ISHIDA TECHNOLOGY STREAMLINES WEIGHING AND QUALITY CONTROL PROCESSES

Advanced Ishida weighing and X-ray inspection technologies are delivering unsurpassed levels of accuracy and pack quality for OrganikAgro Foods, Poland’s largest producer of puffed grains.

The company’s two Ishida 16-head 3-mix multihead weighers are handling three separate products for discharge into the same pack. Quality control on each line is provided by an Ishida IX-GA-4075 X-ray inspection system that detects both very small defects in the products as well as many foreign bodies.

The introduction of Ishida multihead weighing technology has provided OrganikAgro Foods with a number of benefits. Weighing accuracy has dramatically increased: The standard deviation for each pack is only between 0.1 and 0.5g, depending on the target weight. This means the amount of food waste has been significantly reduced. Equally important, the 16-head multihead weighers provide a far more consistent weight accuracy for each ingredient in the pack.

The Ishida X-ray inspection systems most commonly inspect puffed grains, flour or groats as a single product or in combination with additional ingredients such as strawberries. Inspection usually takes place on packed products as initial inspection of the bulk product has already been carried out during the grain expansion process.

Previously, a metal detector was used for the inspection of packed grains. However, this technology was unable to detect non-metal foreign bodies such as small pebbles. The introduction of Ishida x-ray technology has therefore improved product quality and allowed the removal of foreign bodies without stopping the line.

The Ishida X-ray systems are in operation between 16 and 24 hours, five days a week. Currently, the machines are operating at up to 60 packs per minute, which is in-line with the maximum capacity of the downstream equipment.

Employees of OrganikAgro Foods report that one of the key benefits of the Ishida x-ray inspection systems is the convenience and speed of product changeovers, thanks to the easy to use and intuitive colour touch screen which allows product parameters to be altered, stored and called up in a matter of seconds.

Hygiene is another important consideration for OrganikAgro Foods, as some raw materials used in the plant are covered with a thin layer of naturally occurring sugar. The hoppers on the Ishida multihead weighers can be easily removed for cleaning at washing stations located near the machines, which speeds up the cleaning process and greatly improves overall efficiency.

The Ishida equipment was supplied by Ishida’s Polish distributor Fenix Systems, who provides full after sales service and support as well as training for OrganikAgro Foods’ personnel.

OrganikAgro Foods is a family-owned company which has been operating in Dobroń since 2014. The efficiency of the production plant allows the processing of up to 1,400 kg of puffed grains in an hour. This enables the company to produce both its own brand ranges for the retail and wholesale markets as well as for private label.

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