

As one of the country’s largest suppliers of hose and fittings, Advanced Industrial Products (AIP) imports and supplies market leading brands to many of these contractors, who then integrate the hose products into their hydraulic pump designs.

“Aside from the pumps themselves, one of the greatest cost challenges for irrigation operations is the installation of the hydraulic pump,” he says.

“The pumps can be quite heavy and are being installed at times several hundred meters underground so

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

With an extensive plumbing background and an understanding of fluid transfer, Luke imparts his expertise by breaking down how the right industrial hose product can equal significant cost savings for a client.

there is a lot at stake. Then there is developing a system for retrieving the pumps for regular maintenance.”

According to Luke, the traditional method of installation was using a combination of steel, fibreglass, PVC, and polyethylene piping to lower the submersible pumps into the bore holes.

“These would be hoisted by cranes and require a lot of clearance for install. Similarly, pulling the pump out for maintenance and repairs required specialised lifting machinery, accruing costs from time and labour,” he says.

The solution to this, he explains, is using a system for retrieving the hose that is cost effective.

“We recommend the Mandals Wellman 300 hose—a high grade polyurethane woven layflat hose that has strong tensile ability and is extremely flexible—in contrast to a rigid piping arrangement,” he says. “The hose has no flanges or joints except for at the pump and headworks, which means no corrosion or scale build up on the inside of the hose.”

“The Wellman 300 can be rolled out from a tractor or similar machinery and lowered down the hole with the pump connected to the hose,” he furthers.

“Therefore, if you need to retrieve a pump for maintenance out of the hole, it’s a lot easier. Scale doesn’t build up on the hose like it does on a pipe because it’s flexing and moving all the time.”

In addition to this, the tensile strength on the hose is greater than rigid pipe.

“The pumps can weigh over 100 kilos, so the hose is under constant tension all the time,” says Luke. “But the hose is reinforced with woven textile cords that swells during operation for additional diameter which improves the hydraulic performance.”

“It’s important to understand that AIP is on the front line for supply of industrial hose solutions in Australia,” says Luke.

“AIP are the distributor in Australia for Mandals, the company that manufactures this hose, and AIP import and supply to their distributors as required. Customers will approach AIP distributors with a water problem. Our distributors/clients design the pump system and then we supply the hose based on the specification of their design.”

Recently, Luke oversaw the supply of the Wellman 300 hose to a customer in his region of North Queensland who was designing pump systems for stock feed.

“The bore hole was 100 metres deep and the head pressure was 290 metres,” he explains. “The advantage of the layflat hose system is that the land owner could have multiple bore holes and only 1 pump. We supplied a 51mm diameter Wellman 300 hose which allows for them to lower the pump and pull it back up with ease.”

Mandals Wellman 300 Hose Features and Benefits • Rapid installation and retrieval of submersible pump • No flanges or joints except at the pump • No cranes required for maintenance or restoration • Textile reinforcement swells up to 15% under operating conditions • Easy to store and transport • Low maintenance, less labour intensive • Zero corrosion or scale build-up “In rural areas, there are not many people who have the kinds of cranes and hoisting gear required for large scale pump installations,” he concludes, “So, this product unrolls cost savings all around.”

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

11

ADVERTORIAL - FILTRATION

Fine filtration, from grape to glass

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hether it’s an acclaimed Shiraz from the lush coastal climates of McClaren Vale; a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the rolling hills of the Riverina Region; or a cool Sparkling Wine from Tamar Valley— 3M Purification understands the importance of the purification process for creating awardwinning Australian wines.

To achieve optimal results in flavour, tint, and consistency of a wine, winemakers must have full control of the purification process to ensure there are no impurities or changes in climate that could alter the taste of a grape blend.

Decades of working with the most prestigious winemakers in the world to create tailor made purification systems that deliver on performance, quality, and convenience for clients, has made 3M one of the leading innovators in wine filtration technology.

The perfect glass of wine, down to a science 3M’s combined experience and accumulated expertise has led to ground-breaking inventions for clarification, prefiltration and final filtration.

An example of this is the LifeASSURE™ BA filter; the world’s first filter made from microporous nylon membranes to retain the complete organoleptic qualities of the wine, and the LifeASSURE™ BLA Series dual layer prefilters; designed to protect the wine as it moves downstream through a banked filtration system at the highest flux rate possible.

This ingenuity persists in the LifeASSURE™ BNA range polyethersulfone (PES) membranes, which provide superior retention of organisms while preserving the microbiological stability of the wine.

A tiered system Wineries require a tiered filtration process, prompting the development of the 3M™ Zeta Plus H filters, which are tailored by design to cater to the most demanding parameters of wine filtration.

Zeta Plus H filters are constructed with high tensile strength to perform efficiently under high operating temperatures and repeated sanitisation cycles.

Zeta Plus H filters are the choice of world class winemakers because they are easy to use and light on labour costs, while at the same time achieving a stable texture in the body of a wine.

In the same family as the H filters, are the Zeta Plus MH series filters: 3M’s most sophisticated filter design to date that employs electrokinetic absorption to create two distinct zones of filtration: the upstream and downstream.

The Zeta Plus MH’s upstream zone is more open than the downstream zones which allows for greater holding capacity of filtered media, so the larger particles get trapped in the upper zone, with the second filter catching the smaller ones. Ultimately maintaining a smooth flow of the wine product through the filtration system.

Optimised for the individual winemaker Just as every fine wine has its own unique qualities, 3M understands that every winemaker has individual preferences for creating the best wine recipes in the world that can passed down from generation to generation.

The demanding and complex nature of wine production means that 3M purification experts must work closely with winemakers to design the most optimised filtration system that will embrace a winery’s individual process.

The result is consistently high-quality and stable fine wine products that are achieved through integrated science and resounding innovation.

To customise your wine filtration system for optimal results, consult with a Motion Australia representative for more information on the 3M range.

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ADVERTORIAL - LUBRICATION

The Shell Rimula R4 range

T

keeps tractor engines running smoothly

he experts at Viva Energy Australia understand that the work of a farmer is never done. Farming operations are not only sunrise to sunset, but more like 24/7/365 days a year—and downtime is not an option —which is why the right time to service agriculture equipment is the start of every season, before operators get into the thick of it and don’t have time to lose on repairs and maintenance.

During peak harvest months, tractors are one of the most critical pieces of machinery on Australian farmland, which is why ensuring proper lubrication of the tractor engine is one of the most important considerations for tractor operators.

The right engine lubricant can improve a tractor’s performance on site. While, choosing the wrong lubricant for a tractor engine can cause breakdowns and accrue costly repairs and maintenance, quickly putting the equipment out of service and causing unnecessary downtime on an operation.

Shell is one of the most well-recognised fluid and oil brands in the world, and as the exclusive distributor of Shell brand fluid and oil products in Australia, Viva

Energy has worked tirelessly to streamline the process of selecting the right lubricant for tractors.

Specifically for tractor engines, Shell has developed a unique product range that assists operators in ensuring careful management of their engines. The Shell Rimula R4 range are key products for protecting the integrity and efficiency of a tractor’s engine to ensure performance and longevity through the season.

Shell Rimula R4 L heavy duty engine oil uses the most advanced 15W-40 oil technology to create exceptional resistance to corrosion, wear and oxidation while producing lower vehicle emissions. The R4 L uses the latest generation technology to deliver significantly improved resistance to wear, deposits, and oxidation. Based on high performance Group II base oils, it is versatile enough to provide the convenience of a single oil and suitable for virtually all engine ages and vehicle types, while reducing engine emissions.

and corrosion control, wear control and deposit control. Formulated with Shell’s Dynamic Protection technology, the lubricant will adapt to an engine’s specific requirements. Relative to API and ACEA engine oil specifications, R4X provides up to 50% better engine cleanliness, control, and acid corrosion protection. Which means less sludge, less wear and longer service life.

