Often companies are reluctant to engage attorneys to recover their debts, as they either believe they can self-rehabilitate the customer by giving revised terms of payment, or they believe handing over a customer will result in them not retaining the customer. Often, these approaches are not successful. Customers will pay the creditors that create the most risk for the customer i.e., judgements etc., and customers will remain with a supplier because they appreciate their product or service, and not leave if they are forced to make payment due.

The decision needs to be made without any external consideration and simply on company policy – the customer has been provided the credit allowed and failure to adhere to those parameters must result in certain steps being taken to recover the outstanding amount. The customer will respect your company policy if it is adhered to without deviation.

To ensure the back end has a good prospect of success, your front end must have integrity. The front end should include the following aspects:

•  ITC checks should be done on all new accounts
Should a customer’s ITC check show defaults or numerous directorships and changes in company status – that should create an immediate red flag

•  Ensure credit agreements and suretyships compliant with all potential customers
When trading with a CC or Pty, it is imperative that you obtain a suretyship as there is no obvious recourse in law should the Pty or CC be liquidated

•  The details provided by the customers should be verified and the email and physical addresses should be confirmed
Attendance at the premises or a google map view of the premises are beneficial should you have sales teams on the road in order to inspect the premises.

The terms of payment provided to your customers are to be strictly adhered to – if a customer is one day late – a template letter should be provided advising that they have seven days to settle the account, failing which the default will be logged with the credit bureau and the matter will be handed to attorneys for recovery.

In our experience customers respect a system that demands compliance on payment – and ensuring that the customer respects the terms of credit provided. Should a customer, after receiving an internal letter advising of handover to attorneys within seven days, fail to make payment - on the 8th day the account must be provided to legal, and process must be followed rapidly to judgement and execution by the sheriff.

The management of your cash flow is dependent on the company ensuring accountability on timelines to the debtor. •

Building on Urschel’s M and M6 models, the new M VersaPro (MVP) dicer is built with a purposefully sanitary design and provides the ultimate versatility for processors of proteins.

An Urschel representative says the MVP is a result of years of research and development, and thanked the processors who shared their must-haves and allowed in-house testing of the dicer. A 2D dicer, this equipment excels at processing of meat, poultry, and alternative proteins. It is ideal for cutting frozen-tempered or fresh-chilled products, and products like hot-cooked beef, pork, protein alternatives, and poultry.

Urschel’s new model dicer has wider belts, optimised cutting, and increased horsepower, and a 33% increased feeding capacity over their standard M6 model. MVP is belt-fed and capable of 2D dices, strips or shreds (from a product of a predetermined thickness), and has been designed for continuous operation and uninterrupted production.

Dice cuts

Many sizes of cuts are possible when combining various selections of circular knife spacings with different crosscut knife spindles.

•  Circular range: 3/16 to 4.8mm – 38.1mm

•  Crosscut range: 1/8 to 3.2mm – 76.2mm standard sizes, fully adjustable up to 152mm, available with variable speed crosscut motor

Strip cuts

Strip cuts in a variety of widths can be made by removing either the crosscut knife spindle assembly or the circular knife spindle assembly. The final thickness of a strip will be the same thickness as the original product.

Shred cuts

To produce shreds from meat products, the crosscut knife spindle is replaced by a shredding spindle. The length of the shred can be controlled by the orientation of the meat fibres of the incoming product and by the use of a circular knife spindle.

As the global leader in food cutting technology, Urschel is the number one best-selling provider of industrial food cutting equipment in the world. Visit a Heat and Control test facility for a free demonstration. •

The Ishida six-head CCW-R2-106B with 1.5l hoppers at Salaison Bio Valeur (SBV) in Ille-et-Vilaine is being used to fill trays with 150g of smoked and unsmoked lardons, delivering accuracy to within 3g of the target weight. Equally important, the efficiency of the new packing operation means that the process now requires just two operators, instead of the three previously needed.

The first operator delivers the lardons to the top of the weigher, where the second operator distributes them across a row of belt feeders, which in turn automatically transfers the product to a row of weigh hoppers. It then takes just a fraction of a second for the weigher to select the combination of hoppers whose combined weight comes closest to the 150g target weight. The lardons are then transferred via a distribution system into the trays, which are subsequently placed on a conveyor belt for sealing and metal detection.

The Ishida FFW incorporates ribbed contact parts that are ideal for all types of fresh, sticky products to keep them moving throughout the weighing process. In addition, the compact dimensions of the weigher meant it was able to fit easily into the restricted headroom of SBV’s factory.

The weigher was installed as part of SBV’s move to automate its 100% organic lardon production line, which accounts for some 20% of its output, in order to increase production, achieve greater pack accuracy, and improve the working conditions for the operators, who handle the product at a temperature of -4°C.

The Ishida solution was selected after a thorough review of several competitor solutions. The new line is now producing around one million packs annually. “We’ve seen a clear improvement in weighing consistency and accuracy, with fill weights within ±3g of the target weight,” confirmed Vincent Mesnage, SBV’s quality director. “This has helped us save around 4 tonnes of product per year, and thanks to these savings, the Ishida weigher will have paid for itself in less than three years. What’s more, the machine is highly reliable and has allowed us to become more efficient. With two operators instead of three, we can free up a worker for another task.”

