Food Engineering December 2011

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THE MAGA ZINE FOR OPER ATIONS AND MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT

Fabulous Food Plant Hormel’s Progressive Processing facility is built to last ALSO THIS MONTH `

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TECHNICIANS AND ENGINEERS ` SITE SELECTION: REDEFINING LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION ` TECH UPDATE: PACKAGING MACHINE CONTROLS

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FEATURES COVER STORY

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Fabulous Food Plant: Built to Last A quarter century had passed since Hormel Foods had commissioned a new production facility. In designing its Dubuque plant, engineers aimed to create a facility that would be contemporary for the next 25 years.

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Supply Chain: Demand-driven Production Mastery of the supply chain can yield tremendous cost savings for food companies, but only if production is aligned with what will sell in the months ahead.

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Site Selection: Redefining Location, Location, Location What makes location the most important criterion in selecting a site? Transportation, logistics, labor force, water and utility costs—to name a few.

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Tech Update: Packaging Machine Controls Thanks to open standards, packaging machine controls communicate up and down the line and with MES and ERP systems to provide key performance data.

20 DEPARTMENTS 8

Editor’s Note

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Calendar of Events

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Manufacturing News Consumer satisfaction stagnates as economy slows.

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19

Food Packaging ‘Green’ bag in bottle makes its debut.

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Technology Sourcebook Focus on PACK EXPO show products

Connect with FE on Facebook www.facebook.com/FoodEngineering

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Engineering R&D

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With a large cadre of American workers ready to retire, training and educating the next generation of technicians and engineers is a critical need in manufacturing.

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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EDITORIAL Joyce Fassl Editor in Chief [email protected], 610-436-4220 ext. 8519 Kevin T. Higgins Senior Editor [email protected], 847-405-4045 Wayne Labs Senior Technical Editor [email protected], 215-345-4548 Morgan Smith New Products Editor [email protected]

®

For further information call 1-800-477-1214 or email [email protected] www.AAFINTL.COM

Richard Stier, Jaan Koel, Allen Merritt, Mark Huffman, Olin Thompson Contributing Editors ART & PRODUCTION Karla Fierimonte Art Director [email protected] Suzanne Fairman Advertising Production Manager [email protected], 253-946-6854 MARKETING Marge Whalen Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference Manager [email protected], 847-405-4071 Amy Kozyra Marketing and Event Coordinator [email protected], 847-405-4022 Chris Frost ProcessTechnologyXchange [email protected], 952-224-4390 Jill L. DeVries Corporate Reprint Manager [email protected], 248-244-1726 LIST RENTAL Kevin Collopy Postal Contact 800-223-2194 x684, [email protected] Michael Costantino Email Contact 800-223-2194 x748, [email protected] AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Kourtney Genereaux Group Audience Development Manager Megan Neel Corporate Fulfillment Manager Carolyn M. Alexander Audience Audit Coordinator

FOOD ENGINEERING Volume 83, Issue 12 (ISSN 0193-323X) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $115.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $149.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $165.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FOOD ENGINEERING, P.O. Box 2146, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to FOOD ENGINEERING, P.O. Box 2146, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or [email protected].

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December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

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www.foodengineeringmag.com NORTH AMERICA SALES Patrick Young Publisher & District Sales Manager 600 Willowbrook Lane, Suite 610 West Chester, PA 19382 [email protected] Tel: 610-436-4220, ext. 8520; Fax: 610-436-6277 Mid-Atlantic Territory: CT, Eastern PA, NJ, NYC and LI, VA, MD, DE, Washington DC Paul Kelly District Sales Manager 155 N. Pfingsten Rd., Suite 205 Deerfield, IL 60015 [email protected] Tel: 847-405-4048; Fax: 248-502-1017 Midwest and Northeast Territory: Northern IL, WI, MN, IA, KS, MO, SD, ND, CO, WY, NE, TX, OK, NM, AR, NH, VT, MA, RI, ME, Saskatchewan Brian Gronowski District Sales Manager 13973 Meadowlark Ln. Newbury, OH 44065 [email protected] Tel: 440-564-5732; Fax: 440-564-5734 Midwest and Southeast Territory: OH, IN, WV, KY, TN, MI, NY, Western PA, FL, GA, NC, SC, AL, Southern IL, MS, LA, Ontario, Quebec Wayne Wiggins Jr. District Sales Manager 454 Funston Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118 [email protected] Tel: 415-387-7784; Fax: 415-387-7855 West Coast Territory: AZ, CA, OR, WA, AK, UT, ID, HI, British Columbia Carolyn Dress Inside and Online Sales Manager Tel: 847-405-4046; [email protected] Suzanne Sarkesian Classified Sales Manager Tel: 248-786-1692; [email protected] INTERNATIONAL SALES Gabriele Fahlbusch IMP InterMedia Partners GmbH Tel: 49 (0)202-27169-15; Fax: 49 (0) 20227169 20 [email protected] Germany, Switzerland and Austria Fabio Potesta Mediapoint & Communications SRL Tel: 39-010-5704948; Fax: 39-010-5530088 [email protected] Italy CORPORATE DIRECTORS Publishing John R. Schrei

The industry’s only pre-filed hard bound catalog listing equipment, supplies and services to the food and beverage industry is only a phone call away. No need to work with an incomplete vendor list or wade through hundreds of consumer listings online. The Food Master is the most comprehensive reference source for Plant Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing and Packaging executives.