The Shell R4 range products allow tractor operators to plan for engine maintenance cycles with confidence that the highest quality lubricants are being used to optimise engine performance in line with OEM requirements.

Operators should also refer to OEM product manuals guidelines to understand recommended service intervals. Some tractors may have a service interval of 200 hours, while others may be up to 400— regardless, it is best practice to keep ahead of service intervals to ensure equipment is operating at peak performance level.

Protecting the performance of exhaust emissions control systems is not only important to ensure that tractors comply with legislative requirements, but it also ensures efficient operations. For example, blocked diesel particulate filters (DPF) can increase fuel consumption. Shell Rimula R4 L is formulated with reduced levels of ash and sulphur to help maintain the efficiency of the latest tractor technology.

Customers seeking real time support can receive free consult on what lubricant is optimal for their machine through the Viva Energy Technical Help Desk line (Shell Specialists). For the more digitally savvy, the Shell LubeMatch and Shell LubeAnalyst digital tools allow customers to input the details of their tractor and access detailed lube matching information, as well as survey and monitor their engine health.

Shell Rimula R4 X was designed to provide triple protection for tractor engines, covering three key areas: acid

For more information on the Shell range, visit your local Motion Australia branch today!

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

13

BEARINGS

Dairy manufacturer gets its bearings

captured within the bearing in a solid polyolefin resin, unlike conventional liquid oils or greases,” says Leon. “The lubricant slowly seeping from this resin material provides ample lubrication to the bearing for extended periods. The NSK MoldedOil™ bearings are therefore perfect for use in dairies and wet environments, and where regular wash downs occur the rust prevention qualities of the stainlesssteel option may be preferable to give extended working life.”

M

ore than 10 years ago, one of Australia’s leading dairy producers made the switch from standard deep groove ball bearings to NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings after the advantages were pointed out to the producer’s plant engineer by a CBC sales representative on a site visit.

“CBC have been supplying goods to the producer for more than 25 years and have strong relationships with their manufacturing sites as well as their engineering department and site engineers,” says Leon Stefanec, National Business Development Manager for Food and Beverage. “The customer has always been open to learning of new products and technologies and interested in finding out where real benefits can be found by trialling and adopting new products from CBC.” Leon says the producer faced an issue at its largest manufacturing site, in Victoria’s North, becoming frustrated at having to regularly change out standard 6000 series deep groove ball bearings because they were rusting, or having to replace sealed for life bearings due to water ingress resulting from regular highpressure cleaning of the equipment.

“Dairies are a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned by way of highpressure water cleaners and various

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caustic cleaning agents,” Leon says.

“Equipment is usually cleaned every day, or regularly throughout the day – particularly if there are changes in the product being manufactured on the production line. Caustic solutions can degrade the rubber seals that are fitted to 6000 series and other bearings used in dairies, which can in turn cause the grease to be washed out of the bearing during the high-pressure cleaning process.”

The CBC sales representative suggested to the plant engineer that they try out NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings, with excellent results.

The NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings – available in standard bearing grade steel and stainless-steel options – offer high performance in water- and dustcontaminated environments. Among other standout features: •M olded-Oil bearings are lubricated with NSK’s own oil-impregnated material, Molded-Oil™ •M olded-Oil™ consists of lubricating oil and polyolefin resin that has an affinity for oil. Oil slowly seeping from this material provides ample lubrication to the bearing for extended periods.

“In layman’s terms, the lubricant is

Leon says that the producer was excited to try out the NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings to extend the working life of their bearings and to reduce losses associated with having their maintenance teams constantly replacing existing deep groove ball bearings.

“Unexpected failures of bearings can lead to even greater losses due to loss of production and equipment down time,” he says. “No wonder they were happy to try new bearings out!”

Modern dairies use high speed equipment – particularly in the wrapping and packaging processes – and NSK offers Molded-Oil™ bearings for both general use and high-speed use. This means that NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings can be used throughout an operation’s equipment and in many applications through the entire manufacturing process, according to Leon.

“Soon after trialling the Molded-Oil™ bearings it was evident to the producer and us that they were the answer – they worked wonderfully and outperformed the previous standard deep groove ball bearings the site had been using.”

“The customer has been extremely happy with performance ever since and – working with the team at CBC – have now been able to extend the range and size of bearings used not only at their largest manufacturing site, but now to more than eight sites throughout the country.”

CHAIN

Staying ahead of the curve

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with modular conveyor chain

otion Australia’s Troy Markland, Product Manager for Power Transmission (PT), Chain and Ironware understands that behind every great food production operation is a great power transmission product.

team to assist customers, which includes joint site calls and collaborating on application assessments,” he explains, adding that: “Working closely with our suppliers out on a customer’s site is one of the best parts of the job.”

“Power transmission is huge in the food processing space because every food production plant has conveyors operating around the clock to keep up with demand,” he says. “From farm to fork, every food product goes through processing to arrive at the final product.

Every single tomato will go through a series of conveyor processes before it ever sees the shelves of the store.”

“Industries such as dairy, flour, sugar, grains, seafood and even petfood have been converting to Regal Rexnord Flat Top Chain due to its modular assembly options and quick clean features,” explains Matthew.

“The Flat Top Chain is among the most advanced food safe conveyor belt technology on the global market right now, which in part explains the huge uptick in sales. But I would also attribute the boom to the growing interest in more food-safe hygienic products.”

Importantly, at a food production plant, a conveyor breakdown can halt production and incur loss of valuable perishable products, according to Troy.

“For this reason, it is absolutely critical for plant workers to keep up with regular wash down and maintenance cycles of the conveyors to ensure food-safe hygiene and reduce the risk of incidental contamination.”

A growing emphasis on food-safe power transmission products has given way to the rise of innovative new conveyor product designs that are geared towards the specific needs and requirements of the food processing industry.

Regal Rexnord Flat Top and Mat Top Chain Key Applications: • Washing and draining • Cutting and dicing • Cooking • Cooling and freezing • Packaging and crating Features and Benefits:

This trend has positioned Motion Australia well in the market as a solutions-based organisation that enjoys a longstanding working relationship with one supplier of such innovative products: the global market leading brand, Regal Rexnord.

• Strong carrying surface for dynamic load handling

“Regal Rexnord are a well-recognised and reputable brand in the power transmission space, which is why they are the preferred brand for many OEMs,” says Matthew Byrnes, Business Development Specialist for the Food and Beverage sector at Motion Australia. “And we at Motion, are their preferred distributor.”

• Smart pin design: Easy screwdriver assembly and disassembly

“Through a collaborative approach, we work together with the Regal Rexnord

When it comes to food-safe conveyor solutions, Regal Rexnord has a diverse portfolio of Flat Top and Mat Top Chain conveyor products. And according to Matthew, these products have seen a sizeable influx in sales across the food industry in recent years.

• Conveys larger volumes of product for increased production • Open hinge design for fully modular construction

• Easy access for sanitation • Abrasion resistant • Material Options: Acetal, polypropylene, or polyethylene • Texture Options: Nub Top, Flat Top, or Perforated Top

The team at Motion Australia has worked with Regal Rexnord to streamline the Flat Top and Mat Top Chain range, offering start-to-finish customised conveyor designs that are fully modular and readily replaceable.