The IP65-certified Ishida FFW is cleaned daily. The very thorough process takes one hour, of which only 10 minutes are required for the tool-free dismantling and reassembling of the FFW’s contact parts. “We’re planning a €3 million euro investment for 2021,” said Perrine Champain, site director. “This will enable us to expand the site, taking it from 1 500m2 to 3 000m2, and install new equipment.”

SBV is located in Louvigné du Désert in Ille-et-Vilaine and employs 41 people, with a turnover of €13 million. Since 2013, the company has focused exclusively on the production of fresh and cured organic pork products, including sausages, lardons, ham, pâté and fresh pork. Around 70% of products are distributed through Biocoop, a French chain of organic food retailers, with the rest supplied to butchers, charcuterie producers and the restaurant sector under the Prés Gourmands and Jour Bio brands. •

Solid and perforated steel conveyor belts bring a unique combination of qualities to the table where the production of baked products is concerned. Among the most important of these is excellent heat transfer and thermal conductivity, which supports efficient baking and delivers a crisp attractive base to baked products, such as real butter cookies.

A high-quality bake oven belt will have key mechanical properties including flatness and straightness ‘engineered in’ at the production stage to make certain it runs through the oven as it should. Consistency of colour is important too; dark areas absorb heat while light, shiny areas reflect it, so uneven belt colour could result in an uneven bake.

A flat, smooth surface ensures clean release at the discharge end of the oven with minimal risk of damage to fragile products. This also means that a steel belt stays cleaner for longer, lessening the risk of a build-up of carbon deposits. When cleaning is required, steel is easier to clean than other materials.

This tough, hard-wearing surface is behind another quality: durability. With good maintenance, a working life of 20 years is not unusual and can be much longer. This compares extremely well with wire mesh belts, which typically last 4 – 5 years.

A life expectancy running into decades makes steel belts a sustainable choice too, as does their low cost of operation. Being lighter than mesh belts, they require up to 30% less energy to heat as they re-enter the baking chamber, and less energy is needed to drive them in the first place.

IPCO service support

IPCO’s experience in producing, installing, maintaining and servicing bake oven belts has led to a detailed understanding of how the system works as a whole. In turn, this expertise has driven the development of a complete range of components covering every aspect of a conveying system from tensioning and drive stations to break points, graphite stations and all-important tracking systems.

Belt tracking can take a number of forms, from simple spring-loaded guide rollers to integrated active tracking solutions that angle the drive drum (via the bearing housings) to create the desired belt tracking motion. The latter is generally only used on new conveyors or as an upgrade where an end station is being replaced or can be rebuilt.

Where active tracking is needed on an existing conveyor, a Compact Belt Tracker (CBT) system can be installed. In this case, tracking is achieved by means of a tilt roller that causes the belt to move laterally, as necessary, to maintain smooth, straight running.

Other components frequently retrofitted to upgrade the performance of an existing conveyor system include inlet and outlet drums, rolling/sliding supports and cleaning devices.

While trouble-shooting is a key part of IPCO’s service offering, prevention is better than cure and the company often supports customers through Preventative Maintenance Agreements (PMAs), with the aim of identifying potential risks of failure before they have the chance to disrupt production.

Under this type of agreement, all major system components are inspected and terminal drums, rollers and skid bars checked to ensure that they are in good condition. Engineers also make sure that terminal drums and rollers are rotating freely, and that tension and tracking devices are functioning correctly.

Local service expertise

IPCO has a fully trained and equipped service team based in Johannesburg. As well as ensuring a quick response to any service needs, this means that work is carried out by qualified people with an understanding of customers’ needs and values.

As part of a global business, IPCO’s African service team can also call on the support of the company’s special engineering team if required, experts who can be sent anywhere in the world to provide specialist support.

The company also offers customer support in the form of technician training, either onsite or at its regional headquarters in Johannesburg. Subjects can be tailored to requirements, but will typically focus on best practices in belt maintenance, repair techniques and the use of the QuickTools range, all specially designed to make repair work as efficient as possible. •

A pig is a cleaning device that is pumped through a pipeline under pressure. The pig design is matched precisely to the pipe diameter and creates a seal inside. No medium is able to flow past it and a reliable separation between media is ensured. When sufficient pressure is applied, the pig will push out the product from the pipeline. The pipe content can then still be used since no mixing with the flushing medium occurred, meaning no loss of product.

In addition to optimising product yield, pigs are used to protect products from, for example, contamination, oxidation or foaming on contact with air. Due to how it works, pigging technology significantly reduces the consumption of water required for an empty rinse.

Depending on the product and the production process, the greatest benefit of pigging technology is time-saving. Emptying a system by flushing often takes a very, very long time. The pigging process only takes a few minutes. After final cleaning, systems can be put back into operation within a very short time. Today, product diversity and the associated flexibility is an increasingly important requirement. However, the production of very small batches requires equally frequent cleaning cycles. This is where pigging technology really comes into its own. It reduces costs while increasing efficiency and competitiveness.