To order your personal copy, call Ann Kalb at 248-244-6499 or go to www.foodmaster.com

Corporate Strategy Rita M. Foumia Marketing Ariane Claire Production Vincent M. Miconi Finance Lisa L. Paulus Creative Michael T. Powell Directories Nikki Smith Human Resources Marlene J. Witthoft Information Technology Scott Krywko Conference & Events Scott Wolters Clear Seas Research Beth A. Surowiec

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December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Barometers of our industry and the economy

A Joyce Fassl, Editor in Chief e-mail: [email protected]

s 2011 comes to a close, I am continuing my research into the life line of the economy and how it affects the food and beverage industry. My local traffic barometer has been ratcheting up—that’s always a good sign of a recovering economy in my book. I am happy to report the highway traffic in my area has been approaching pre-recession levels over the past two months. Hopefully, all of these commuters are out there working and shopping. On a more proven, scientific note, this year our industry witnessed a fantastic PACK EXPO Las Vegas and a new biennial PROCESS EXPO that doubled both in size and attendees. Even though many signs are pointing toward economic recovery, Food Engineering’s annual survey on the State of Food Manufacturing reports processor budgets for production, process and packaging equipment are flat, and there is actually a slight decrease in spending for automation and software. The good news is all of those lean initiatives must be paying

off—the same survey respondents said their throughputs are expected to increase, some in double digits. So, with capital budgets fairly stable and production units up, why are food prices so high for consumers? The answer lies in an intricate mix of factors including higher costs of raw materials and transportation, bad weather, smaller harvests, a weakened dollar and globalization of the industry. Some experts believe American economic woes lie in wealth inequality. According to a recent report in Businessweek, “inequality is not just a problem for the have-nots.” The report states with the recent $650 billion in income shifted to the top 5,934 households, the result could be shorter recoveries and gun-shy investors. It also cautions there are recovery lessons to be learned about market similarities and defaults in 1929 and 2008. Just a little something to think about over the holidays. Here’s hoping the food industry barometer and our overall economy continue to rise in 2012. ❖

Food Engineering Editorial Advisory Board Tom Lance Vice President-Operations The Boston Beer Company Ed Delate Vice President, Global Engineering and Corporate Social Responsibility Keystone Foods LLC

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David Watson Vice President-Engineering Campbell Soup Company International and Baking Technology Sam Casey Director of Engineering H. J. Heinz

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Alex Peele Director of Project Engineering Interstate Brands Corp.

Dan Sileo Vice President, Manufacturing Sunny Delight Beverages

Diane Wolf Former Global Vice President, Safety and Environmental Sustainability, Kraft Foods

David Haase Vice President of Operations WILD Flavors

9OUKNOW who it is on the football field.

But did you know the Slipstick Conveyor

can be your sanitary “Wide Receiver” to accumulate product upstream of a packaging distribution system? In this recently installed system, the upper Slipstick pan has a diagonal slot to uniformly distribute the product across the wide Slipstick on the bottom. The width of the bottom Slipstick is 102” to keep product depth shallow and still achieve 30 minutes of surge time. The Slipstick provides gentle, sanitary on-line storage of even the most fragile products with no moving parts in the food zone, greatly reducing the risk of cross-contamination that commonly occurs when using a belt storage unit. Call  today or email SALES SSSDYNAMICSCOM to add the Slipstick “Wide Receiver” to your processing lineup.

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FEBRUARY 2012 6-9: ARC World Industry Forum; Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld Marriott, Orlando, FL; ARC Advisory Group; www.arcweb.com 28-March 3: IPACK-IMA; Fiera Milano, Italy; Ipack-Ima spa; www.ipack-ima.com

MARCH 2012 14-17: FPSA Annual Conference; The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, FL; Food Processing Suppliers Association; www.fpsa.org 17-19: SNAXPO; Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ; Snack Food Association; www.snaxpo.com

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27-30: Anuga FoodTec; Koelnmesse GmbH; www.koelnmesse.de

APRIL 2012 3-4: OFPA 106th Annual Convention and Exposition; Holiday Inn Convention Center, Springdale, AR; Ozark Food Processors Association; 479-575-4607; http://ofpa.uark.edu 15-18: 2012 American Bakers Association Convention; Fairmont Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ; 202-789-0300; www.americanbakers.org 17-19: Food Safety Summit; Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC; BNP Media; 630-962-0078; www.foodsafetysummit.com 22-25: Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference; Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa, Fort Myers, FL; Food Engineering; www.foodautomationconference.com 30-May 3: AMI International Meat, Poultry and Seafood Convention and Exposition; Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, TX; American Meat Institute; www.meatami.com

Ideal For: Sauces, Spreads, Shortenings, Beverages and Dairy Products, Confectionery Products, Soups, Meat and Poultry Products.

