Processing New x-ray system for pumped food … _ NZ FOODtechnology.pdfProcessing New x-ray system...

8/24/12 Processing | NZ FOODtechnology

1/15www.foodtechnology.co.nz/processing

Processing

New x-ray system for pumped food products

Mettler-Toledo Safeline has released the AdvanCheK Pipeline x-ray inspection system to deliver high levels of contaminantdetection in pumped food products, ranging from meat andpoultry to liquids, slurries and semi-solids like jams, sauces,soups and yoghurts.

Strategically positioned at the early stage of the productionprocess, the AdvanCheK Pipeline ensures only non-contaminated pumped food products are advanced for furtherprocessing and final packaging. By catching and removingcontaminants early in the production process, the systemminimises product waste and saves production costs.

The AdvanCheK Pipeline x-ray system allows the detection ofcontaminants in pumped products such as glass, metal, stone,bone and high density plastics.

“Typically, detection levels are better in the early stages of theproduction process where unprocessed pumped product can bepresented in a shallower depth and with a more uniform texture.At each stage of the production process, the value of the productincreases therefore it is more cost and waste effective to installan AdvanCheK Pipeline early in the process before the producthas been processed or sealed in its final packaging,” sayssales manager Paul King.

Another ideal location for the AdvanCheK Pipeline is during orafter the food processing, or before the filling process, as theproduct is also presented in a uniform texture, ensuring easycontamination detection.

The AdvanCheK Pipeline can be easily attached to existingproduction lines. Designed on castors, the system can rollbackwards during the product calibration without the need todisconnect the pipe work. Suitable for 50mm (2”), 63mm (2.5”) and 75mm (3’’) diameter pipes, the AdvanCheK Pipeline caninspect products at a high throughput rate of up to 10 tonnes per hour for liquids, slurries and semi-solids and up to 9tonnes per hour for meat and poultry without any damage to the product. The system’s flow rate and reject timings are fully

Search Home Categories People Subscribe About Us



adjustable to match the customers flow rate for optimal productivity.

The system’s software is simple to use yet sophisticated in its audit and verification capabilities to provide the operator fullprocess control and traceability without the need for dedicated training or previous x-ray knowledge. The AdvanCheKPipeline x-ray system has fully automated set up capabilities ensuring rapid start-up and is ready to use within minutes,maximising uptime of the production line. It also features an auto test contaminant option removing the need to carry outinitial testing, where a contaminant sample such as a stainless steel sphere moves through the x-ray beam and verifies thedetection levels. This eliminates the need to insert a test contaminant piece into the pipe itself, saving product waste, costand time.

To comply with food quality and safety standards the AdvanCheK Pipeline is comprised of stainless steel and features ahygienic design for easy and quick cleaning. Mounted on rails, the AdvanCheK Pipeline easily rolls away from theproduction line for quick and easy cleaning. Rails guide the x-ray system back into the exact location for tool-less reconnect.The sanitary design offers easy access to all machine areas and it is suitable for harsh wash down environments withsealing of IP65 as standard and optional IP69K.

For more information:Visit: http://uk.mt.com/gb/en/home/products/Product-Inspection_1.html (http://uk.mt.com/gb/en/home/products/Product-

Inspection_1.html)

Smithfield venison processing fitted with VIAscan system

By Peter Owens

With a very rocky international financialsituation, Northern European countries suchas Germany are not only settled, but also havebooming economies. What is of particularinterest to New Zealand farmers andexporters is that the northern European regionhas developed a taste for New Zealandvenison.

In recent years, New Zealand exporters havenoted that this is a strong market but withequally strong preferences. Consumers donot mind paying high prices for venison butthey are very choosy and demand top qualitymeat. Some exporters who sold venison intothis market have been reminded sharply thatjust any old meat will not do.

To ensure it keeps its significant share of themarket the Alliance Group has decided toextend to venison its current VIAscan lambyield-grading system which is currentlyoperating in eight of the group’s plants throughout New Zealand.

VIAscan has been used in scanning lamb carcasses since 2003 and the Alliance Group installed the system at its plant in2008 when from November that year it offered suppliers yield quality premium contracts.

The new venison processing plant at Smithfield is currently being fitted with the VIAscan system.

The VIAscan system provides a very accurate analysis of a deer carcass, including taking an image of the carcass and thenusing its state-of-the-art technology to provide a comparison of that carcass with the ideal market, weight colour and rangethat have been complied by research at Invermay Research Centre and Whiterock Station in Mid-Canterbury.