Pigging systems work in almost all parts of the food industry every day. In milk processing of curd cheese, cheese and butter, pigs ensure that no valuable product ends up in the drain. They are an everyday helper when baking bread to push out sticky dough from pipes. Precious natural raw materials in the processing of fruit and vegetables can only be used optimally and without loss with the help of pigs. They tap the last drop in the production of soft drinks. Chocolate can practically only be removed from a pipe using pigging technology.

In its simplest form, a pigging system consists of a pig launching station, a pig receiving station, the pig and devices for process controlling. Armaturenwerk Hötensleben GmbH offers the complete programme to realise different kinds of solutions.

Simple, manually-operated systems offer an entry into pigging technology. These are operated by hand and are designed as an “open” system. The pig is placed directly before the emptying process, it then passes through the pipeline in the direction of product flow, which pushes it out and is then removed again at the end.

In automated processes, the pig works in shuttle operation mode. After the emptying process, the pig moves back again through the pipe system to the starting position. The pig always remains inside the closed system and is only removed when it goes in for a service.

Safety is the main priority when it comes to food production. There must be no risk to the product or the consumer during manufacturing. Restrictions on the use of preservatives or limits on allergens require high standards and reliable and effective cleaning of the production facility. In addition to the other components, the components of the pigging system must also fit seamlessly into this profile. The cleaning process must not be negatively impacted by the cleaning tools used. In this regard, pigging technology is used to optimise plant cleaning.

In the Hygienic Inline System, the pig is directly integrated into product flow and there is a permanent flow around it. This prevents product plugs over a longer period of time. Later, cleaning runs in the same manner. The cleaning medium is able to flow around the pig and reliably remove the entire product.

Pigging technology significantly increases the efficiency and sustainability of a production process. Cost-effectiveness, flexibility and competitiveness make this technology worth having a look at. •

The bakery and snack food market comprise a key part of our business. Therefore, we’re excited to make our debut exhibit at the IBIE show this September in Las Vegas,” says Billy Goodman, managing director, Cama North America. “We understand that the bakery industry demands speed, precision and repeatability and our versatile packaging solutions meet those demands, while still offering maximum flexibility and expert handling of delicate products.”

Hygienic designs, accessible machines, and in-house developed robots are just some of the unique benefits offered by Cama’s BreakThrough Generation (BTG) line of cartoners, case and tray packers, and sleeving systems. In addition, their advanced Industry 4.0 compatible technology also delivers connectivity to enterprise systems for batch data capture, ERP and remote maintenance.

At this year’s IBIE show, Cama North America will showcase the next evolution of its class-leading augmented reality (AR) technology. With AR and virtualisation already proving invaluable across the design, build, commission, test and operational phases of its BTG machines, Cama now offers immersive, line side support for warranty, spares and consumables, through its Augmented Machine Assistance Package.

Visit the Cama Group at Booth 5011 for a live AR demonstration and to learn how they can help your business improve product throughput, efficiency, sustainability and more. •

The amount of egg needed in a cake recipe depends largely on the choice of emulsifier. Traditional cake gels or hydrates, which are typically based on monoglycerides, can perform poorly on stability, meaning that more egg is needed. Palsgaard SA, a series of powdered emulsifiers for industrial baking, overcomes this challenge. Based on polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, it offers many functional properties, allowing egg content to be cut by an average of 20%. This translates to a typical cost reduction of around 5%.

Other Palsgaard knowledge sharing sessions at IBIE 2022 will showcase the performance benefits of its whipping-active emulsifiers, including the Emulpals series for cake premixes. Visitors will be shown how the ingredients can help achieve the perfect shape, volume and crumb structure in cakes, as well as simplifying production and accelerating output.

Emulpals and Palsgaard SA are plant-based, sustainably sourced and produced in CO2-neutral factories. They can also be used to create better-for-you cakes because they are free from trans fats and can allow a shift from saturated to unsaturated oils. Sheila Rice, business development manager at Palsgaard, said, “We’ve got decades of experience in the use of emulsifiers in baking – and we love sharing our knowledge. The beautiful thing about our whipping-active emulsifiers is that they solve such a wide range of challenges in cake production. Lower costs through reduced egg use is an obvious advantage, but there are so many performance benefits too. The proper emulsifier can be the key to the desired structure, volume and appearance of your cake as well as providing the opportunity to create better-for-you recipes.” •

In general, wheat gluten plays a decisive role in baking applications and, therefore, also in wafer production. Unlike in bread baking, for wafers the gluten has to be extensible, plastic and weak rather than elastic and strong. Batters for wafer production contain a large amount of water. Low viscosity and uniform dispersion of all the ingredients are essential for uniform wafers with a homogeneous structure. Flours with low and weak protein are preferable, and in the case of wafers, a very low protein content, below 9% (w/w), seems to be particularly suitable.

However, wafer producers often have to cope with suboptimum flours with excessive gluten content. This can lead to high viscosity of the wafer batter and clogging of batter nozzles by protein clumps. These gluten clumps can form during mixing, resulting in a standstill of the machinery due to blocked tubes and sieves, or in uneven browning and reduced stability of the baked goods. So, the use of low protein flour is desirable, but may not be sufficient.

Proteolytic enzyme complexes are able to decompose any gluten present in a liquid batter, resulting in a uniform mixture with optimum flow properties. In addition, the viscosity reduction enables less water to be used in the recipe, resulting in lower energy consumption for baking and higher oven throughput.