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April 25-28, 2012 Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort Fort Myers, Florida See pages 28-29.

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

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MANUFACTURING

`NEWS The J. R. Simplot Company will build a state-of-the-art potato processing plant in Caldwell, ID. Site preparation is anticipated to begin next May with startup expected by spring of 2014. The 380,000-sq.-ft. plant will replace the company’s existing potato processing plant in Caldwell.

Consumer satisfaction stagnates as economy slows ACSI scores from 1994 to third quarter 2011

76

75

ACSI gained slightly and stagnated

PLANT OPENINGS & EXPANSIONS

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Dorada Foods opened a 180,000-sq.72

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Chobani has picked Twin Falls, ID as the home for its new $100 million yogurt production facility.

Sara Lee opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Kansas City, KS. The 200,000-sq.-ft. facility processes sliced deli meats under the Hillshire Farm and Sara Lee Deli brands. The plant uses robotic systems that provide “no-touch” processing from the initial raw meat phase to the finished product. The new facility reduces processing time by 50 percent compared to conventional operations. While the unit needs half the employees as a conventional facility, the $140 million plant created 255 new jobs.

Smithfield Packing Company will expand its facility in Kinston, NC. The project represents an $85.5 million dollar investment over a three-year period and is expected to create 330 new jobs.

Unique Pretzel, located in Muhlenberg Township, PA, will expand its manufacturing space and add three 50-ft. flour silos.

Baseline Q4/1994 Q1/1995 Q2/1995 Q3/1995 Q4/1995 Q1/1996 Q2/1996 Q3/1996 Q4/1996 Q1/1997 Q2/1997 Q3/1997 Q4/1997 Q1/1998 Q2/1998 Q3/1998 Q4/1998 Q1/1999 Q2/1999 Q3/1999 Q4/1999 Q1/2000 Q2/2000 Q3/2000 Q4/2000 Q1/2001 Q2/2001 Q3/2001 Q4/2001 Q1/2002 Q2/2002 Q3/2002 Q4/2002 Q1/2003 Q2/2003 Q3/2003 Q4/2003 Q1/2004 Q2/2004 Q3/2004 Q4/2004 Q1/2005 Q2/2005 Q3/2005 Q4/2005 Q1/2006 Q2/2006 Q3/2006 Q4/2006 Q1/2007 Q2/2007 Q3/2007 Q4/2007 Q1/2008 Q2/2008 Q3/2008 Q4/2008 Q1/2009 Q2/2009 Q3/2009 Q4/2009 Q1/2010 Q2/2010 Q3/2010 Q4/2010 Q1/2011 Q2/2011 Q3/2011

ft. chicken processing facility in Ponca City, OK. The company is one of three suppliers of chicken products to McDonald’s in the US.

T

he measure of how satisfied American consumers are with food, pet food and other necessities has stagnated, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI is apparently stuck in neutral for the third quarter of 2011, yielding an unchanged 75.7 on a 0-to-100-point scale. ACSI says the lackluster performance mirrors the economy and frail markets. Where numbers are down doesn’t necessarily mean that consumers are having issues with quality; cost increases have been the typical reason for slipping satisfaction. Condiment purveyor Heinz, however, is doing a good job at pleasing its customers and has been leading the food industry for 12 years in consumer satisfaction. This year, according to ACSI, satisfaction with the company’s food products rose 1 percent to 89 on the ACSI scale. The processor rated number one among ACSI’s 225-plus measured food companies. Food manufacturing as a whole is stalled at 81, following last year’s decline in the face of rising food costs.

` The ACSI started in 1994, and took a hit in the middle to late 1990s as companies tried to improve profit margins by cost cutting. The last two quarters have yielded static results due to the sagging economy. Source: ACSI.

“When there is little or no industry growth, the only way for many companies to expand is to take market share from competition,” says Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI. “In an anemic labor market with tight household budgets, this leads to more price competition, deflationary pressure and a further weakening of the aggregate demand. The best defense a company can have against competitive efforts to take market share is to have satisfied customers.” Results are mixed for individual food processors, with an even number of gainers and losers; three processors have unchanged scores. Mars (+2 percent) placed second at 87, but its score is well ahead of Hershey (-2 percent) and Nestlé (unchanged) at 84. Like Hershey, PepsiCo’s Quaker brand slipped 2 percent to 84,

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

13

MANUFACTURING

`NEWS while four processors tied at 83 (ConAgra, Dole, General Mills and Kraft). Customer satisfaction with this latter group is generally static (changes of 0 to 1 percent) with the exception of Kraft (+3 percent). Sara Lee and Campbell Soup—down 4 percent to 82 and 79 respectively—had