At present the Alliance Group is planning to process deer carcasses from that project at its Makarewa plant in October thisyear, using the VIAscan system currently installed at that plant. It will then be available early next year to the group’scommercial venison clients who will then be able ensure they will ne using genetics that will enhance their returns.



Essentially the VIAscan system measures the meat less fat and bone on the leg, middle and shoulder areas. When thecommercial suppliers us this system later in the year, they will be able to work out from their kill sheets how their animalsrate to the ideal market range for meat yield, colour and other traits demanded by the consumer.

The Alliance Group’s livestock general manager Murray Behrent says, “Exceptional product quality and food safetystandards are vital for Alliance Group’s export markets. We’re targeting high-end consumers with discerning palates whorate meat quality highly when making purchasing decisions and VIAscan helps our suppliers produce the quality livestockthat is required.”

Safety first when it comes to sealing foodstuffs

Two years ago, testing on a 10,000 jar production run marked the introduction of PROVALIN®, a compound free of PVC andplasticisers. Now more than 50 million seals are on the market.

PROVALIN is a thermoplastic elastomer which does not require any plasticisers and as a result displays extremelylowmigration characteristics.

This sealing material quickly evolved into one of the decade’s success stories involving the commercial development of anentire range of PROVALIN variants.

Long-term tests have shown that the compound is safe and complies with EU and FDA regulations.

The fact that PROVALIN is compliant with all regulations and requirements for filled contents, sealing processes, storageand seal sizes has contributed to the success story.

There are no restrictions in the filling and sealing process, including hot or cold filling or subsequent heat treatment suchas pasteurisation and sterilisation.

Seal sizes 53, 63, 66, 70, 58 and 48mm are already on the market with 38, 82 and 66mm deep (jam) to follow.

The focus is on food safety with the result that risks are avoided during conversion.

In the case of filling, sealing and subsequent treatment processes, customers are given intensive support as theseprocesses vary from one filler to another and need to be adapted individually. This also applies to optimising openingvalues and vacuums.

Users can depend on product tested safety supported by laboratories in Switzerland which regularly draw up independentmigration reports.

The list of commercial manufacturers using packaging free of PVC and plasticisers now reads like a global Who’s Who ofthe food industry and more majors are in the process of having the product qualified in their countries of operation.

Product developments are also underway with brand-name producers such as Unilever, Mars, Heinz and Nestlé.

Actega DS hold the patents over the product which was developed with Feinkost Dittmann and seal manufacturer Pano.

For more information:Visit: www.actega.com/ds (http://www.actega.com/ds)

Local innovative solutions make food-processing leaders

swell

It’s a long way from Europe to the Oceanic region, which is why over the past ten years Marel have forged such a solid placein the local food processing market. By being ‘on the ground’ with a team in Australia and New Zealand, Marel are agrowing entity.

With origins in Iceland, Denmark, and Holland and other business centres across the globe, Marel find it important to have



With origins in Iceland, Denmark, and Holland and other business centres across the globe, Marel find it important to havelocal standalone divisions in all of the majorcountries they supply to.

Marel has a key focus on customer service,it’s what separates them from theircompetitors. They believe that the sale onlystarts with the purchase order and thatthrough offering a customised installation andongoing maintenance service, they are notonly supplying top of the line systems but asupport service to match the integrity of theproducts.

“It is imperative that we have had a solidstand-alone team based locally in bothAustralia and New Zealand, to help us meetthe requirements of our customers. This hasbeen the cornerstone of our success in theOceanic region,” says Jonathan Rankin –general manager of the Oceanic sector.

With a brand like Marel, R&D and innovationplays a major part in breaking new groundand setting the standard in the industry forquality and technological solutions. Thereputation of Marel as innovators is something that continues to develop as they keep an eagle eye on the future and leadthe way in automation.

Jonathan Rankin says: “Giving our customers the power to reduce risk and maximise profits is very empowering, it issomething we take seriously and something that we are focused on.”

Developing turnkey solutions for both the large and small food processing market is what Marel do best. The ability toengineer solutions that increase yield, maximise raw material usage andreduce waste has meant that Marel are able to state that Marel systemsare profit enhancing, cutting edge and top quality.

It is simple to understand – where labour costs are reduced throughstreamlined automation and when the raw product is so carefully handledand ‘processed’ to achieve maximum output that in comparison toexisting systems, the Marel advantage is that their customers can see a1.5-2 percent rise in yields and subsequent profit and their waste costsare drastically reduced too. It’s a win-win solution for all.