Table 1 shows an example of wafer batters with and without enzymes. The addition of the Sternzym LQ enzyme system permitted a reduction of 7.5kg of water for every 100kg of flour, while maintaining the flow speed as measured with a flow-through funnel (see Fig. 1). The improved flow properties were confirmed once again by viscosity measurements using an amylograph, as shown in Fig. 2. It can be seen that the viscosity of the wafer batter with enzyme was reduced considerably compared to the control batter without enzyme. Looking at industrial practice, in baking trials in a pilot plant it was possible to control the addition of water and thus, the weight and density of the wafers with the help of the Sternzym LQ enzyme system. This offers great economic advantages (reduced energy demand, higher throughput) and more freedom for product development. •

Please tell us a little about the history of Dairycap
Dairycap was founded in 2000 by Anthony Dignam and I. We came from a background in the dairy and food industry supplying packaging, food ingredients and equipment. Anthony had already spent a few decades within the international industry, and I had been active in sales in the food industry since 1996. In 2000, Dairycap began their business by delivering our first shipment of corner pot lids to Woolworths. In 2001, Anthony and I registered the company as a close corporation and the rest, is history.

It took us two to three years to establish a solid customer base, and we are proud to say that we are still involved with many of our early customers to this day. Our customers have been loyal and supportive throughout the years, which is really appreciated as Dairycap is a relatively small company. Without this consistent support of our customers over the years, it would have been difficult to reach Dairycap’s 21st birthday.

Dairycap turns 21 this year. What does this special milestone mean to the company?

The Dairycap team are extremely proud to have reached this milestone. The team, which includes Zaino Dramat who has been working with me in the food industry since 1996, and Bryan Morkel and Liz Hudson who have been instrumental in the growth of Dairycap since 2012.

There have been many highlights, and memorable moments along the way, including when Anthony and I met at Heathrow airport to collect our very first order and take a flight back to Cape Town for a new product launch.

It is such a joy being a part of a small company. Being a part of a small team has enabled us to be mindful of the price impact on food inflation. It is a responsibility we take extremely seriously, and we try our utmost to take this into account together with food safety and quality when we consider our pricing structure.

Our success is thanks also to long term suppliers overseas Alucap, now Constantia Alucap, and the entire team whose dedication to precision, quality, turnaround time and reliability has been exceptional.

Tell us a little bit about your product offering.

Dairycap is a local South African importer of pre-cut lids and heat sealable lidding. We supply lidding, the majority of which is foil, some Mono white PET lidding and a limited amount of metallised PET. The lids are die cut in various shapes and diameters or supplied on reels, and we offer quality easy peel, heat seal lacquers that are product specific, for example form, fill and seal.

Dairycap offers lidding for both short and long-life dairy products, produced by our long term suppliers in Europe, who have flexible production runs from 80 000 lids to millions of lids in up to eight different colours.

What makes aluminium foil lids the best option currently available on the market?

Aluminium foil lids are functional, beautiful and recyclable with good recovery of even light foil internationally where consumers recycle. As a packaging material, it is difficult to find better than foil when it comes to shelf-life, keeping the yoghurt flavour fresh and maintaining the intensity of the taste. Aluminium foil’s superior barrier protection prevents any moisture, light or oxygen from entering the container, and causing contamination. It’s excellent thermal qualities are good for energy saving and cutting food production waste.

Foil is the first choice for preserving temperature and food and flavour quality, and is currently more economical compared to plastic lidding.

If a foil yoghurt lid is opened it is evident the product has been tampered with. Foil is seldom given the credit for being the most simple and reliable tamper-proof barrier for yoghurts for decades. It is also ideal for printing, even more so with the new types of foil.

What makes Dairycap stand out from the rest?

What makes Dairycap different is that we offer customised lidding for each product, warehousing as well as stock holding with the supply chain being our primary focus.

Product quality, consistency, and uninterrupted supply are Dairycap’s focus, with pricing predictability as an added challenge that Dairycap is constantly trying to master. We offer access to local and international research and development centres for new products and product testing. We send out a quarterly newsletter, that identifies new dairy and dairy alternative products and sealing materials from around the world. The complete dedication of our staff and all our suppliers overseas and locally makes us stand out from the rest.

What does the future look like for Dairycap?

We are recruiting staff and enlarging our product range. A big focus will be on sourcing additional sustainable products to add to our portfolio. This is a very exciting avenue for us. We are also looking at expanding the business to service additional markets in Africa.

While growth is a big part of our future plans, we always want to ensure that our customers remain as our top priority. Keeping our clients free to concentrate on their core business, and remain well taken care of is the main focus for Dairycap. •

Since the pandemic began, health has jumped to the top of the global priority list. Consumers are constantly searching for food that has added health benefits, and this extends to all food categories, including chocolates. According to the Barry Callebaut Top Chocolate Trends report for 2022, 83% of global consumers agree that chocolate needs to be tasty and good for me. Therefore, chocolate consumers are not only looking for chocolate products that taste great, but that are also low in sugar and fat, and have other unique health benefits.