NE

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the largest decrease in customer satisfaction. The loss pushes Campbell Soup to the bottom and into a tie with Tyson (+3 percent) and the aggregate of smaller food producers (-1 percent). ACSI assumes cost is the likely reason for Sara Lee’s decline as consumers encounter prices

W

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

that average 10 percent higher on the company’s big-name brands such as Ball Park and Jimmy Dean. Likewise, Campbell has raised its prices in response to cost increases at a time when competing soup labels have kept their prices the same. Pet foods are showing similar issues. The customer satisfaction of consumers who purchase pet food has slipped a second year, down 1.2 percent to 82. The decline at the industry level has been driven by drops of Mars Petcare and the aggregate of smaller pet food companies. In 2010, both Mars and the smaller brands led the category with a score of 85. After a drop of 4 percent to a score of 82, the smaller pet food companies have tied with the industry average while Mars fell a steep 6 percent to last place with a score of 80. ACSI says price has played a key role in depressed satisfaction. With a 2 percent gain, premium brand Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Colgate-Palmolive) has taken the industry lead with a score of 84 while Procter & Gamble’s premium offering, Iams, gained 1 percent to reach a score of 81. Del Monte lost 1 percent, and Nestlé Purina PetCare, which remained unchanged, rounded out the industry with scores in the middle at 82. As a point of reference, the current study also compares athletic shoes and apparel. As a group, makers of athletic footwear showed the only gain in customer satisfaction among the four industries reported in the study with a 1.3 percent increase to 81. The apparel industry took an almost -4 percent hit and had an overall ACSI score of 80. The ACSI was started in 1994, and has generally trended upward except for 1997 when it plunged. “For much of the 1990s customer satisfaction fell,” says Fornell. “Companies tried to improve profit margins by cost cutting, especially in customer service. As a result, there was a large and sustained drop in the ACSI. “However, in sectors where service plays less of a role (most non-durable products, including food products), the impact was much less and customer satisfaction held steady,” adds Fornell.

REGULATORY WATCH FSMA’s effectiveness is questioned President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) nearly a year ago, but whether the new law will be fully implemented anytime soon remains an open question. The law, which expands FDA’s authority, requires additional funding. Republicans, who control the US House of Representatives, are demanding budget cuts and have balked at the idea of increasing funding for FDA. Dennis T. Avery, a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC and an environmental economist, suggests that even with unlimited FDA funding, the new law would not provide that much protection. In a recent guest column for Ag Weekly, Avery notes that salmonella bacteria are everywhere and that USDA inspectors say they have never visited a cattle farm where they did not find E. coli O157: H7. The White House says FSMA does have prevention as its main objective. A White House statement notes the law “directs the Food and Drug Administration, working with a wide range of public and private partners, to build a new system of food safety oversight—one focused on applying, more comprehensively than ever, the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems that can make people sick.”

the group says it has a problem with the IWG guidelines. “The IWG’s proposed nutrition standards are in direct conflict with established government food policy standards such as the USDA dietary guidelines and the school lunch program,” the group said.

“They would effectively ban the advertising of 88 of the most 100 most popular foods consumed in America, including healthy foods such as cereals, soups and breads.” GMA says the guidelines are not voluntary, would not reduce obesity and would end up costing 74,000 jobs.

Food marketing guidelines still under debate Food industry representatives in Washington are closely watching the work of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) as it develops guidelines for food marketing to children. Following a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the proposed guidelines, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) issued a statement saying member companies are committed to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve and maintain a healthy diet. But www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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MANUFACTURING

`NEWS INDUSTRY & PEOPLE Sara Lee Corp. announced an agreement to sell its fresh bakery businesses in Spain and Portugal to Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. for approximately $154 million. The agreement includes all Sara Lee

fresh bakery brands in Spain and Portugal as well as seven manufacturing facilities. Sara Lee Corp. is considering a binding offer from Sagard for the sale of Euro-

Dough (Sara Lee’s European chilled dough business) for a purchase price of approximately $159 million. Omaha Steaks announced that Alan Simon, company chairman and fourth generation family owner, was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame. Rob Sweatman joined Just Born, Inc. as the company’s VP of operations. Sweatman reports to David Yale, Just Born president and COO. Gary Saunders was promoted to general manager at Magnum Systems, where he previously served as VP of sales and marketing.