In a world where everything is delivered fast, and yesterday is too late,Marel take the time to get to know their customers, they think about howthey can deliver turnkey solutions and develop systems that deliver on thecustomers expectations and beyond.

Marel are a leading food processing equipment supplier that have anunsurpassed reputation across the globe. From deboning plants andpoultry processing plants to deli slicers and weighing equipment, theyreally do have a vast array of solutions for most business sizes.

For more information:(Brisbane) Tel: 00617 3900 3000(Auckland) Tel: 09 263 0366



Ship shape at Tip Top

One of the country’s most famous foodmanufacturing plants has undergonesignificant renovation inside and out and wasofficially unveiled last month with a formerbrand ambassador, Rachel Hunter inattendance.

Tip Top’s factory in Mount Wellington inAuckland sits alongside the Southernmotorway and its distinctive exterior paintworkhas long been a fabric of the surroundingarea. In fact, the part of the motorway that runspast it is known locally as Tip Top corner.

Now after a $40 million renovation the rainbowstripes are gone and in their place is adistinctive glass work emblazoned with the TipTop logo. The site was originally built in the early 1960s and is today one of New Zealand’s largest manufacturing plantsemploying approximately 450 people.

Tip Top was purchased by Fonterra Brands in 2001 and general manager Brett Charlton says the site was long overdue amakeover. While media trumpeted the $40 million renovation as a remodelling of the outside, Mr Charlton says the exterioramounted for a small percentage of the overall cost.

“After 60 years the site needed to be refreshed,” Mr Charlton says.

“It had come to the end of its natural life and needed reinvigoration.”

The planning for the renovation goes back to2010 when Tip Top embarked on the $40million project to enhance its productdevelopment capabilities, improve its workingenvironment, which included a raft of newhealth and safety measures, along withextensive renovations.

“We spent $18 million on our ammoniasystem. Where we were using 40 tonnes ofammonia, we are now using 14 tonnes. Wealso spent $5 million on guards and railingsfor health and safety. We’ve upgraded ourhealth and safety and we’ve also upgradedour chemical storage. We’ve been renovatinga manufacturing site,” Mr Charlton comments.

Tip Top was founded in 1936 by AlbertHayman and Len Malaghan in a small icecream parlour in Wellington. It grew rapidlyand now produces approximately 50 million litres of ice cream each year and exports to Japan, Australia, Singapore,Malaysia, Taiwan and the Pacific Islands.

In 1997, Tip Top was purchased by Australian food processor Peters & Brownes Foods from Heinz Watties. The mergercreated the largest independent ice cream business in the Southern Hemisphere.

A culture of innovation is one of the keys to the company’s longevity, and today Tip Top holds a number of internationaltechnology patents. These include Memphis Meltdown (triple layer dipping) and Moritz (placing large chunks in ice cream ona stick).

Mr Charlton says the company faced the same challenges as everybody else in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis butafter streamlining and reinvention is now as strong as ever.



First light at Fonterra’s newest site

Fonterra’s $200 million investment in a newmilk processing plant is about to paydividends as trials begin and staff familiarisethemselves with operations at the Darfield sitein Central Canterbury.

Fonterra Canterbury operations managerRichard Gray says everyone is excited to seetheir hard work come to fruition as the sitetransitions from a building phase into triallingand then into full operations.

“Over 1500 people have been involved inmaking in happen at Darfield and the site is atribute to their hard work,” he says.

“Safety and quality are our top priorities and,with all the team on board, our focus is ontesting the new plant’s processes with water.”

New members of the team have been familiarising themselves with the systems by visiting four of the Co-op’s 26 sitesaround the country, including Te Rapa and Whareroa in the North Island and Clandeboye and Edendale in the South Island.

“While it’s still very early days, it’s already clear that the new team has a real depth of skills and experience. And it’s beengreat to see most of this talent coming from the local area,” says Mr Gray.

Career opportunities at the new site have been a good option for those affected by the Christchurch earthquake, says MikeO’Dea, one of the new packing operators at the plant.

“Earthquake damage meant CanterburyBrewery had to be shut and I was maderedundant. But when one door closes anotheropens and it’s great to have this opportunity,”says Mr O’Dea.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings saysthe site is part of Fonterra’s substantialinvestment in the wider Canterbury region.

“Our new site is due to take its first milk inmid-August and plans are already underwayfor stage two which will see another $300million invested in the region,” says MrSpierings.

“The investment in Darfield has created 60new positions and is an importantdevelopment for the region and the widerrebuild of Canterbury.