Bensdorp offers a range of high-quality cocoa powders and ingredients for creating delectable chocolate products. These are just a few of the ingredients that they have on offer:

Dark Chocolate Powder

Bensdorp’s Dark Chocolate powder is made with no addition of dairy. However, it allows you to claim chocolate on pack and show real pieces of chocolate on the packaging. These powders have a round chocolate flavour with caramel and milky notes. This chocolate powder has a fat content of just 32% and only 2% sugar content, which is three times less powder needed (vs chocolate) for an equivalent cocoa content delivering both a sugar and cost reduction. There is also a new organic version that is available to manufacturers. Thanks to the powder texture, this powder is particularly suited to drinks’ applications, and ideal for desserts, mousses and ice creams made with dairy alternatives.

Defatted Cocoa Powder

The Defatted Cocoa Powder contains less than 1% of fat and has a reduced risk of fat blooming because it has a very low cocoa butter content. This powder is ideal for aerated bakery applications. It is particularly suited for recipes in which a low fat content is key to obtain the right aerated texture (e.g. macaroons, meringues). It provides increased volume of batter (~+20%) and has better baking stability. This powder has a classic balanced cocoa and dark chocolate flavour with a brown colour. It can be used in recipes that require whipped egg whites, such as meringues, macaroons, sponge cakes and marshmallows. It can also be used for low calorie applications (e.g. sports and diet products).

Ebony Black Cocoa Powder

This cocoa powder is a fat-reduced highly dutched cocoa powder with distinctive intense black colour. It is one of the blackest cocoa powders on the market and has a strong roasted cocoa flavour with a slightly bitter after-taste. It is perfect for dark biscuits, cakes, fillings and desserts to obtain a unique, dark colour.

Croquoa

Another finding in the Barry Callebaut Top Chocolate Trends report was that 75% of the global population wants to try new and exciting chocolate experiences. Adding new chocolate ingredients, such as Croquoa to products is just one way to create new delectable chocolate innovations. Add Croquoa to your mixture for a delicious multi-textured chewy stracciatella. These crunchy inclusions have a light, aerated texture and a delicious dark chocolate flavour. They show an excellent behaviour at high temperature (up to 200 °C) where ordinary chocolate drops just can’t go. The best part is that they are made of cocoa and sugar only.

While food trends might change over the years, chocolate remains a firm favourite for consumers all over the world. So make sure you choose the right ingredients partner to help you create the healthiest and most delicious chocolate products that consumers will love for generations to come. •

Through nutritional analysis, brands are able to give consumers detailed information and, by having clear and comprehensive food label content on food, brands are able to build consumer trust and a positive brand reputation for transparency.

What is nutritional analysis in food, and what elements are measured?

Nutritional analysis in food is the process of assessing the nutritional content of food. As a vital part of analytical chemistry, it provides a range of information that is used by the business to inform consumers about the composition of the food.

This information includes the nutrients that are commonly used for food labelling purposes, such as energy, protein, carbohydrate and total fat as well as other micronutrients, such as salt and sugar. Nutritional analysis of food is a complex matrix that involves several techniques used to perform nutritional analysis in food, including laboratory analysis, mass spectrometry, and nutrient analysis instrumentation, among others. The overall analysis also tests for contamination of the food and identifies allergens.

What foods are analysed, and why is nutritional analysis in food important?

Any food product that will be used for consumption – including beverages, meat, sauces, dairy, fruits, and infant food – needs to undergo nutritional analysis.

It is important for several reasons, including:

•  Product consistency across geographies and batches

•  Better quality assurance of the product

•  Identifying contamination and allergens

•  Assisting consumers in making product choices based on the nutritional analysis and composition

•  Adhering to the laws related to food composition

Nutritional analysis in food is important for businesses

In order to adhere to the laws that govern food safety, businesses are increasingly required to test foods extensively. Partnering with an expert with state-of-the-art chemical laboratories, such as Assurecloud, will ensure that your testing is done efficiently and effectively ensuring that the information shared with consumers is accurate. •

Here are the top three reasons why drying your hands is so important in preventing the transmission of infections.

Proper hand drying:

1.  Reduces the number of infectious microorganisms

Microorganisms play an important role in skin health. Skin carries beneficial, harmless and unwanted microbes, which are classified into two types: resident and transient flora.

The resident flora is permanent and inhabits the outer and surface layers of the skin. These quickly recolonise the skin surface after washing, and can include infectious species, such as Staphylococcus aureus that infects wounds and causes diarrhoeal disease when transmitted to food.

The transient flora only colonises the superficial layers of the skin and is picked up from contact with contaminated sources such as surfaces and liquids. These include the gut, nose, mouth and other parts of the body as well as all the objects we touch in our daily lives. They survive on the skin, but do not usually multiply because the environment is too harsh. Unless your hands are wet.

These transient microbes (both good and bad) are removed by proper handwashing and drying, protecting ourselves from transmitting the transient flora to our mouth, nose or eyes, and protecting others by preventing transmission to the multitude of surfaces that people touch.

However, even if this reduces the quantity by a factor of 10 000, there may be enough of some pathogens remaining to cause an infection – Norovirus only requires around 10 particles to be infectious and SARS-CoV-2 between 300 and 2 000.