“For every food process, Regal Rexnord has an offering in this range,” says Troy. “It’s very versatile and works on an open hinge design with a smart pin retention design, which allows for a lot of flexibility when designing and constructing a conveyor line, as well as easy disassembly.”

“The chain is available in a range of materials and textures as well—acetal, polypropylene, and polyethylene—in solid, perforated or nub top designs that can accommodate different application processes, from washing, to cooking, cooling, and freezing,” he adds.

“Customers really appreciate the versality of the Flat Top range— and being a global supplier, Regal Rexnord has excellent stock coverage,” concludes Troy. “Our close working relationships with suppliers like Regal Rexnord allow us to better assist our customers in keeping up with steadily increasing production demands.”

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15

BEARINGS

Harvesting the macadamia boom in Bundaberg

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he macadamia is finally getting its moment in the sun. Australian macadamia growers have been experiencing bumper crops in recent years, with annual production quantities reaching more than 50,000 tonnes in 2021, according to the Australian Macadamia Society.1 Macadamias grow on a tree and the nuts fall to the ground. Traditionally, they were de-husked back in a processing shed, but now sweepers and blowers come along and move them to the open pathways.

From there, a harvester comes along and picks up the nuts which are de-husked in the field whilst being transferred into bins at the rear of the machine via augers.

They are then loaded into transport bins ready to be transferred for processing.

At BSC Bundaberg, Dale Jackson and his team are often on call for local harvesters

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who are new to the macadamia trade— supplying everything from chains and sprockets to v belts and timing belt pulleys, as well as a good quantity of bearings to keep up with the demands of robust harvests.

However, harvesting macadamias can be very harsh on equipment as the environment is often humid and dusty which gives way to corrosion and premature bearing failures that can significantly interfere with production.

“As a standard bearing for macadamia harvesting equipment, I recommend the Schaeffler Black series bearings to a lot of my customers because they provide superior protection against ingress of dust and contaminants,” says Dale. “The Durotect surface treatment consists of a thin, matte black oxidized layer that inhibits the formation of rust and can

handle operating temperatures up to +120 degrees Celsius and withstand corrosive conditions.”

The Black Series housing units consist of graphite cast iron housings with a spherical seating where the ball bearings are located that compensates for any misalignment of the shaft or assembly.

The units are available with seven different housings— plummer block, flanged or take-up housing units— suitable for bearing arrangements subject to high speed, radial and variable loads. The housing units also allow for relubrication to increase longevity of the bearings and prevent build up of dust, sludge and static contaminants that can slow down equipment.

“The Black series bearings are widely used on harvesting equipment in

FARMER FRED’S SEVEN STEPS FOR MACADAMIA HARVESTING AND PROCESSING 1. T rees yield husks and they fall to the ground 2. H arvesters pick up husks off the ground within 24 hours 3. H usks are placed in an auger and transported for immediate dehusking 4. Hard shell encased nuts are dried for up to two weeks to a moisture content of 1.5% 5. S hells are cracked to remove the kernels and the kernels are sorted 6. K ernels are roasted and ready for consumption uts are packaged and ready for 7. N shipment to storefront

The Schaeffler Black series bearing are widely used by macadamia harvesters.

this region,” says Dale. “Macadamia harvesters, in particular, require durable and reliable bearing solutions that can contend with the hot and humid climate conditions the trees grow in.”

The increasing global demand for the flavourful macadamia nut has made it into a hot commodity— flourishing in the warm sub-tropical coastal climate of Bundaberg in Queensland.

In recent years, more processing plants have been popping up all over the coastline—mainly in areas in Central and South-East Queensland like Bundaberg, Clarence Valley, and Sunshine Coast, as well as the Lismore region in Northern New South Wales.

Interestingly, the world’s first macadamia trees evolved in the NorthEast Queensland coastal rainforest of Australia, more than 60 million years

ago. Later, macadamias became the first Australian crop to be traded internationally as a commercial food product, and remaining true to its roots today, the nut is still largely produced in the same areas that it originated from.

But despite being a native Australian tree that dates back thousands of years, the macadamia industry has only really taken off in the last 10 years, he notes.

“Sugar cane farmers have had a hard run of seasons due to drought,” he explains. “Now they are looking for alternative ways to expand their income and increase returns, so they have turned to macadamias which flourish in this climate and have proven to be more sustainable for production.”

“Macadamias are a growing market, and

“There has been a surge in planting and production of macadamias and the industry is expected to expand its growth by a further 20% by 2025, with Bundaberg located at the centre of this boom.”

with that growth comes an influx of new

Another reason macadamia harvesting is seeing such a surge in the country is due to sugar cane farmers replacing their cane crops with macadamia trees, Dale further notes.

maximising their profits.”

harvesting equipment and machinery that require parts and maintenance,” he concludes. “That is where BSC comes in to assist customers with streamlining their operations and

REFERENCE: 1. The Australian Macadamia Society, Yearbook 2021. https://australianmacadamias.org/ PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

17

COUPLINGS

Torquing about drive shafts

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for irrigation pumps

n irrigation pump requires a powerful drive shaft arrangement to pump water often from many meters underground.

The engine generates a lot of reverberation that can shock the connection points between the engine and the drive pump, also known as ‘harmonic reverberation,’ according to Steve Hittmann, BSC’s National Product Manager for Power Transmission and Mechanical Drive Systems.

Within agricultural operations, many irrigation pumps are diesel powered,” says Steve. “So, the drive shaft design needs to account for a certain amount of torque, shock and particularly the differences in harmonics for long periods of time, particularly at the point of the connection – the shaft coupling.”

When designing drive shafts for customers in the ag sector, Steve works closely with engineers from Regal Rexnord–a longstanding strategic supplier to BSC– who specialise in coupling arrangements with high torsional elasticity and high shock absorption.

In 2018, with the market demand for reliable Power Transmission products on the rise, Regal Rexnord acquired CENTA Power Transmission as part of their mandate to service complex systems in key industries, such as farming and agriculture.

Managing Director of CENTA, John Kopp, has overseen operations for CENTA for the better part of two decades and came on board with the recent acquisition.

Having worked extensively with irrigation companies, John is well versed on the ins and outs of drive shaft components on pump applications.

“The CENTAFLEX A series driveshafts and couplings are ideally suited to pump applications,” he says. “The products were specifically designed for the problem of torsional vibration—which I would say is our specialty.”

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CENTAFLEX-A series Features and Benefits •T orsional flexibility for vibration free torque transmission •E lectrically insulating •A bility to compensate for significant axial, radial and angular misalignment •M odular and customisable for any application with a range of adaptors, flanges, and hubs

“The highly elastic rubber element is what has made the CENTAFLEX-A couplings one of our bestselling products,” says John, “The donutlike component is constructed from natural rubber or silicone in the standard design, which allow for torque transmission, torsional tuning, noise dampening and a high degree of misalignment compensation.”

The CENTAFLEX-A drive shafts come in a selection of lengths and materials, adaptable to variable speeds, depending on the application. “ “Our CENTAFLEX-A drive shaft arrangements can be used on a number of high torque, high speed and heavy vibrational applications,” says John, “The carbon-fibre or glass-fibre design variations can be implemented on marine applications, wind turbines, and rail applications—it is a very versatile

“A lot of our competitor’s coupling products are just designed to transmit power from one point to another,” he elaborates. “But our products are specifically designed to deal with the problem of torsional vibration by employing rubber with the dampening characteristics required when an application is under siege from the effects of reverberation.”

