 | | ||||
 | |||||
Bienvenue... Willkommen... Benvenuto... Bienvenido... Welkom | |||||
   | |||||
| |||||
| Loma’s extensive knowledge of x-ray technology has now been packaged up into a white paper available to download from our website. The definitive guide provides details of all our systems as well as an overview of the benefits of x-ray for contaminant detection and mass measurement. | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| We are pleased to announce the addition of several new distributors to our global network. New agreements are now in place in South Africa, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Vietnam, making Loma’s range of inspection solutions more accessible than ever before. For contact details in these territories, please visit www.loma.com |  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Three new service packages have been developed to ease pressure on manufacturers who are tasked with maintaining round-the-clock operations with minimum downtime. The Silver, Gold and Platinum options meet specific servicing needs and will offer even more choice and greater peace of mind. |  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| The AS Heavyweight checkweigher has now been upgraded to include a high performance digital loadcell, improving accuracy for weighing sacks or cases of products up to 60kg. The new model now achieves a certified standard of X(1.0) and e=1.0, which is twice the performance of most other brands on the market. Contact your Sales Engineer for further details. |  Loma AS Heavyweight checkweigher | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Loma has secured another industry first for its range of inspection solutions. From 1st October 2004, our systems can now be fully OPC / Ethernet compatible. They now can be interfaced with customers’ SCADA systems via OPC Server technology, providing a standard form of networking and software interface for this equipment type. |  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| When Belgian chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut, launched a new intermediate chocolate product for food manufacturers, Loma’s X³ bulk x-ray system was installed to filter out unwanted contaminants, such as iron, or stone that may have been included with the cocoa beans. Its high-speed, multi-flap-reject mechanism helps to minimise wasted product by selecting only the area of flow in which contaminants are detected. |  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Martin Desserts is a premium brand in its native Canada, renowned for its range of cakes, pies, crumbles, cheesecakes and puff pastries. When the company started preparing for HACCP certification, it recognised the need for an inspection solution that could detect a broader variety of foreign bodies and accommodate different packaging materials. To raise the bar, Loma’s X³ conveyor was installed. |  Loma Systems X³ conveyor model | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Autumn 2004 brings three further chances to see the Loma range on display. Click on the links below for more details on each event: Macropak 2004 5-8 October, Utrecht, Netherlands | |||||
The articles in full | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| In a continual drive to maintain customer support and maximise productivity, Loma Systems has enhanced its range of after sales service options by introducing three revised service plans. These service agreements have been developed following Loma’s ongoing customer research and further boosts Loma’s reputation for consistent quality in end-of-line inspection systems based on advanced technology and a far-reaching R&D program. | |||||
| The range includes three separate packages - Silver, Gold and Platinum - each configured to meet specific servicing needs. More importantly, at a time when food manufacturers are facing growing pressures to maintain round-the-clock operations and increase throughput, the new services will offer even more choice and greater peace of mind. The after-sales service packages will provide different levels of cover perfectly crafted for a fixed annual fee. The ‘silver’ package, for example, is Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) designed to maximise increase machine availability. The package includes servicing to original machine specification with two or four visits per year, priority response to emergency calls, a 10% discount on all Loma spare parts fitted and the ability to include non-Loma inspection equipment. |  | ||||
| The Gold Service Agreement helps minimise line down time in the event of a breakdown. In addition to the PPM, there is guaranteed eight hour on-site response, a further 20% discount on all Loma spare parts fitted, online troubleshooting and three weeks loan of replacement machinery. | |||||
| Finally, the Platinum package enables companies to accurately budget their service expenditure with no additional call-out or labour charges. It provides an extended call-out window from 08:30 to 20:30 with a seven day, twenty four hour option available. In addition, two days free training (on or off site) are provided per year for up to six delegates and there is a 30% discount on all Loma spare parts. | |||||