Wet hands provide microorganisms with a hospitable environment in which to survive and thrive. Wet hands have a far higher number of microorganisms on the skin than dry hands and are more effective at transferring them to touched surfaces. Drying hands reduces the translocation of microorganisms to different surfaces, including food, by 94% – 99.8%.

2.  Prevents re-contamination of the hands

Providing effective hand drying facilities that encourage people to dry their hands properly helps prevent people from drying their hands on their clothes or leaving with wet hands. Touching surfaces with wet hands increases the number of microorganisms that hands pick up.

A study of hand hygiene in Hong Kong found about 40% of the general public used their own clothing to dry their hands some of the time. This could re-contaminate their hands with any dirt or microorganisms that clothes may have picked up from the environment or the bathroom itself.

3. Is more comfortable

Wet hands feel uncomfortable, so the natural reaction is to want to dry them. Businesses should offer employees a method of hand drying that’s most suitable for their industry and that people are comfortable using.

Paper towels are quick and effective, but often leave a bathroom untidy, hot air dryers take a long time to dry, and jet blade dryers are quick, but can be noisy. Fortunately, Initial’s new Luna Dry hand dryer is not only hygienic, (it comes standard with a HEPA filter) but it’s also quiet-mark approved, and fast (with a 12 sec dry time).

In occupations that require frequent handwashing – such as food handling or production – the availability of a convenient, hygienic and rapid hand drying option will encourage hand drying and reduce the risk of unwanted microorganisms colonising the wet skin.

How to choose the best hand drying solution

Hand drying is an essential part of good hygiene practices and every business should consider the best option for their situation as each comes with advantages and disadvantages.

When considering a drying method, consider:

•  Costs for hardware, installation and maintenance

•  Efficiency – speed of drying

•  Comfort in use, including noise

•  Preferences of users

•  Sustainability, including energy and raw materials used

•  Dispersal of microorganisms during use

•  Additional hygiene considerations such as HEPA filters

Within each drying method there can be wide variations, so making the best choice for your business can be complicated. That’s why the experts at Initial are here to guide you to make the right choice. Contact Initial today for a free survey and advice on the right hand drying solution for your business. •

Each year, GNT produces more than 11 500 metric tonnes of Exberry concentrates from edible fruit, vegetables and plants – enough to colour over 40 billion servings of food and drink.

To ensure the company is fit for the future, it has unveiled a sustainability roadmap for 2030 to optimise its environmental and social impacts across its global operations. The full plans feature in GNT’s new Sustainability Report 2021, which also includes detailed information on its performance last year.

Frederik Hoeck, managing director at GNT Group B.V. said, “Since GNT was founded in 1978, we’ve been revolutionising the food colouring industry with our plant-based Exberry solutions. Today, we’re known for offering the most natural solutions on the market. We now want to take this to the next level and lead the industry in sustainability too. As a family business, sustainability and caring for future generations have always been part of our DNA.”

GNT’s sustainability strategy is built around four key pillars: better products, better operations, better agriculture, and better for people. It features a total of 17 targets for 2030, including cutting the Product Environmental Footprint for Exberry product ranges by 25% and reducing the intensity of factories’ CO2-equivalent emissions by at least 50%.

Furthermore, due to GNT’s strong vertical integration, the company will soon be in a position to report on greenhouse gas emissions for 80% of Exberry products. This data will provide important advantages for food and beverage brands as it will enable them to calculate final products’ total environmental footprint.

Rutger de Kort, sustainability manager at GNT Group B.V. said, “We’re positioning our Exberry brand as the most sustainable food colouring solution on the market. GNT is committed to driving industry standards higher than ever before by providing colours that deliver on cost-in-use, performance, naturalness, and sustainability. Achieving our goals won’t be easy, but we’re already making excellent progress across multiple areas.” •

If a competition among the most idyllic holiday destinations was held, the area around picturesque lake Wolfgangsee in Salzkammergut, near Salzburg, Austria, would win the top prize. This is so not only because of the breathtaking views, but also because of the municipality’s very efficient wastewater disposal system. Responsible for this is the Reinhalteverband (Pollution Control Association) Wolfgangsee-Ischl that disposes of the effluent from the municipality of Bad Ischl and the Wolfgangsee municipalities of St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang. The special challenge in operating the facility are the many tourists, who cause extreme fluctuations in the flow of wastewater.

Already service-proven, but always being brought up to date

The sewage clarification plant in Bad Ischl has hardly changed structurally since it was first commissioned in 1988, but its mechanical and electrical equipment are always being optimised. The wastewater treatment system comprises of a single stage activated sludge unit with three processing lines, in addition to three primary sedimentation basins, three recirculating aeration basins with bubble tube aeration and three secondary clarifiers. “We don’t just have to take care of the sewage treatment plant itself, but also nearly a hundred pumping stations around the lake and the lake pressure pipes,” explains Stefan Keil.

Reliability is what counts

Throughout all of the association’s facilities, one processing step meshes perfectly with the next. Each individual facility and component is fine-tuned to the downstream processes so that the overall system works optimally. To control the various process stages automatically, precise measurement data is required. However, accuracy is not everything, as Keil emphasises. “For us, it’s important that the sensors function reliably for a very long time and that, if they do fail, they can quickly be replaced,” explains Keil. Smooth operation is only possible with robust, long-lasting sensors that can withstand the adverse conditions in a wastewater pumping station.