SAUNDERS

Del Monte Foods appointed consumer goods veteran M. Carl Johnson, III as its executive vice president, brands, reporting to CEO David West. Kraft Foods opened its new European biscuit research and development center in Saclay, France, a suburb of Paris. The two-year construction project represents a $20 million investment. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. announced that Robert Vitale will serve as chief financial officer of Post Holdings in conjunction with the separation of Ralcorp and the Post cereal business. James T. Hackett was appointed to Bunge Limited’s board of directors as an independent director. The ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston Boardman, OR potato plant earned its first ENERGY STAR certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, the Lamb Weston plants in Park Rapids, MN and Richland and Quin-

16

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

cy, WA received ENERGY STAR recertification for 2011. Sun Pac Foods Limited was acquired by Liquibrands Inc., a private investment firm owned by beverage industry veteran Csaba Reider. Reider will take over the helm as president and chief executive officer.

food and beverage industry projects and include Scott Mark, vice president, food & beverage services operations; Michael Polczynski, vice president, field services; Matt Doherty, senior project manager,

food & beverage; Nathan Edwards, project manager, food & beverage; Lauren Hedberg, procurement analyst, refrigeration services; and Jim Martini, senior automation engineer.

Grocery Manufacturers Association announced the appointment of Robert Burns, PhD, as its vice president, Health and Nutrition Policy. John Bean Technologies Corporation named Steve Smith as the vice president and division manager of JBT FoodTech’s Food Processing Systems Division. Siemens Industry Automation Division acquired Vistagy, Inc., a supplier of engineering software and services with emphasis on designing and manufacturing structures made of composite materials. NJM Packaging acquired Montréalbased automated production equipment manufacturer, The Company of Jalbert Automation. POWER Engineers, Inc. acquired Minneapolis-based Professional Design Group (architects/engineers). S+S Inspection moved its headquarters from Niagara, NY to Bartlett, IL. The Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) presented its 2011 IFSH Award to C. Patrick Dunne, PhD, senior research chemist and senior advisor, Nutritional Biochemistry and Advanced Processing at the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center. Stellar promoted nine of its employees, including three to vice president roles. Six of the newly promoted employees focus on

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

17

Vibratory Inspection Feeders • Sanitary wash down and quiet operation • Replaces unsanitary belt conveyors

Metal Detector Quick Ship!

X-Ray Inspection • High speed final product inspection • Detects foreign objects, damaged product, package voids and more

Metal Detectors • Detects ferrous and nonferrous contaminants • Xtreme™ Sensitivity

Quick Ship E-Z Tec® Metal Detectors Eriez’ stocks eight E-Z Tec® metal detector aperture heights and three stainless steel, wash down conveyor widths for quick assembly and delivery. The variable speed conveyors are available in 12, 18 and 24-inch widths with a food-grade polypropylene belt. E-Z Tec® metal detectors offer the highest level of protection against metal contamination. Visit purity.eriez.com for details.

Vibratory Screeners • Scalping, screening and sizing • Variable speed for precise control

Features include: • Easy Set Up and Validation • High Sensitivity without False Positives • Xpress Delivery on Standard Models

FREE!

Magnetic Separators • Removes ferrous contaminants from free flowing materials • Xtreme™ strength at low costs • Liquid or dry process

Vibratory Selection Guide & How-to-Use Brochures

Visit purity.eriez.com Call 888-300-3743

F O O D PA C K A G I N G Kevin T. Higgins, Senior Editor

Bag in bottle

`

Green aesthetics meets bag-in-box functionality in the eco. bottle container.

B

ag in box was such a functional success, it spread from foodservice to consumer packaging applications. Now, a California startup firm is reshaping the box and wrapping it with green credentials to form the eco. bottle container. The bag in bottle’s commercial roll out began in March with Seventh Generation, a laundry detergent distributed through Whole Foods and independent retailers and cooperatives. Target stores and other supermarket chains were expected to put the detergent on their shelves in November, according to Julie Corbett, founder and CEO of Ecologic Brands, the Oakland, CA firm she created to market the bottle.

` Molded paper fibers in the shape of a bottle form the exterior of the eco.bottle package, with a flexible inner pouch protecting the product. Laundry detergent is the first application. Source: Ecologic Brands.

A trial with the cardboard bottle was done last year with Straus Family Creamery, a Petaluma, CA organic dairy. According to an Ecologic representative, the novel bottle helped lift sales of the dairy’s nonfat milk 72 percent at a local Whole Foods Market. “It is true, sales of our nonfat milk increased dramatically during the test,” confirmed Straus’s Helen Lentze. “We only ran a small batch. We don’t have the equipment to fill this kind of bottle on a large scale at our facility, but we do hope to be able to so at some point.” The container’s outer shell is made of molded fiber from recycled cardboard. The spout is composed of #4 low-density polyethylene, and the inner pouch can be formed from whatever flexible film a manufacturer desires, Corbett says. A 50-oz. container was designed for home cleaning products such as detergent, while quart and half-gallon bottles target beverage bottlers and others, she adds. Getting the bag inside the bottle requires special machinery, and Ecologic engineered a unit to combine the two elements. “We provide an integrator, after which the bottles are sent to a standard rotary filler,” says Corbett. A star-wheel changeover also is necessary. “Copackers spend their life making changeovers,” she says, and procuring the necessary parts is “the filler’s responsibility.” Commonly used closure sizes are used, including a 38mm cap for 64-oz. bottles and 51mm for the 50-oz. detergent container. Aseptic products could be filled, she suggests, though validation of the additional equipment would be required. Corbett credits a visit to Canada for the container’s inspiration. Fluid milk commonly is sold there in flexible pouches, then placed in a reusable carafe for home use. “You don’t need any instructions in how eco.bottle performs,” she says. “It’s tactile, it’s visibly different, it resonates with consumers.” USDA approval for direct contact with food and beverages is being sought. ❖ For more information: Julie Corbett, Ecologic Brands, 877-326-5642