The CENTAFLEX-A is versatile when it comes to coping with misalignment compensation and incorporates an integrated fail-safe device that avoids decoupling. It also features a radial axial screwing concept for easy mounting and dismounting.

solution.”

To consult with an expert on the CENTAFLEX-A series couplings and drive shaft arrangements for an irrigation pump, or another industrial application, visit your local BSC branch today.

BELTS

CBC Toowoomba

helps drive local cotton industry

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he Australian cotton industry is one of the last bastions of true-blue Aussie family owned and operated farms, employing around 12,000 people in regional communities—many of whom have lived and worked in the communities for generations.

Ninety per cent of Australian cotton gins are family farms in New South Wales and Queensland where the industry provides considerable economic value to the regions where it is grown, generating about $2 billion per year in export earnings for the local economy.1

Central and South Queensland is the region for cotton production, and at the heart of the industry there is CBC Toowoomba, where CBC Technical Representative for Power Transmission Mick Locke has been working for more than 22 years.

“Cotton is a natural fibre plant that grows in warm climate conditions to tall shrubs with flower buds that drop after several weeks,” says Mick.

“The buds leave behind ripe cotton balls that contain fluffy white lint and seeds. The seed cotton balls are then picked from the field and transferred to a cotton gin. From there, the lint is parsed out from the seeds and pressed into cotton bales.”

In preparation for the annual cotton harvest during the summer months, Mick regularly visits cotton gins to ensure their ginning equipment is adequately serviced for processing the fibre. He is the CBC Toowoomba resident expert on Power Transmission products for cotton gin equipment and works with local cotton producers to keep their operations running smoothly.

“The most important part of the ginning process is the cotton bale press because it creates the final product that will be shipped to customers,” he explains.

“During a cotton harvest, cotton gins run continuously to ensure the product is pressed in peak condition.”

“The gins run on power transmission belt drives with up to a dozen belts at a time,” Mick explains. “Downtime on equipment isn’t an option and the gins need to be in operation for the entire season without requiring belt replacements.”

the ginning season at huge cost to the farmer.”

Part of Mick’s job is to keep ahead of the latest and most advanced belt technology and working closely with suppliers like Gates ® makes this possible.

“The Hi-Power™ II Dubl-V belts are designed to make full contact with the grooves of a pulley for uniform loading,” explains Mick. “The core of each belt is made from Flex-Bonded polyester cords that reduce stress and the Flex-Weave ™ woven cover serves as a protective exterior shielding the belt core from oil, dirt and heat.”

Gates® have a wide range of belt products suitable to agricultural applications such as the cotton industry. The belts are famed for their high quality and performance. These include v-belts such as the Predator, Quad-Power, Super HC, Double-Sided, Tri-Power and Wrapped V-Belt, as well as synchronous belts including the Poly Chain GT Carbon, Special, Twin Power Belt, Powergrip GT4, HTD, and the metal Poly Chain GT Sprockets.

“One of our key suppliers is Gates ® Australia and they recently released an interesting case study for troubleshooting V-belts in a cotton gin which I use as a reference,” he explains.

“At the cotton gin in question, the double-sided V-belts on site were underperforming. Replacing the belts multiple times during the season was slowly down production and extending

The solution Gates ® suggested were HiPower™ II Dubl-V belts, which proved to be very successful on the application.

Often, Mick will need to advise cotton growers on how to correctly implement their belts and when they can make an upgrade. “I can assist with achieving the correct belt alignment and tensioning for greater reliability during peak harvest season.”

“Ideally, the only repairs and maintenance at a cotton gin would only occur during the off-season,” he concludes. “But when an issue arises, CBC is there to provide guidance and technical support with getting things up and running again.”

REFERENCE: 1. Cotton Australia https://cottonaustralia.com. au/industry-overview PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

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ADVERTORIAL - RIGGING

Let Titan ensure your equipment

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is reliable, enduring, and safe

s world class experts in hoisting and lifting equipment, Titan specialises in precision quality performance hoists, lashing and loading equipment, load and lifting chain, shackles, and ratchet straps, lifting slings, hooks, and wire cable products- all constructed from highgrade material that is reliable and strong to support the toughest industrial applications.

With 45 years of product expertise under their belt, Allan Marketing Group founded Titan Lifting Technologies as an Australian owned and operated supplier of precision hoisting and lifting equipment that serves Australia and the international market.

Since that time, Titan has become a globally recognised supplier of lifting equipment, for industries like rigging, mining, shipping, construction, and transport— providing premium quality products and expert guidance and support to many well-known companies

within these sectors.

“Industry end users trust brands like TITAN because we provide reliable service and we put safety first,” says General Manager, John Di Michele. “Our Testing process is among the most rigorous in the industry to ensure our products comply with all the relevant Australian or European Standards. Titan Lifting is also a full accredited member of our industry body-Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA).”

All Titan products are rigorously tested at the factory as well as at our Australian facilities to ensure our products meet the required standards before they are put into service and used in projects.

“We have great relationships with our manufacturers, and we regularly visit them overseas,” says John. “But regardless of where the products are imported from, we ensure they undergo and achieve our quality assurance requirements in terms of product specification and comply with Australian standards.”

Titan’s recent new line of “Marine Grade” premium quality stainless steel products are for general purpose and commercial use, however, they are widely used in various applications across a broad spectrum of industries including fishing boats and nets, in harsh environments such as boating and coastal architecture. These products can also be used in environments such as food & agriculture and food processing.

“A lot of companies use galvanised rigging products that degrades and corrodes over time, but our stainlesssteel products will resist these effects over the long term, reducing the need for repair or replacement, and ensuring clean hygiene for food related areas” explains John.

Graded as AISI 316, Titan Stainless Steel products are corrosion resistant and can be used in a wide range of applications including the food and beverage

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sector, where food-safe equipment is paramount.

“Our stainless-steel products are ideal for highly corrosive environments where there could be a considerable amount of moisture,” says John.

Together, Titan is involved with Motion Australia providing ongoing support, training, and consultation, as a Strategic Supplier. John also ends by emphasising “we fully back and support all our TITAN products and our warranty guarantees the integrity of our products”.

Titan Stainless Steel Products in Application: • Used by city councils for local displays • Fish Farms use shackles for pumps • Meat works substitute standard steel for stainless steel products • Dairies and Cheese factories use for securing and holding equipment • Boating industry uses shackles, turnbuckles, and eye bolts.

Apart from stainless steel, Titan’s range is quite broad.

Let Titan’s wide range of lifting and hoisting products do the heavy lifting for you. Contact your local Motion Australia branch for more information on the Titan Lifting range.

ADVERTORIAL - MOTORS

Hazardous areas

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require ignition proof motors

here there are combustible materials present near motorized equipment, there is the danger of explosion. An explosive atmosphere may be created by combustible particles or dust, either suspended by the surrounding air or layered on a surface area.

precautions with the assembly and usage of electric motors.

Working with agricultural equipment, the threat of airborne contaminants and dust is constant, particularly on equipment that runs on an electric charge. As a result, the imminent threat of a hazardous area requires safety officers to take special

Established in 1983 as a wholly owned subsidiary of TECO Electric & Machinery Co., TECO Australia has distinguished themselves in the market as a reliable supplier of superior quality electric motors. They have since introduced their innovative range of MAX-Ex Hazardous Area Motors which includes the market leading TECO MAX-ExtD ignitionproof motor that is fully protected by an enclosure to exclude dust.