“Another 50 jobs will be created as part of stage two, which will see Canterbury become home to the world’s biggest andmost efficient milk powder drier, capable of producing 30 metric tonnes per hour,” says Mr Spierings.

When both driers are fully operational the site will process up to 6.6 million litres of milk. The Darfield site will supply milkpowder to markets such as the Middle East, South East Asia and China.

“This will further optimise Fonterra’s production and product mix for New Zealand milk, which is an important platform forour strategy,” says Mr Gray.



Baking apprentice numbers could rise with the right

support

Despite a shortage of bakers, only 25 percent of bakery productsmanufacturers hire apprentices. But, given the right support, the numberof companies hiring apprentices could increase by more than 50 percent,a new study by the Industry Training Organisation for the baking, food andbeverage manufacturing and engineering industries, Competenz, shows.

The most helpful set of incentives identified by the study into the bakingand metal manufacturing sectors was around providing assistance withmanaging apprentices – specifically the provision of a pool of suitablecandidates to recruit from, more help with supervising, and an onlinesystem to track apprentices in real time.

John Blakey, CEO of Competenz agrees: “There needs to be a highdegree of support around assisting companies to fulfil the obligations ofapprenticeships.”

Management support could encourage 47 percent of those companieshiring tradesmen or bakers but not hiring apprentices to be converted toapprentice hiring companies. A subsidy of $5,000 came decisivelysecond as an incentive, encouraging just eight percent more companiesto hire an apprentice. This percentage dropped if any conditions wereplaced on the subsidy, like specifying apprentice candidates must berecruited from young people receiving a benefit with low or no skills – an obstacle one too many for employers.

So although taking on an apprentice is a significant financial undertaking, it is the practical aspects of managing anapprentice for the three to four year term of the apprenticeship that are seen by companies as more daunting than thefinancial outlay.

The study also showed that a concerning 55 percent of bakery products manufacturers do not hire tradespeople at all.Companies not currently hiring a qualified baker cannot therefore hire an apprentice either.

“You can’t take on an apprentice if you haven’t got the qualification yourself,” says Mr Blakey.

“Otherwise the transfer of skills can’t effectively take place. It’s a situation that perpetuates the low wage, low skilledeconomy.”

And yet the benefits of up-skilling the baking sector are significant both for the sector as a whole and for individualcompanies.

“Skill converts immediately to productivity increases and profitable improvement. The smarter you work, the more efficientyou are at doing things. And the less money is spent on the wage component of your costs,” Mr Blakey explains.

The message is clear. With the right supports, primarily around management, more baking companies would be likely totake on apprentices, enriching their own companies and building a more highly skilled, highly productive environmentsector-wide.

“This research has made us aware of the issues facing companies regarding apprenticeships. It’s a great starting point forchange,” Mr Blakey concludes.

X-ray inspection on the rise in Asia

Mettler-Toledo Safeline has revealed steady growth in sales of its AXR x-ray inspection system in Asia.



The AXR was developed to provide Asianmanufacturers with high-performance andcost-effective product inspection technology tocomply with local and international food safetyregulations.

Growth in the use of packaging formats thatpose problems for traditional contaminantdetection in the region as well as Mettler-Toledo’s expertise in customising technologyto meet product inspection challenges haveled to the AXR’s increased popularity.

The Mettler-Toledo Safeline AXR system offersfully automated product inspection andrejection of contaminated products.

The technology provides exceptional detectionof metal, high-density plastic, glass, stonesand rubber and can simultaneously performin-line quality checks including measuringmass, counting components, identifyingmissing or broken products, monitoring filllevel, checking for damaged packaging, andensuring seal integrity.

Mettler-Toledo has reported that the largestgrowth in sales for the AXR system has beenin China and Thailand, driven by the growth indemand for convenience products, such as instant noodles.

These products are packaged in plastic containers that have traditionally proved harder to inspect, as the density of thepackaging at corners and edges can mask contamination. The manufacturers that use this packaging format require x-raytechnology capable of overcoming this detection challenge.

Since the initial launch of the AXR, Mettler-Toledo Safeline has introduced a number of mechanical and softwareenhancements to optimise the technology for the requirements of Asian food manufacturers.

In response to requests from producers of noodle snacks for tailored solutions for their specific x-ray needs, Mettler-Toledodeveloped software capable of detecting contamination in the edges of these plastic pots, without masking out the rest ofthe product, ensuring complete contaminant detection. This customised software has now been introduced as standard inall AXR systems.