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

19

F O O D PA C K A G I N G

Scoop-and-store bag for nuts

C

onvenience and freshness preservation are the drivers behind a new resealable pouch for baking nuts from Fisher Nuts, a division of John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc., Elgin, IL. An ex pandable bottom helps the bag stand upr ight , w hi le the w ide opening makes it easier for bakers to scoop walnuts, pecans, almonds or raw peanuts out of the bag. The resealable strip is included on bags ranging from 2 oz. to 16 oz. The pouch was designed and produced by Clear Lam Packaging Inc. The Elk Grove Village, IL supplier has some ownership ties to Sanfilippo and is located in close proximity to some of the food company’s production sites. ❖ For more information: Roman Forowycz, Clear Lam Packaging Inc., 847-439-8570, [email protected]

` A resealable stand-up pouch with a wide mouth for easier scooping adds greater convenience to Fisher Nuts for baking. Source: John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc.

PUSH START. SAVE MONEY! Barrels. Buckets. Belts. Scale Parts. Bins. Totes.

Any washer, for any need. All push-button easy to operate! This means saying goodbye to the time-consuming and costly routine of handwashing – freeing your employees for more productive and profitable tasks. Call 800-331-6870 today for pricing, literature and specifications on a model suited to your particular needs – or visit www.dougmac.com for additional details.

2101 Calumet Street Clearwater, Fl 33765 (727) 461-3477 Fax: (727) 449-0029 Email: [email protected] WEB: www.dougmac.com See Food Master, p. 50

20

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Many applications. One solution. It forms. It extrudes. It portions. It sheets. It deposits. It fills. It’s a Vemag! Designed with our unique double-screw pumping technology, the Vemag offers unrivaled versatility, portioning accuracy, speed and consistent product quality. Whatever your application, Reiser’s R&D and engineering team can custom design the right solution for you. From producing exact weight portions of fillings for egg rolls, burritos and stuffed sandwiches to portioning salads, chilies, sauces and spreads to forming cheese blocks – Reiser has the solution. And with Reiser’s co-extrusion and filling systems, producing filled products is fast and effortless. Whatever your application – think Vemag from Reiser. For more information, contact Reiser at (781) 821-1290.

Reiser 725 Dedham Street, Canton, MA 02021 • (781) 821-1290 Reiser Canada 1549 Yorkton Court #4, Burlington, ON L7P 5B7 • (905) 631-6611 www.reiser.com

Leading the food industry in processing and packaging solutions.

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K Focus on PACK EXPO Products

BAR PACKAGING

FREQUENCY INVERTER

Engineered for the primary and secondary packaging of bars and bar-shaped products, the Bosch Packaging Systems bar packaging line includes a Sigpack HRM horizontal flow wrapping machine and Sigpack TTM cartoner, as well as a station, accumulator and interfaces; all the components are part of a single design, with their speeds balanced to eliminate bottlenecks. The cartoner runs at speeds up to 150 cartons/ min., enabling an overall output of a 1,000 bars or more per minute. Automated precision splicing can be achieved at speeds up to 150 meters/min. Packaging formats and styles can be changed as needed, and the line can be modified for cold, heat and ultrasonic sealing. Bosch Packaging Technology; www.boschpackaging.com

The B&R ACOPOSinverter P84 frequency inverter with an integrated POWERLINK interface has a performance range of 0.37 to 500 kW. Onboard digital and analog I/O channels control a range of technology functions; the integrated POWERLINK hub simplifies bus cabling. An encoder interface can be added for applications with strict requirements for speed or torque control. The System Diagnostics Manager makes it possible to perform full diagnostics or read the status of the machine, even over the Internet. B&R Industrial Automation Corp.; 770-772-0400; www.br-automation.com

HYGIENIC ENCLOSURES Crafted of ANSI 304 stainless steel with a 400 grain brushed surface, Rittal Hygienic Design enclosures feature a smooth

surface grain, internal hinges, washable gaskets, locks and no crevices to trap debris or contaminates. Available with screw covers for smaller, integrated applications or hinged doors for larger installations, the enclosures can be mounted with rounded stand-off brackets on the back to improve the flow of water around the unit during washdown procedures. Using optional hardware, larger enclosures can be mounted on leveling feet and fitted with a wire shelf to assist with cable routing. Optional stainless steel cable glands have smooth, solid exterior surfaces and are self-sealing to enable high-pressure washing. Rittal Corporation; 800-477-4220