TECO MAX-ExtD Features and Benefits •D ust-excluding and ignition-proof • Will not permit arcs, sparks, or heat inside the protective enclosure

This harvest season, Motion Australia recommends TECO’s MAX-Ex series range motor technology to protect equipment from an explosive incident that could endanger workers.

The MAX-ExtD, also known as the Dust Ignition Proof (DIP), is a low-voltage, threephase, induction motor. As an industry leading motor design, the MAXExtD is constructed in accordance with IP66 and Class H motors, and specifically designed to meet the strict IEC safety standards for electrical equipment that will be used in hazardous areas: Ex tD, Zone A21, T135˚C IP66, 55˚C ambient, to

This harvest season, Motion Australia recommends TECO’s MAX-Ex series range motor technology to protect equipment from an explosive incident that could endanger workers.

IEC614241.0:2004, IEC614241.1:2004.

In addition to its impressive specs, the MAX-ExtD can also be assembled in a range of configurations and in tandem with various accessories to provide maximum flexibility for a customer’s application requirements.

TECO Australia has a dedicated team of highly skilled tradespeople in their Sydney workshop where the team is certified as an IECEx manufacturer and regularly audits their quality assurance in line with that certification, to ensure every motor is being built to the highest standard of quality.

For more information, visit your local Motion Australia branch.

• Limitations on external temperatures while running • Components subject to impact tests • Terminal block complies with antitracking requirements • «Material used suitable for humid environments • Minimal electrical leakage paths

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ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANER

A range of environmentally

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sound industrial cleaning solutions

hen it comes to sustainability, CRC Industries has not shied away from reinventing the wheel for the industrial sector.

As a major industrial supplier of aerosols, lubricants, anti-corrosives and industrial cleaning products, CRC environment has been working on developing a range of sustainable products.

Encouraging customers in the industrial space to make their operations more ecologically sound is one of the valuable services CBC

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Account Manager John Paul provides to his customers as a solutions provider to the Australian market.

John notes that working with forwardthinking suppliers like CRC Industries allows him to help customers make more sustainable choices with some of the most advanced maintenance product offerings on the market.

“A new era of environmentally safe products has been ushered in, along with strong values surrounding creating a more sustainable world,” says John. “This has been propelled

forward by technical industrial suppliers like CRC who are developing more sustainable solutions to traditional problems—to make them more sustainable.”

According to John, CRC Industries offers a range of non-toxic, environmentally friendly, cleaning solutions that get equipment looking like new again.

“The CRC SmartWasher® Bioremediating Parts Washing System is one of our most popular products

One of the most significant benefits of the EVAPO-RUST® product is that it is reusable.

Globally, CRC’s range of eco-friendly cleaning, degreasing, and derusting products are gaining a lot of traction across many industrial segments— from automotive, to mining, to agriculture, to marine, to military. multiple washes,” explains John. “If you replace the OzzyMat once a month, the fluid lasts a long time.”

right now,” says John. “It is a brilliant system that uses bioremediation, which is a naturally occurring process to break down carbon, oils, greases, and contaminants that are cleaned off industrial parts, creating a circular, sustainable cleaning system” The SmartWasher® system uses an advanced water-based degreasing formula called OzzyJuice® in partnership with a 4-Layer filter mat (OzzyMat®) to achieve effective cleaning results with no hazardous waste streams, reduced ownership costs and overall high-performance cleaning efficacy.

Due to the unique bioremedating technology, the OzzyJuice® degreasing solution is reusable time and time again, retaining effective cleaning efficacy throughout. John says its simple - “If you replace the OzzyMat® once a month the fluid lasts a long time.”

“The formula is reusable with the full cleaning and degreasing effect on

CRC recently expanded their Brakleen range to include CRC Brakleen WaterBased. It is another popular product that is safe on the user and the environment, and no volatile organic vapours is ideal for use in confined spaces according to John.

“Customers love that Brakleen Water Based is an effective brake and parts cleaner that is also pH neutral, non-corrosive, solvent free and biodegradable,” adds John.

Similarly, the CRC EVAPO-RUST® product is a super safe rust remover that uses a chelating agent to bond to iron rust and wash-off.

“The process is called ‘selective chelation’ and it uses pH neutral organic compounds to form a ferric sulphate complex that is water soluble,” according to Melanie Mangos, CRC’s Trans-Tasman Head of Industrial Sales’.

“One of the most significant benefits of the EVAPO-RUST® product is that it is reusable. A production plant can have a basin of the solution for de-rusting that can be used up until the point it is turned completely black from carbon oxidization,” she explains. “A litre of EVAPO-RUST equates to the removal of about 60 grams of rust,” she adds.

In Australia, CBC is one of the preferred distributors of CRC products,” says CBC Product Manager for Lubricants, Cleaners and Solvents, Steve Keown. “Customers benefit from our partnership with CRC that has spanned nearly four decades. We make it so much easier to acquire CRC products through our channels because we have an extensive branch network that covers every state and territory in the country.”

“We are currently expanding to branch locations that are under the umbrella of Motion Australia,” he continues.

“With our growing footprint and online ordering capabilities, we can transact over the phone with customers if they are in a very remote area of the country and easily organise shipping and logistics so that they will receive products in a timely manner.”

“We work closely with CRC head offices at the state and regional level so there is a good chance we will have product access regardless of the location,” says Steve. “We work closely with our customers in all regional areas.”

“Both CRC and CBC have account managers that can visit customers on site or provide them with some information. No matter whether a customer is located, there’s a pretty good chance we’ve got someone close by that can help,” he concludes.

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BELTS

Timken case study:

T

Custom belt solutions for harvesting equipment manufacturers

he driven parts on a harvester can require up to a dozen belts at a time, according to CBC Product Manager for Power Transmission and Belt Drive Systems, Steve Hittmann. “Harvesting equipment is subject to a lot of rough and tumble, so they need to have high tensile strength under demanding conditions.”

“Belts on harvesters are the most common replacement part we sell during peak harvesting season, which is why I often suggest starting the season with belts that have been designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the field.”

For the most demanding conditions, Steve recommends the Timken® Super Ag-Drive®️ Belt. Formerly known as the Carlisle belt, it was originally designed as an OEM equivalent, according to Steve.

When it comes to supplying belt solutions for harvesting equipment, Australian Timken cuts down the competition by going straight to the source. The company has become widely recognised for their work with original equipment manufacturers to develop tailored engineered belt solutions that are in line with the specific requirements of their design.

Timken expanded their reach in the ag sector when they acquired the Carlisle company back in 2015, bringing with it

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more than 100 years of accumulated knowledge and experience in developing reliable belt drive solutions.

“The Timken® Super Ag-Drive®️ belts were originally designed to match and, in some cases, exceed OEM belt performance,” says Sean Young, Regional General Manager at Australian Timken.

“The Super Ag-Drive® Belts have been engineered for performance and reliability on harvesting equipment and that’s why they are the preferred belt of OEMs. But we don’t just work with OEMs—we also work with the end users to see how the product is performing.

Based on those findings, we will look to make further improvements.”

According to Sean, propriety belt construction is a unique point of difference for Australian Timken. “We at Timken have always been very active in developing tailored belt solutions that work for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and that has been to our advantage.”

However, the key to winning customers he says, is twofold—offering reliable customised belting solutions and combining that with reliable customer service.

An example of this was when a major manufacturer of high quality, high performance agricultural equipment including windrowers, headers and

other harvesting equipment was experiencing problems with one of the core belts on their largest harvesting unit.