Another significant area of growth has been small and medium enterprises in China. In order to penetrate the overseasexport market, more and more of these smaller manufacturers are looking to the AXR system as a turn-key solution todemonstrate compliance with food safety regulations both locally and globally. Its comprehensive and highly sensitiveproduct inspection and contaminant detection at high throughput speeds make it the ideal technology for Asianmanufacturers to ensure that their products meet the high quality standards that consumers expect.

“In the global marketplace, it is more important than ever that food manufacturers have a product inspection system thatoffers complete contaminant detection”, explains Ian Clarry, sales manager for Asia, Mettler-Toledo Safeline.

“In order to penetrate new markets, brand owners have to comply with increasingly stringent quality standards. Fullycomprehensive product inspection, as offered by the AXR, is the best way to boost overseas trade and minimise the risk ofreputation-damaging product recalls.”

The AXR can handle up to eight lanes on bulk applications, or up to four lanes on standard packaging lines and can inspectproducts in a range of sizes and packaging formats. Air-conditioning keeps the technology at the optimal operatingtemperature, between 10 to 35°C, in hot working environments. To reduce maintenance time, the AXR system is easy toclean, with a quick release belt and built to a leading hygienic design.

In addition to x-ray systems, Mettler-Toledo’s product inspection technology portfolio includes metal detection andcheckweighing solutions.



Enhanced vision capability for improved sorter

performance

Key Technology introduces an enhancedvision capability for its popular Tegra® in-aircolour sorters.

Featuring twice the number of cameras asother Tegra sorters with the same width, thenew Tegra 7755E achieves unprecedentedline-of-sight for better all-around viewing withvirtually no hidden areas.

Designed for customers looking to improveproduct quality and food safety, this sorter’sfull-object view increases detection andremoval of foreign material (FM) and defects,with the greatest gains in small defectremoval.

Key designed this new vision capabilityspecifically for a carrot customer looking toremove more small defects. The technology isideal for a wide range of sliced, diced, andwhole fruits and vegetables as well as manypotato products, snack foods, candies, nuts,and more. The half-wide Tegra, including thenew Tegra 7755E, sorts up to 7.5 tonnes perhour, depending on the product.

For higher volume processing lines, Key’s full-wide Tegra, with its 1500mm wide platform, sorts up to 15 tonnes per hour.Key can equip Tegra with RBG, Vis/IR (visible infrared), and UV colour cameras and can programme the sorter to operate ata scan rate of 4000 or 8000 to meet the exact needs of each application.

Food processors with installed half-wide Tegra sorters can upgrade to the enhanced 7755E in the field.

For more information:Visit: www.key.net/products/tegra (http://www.key.net/products/tegra)

Numbers down but 2012 still a good vintage

The 2012 New Zealand grape harvest has been completed in line with expectations for a smaller crop than the record 2011vintage.

“Following a cool spring and summer the expectation amongst growers and wineries was that the 2012 grape harvestwould be smaller than last year. This view was supported by anecdotal reports during the vintage and has now beenconfirmed by our 2012 Vintage Survey," says Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers.

According to the Survey 269,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested in New Zealand in 2012, down 18 percent from the record2011 harvest of 328,000 tonnes.

“The 2012 vintage is very similar in size to 2010, but given sales growth in the past two years, the reduced crop willintroduce a new tension to the sectors’ supply demand balance. As a result it is very clear focus in the next year will be onvalue rather than volume growth.”



Mr Gregan says that while the earlier spring and summer was cool, April was the critical turning point for the vintage.

“Going into harvest the concern amongstgrowers and wineries was whether autumnwould deliver the weather the grapes neededto ripen fully. Fortunately in most of ourgrowing regions April saw excellent vintageconditions with many warm dry days and coolnights. The result is that we expect there willbe plenty of vintage highlights for consumersto savour and enjoy, albeit in smaller volumethan 2011,” Mr Gregan says.

Machines beat

humans when it

comes to picking

Sauvignon blanc

grapes

University of Auckland research overturns thelong held view that hand picking of grapes isneeded to produce the best Sauvignon blanc.

“New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is recognisedas the best in the world, winning numerousinternational awards in recent years,” sayslead researcher Associate Professor PaulKilmartin.

“Machine harvesting is well-established bothhere and overseas, but it has generally beenconsidered second-best in terms of grapequality and purity.

“Our research provides the first publishedcomparison of wines produced by machineand hand harvesting, and shows that machineharvesting results in higher levels of thepassion fruit and grassy aromas that are sodesirable in New Zealand Sauvignon blanc.”

But these aren’t the only findings with the potential to revolutionise winemaking. Other work led by Dr Kilmartin has shownthat adding sulphur dioxide as soon as the grapes are harvested also results in higher levels of the characteristic aromas.