ID READERS Capable of reading 1-D and 2-D codes, Cognex DataMan 8000 handheld ID readers offer Industrial Ethernet communication and liquid lens technology. Cognex DataMan compact 750 readers can read a range of variations in 1-D and 2-D code appearance due to degradations in code quality; a built-in laser aimer provides quick alignment, while adjustable optics optimize resolution and working distance. Cognex Corporation; www.cognex.com

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

23

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

clear. safe. solutions. Clarion provides the most highly refined white oils available to help protect your facility from contamination, equipment failure and downtime. EXPERIENCED We have a 40-year history of processing white oils and continue to redefine the leading edge of industry innovation. SECURE As an established national manufacturer, we know the importance of a strong supply chain: When you need our white oils, you’ll be able to get our white oils. COMPLETE Clarion Food Grade FR Fluid Clarion Food Grade White Mineral Oils Clarion Food Machinery Grease, No. 2 Clarion Food Machinery A/W Oils Clarion Food Machinery Gear Oils Clarion Food Machinery HT EP Greases Clarion PM Hi-Temp Food Machinery 100 Greases Clarion Chain and Trolley Lube COMMITTED Our technical field support team is able to optimize your operation by creating custom solutions.

INSPECTION SYSTEM Designed for the inspection of mid-sized packaged products, the Eagle Pack 430 PRO inspection system provides 16.9 in. of detection coverage at the belt and is capable of imaging up to 350 ft./min. The system can inspect multiple lanes of the same or dissimilar products or use one lane for production and the other for rework. It features a CAT 3 (EN 954), PLd (EN 13849) safety system with embedded self-diagnostics; the system can also be remotely accessed by Eagle technicians to diagnose and often correct issues without onsite service. The system is available with IP65 and IP69K environmental ratings as well as standard and high-resolution packages. Eagle Product Inspection; 877-379-1670; www.eaglepi.com

RELIABLE Clarion Food Grade Lubricants are NSF H-1 registered and Kosher certified.

chains and belts have an operating temperature limit of 245°F. Emerson Industrial Automation; www.emersonindustrial automation.com

To learn how Clarion can refine your operation, call 855-MY-CLARION or visit clarionlubricants.com.

PACKAGING SOFTWARE

CHAINS AND BELTS System Plast New Generation NG modular chains and belts are made from a PBT thermoplastic resin designed for dry running applications. They have a large, flat surface for product stability, a low coefficient of friction, corrosion resistance and a reduced pressure/ velocity limit. Available in side-flexing and straight-running configurations, the

Rexroth IndraMotion for Packaging version 12 software offers an open IEC611313 programming environment allowing OEMs to configure and program packaging applications that require precise synchronization, camming, registration, electronic gearing, collating, robotic path planning and dynamic belt synchronization. The open architecture programming environment supports the use of OMAC packaging guidelines like PackML and use of PackTags including a wizard to configure the template. Bosch Rexroth AG; www.boschrexroth-us.com

See Food Master, p. IFC 13, 36-41 December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT CONTAMINATION OR DOWNTIME.

FOOD GRADE

We know how hard you work to meet demand and stay competitive. But no matter how meticulously you service your equipment or how much skill your workforce acquires, accidents happen. Something as simple as a ruptured hose can lead to lost profit, missed deadlines and even e damaged reputations. That’s why we created Clarion Food Grade Lubricants. This full line ne o off NSF H-1 regist registered food grade products including oils, greases and fluids has been sp pecifically formulated to iinhibit nhibit oxidation and provide anti-wear proper ties to safeguarrd your operation and givee your bottom line the security it des deserves. ser

clear. safe. solutions.

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

26

TAPES AND DISPENSERS

BULK BOX

Suitable for a range of basic carton sealing applications, 3M water-activated tapes create a secure bond when the moistened adhesive interacts with porous surfaces. Available in white and kraft and in a variety of widths, the tapes form a tamper-evident seal that shreds if an attempt is made to pull them off before delivery. Options include non-reinforced tape for light and medium duty, and fiberglass reinforced for heavy-duty packaging needs. 3M water-activated tape dispensers are available in electric and manual versions. Both offer an extra large water bottle for fewer refills, and can dispense tapes from one to 3 in. in width. 3M; 800-362-3550; www.3M.com

Featuring sturdy structural foam panels and drop-down doors, the Buckhorn BN4845 48- x 45-in. bulk box has an injection-molded, 2-piece welded base. The box is available in 25- and 34-in. heights; it includes ergonomic handles as well as 4 drain holes. The box nests with competitive bins when upright or collapsed, and provides 4-way forklift entry. Its full 31.7-in. wide dual drop-down doors are either 10.25- or 14.5-in. deep based on the height of the box. 100% recyclable, the box features added decoration areas including multiple recessed ID tag areas on all 4 sides of the base and additional flat surfaces on the panels and doors for labels or RFID tracking. Buckhorn Inc.; 800-543-4454; www.buckhorninc.com