“The belt they were using was delaminating,” says Sean. “And the customer was not receiving the support they needed from their current belt supplier.”

A Timken engineer was quick to respond and visit the site to examine the issue on the application and gather critical information. What they discovered was that the belts that were being supplied to them were not in line with the OEM requirements as defined by the specs the customer had provided to the supplier.

After examining the application and specifications, and gathering critical information requirements, their choice of course was the Super Ag-Drive® Belt.

As a result, the issue with belt delamination was eliminated and Timken gained $150K in annual business with the customer.

“Timken engineers are first responders when there is an issue with a harvester on site,” concludes Sean. “And we work closely with CBC to ensure that stock is readily available, our supply chain is streamlined, so our customers are guaranteed to get what they need when they need it.”

BELTS

The right V-belt solution

is just around the bend

W

hen a local food manufacturer was experiencing issues with the longevity of the conveyor V-belts that convey their cereal products around sharp bends, CBC’s John Perri performed a joint call with a Gates® engineer to the customer’s site to discuss possible solutions.

The demands of the industry make it highly competitive in nature and mean food production facilities are always in need of better, faster, solutions for conveying product. In the case of his grain customer, John needed to find the most optimal belting solution—as quickly as possible.

“The most common issues I encounter with V-belts is in the tensioning and alignment,” says John. “Often times the belts are not fitted correctly on implementation, which causes them to jump, twist, and eventually fail. This means the customer ends up expending a lot of energy replacing them, so it’s very important we fit the correct belt with the right tensioning.”

“On this particular application, the conveyor was carrying the product around 90-degree bends,” says John.

“Unfortunately for the customer, the belts were failing prematurely as the belts being used are not designed to bend in different directions experiencing frequent breakdowns and requiring long lead times for replacements which was slowing down production significantly.”

Getting the heart of the issue on these kinds of applications is second nature to John. He’s been part of Motion Australia’s group of businesses for more than 22 years and serves as the Key Account Manager for New South Wales. He maintains close relationships with his clients in various sectors, getting out to site whenever possible, to keep tabs on how their equipment is operating and offer expert advice.

“A Gates® Engineer and I took a look at the customer’s service history and the OEM manual for the original factory belt selection for their conveyor system and found that it was manufactured outside

The customer contends with some of the highest demands in the food production sector, accounting for nearly a third of the value of gross domestic product in Australia. Furthermore, in recent years the industry has seen record breaking production from the ground up. In fact, the grain industry recorded one of the highest harvest yields on record in the 2020/2021 seasons, according to the Australian Government’s Grain Research and Development Corporation.1

• Can contend with varying degrees of transverse bending

Gates® Power Curve™ V-Belt Features and Benefits: • Ideal for conveyor turn on demanding applications

• Flex-Weave™ Cover constructed for longer cover life • Superior protection of the belt core from oil, dirt, and heat • Unique under cord construction allows greater than four times the flexibility of Gates standard B section belts

of Australia,” he explains. “Based on the dimensions and application requirements, we looked at a couple of different solutions.”

Originally, they looked at Gates® Round Endless Belts which are ideal for line shaft conveyors that have twisted or serpentine drives, but then they found that Gates® have a Power Curve™ V-belt range that covered the complete list of belts from their user manual better matched the specific sizing and was similarly, well-suited to the factory’s conveyor system.

“The Power Curve™ belt would allow for the belt to move on both planes without fatiguing,” notes John. “The belt would be able to withstand high speed movement in a forward direction and then abruptly sideways on a sharp angle.”

John arranged for the original belt to be replaced with the Gates® Power Curve™ V-belt for a trial and the customer was happy with this solution.

“In this instance, I think one of the main advantages we offered as a solutions provider was the ability to perform a joint site call with Gates®, who are one of our key suppliers,” says John. “They are one of our premium partners and we have enjoyed a working relationship that spans decades and has achieved positive results for all parties.”

REFERENCE: 1. Australian Government, Grain Research and Development Corporation, Annual Report 2020-21. https://grdc.com.au/about/ourindustry PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

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BEARINGS

The perfect bearings brand for bread makers

I

n the baking industry, the brand with the most competitive edge is the one that ensures fresh baked products make it onto the shelf every day.

Bread makers and manufacturers must uphold the highest standards of quality in their production and packaging processes to protect the integrity of their brand and encourage customer loyalty, according to CBC’s Leon Stefanec.

supplier, Schaeffler, and the X-Life bearing family which includes the INA and FAG series bearings.

The Schaeffler X-Life design means the bearings have more endurance and a higher performance life under stress, high speeds, and dynamic loads.

Some of the most prominent baking operations in Victoria rely on CBC, part of Motion Australia’s businesses, to connect them with the right products and suppliers, particularly bearings products.

“The larger bakeries will bake the products, then put them into a chiller before they are snap frozen,” he continues.

“So, they require a good bearing that will be able to withstand all those elements.”

As National Business Development Manager for Food and Beverage, Leon frequents a lot of baking customer sites to have conversations with customers and get to know their business. “The end goal is always to work with our customers to understand their needs in order to provide the right bearings solution,” he says.

Anywhere where there is refrigerated temperatures, Leon recommends the Schaeffler INA linear roller bearings and one or more monorail guideway assemblies. When fitted with low temperature grease, the INA bearings can handle up to freezing temperatures.

“In the case of major baking production facilities, there are generally two parts of every plant,” he explains. “There is one area where the bread is produced, and one where the bread gets packaged.” “

“The entire production process is very controlled and there is great attention to the detail at every phase,” notes Leon.

“The loaves come out of the oven and are removed from their pans to be chilled, before being packaged and crated for transport to the store.”

For conveyors in these plants, Leon often defers to CBC’s premium bearings

Packaging is the final phase of production and the last line of defence for quality assurance before the product gets distributed for sale. Depending on the products, a packaging area may have an assortment of machines for wrapping, filling, and sealing.

“Wrapping and packaging applications are high speed, and there’s a lot of moisture around,” explains Leon. “This is where the Schaeffler Durotech coating on the INA ball bearings becomes a critical element in protecting the equipment from corrosion and ensuring longstanding quality performance on the application.”

Schaeffler X-Life bearing design provides higher endurance and performance.

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According to Leon, packaging is the most critical phase in production because that

is when there is the greatest risk of error that can result in a dreaded recall.

“Recently one of my customers pointed out to me that when there is a problem with the packaging line, then all production must be stopped, and the entire batch pulled from distribution,” he says. “All of that product will be scrapped and binned for recycling. Instead of going to stores, it will be repurposed for by-products or stock feed.”

This can incur massive costs for an operation, expending time, labour, and energy – but even more significantly, it can damage a brand’s presence in the market.

“The danger is that if your brand doesn’t appear on the shelf, you will lose that customer to another brand,” says Leon.

“So, it’s absolutely critical that bakeries need durable quality bearing products on these packaging applications to ensure reliable processes.”

“The end goal is always to work with our customers to understand their needs and provide solutions that will reduce their operational costs, while at the same time improve their production processes,” concludes Leon.

BEARINGS

Triple lip sealed bearings

are a pretty sweet deal for sugar cane harvesters

A

ustralia is the tenth largest producer of raw sugar in the world with around 355,325 hectares of sugar cane fields—95 percent of which are in tropical North Queensland.

Sugar exportation in Australia generates revenue to the tune of 2 billion dollars each year, making it an attractive industry for enterprising Australian food producers.

process which can stuff up bearings on equipment pretty quickly. Bearings on this type of equipment need a lot of extra protection.”