Long-term collaboration

The first pressure transmitters from Vega for measuring levels in sludge tanks were installed 33 years ago. Many ultrasonic sensors from different manufacturers were also in use, and these generally worked very well. “But time and again, there were malfunctions due to foam formation in the measuring vessel and condensation on the sensor,” says Keil. For that reason, about 15 years ago, the company began replacing numerous sensors based on pressure and ultrasonic technology with radar sensors. “Today, we use Vega sensors for many level and pressure monitoring applications,” adds Keil. The development of the compact radar level sensor, the Vegapuls C, two years ago made non-contact measurement of levels extremely attractive in terms of cost. Keil goes on, “Since then we’ve equipped numerous level measuring points with it.”

Radar beats ultrasonic

The compact Vegapuls series measures with a frequency of 80GHz, which enables very good signal focusing. This makes it easier to separate measurement signals from interference signals. The beating heart of the new sensor series is a radar chip newly developed by Vega and specially optimised for the requirements of level measurement. Thanks to the miniaturised design, very compact sensors are now possible. Moreover, they are also inexpensive. The sensors of the Vegapuls series C 11, C 21 and C 22 have a fixed cable connection and are designed in protection class IP66/IP68. “The compact design is very practical. Ultrasonic instruments often require large controllers and settings via relays,” says Keil. Besides being unaffected by temperature fluctuations, vacuum or high pressures, radar sensors are also non-sensitive to foam on the water surface and dirt build-up.

Small sensor – big task

The Vegapuls C 21 is used to control the pumps. “The job of the small sensor is enormously important at this measuring point – the instrument has to function perfectly. The sensor triggers the pumping process when the wastewater reaches a set level,” explains Keil. For that reason, many of the 100 pumping stations are now equipped with the Ex-protected Vegapuls C 21. “Finding a suitable installation location is not always easy, especially in the narrow pumping stations where there is often a lot of other installed equipment. The narrow measuring beam and the software-based option of suppressing interference signals is very helpful here,” adds Keil. “In the pumping stations we use the encapsulated, Ex-protected version of the instrument and connect it directly to the PLC. This saves space in the control cabinet.”

Due to the high accuracy of the radar probes, they were also installed on some of the spillways. In a stormwater discharge structure, there is a screening system for the retention of solid materials. The Vegapuls C 21 measures the height of the water overflow there. The calculated discharge volume in the measuring channel is extrapolated to the entire 8m length of the structure.

Another application of Vegapuls C 21/C 22 is the detection of the water levels in the drainage channels of the three secondary clarifiers. Level comparison and control flaps in the inlets make it possible to charge the secondary clarifiers evenly.

“Our own experience has shown that plastic-encapsulated radar sensors can be used with no problem in wastewater applications. The sensors are comparatively inexpensive and adjusting them via the Vega Tools app is simple,” explains Keil. •

Cama’s machines are built with efficiency, sustainability and flexibility, making it easy for customers to adapt to constantly changing market demands.

In the confectionery industry, a co-packer for a large global confectionery brand approached Cama about replacing their single-use plastic flow pack with a sustainable alternative. The Cama Group’s packaging design team accepted the challenge and developed a cardboard carton that mimics the flow pack design. Shape and form were replicated to integrate easily with tertiary operations. The results were successful in removing the single-use plastic from packaging and maintaining branding through the flow pack design.

Chocolate, known as ‘black gold’, is an industry where speed, quality and fashion are melted together, creating a unique demand. Products must be produced efficiently, but they need to be perfect, since the first taste comes from the eyes. The packaging of 220 fragile chocolate oranges into a special carton combining a plastic blister to protect the chocolate and an opening to display, requires a high level of expertise. Here’s where the Cama Group can add value by utilising its packaging expertise, co-design of packaging, using robotic solutions and high-end automation to deliver the right results.

The core for an efficient and reliable production is keeping the rate of each single operation within a certain limit to ensure stressless handling of products and packages. Working with a pattern of 24 products/cycle, the seven-station Cama loading unit has been able to succeed in fulfilling the task, from secondary packaging to shipping tray packing. Forming and closing operations, which are more demanding in terms of accuracy and glue-sticking time are performed by two robots each handling 12 products each, while blister and products’ loading is performed at two independent stations. A final robot collects all the boxes and places them into shipping trays. The process is automatic and everything is carried out with robots, all of which are engineered by Cama.

Start today with the Cama Group’s consultancy services. Challenge their packaging design team! Discover how they can make your conversion to new packaging designs and new materials quicker and easier than you thought possible.

Cama Group can help boost your brand and drive your new greener ideas forward. They are driven by your sustainability aspirations. Get your free sustainability market brochure here: https://www.camagroup.com/industry-brochure/ •

Q. What options are there for extending the format spectrum of a Somic machine?

We see three different scenarios when we look at changing the processing spectrum of our machines out in the field. The simplest case is pre-programmed. We can set additional format parameters via our remote maintenance function. The second case is when we have to produce new format parts for the existing machine, which can then be installed in the machine by the customer. In the third case, a conversion is required, which can only be carried out by Somic’s own personnel onsite.