“Sulphur dioxide is widely used by winemakers to prevent oxidation and the growth of microbes, and is added at differentstages of the winemaking process. We found that adding adequate sulphur dioxide prior to fermentation, to match grapejuice oxidation status, stops naturally-occurring enzymes from chewing up the thiol compounds responsible for the passionfruit aroma, particularly during longer truck transport times.”

This does not result in higher levels of sulphur dioxide in the final product however.

“The compound is broken down by the yeast responsible for fermentation, so even if more is added prior to ferment thelevels in the finished wine are no higher.”



Dr Kilmartin will presented this research last month at the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) conference inPortland, Oregon and at the International Workshop in Vineyard Mechanisation and Grape and Wine Quality in Piacenza,Italy.

The results are already benefiting New Zealand industry, however.

“We work closely with local winemakers and shared our findings with them earlier this year,” says Dr Kilmartin.

“Many have already started to re-examine their harvesting approaches in the light of this research. For instance one of thewineries we partner with has shifted to machine harvesting for their premium Sauvignon blanc, to maximise the tropical fruitaromas in their wines.”

Winemaker Murray Cook from Villa Maria Estate explains that the sulphur dioxide findings are also being used.

“Based on Paul’s research we doubled the amount of sulphur dioxide added in the field for the 2012 Sauvignon blancvintage, and the comments we’re getting from blending are that the vintage is really strong.”

In theory the levels could have gone even higher, but the winery has chosen to keep them within limits suitable for organicproduction.

“The research coming out of The University of Auckland is very relevant. It means that there are more tools at our disposal tomake better wines for the future,” says Mr Cook.

Fonterra’s biggest shake-up since its formation

In-fighting over the amount of controlshareholding farmers will retain in Fonterrawill now drag on until November – andpossibly longer – because of last month’sinconclusive vote on the issue.

Chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden hadhoped that June 25 would bring finaldecisions on two major matters concerningthe future of the co-operative.

Despite vigorous opposition from many of the11,000 or so members, Sir Henry’s aim wasachieved on the key one – the core of thecontroversial Trading Among Farmers (TAF).

This enables non-farmers to start investing inthe dairy giant which is predicted to reach arevenue landmark of $20 billion this year.

The TAF concept won 66.45 percent of votes, so topping the required simple majority, and that paved the way for Fonterra’sbiggest shake-up since its formation in 2001.

The aim is to remove a danger which many have considered the organisation’s Achilles’ heel – the financial exposure itcould face because of its redemption risk.

Dairy farmers have been required to buy Fonterra shares when they start or expand their businesses and the redemptionrisk option obliges Fonterra to buy back shares from members wishing to raise capital.

Those shares are then held by what is called a ‘farmer custodian’ – in reality a form of parking area – and can later bebought back.

But there was always a risk of an overheavy run on the fund and that risk, in Sir Henry’s words, “got magnified through theglobal crisis in 2008”.

Problems stemming from the crisis, exacerbated by severe drought, resulted in Fonterra paying out more than $600 million.



Newly-eligible non-farmer investors will not have the protection inherent in this scheme. They will have access to dividendsbut will have no voting or milk supply rights.

This arrangement gives Fonterra the benefit of permanent capital, which brings greater flexibility and freedom to improve itsalready impressive position in the global market.

Controversy persists, however, over the proportion of the shares which will be available for public investment.

In June 2010 farmer shareholders voted to allow the outside public no more than 25 percent of the total. Fierce andoccasionally acrimonious dissension resulted in a proposal to lower the level to 20 percent.

This was the issue which prompted the resignation of Simon Couper as chairman of Fonterra’s shareholders council. MrCouper – described by Federated Farmers dairy chairman Willy Leferink as “a man of principle” – warned: “A threshold ofanything over 15 percent puts the co-operative at risk.”

He feared having two competing factions in the organisation – one possibly more concerned with the size of dividends thanthe price paid to farmers for milk.

“Farmers must realise that TAF will put us on a path that has the potential to become a slippery slope,” he said.

Mr Leferink cited the case of Ireland’s Kerry Group. In 1986, the co-operative retained 51 percent as a cornerstone holdingwhen it became a listed company. The percentage has now dropped to 17.1.

Politicians have also mounted attacks on the proposal.

Labour’s primary industries spokesman Damien O’Connor visualises trading by non-farmers would create tensionbetween them and milk suppliers and lead to ‘demutualisation’.