For these types of applications, Dion suggests a bearing that provides extra protection from the ingress of dust and cane juice like the NSK Triple Lip Wide Inner Ring bearing solution.

At the centre of production is BSC Cairns where Dion Tomasich is the Branch Manager. Dion’s career at BSC has spanned more than 30 years providing stellar service to the surrounding region.

He offers customers unmatched expertise and profound knowledge of products and services that BSC provides to the sugar cane industry in Northern Queensland.

“We do a lot of work with the sugar industry up here with the farmers and we have a lot of contracts with the local sugar mills. We get to be part of the

NSK Triple Wide Inner Ring Features and Benefits: • Galvanized steel plate ensures improved corrosion resistance.

Optimal design contributes to enhanced pressure resistance • Rubber seal is bonded to the whole length of the steel shield for better sealing performance • Contact triple lip seal provides excellent dustproofing and waterproofing • Secure balled setscrew locking mechanism • Longer bearing life through superior seal performance • Extended relubrication intervals • Up to five times the maintenance hours of a standard bearing • Ideal shaft support for rotating equipment • Various housing options

whole process of sugar production—all the way to when it’s transported for export,” says Dion.

Dion breaks down what a year looks like for the sugar cane industry.

“At the start of the year in January is when maintenance happens on all of the equipment for harvesting and processing,” he explains. “Sugar cane takes about 12 to 16 months to grow several metres tall, and it flowers between May and June, before being harvested for the remainder of the year during what’s called “crushing” season. Most of the cane is cut green at the base of the stalk and then moved by train to the mills for processing.”

It is at the start of the year during maintenance season that many customers turn to BSC for bearing solutions for their machines. “Most farmers like to be well ahead of the season and begin readying their equipment from January to March to be ready for the crush from June onwards,” he notes, thoughtfully.

“However, sugar cane harvesting can be quite dusty and dirty, and the juice of the cane is present during the crushing

“The NSK Triple Lip WIR solution is definitely a cut above the rest because it’s got a better seal on it than average bearing,” he says. “A standard bearing will typically have a single sealing lip with a flinger, but these bearings have three contact sealing lips for contamination to get past which makes them good for dusty and dirty environments in our tropical climate. And these seals sit behind a galvanized steel plate which provides even further protection. When dust meets the cane sugar, it will turn into a paste and cause premature bearing failure.”

BSC Product Manager for Industrial Bearings, Tony Tormey, elaborates on how the NSK Triple Lip Wide Inner Ring bearings solution works for agricultural applications that are subject to harsher climates and harvesting conditions.

“The housing unit has a rubber nitrile seal that is bonded to an outer steel casing,” explains Tony. “This means the seal performance is much higher. Customers can expect about five time the service hours with the Triple Lip seal—a bearing may last 5000 hours on an application compared to about 1000 from a standard.”

The result is that maintenance hours are extended to last through the entire crushing season.

“NSK, BSC, and Motion Australia have a very longstanding relationship,” Tony concludes. “Both companies have worked with each other for decades which means we have good communication with our supplier and can provide better lead times on bearing solutions for customers in remote areas of Queensland.”

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ADVERTORIAL - ADHESIVES

LOCTITE® bonds

I

with an instant classic

ndustrial maintenance requires fast and firm adhesion of substrates and materials such as plastics, metals, and rubber. The advent of instant adhesive allowed for quick bonding between two surfaces—ready to use in three minutes and continuing to strengthen with time achieving optimal strength within 24 hours of application.

Instant adhesive can be used for joining metals and creating durable bonds on components that will be subjected to extreme environmental conditions such as high shock loads, pressure, or extreme temperatures.

Using instant adhesive has many advantages for manufacturers including speeding up production time and providing greater flexibility when it comes to designing components for several different fields—aerospace, military, and transportation, to name a

few—are ideal for maintenance, repairs, and overhaul.

A high-performance bonding champion in its own right — LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive is a first choice for manufacturers and maintenance workers, brought to market by world leading experts in instant bonding technology.

LOCTITE® products are the result of decades of research and development into adhesive bonding solutions by Henkel Corporation. With the extensive LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive range, Henkel aims to offer instant adhesive solutions for a wide variety of industrial maintenance and OEM applications.

LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive is available as a liquid, gel, or in “precision” format for exceptionally fast adhesion and super strong bonding power—no mixing required!

Whether it’s assembling parts more

quickly, repairing broken parts or bonding two different materials— for each one of these scenarios, there is a corresponding LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive: LOCTITE® HY 4090 Universal Structural Hybrid Adhesive A hybrid adhesive that brings together the strength of a structural adhesive with the speed of instant adhesive to solve design and assembly challenges.

LOCTITE® 401 Instant Adhesive For assemblies that require uniform stress and shear strength, this adhesive was made to bond a wide range of materials such as metals, plastics and elastometers, including dissimilar or difficult to bond surfaces.

LOCTITE® 435 Rubber Toughened Instant Adhesive Reinforced by a rubber compound for flexibility and resistance to shock, the product provides rapid bonding of metals, plastics, and elastomers, as well as porpus and absorbent materials like wood, leather, and fabric.

LOCTITE® 460 Instant Bonding Alkoxyethyl Adhesive Well suited for bonding porous materials such as wood, paper, leather, and fabric, as well as metals, plastics, and elastomers. Low odour and low blooming properties.

LOCTITE® 406 Instant Adhesive – Rubbers & Plastics General purpose gel for bonding metals, composites, wood, cork, foam, leather, card, plastic, paper, and unglazed ceramic. Can be used on vertical or overhead applications.

Dries clear.

For more information on the LOCTITE® range of Instant Adhesive products, visit your local Motion Australia – BSC, CBC, or WebsterBSC branch to speak to a product expert.

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AEROSOLS

Banishing rust with a colourful palette of zinc aerosol coatings

WHY FARMER FRED USES ZINC IT •E asy to apply – aerosol only • Long term protection to steel because of cathodic action • Metallic zinc coating is universally accepted as the best method of rust prevention • Flexible continuous protective film • Does not contain lead • Excellent weldability jobs which makes it convenient for maintenance and repair services.

Feedback from customers has been relief, says Steve. “Essentially, their corrosion issues are fixed.”

A

little rust can go a long way towards damaging the metal fabricated components on a farm, cautions Steve Keown, National Product Manager for Lubricants, Chemicals and Solvents at Motion Australia. He recommends corrosion protection as a must-have for metal applications that are subject to harsh environments with dirty, dusty, or damp elements.

“Whether it’s a roof, trailer, fencing, shed, storage tank or connection points like rivets or weld, corrosion can weaken the integrity of metal,” says Steve. He stresses the importance of long-term protection on metal applications and suggests using a metallic zinc coating compound as a surface treatment.

“One of the most effective solutions for these kinds of applications is the CRC Coloured Zinc range,” he says.

“Particularly for structural steel that is part of a building or a piece of farming equipment like an ag shed, harvester, or a tractor; CRC’s Coloured Zinc products protectthe surfaces

by sealing it from corrosion and rust.”

“It is also very good for wet environments like water pumping stations, or marine applications at fisheries that are not only wet— but salty—where metal surfaces will be continuously exposed to water and moisture in the air,” he adds.

“The product was tested for salt spray corrosion testing and showed resistance of up to a thousand hours on Australian marine applications.

So, agricultural workers in the marine sector are pretty well guaranteed a high level of protection against ocean elements.”