Q. How are the retrofit tasks organised in your plant?

We have our own retrofitting department that follows the projects from the first request of the customer to the realisation of the project. Retrofitting is the most difficult task in mechanical engineering. Our Retrofit & Upgrade department is a special force. There we only employ the most experienced staff who have been working in mechanical engineering and design for a long time.

Q. Which machines can be retrofitted?

Demands for retrofits concern not only recently delivered machines, but also machines from the 1990s. Not only do we rely on specially trained staff, we even go one step further. We manufacture the parts on a specially equipped production line. Customers with retrofitting orders are assigned a special project manager who supervises the order from order clarification to delivery and commissioning. This enables close communication and the customer receives comprehensive support.

Q. Can you explain the processes in more detail?

Of course, preferably with a case study. On a machine delivered in 2016, 13 formats have already been configured in advance, and the machine is prepared for this. Now, two more formats were added in 2018. In order to realise a precise folding process for these carton formats, the folding flaps had to be modified. This increased the flexibility for our customer. This made it possible to better take into account the optical characteristics of printed cartons and their display tasks or specifications from the trade for placement.

Q. What are the options when retrofitting a machine?

The simplest case for the retrofit team is for the user to remain within the format range that was specified when the machine was purchased. With the dimensions: x length x width x height for product and carton, the settings of the format parts are stored in the operating panel. We simply connect to the machine in remote maintenance mode and programme the desired new formats in the product and carton pre-selection.

Q. Can’t you just program these adjustments yourself?

The controller is the key to the machine’s operation. It is not advisable to intervene in these preset sequences and settings yourself. Even if we do, it’s not a big deal for the customer. Changes of this kind are usually completed within a few hours, including the subsequent function check, and can be carried out on tray, wraparound or tray/lid machines of type 424 from about the year of manufacture. In about 30% of all requests for retrofits, we are able to provide the customer with the necessary format expansion very quickly.

Q. What must be done if the new formats differ massively from the existing ones?

If you deviate massively from the existing formats, an average of 20 parts are affected by a format expansion. The required parts are specified by the Retrofit & Upgrade project team and produced on the separate production line. We produce the parts in batch size 1 directly related to the customer’s application. Some of the individual format parts can be installed in the machine by the customer themselves. With the help of the Quick-Change technique invented by Somic, the exchange can be carried out without tools.

Q. What is the Quick-Change technique?

The Quick-Change technique uses easy-to-open levers at the positions for format changeovers, which are released manually by the operator. If the exchange part is inserted, there is a clear installation situation. Mistakes or errors during installation are ruled out. The operator then locks the lever and fixes the format part securely.

Q. Must a completely new format set always be used for a retrofit?

With the help of our documentation we can determine exactly which assemblies are affected by a change. For example, if a new product grouping is desired, everything may still fit well in the case of the lamella chain, but a change may be necessary in the case of the push-off comb. Also, in the case of the carton feed, the processed carton spectrum and the guides must be considered exactly in relation to each individual format. We always attach great importance to this flexibility. •

Tomra Food launched its new robotic case packing technology, the KETE16, at the Fruit Logistica event in Berlin, Germany and the South American Blueberry Convention in Mostazal, Chile. The KETE16 automates the process of placing punnets and clamshells into cases, trays, boxes, and crates, integrating seamlessly to match the speed and capacity of the fastest filling machine, the CURO16.

Paul Slupecki, head of Global Sales Tomra Fresh Food at Tomra Food commented, “The KETE16 is a versatile, high-capacity, end-of-line system with abilities the industry has never seen before. No other robotic packing solution can accommodate a wide variety of pack designs at high speeds. This machine is flexible to punnet size, case size, and pack orientation, and makes it easy to change between different packs. This will reduce downtime, increase productivity, and deliver certainty in every pack.”

Joshua Miers-Jones, global category director for Blueberries Tomra Fresh Food said, “The KETE16 integrates with our CURO packing system, which is famous for its accuracy and gentle product handling, and can switch between different packaging formats such as clamshells and punnets. This fast and consistent robotic packer will significantly improve the speed and efficiency of blueberry packing.”

The KETE16 is capable of matching the capacity of the CURO16-head fill by weight, and has been designed to be easily and quickly set-up and changed between package sizes and formats. The unique design serves to pick up and place clamshells into the tray while avoiding the risks inherent to suction methods that can open lids and compromise the product.

The KETE16 equipment distributes one product stream into four staging areas, picking up the packages from underneath to gently place them into trays or boxes. It is designed for quick and simple changeovers between formats, and minimises the risk of spillage or product damage thanks to its unique design. The technology is currently available for the berries and fruits industry, but will expand into other categories such as confectionery and nuts. The design of the technology is suitable to automate both small and large scale operations.

The KETE16 was developed at the Tomra Field Research Centre in Hamilton, New Zealand and validated at two of the largest blueberry packing facilities in New Zealand. Manual case packing is a strain on space, lacks consistency, and requires too much labour. The KETE16 is an excellent solution for the packing industry, as it removes an unnecessary contact point and provides certainty that you will deliver consistent product at speed. •