NZ First’s Richard Prosser, who had an observer role on the select committee considering the Dairy Industry RestructuringBill, says that no co-operative in the world has survived as a co-operative after allowing in outside investor capital.

As the proposal for non-farmers to have a ceiling of 20 percent failed last month it will now be considered again at theNovember AGM.

Although outside investors will have no direct say in the direction taken by the company – having no right to any vote – theywill undeniably have a fair amount of influence.

They would probably pull out, for instance, if the fund’s performance were to be disappointing and if they did so in sufficientnumbers there could well be an impact on policy. That could involve boosting profits by cutting the price paid for milk.

That is another aspect of the matter farmer share-holders will have to balance when voting in November.

Fonterra applies to acquire New Zealand Dairies

The Commerce Commission has received an application from Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (Fonterra) seekingclearance to acquire the dairy processing assets of New Zealand Dairies Limited (NZDL).

NZDL owns a milk powder processing plant in Studholme, near Waimate, and until recently has been collecting raw milkfrom farmers in the South Canterbury and North Otago regions. On 17 May 2012, NZDL was placed in receivership.

In considering the application, the Commission’s role is to determine whether the acquisition has the effect of substantiallylessening competition in any market.

A public version of the application is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.comcom.govt.nz/clearances-register (http://www.comcom.govt.nz/clearances-register)

Reduce product theft with MobileCamViewer



Florida meat packer and distributor Master Purveyors has seen a sharp increase in staff production — and reduction in theft— since adding the MobileCamViewer mobile surveillance application from mobiDEOS to its business security system.

“We have experienced a clear return on investment through less product theft since adding MobileCamViewer,” says ShawnMcCranie, vice president, Master Purveyors.

“We have definitely seen more money added to our bottom line.”

The company integrated MobileCamViewer into its existing six-camera security system — also featuring a Dedicated MicrosDVR — that allowed surveillance to reach beyond the desktop. Mr McCranie discovered MobileCamViewer while seeking auser-friendly application that would allow him to monitor operations while away from the business — and keep staff on task.

“The eye over the shoulder has made our staff stay on track,” he says.

“We have the ability to watch what they are doing 24/7 and call into the public address system if we need to. The staff knowsthat this is not a dummy system, which keeps them very focused. And the fact that I don’t have to drive 20 miles in responseto every problem is a big benefit.”

Mr McCranie monitors operations from his android, with high-quality video feeds from Sony cameras overlooking hiswarehouse, freezers, coolers, loading dock and outside perimeter. He notes that the comprehensive solution with mobilesurveillance exceeds necessary federal government requirements for meat production businesses.

“The security system is a necessity for meat processing facilities as part of the federal government’s homeland securityprogram,” says Mr McCranie.

“The ability to remotely monitor our system around the clock improves on those requirements. We can react much quickernow if there is a security issue related to temperature monitoring or a break-in.”

MobileCamViewer offers secure, reliable carrier-grade cell phone-based video surveillance and remote monitoringsolutions, providing “anytime, anywhere” mobile video surveillance for virtually every situation.

Its compatibility across many smartphones, tablets, cameras, DVRs, NVRs and video servers — as well as simpleintegration with PC and MAC-based iOS systems — enables MobileCamViewer to comply with both new and existingnetwork infrastructures. The basic MobileCamViewer application is free, with incremental costs for premium service users.

Master Purveyors has been in business since 1966. The family-owned operation centers on an in-house processing facilitythat cuts, trims and packs high-quality meats to order, servicing customers across central Florida.

For more information:Visit: www.mobilecamviewer.com (http://www.mobilecamviewer.com)

Process automation at drinktec 2013

Factors such as batch tracing, cost pressure and sustainability – along with the product consistency and diversitydemanded by the customer – have radically changed the beverage and food industry.

In companies above a certain size conventional 'island' solutions, based on manual processes, can no longer meet thesechallenges in a cost-efficient way. What's needed are modern control and automation systems which combine themanagement and production levels together in a single unit.

The automation, control and IT solutions relevant to the production of beer, soft drinks and liquid foods around the world willbe on show from September 16 to 20, 2013 in the exhibition halls at Messe München – at drinktec, the World´s LeadingTrade Fair for Beverage and Liquid Food Technology.

From cables to networksThe heart of an automated control system is the programmable logic controller (PLC). This is connected to the machine orsystem via sensors or actuators. The sensors are connected to the PLC inputs and monitor the processing stages.Examples of sensors are temperature sensors, light barriers and limit stop switches. The actuators in turn are connected tothe PLC outputs and thus control the machine or system. Examples of actuators are contactors to switch on electric motorsor electric valves.