| To support these additions to the service agreements, Loma now has 12 engineers in the UK to reduce on-site response times. Depending on the service level, call out times can now be guaranteed to be less than four hours. | |||||
| “There is nothing more frustrating than productivity dropping because of out-of-order equipment,” commented David Grieve, Global Service Manager at Loma. “It’s our responsibility to prevent this by ensuring the support is there whenever needed. The Silver, Gold and Platinum service structure delivers greater choice in line with the increasing diversity of our customers and their requirements.” | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| With OPC-enabled systems, operations managers will be able to view data from checkweighers, metal detectors and x-ray systems alongside information from other equipment on the production line. OPC stands for Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control - a detailed explanation its application is available at The Online Industrial Ethernet Book. Customers with existing Loma systems can also benefit from this technology, as connectivity can easily be retro-fitted. A technical discussion on OPC technology for inspection equipment can be arranged through our Sales Engineers. |  | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Loma Systems has helped one of Europe’s premier chocolate manufacturers to open up a new market by providing a food-inspection system that identifies both metal and non-metallic contaminants. | |||||
| The industry surrounding chocolate spans the globe and generates millions of dollars each year. In Europe, Barry Callebaut - one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, dominates the wholesale supply of chocolate. With 30 state-of-the-art production sites in 18 countries, the company sells nearly 900,000 tonnes of chocolate every year. The company has recently secured an additional revenue stream by selling an intermediate chocolate product to food manufacturers specialising in pastries and confectionary bars. Bart Goetmaeckers, engineering manager at the company’s production facility in Wieze, Belgium says the idea of selling ‘fragments’ of semi-finished chocolate was stimulated by demand, but required an effective method of filtering contaminants in order to meet with the company’s high production standards. |  | ||||
| “There was a demand from the market, but we weren’t prepared to deliver the pieces until we were sure our quality standards were high enough,” he explains. “We needed an x-ray machine to filter out any unwanted objects, such as iron, seeds, rope or stone, that may have been included with the beans. Loma’s X³ was the only solution.” | |||||
| The X³ bulk inspection units are perfectly suited for products that are transported loose prior to processing - such as nuts, grains, cereals, fruit and, of course, cocoa beans. Highly sensitive to both metal and non-metallic contaminants, the X³ inspection systems incorporate a high-speed, multi-flap-reject mechanism that minimises product waste by selecting only the area of flow in which contaminants are detected. | |||||
| Bart says these features convinced Barry Callebaut to introduce the x-ray system so that unwanted contaminants could be detected and removed from the company’s chocolate fragments, which measure between 2.8 and 3.5mm in diameter. | |||||
| “The X³ system was the only solution that would get rid of all foreign bodies, including those that weren’t metallic. We wanted to remove ceramics, so Loma’s x-ray was the perfect choice.” | |||||
| Constructed of bead-blast stainless steel and featuring AutoTrack image processing that eliminates virtually all false rejects by adapting to variations in product, the X³ is just one of a number of Loma inspection systems installed at the Belgium processing plant. | |||||
| “We produce around 200,000 tonnes of chocolate annually, all of which has to be inspected, so the X³ isn’t the only inspection system we have,” Bart explains. “We also use a lot of Loma’s metal detectors in the solids department, inspecting chocolate drops.” | |||||
| Asked why Barry Callebaut uses Loma’s systems, Bart’s answer is short and sweet. “Loma has always been the market leader. Other competitors have emerged with similar units, at similar prices, but we’ve always gone for Loma because it’s a highly regarded company that provides good-quality services and products. They deliver what they say they’ll deliver.” | |||||
| His comments seem to suggest that one part-time philosopher’s observation that “life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get,” doesn’t apply to Loma and its accurate and reliable food-inspection systems. | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Quebec City, rich in history and culture, is home to Martin Dessert, a company that has been producing fine quality frozen gourmet desserts since 1989. Approximately 90% of Martin Dessert’s products are targeted for institutional operations — predominantly restaurants — with some finding their way into school cafeterias and hospitals, explains Denis Martin, director, Martin Dessert. | |||||