CRC Coloured Zincs are handy to keep in a workshop because it’s very easy to apply in aerosol form and it comes in a range of colors for matching with metals and painted coatings. It has a 20-minute touch dry feature for quick

“Customers in the farming and agriculture market like the fact that it is so easy to use and holds up well in an adverse environment for extended periods without requiring a touch up. There’s a part on every piece of equipment, like booms and rods and such, that get covered in mud and water all the time travelling across the field.”

Additionally, the coating is flexible.

Rather than a rigid galvanized coating that will crack if it is under stress or loaded, the coating has a flex to it that allows for some movement.

“CRC’s Coloured Zincs are altogether a resilient compound which customers truly appreciate, but they also love that they can color code for their applications,” says Steve. “The formula is not just a grey colour; it comes in the full spectrum of colors. For example, they might have a fence they want to paint red, or they might want a shade of green to blend with the color of a harvester.”

“CRC has all of that in their range which is very handy,” concludes Steve.

“It’s a good aesthetic consideration but it’s also very functional for providing galvanized corrosion protection.”

PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

29

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Keeping industry in Motion Industry leading products from our Strategic Suppliers TIMKEN® SUPER AG-DRIVE® BELT

GATES® POWER CURVE™ V-BELT

The driven parts on a harvester can require up to a dozen belts at a time, and what better solution is there than the Timken® Super Ag-Drive®️ Belt. These Belts have been tailored and engineered for performance and reliability on harvesting equipment claiming the title for most preferred belt of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)

A belt to contend with varying degrees of transverse bending is a belt Agricultural companies prefer to use. The Gates® Power Curve™ V-Belt is the ideal solution for conveyor turns on demanding applications. The Belt is constructed for longer cover life and provides the belt core with extensive protection against oil, dirt, and heat. The unique under cord construction of the Gates® Power Curve™ V-Belt advantageously allows the product to be four times greater in flexibility than a standard Gates B section belt.

NSK MOLDED-OIL™ BEARINGS

CRC COLOURED ZINCS

The NSK Molded-Oil™ bearings are available in standard bearing grade steel and stainlesssteel options. They offer high performance in water- and dust-contaminated environments, with unique features including being lubricated with NSK’s own oil-impregnated material, Molded-Oil™.

CRC Coloured Zincs are altogether a resilient compound. They are very functional and come in handy in providing galvanized corrosion protection. They are easy to apply – aerosol only, have long term protection to steel because of cathodic action and contain a metallic zinc coating, universally accepted as the best method of rust prevention.

LOCTITE® INSTANT ADHESIVE LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive is available as a liquid, gel, or in “precision” format for exceptionally fast adhesion and super strong bonding power— no mixing required.

Whether it’s assembling parts more quickly, repairing broken parts or bonding two different materials, there is a corresponding LOCTITE® Instant Adhesive.

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PADDOCK TO PLATE | EDITION 12

GATES® 508C SONIC TENSION METER Ensures simple and extremely accurate tension measurement by analysing sound waves from the belt through the sensor.

Measures the vibration of the belt span and instantly coverts the vibration frequency into belt static tension. Compact, computerised and stores data for repetitive use.

TECO MAX-EXTD The MAX-ExtD is an ideal motor technology to protect equipment from an explosive incident that could endanger workers. It can be assembled in a range of configurations, is dust-excluding and ignition-proof, and will not permit arcs, sparks, or heat inside the protective enclosure.

SHELL RIMULA R4 L The Shell Rimula R4 L heavy duty engine oil uses the most advanced 15W-40 oil technology to create exceptional resistance to corrosion, wear and oxidation while producing lower vehicle emissions. The Shell Rimula R4 X is designed to provide triple protection for tractor engines, covering three key areas: acid and corrosion control, wear control and deposit control.

REXNORD MARBETT COMPONENT RANGE

REXNORD MATTOP CHAIN

Conveyor construction becomes easy, quick and repeatable through the Marbett components modular concept. Clamps, brackets, joints, bearing heads, support bases and levellers can easily connect to commercial tubes, rods and metal structures. Eliminates the need for welded parts and extensive labour to assemble conveyor systems.

Rexnord MatTop Chain provides a continuous conveying surface for applications demanding greater width requirements. Available in assembled-towidth and molded-to-width configurations, Rexnord MatTop Chain is engineered to satisfy a wide range of conveyor applications for virtually any product size.

Pins extend the full width of the chain to ensure maximum strength and provide smoother conveying surfaces.

AIP MANDALS WELLMAN 300 HOSE

SHELL TELLUS S2 MX 46 HYDRAULIC FLUID

SCHAEFFLER BLACK SERIES BEARINGS

The Mandals Wellman 300 hose is a high-grade polyurethane woven layflat hose that has strong tensile ability and is extremely flexible. It can be rolled out from a tractor or similar machinery and lowered down the hole with the pump connected to the hose, making it easier to retrieve a pump for maintenance out of the hole.

High performance hydraulic fluid that provides outstanding protection and performance in most manufacturing and many mobile equipment operations. Resists breakdown under heat or mechanical stress and can help prevent damaging deposit formation that can decrease the efficiency of the hydraulic power system.

The Schaeffler Black series bearings provide superior protection against ingress of dust and contaminants. The Black Series housing units consist of graphite cast iron housings with a spherical seating where the ball bearings are located that compensates for any misalignment of the shaft or assembly.

TIMKEN® CORROSIONRESISTANT BALL BEARING HOUSED UNITS

TITAN “MARINE GRADE” PREMIUM QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL PRODUCTS

TIMKEN® HYGIENIC BALL BEARING HOUSED UNITS

Titan’s recent new line of “Marine Grade” premium quality stainless steel products are corrossion resistant and widely used in various applications across a broad spectrum of industries including fishing boats and nets, in harsh environments such as boating and coastal architecture.

Engineered to help you maintain the highest standards in food safety, these hygienic housed units deliver improved production uptime.

Made from corrosion-resistant materials and available with food-grade Solid Lube, this premium product can withstand aggressive washdowns and a variety of wet and dry contaminants.

Designed with corrosion-resistant materials and foodgrade lubricant. Can withstand aggressive washdowns management and a variety of wet and dry contaminants.

Extends bearing life, improves production uptime and elevates food safety.

3M™ EXTRA HEAVY DUTY DUCT TAPE 6969 3M™ Extra Heavy Duty Duct Tape 6969 is an industrial strength duct tape. It owes its strength and reliable performance to its abrasion resistant, waterproof polyethylene film backing. In addition to strength and reliability, this tape tears easily by hand and removes cleanly for no-hassle use on demand.

An effective tape that conforms, sticks where needed, seals, protects and meets dozens of other demanding applications.

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Food and fibre production with Simplicity

NTN-CBC: Supporting Australian mining for 50 years

Turn to page 24

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Keeping ahead of the work

Plan for a strong yield

Serving the agricultural belt

Keeping ahead of the work

Plan for a strong yield

Serving the agricultural belt

According to Shaun Thorneycroft at Precise Header & Ag Repairs, the biggest challenge he faces is getting parts.

National Sales Manager, Grant Gray, encourages those working in agriculture to secure supply in advance.

Find out why the BSC Wagga Wagga branch has become a destination point for farmers in the Riverina region.

According to Shaun Thorneycroft at Precise Header & Ag Repairs, the biggest challenge he faces is getting parts.

National Sales Manager, Grant Gray, encourages those working in agriculture to secure supply in advance.

Find out why the BSC Wagga Wagga branch has become a destination point for farmers in the Riverina region.

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