Traditionally, in the field level the signals areexchanged between sensors, actuators andcontrol modules via parallel lines.Increasingly, however, field bus systems arebeing used which permit digitalcommunication between the automation unitand the field devices via a single serial line.Accordingly, this reduces the requirement forcabling and input/output hardware, whichbrings tremendous cost savings.

The connection to higher-level control andmanagement levels is represented vianetwork technology such as the Ethernet. Forwireless communication, e.g. WLAN, theexhibitors at drinktec 2013 are also offeringinteresting components. Using this wirelessmethod it is possible, for example, to scanproduct data on incoming goods, via a handscanner, into the production control system.

Managing, controlling, monitoring, visualizing and analyzingModern production control systems manage, guide, monitor and visualize the entire production process. Ideally the operatorcan see on the screen at a single glance whether the production processes are running as they should. The controlsystems also log, analyze, compress and archive a range of data from the process chain from delivery of raw materialsthrough to the completed, packaged end product. On the one hand this secures the legal requirement for batch tracing.

And on the other, the production figures thus acquired enable the company to conduct a detailed analysis of the processes.Production control systems can also pass on data to the higher-level ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning), whichintegrates planning and commercial functions. In this case the company management and production levels are thencombined in a single transparent data platform. Operators, technicians, operational managers, controllers and executivemanagers all have access to the information they require in order to make quantitative and qualitative statements about thecurrent situation. And they have this access at a glance, and in real time, regardless of company size, as drinktec 2009 hasalready impressively demonstrated: at that edition of the fair, visitors were able to see the smallest fully automatic breweryin the world, with a capacity of 20 liters.

Today, this system is in use in research and teaching at the Weihenstephan site of the Technical University of Munich. Thistrend towards tailor-made automated solutions for all sizes of company, i.e. for global players as well as for SMEs, willcontinue at drinktec 2013. A second main focus, according to Gunther Walden, Head of Food & Beverage at the SiemensDivision Industry Automation, lies in process optimization: "The focus will be on solutions which will help companies in thebeverages industry increase their productivity. These offers are aimed at reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for theoperators, while maintaining high product quality and providing greater flexibility. These include products and solutions toincrease energy-efficiency in production."

Automatic production processes mean automatic measurementsFull automation of production processes also has another facet, as pointed out by Olaf Müller, Vice President PentairProcess Technologies: "If you automate your production processes, then you also have to automate your quality control. Wehave to move away from labor-intensive sampling and time-delayed analysis in the decentralized laboratory towards inlinemeasurement."

On show at drinktec 2013 will be not only well known systems for measuring flow and pressure, but also solutions such asinline sensors, necessary for quality control, monitoring pH, conductance, original wort, brix, turbidity and CO2 and O2.Microbiological issues – so very important in the food sector – can also be addressed using a sterile inline samplingsystem.

Müller again: "With inline sampling, as well as inline measurements, you remove the two biggest risk factors in qualitycontrol, i.e. the human being and the statistically inconclusive random sample. And it´s all done without interrupting theproduction processes, without significant product losses and, not least, without spending too much time or personnel input.All of which of course spells real economic advantages."

Any company wanting to secure these two advantages for their own production operations should make a firm date to visitdrinktec 2013, because this is the place they will be able to find the right solutions and innovations for companies of all



sizes, product spectrums and control and management levels.

About drinktecdrinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for beverage and liquid food technology. It is the most important trade fair for thesector. Manufacturers and suppliers from all over the world – global companies and SMEs alike – meet up here with allsizes of producers and retailers of beverages and liquid food products. Within the sector drinktec is regarded as thenumber one platform for launching new products on the world market. At this event manufacturers present the latesttechnology for production, filling and packaging of beverages of all kinds, and for liquid food – also encompassing rawmaterials and logistics solutions. The themes of beverages marketing and packaging design round off the portfolio.

drinktec 2013, which takes place at the Messe München exhibition centre in Munich, from September 16 to 20, 2013, isexpected to attract around 1,500 exhibitors from over 70 countries and approximately 60,000 visitors from more than 170countries.

For more information: www.drinktec.com (http://www.drinktec.com)

1 2 (/processing?page=1) 3 (/processing?page=2) 4 (/processing?page=3) next ›(/processing?page=1) last » (/processing?page=3)

Processing New x-ray system for pumped food … _ NZ FOODtechnology.pdfProcessing New x-ray system...

Documents

Transcript of Processing New x-ray system for pumped food … _ NZ FOODtechnology.pdfProcessing New x-ray system...