| One of the company’s largest customers is St. Hubert’s, a well-known Quebec province, family-style, restaurant chain which features barbecue chicken. In addition to providing desserts to a large number of St. Hubert’s restaurants, Martin Dessert also owns a handful of the franchises. And through it all, Denis Martin has always kept a watchful eye on the quality aspect of his operation. About a year ago, the company was in the process of preparing for HACCP certification and decided it was time to become even more stringent in its pursuit of quality. As can happen in any food manufacturing operation, on rare occasion, foreign objects can find their way into the product. “This wasn’t a common problem,” Martin explains, “but you never want your customer to find anything in your product that doesn’t belong there.” |  Loma Systems X³ conveyor model | ||||
| It was at that point that Martin began evaluating alternatives. “Using a metal detector was not an option since 25% of our desserts are in metal [aluminum] trays or plates,” Martin says. The company decided that it was going to raise the excellence bar and evaluate X-ray inspection equipment which can detect a broader variety of foreign objects and can accommodate different packaging materials. (In addition to aluminum trays/plates, Martin Dessert also uses paperboard-based primary packaging containers). | |||||
| “We started by selecting three different X-ray equipment manufacturers. It was important for us to examine the equipment, review the specifications and make a decision based on performance,” Martin says. After a stringent review process, Martin Dessert settled on Loma System’s X³ conveyor model, X-ray inspection system. | |||||
| The unit can detect a wide variety of contaminants (such as gravel, glass, stones) that metal detectors cannot, as well as easily and accurately find small pieces of metal within a metallic or aluminum trays. | |||||
| What differentiates Loma’s X³ units from other X-ray inspection machines is its flexible software that automatically searches for anomalies within a set of live data. Once that data is analyzed, it is discarded and the process is repeated providing consistent and accurate sensitivity while eliminating false rejects. | |||||
| The new generation offers Loma’s AutoTrack Technology, which enables multiple, upgraded X-ray inspection capabilities at a cost reduction of up to 40 percent when compared to previous versions and competitive models. The dual Pentium, Windows NT-based X³ takes X-ray inspection to new levels of analyses. In addition to finding contaminants, the X³ can analyze data at higher speeds than ever before. (The conveyor version also can detect missing or broken items and incorrectly filled packages.) | |||||
| “Because we have 80 different products packed in boxes with varying unit counts, it is important for the X-ray machine to also tell us if a portion is missing,” Martin says. And with standard Ethernet connection, modem diagnostics, one-touch help screens and improved operator interface features, system performance is maximized and product quality is assured and documented. | |||||
| “The modem diagnostic feature was another important feature for us. This gives Loma the capability to work on the machine from a remote location,” Martin explains. Further, the unit features a large monitor with a live X-ray image, which displays detected contaminants in color. Also standard are QA reports, batch reports, fault reports, rejected image capture facility and optional communication connections. | |||||
| Additionally, the unit features Intralox conveyor belting. Because Intralox belts have varying degrees of density, some competitive units cannot be calibrated properly to adjust for the variances. Loma’s software has been programmed to cope with the variances and not lose sensitivity. | |||||
| Martin Desserts relies on Loma’s X³ inspection unit for its full line of cakes, pies, crumbles, cheesecakes, puff pastries, etc. Depending on the product being packaged, the box count varies from between 12 to 40 portions and there are two to four boxes per case. On the production line, the individual units are loaded into a box and then put through a shrink-wrap tunnel before being conveyed into the X-ray unit. | |||||
| The Loma X³ unit has been operating in Martin Dessert’s plant since last September and has given the company the ability to raise its quality game. “Now, when our customers come into our plant, we always give them a demonstration of our X-ray machine. It is an excellent example of our company’s dedication to quality,” Martin says. It also gives Martin the opportunity to “back with action” the credo St. Hubert’s proudly displays on its website: | |||||
| “Our simple recipe has three main ingredients: QSC, which stands for Quality, Service and Cleanliness. We make no compromise: providing the best value is the only way to achieve success. To uphold our excellent quality and satisfy our customers, we at St-Hubert remain true to a long tradition of innovation and keep our finger on the pulse of our customers by being at the cutting edge of new trends.” | |||||
| “At Martin Dessert, we know that innovation is the key to production growth. Our young and dynamic team is exclusively devoted to the research and development of new products and to ensuring quality control,” Martin says. | |||||
Feedback and enquiries If you no longer wish to receive Loma News, please email us on lomanews@loma.com For further information on Loma's range of products and services, visit www.loma.com | |||||