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K TM

Material Master

• Complete line of Bulk Bag Discharging Systems, Bag Handling Systems, and Bulk Bag Filling Systems • Safe, dust-tight designs • Designed for your specific application • Improve material flow and worker safety • Complete engineering and support services

PRINTER-APPLICATORS Offering a selection of thermal/thermal-transfer print engines, Weber Model 4300 Pro-Apply label printer-applicators print 203-, 300- or 600-dpi text bar codes and graphic images at speeds up to 16 in./sec.; they dispense labels up to 6-in. wide and 6-in. long. Labels are printed in a next-out mode and immediately applied to cartons or products on the production or packaging line. Weber Packaging Solutions, Inc.; 800-843-4242; www. weberpackaging.com

• Patent-pending technology

Call us: 800.836.7068 Product showroom: www.materialtransfer.com

FEX03094mtran.indd 1

NORD SURFACE PROTECTION REINVENTED!

2/2/09 2:05:32 PM

NSD TupHTM, A BREAKTHROUGH IN PROTECTION AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL. At last it’s here, a cost-effective and weight-saving alternative to stainless steel for use in the harshest environments. NORD has redefined surface protection. NSD TupHTM is a true innovation in corrosion resistant cleanable sealed surfaces. Molecular conversion of the aluminum alloy provides our drive equipment with all the protection your application demands. All of this at a fraction of the price you have been forced to pay for stainless steel. Introducing NSD TupHTM, the better solution you have been asking for is finally here. You can immediately start saving big money on protection without compromising quality. Contact us today and find out how you can profit from NORD reinvention.

www.nord.com INNOVATION BEYOND THE ORDINARY www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

27

Sanibel Harbour Marriott

APRIL 22-25, 2012 Sanibel Harbour Marriott, Fort Myers, Florida

02/'2!-sSave the Date — Register by December 31 and Save $400! FOOD AUTOMATION & MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE AND EXPO is the industry’s only event presenting real-world solutions on automation, processing and packaging innovation, sustainability and food safety topics for Operations, Engineering and Manufacturing Executives. Join us in 2012!

W Sunday, April 22

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Refreshment Break

12:30 p.m.

Golf Tournament

10:30 – 11:15 a.m

7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Engineering Keynote: Manufacturing Innovation for Today’s Leaders

Welcome Reception

Dave Haft, Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Productivity and Quality, Frito-Lay Fundamental change is occurring in how food is processed and raw materials are handled as food safety requirements become more stringent. This speaker will discuss how engineering and operations professionals can deliver manufacturing innovation and OEE while controlling capital equipment expenditures.

3:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Registration

W Monday, April 23 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Registration

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Creating a No-Compromise Operations & Manufacturing Culture

7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

Neil Ducoff, Founder and CEO, Strategies

8:00 – 8:10 a.m.

When compromise seeps in, it hinders growth, momentum and energy. Allow it to go unchecked, and even very achievable goals can turn into pipe dreams. This speaker will show you how to turn missed opportunities into manufacturing homeruns. No-compromise leadership is a commitment to a higher standard that guides a business culture to extraordinary achievement.

Welcome Patrick Young, Publisher, Food Engineering 8:10 – 8:30 a.m.

Opening Remarks: The State of Food Manufacturing Joyce Fassl, Editor in Chief, Food Engineering

12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch Buffet

Theme for Day One: Addressing Manufacturing’s Current Critical Challenges

12:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Expo

8:30 – 9:15 a.m.

Keynote Address: The Age of Transparency Michael J. McCloskey, Founder and CEO, Fair Oaks Farm Public and customer demand for greater transparency in food manufacturing is causing many processors to refocus their outlook regarding social responsibility as well food safety. This speaker will address how embracing transparency with science-based technology can lead to profitability.

1:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Solutions Theater 2:15 –2:45 p.m.

Refreshment Break Stations 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

9:15– 10:00 a.m.

Expo Reception

Food Safety Modernization Act: What You Need to Know Now

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Kurt Deibel, Vice President, Quality & Food Safety, HJ Heinz New legislation and resulting enforcement often create questions concerning compliance. This presentation will address the latest trends in food safety management, effective track and trace systems as well as food safety compliance on a global basis.

Harbour View Barbeque

GOLD SPONSORS

WHY GO ALONE? Learn more when you bring your colleagues and share ideas. Save with the Team Discount!

W Tuesday, April 24

4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Plant of the Year Cocktail Reception

7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Registration

W Wednesday, April 25

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Breakfast

Continental Breakfast

7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

8:00 – 8:15 a.m.

Expo

Opening Remarks

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Solutions Theater

Theme for Day Three: Sustainable Plant and Process Practices

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.

8:15 – 9:00 a.m.

Refreshment Break

Social Responsibility: Addressing Customer and Consumer Concerns

Theme for Day Two: Practical Measures for Improving Plant Performance

Speaker: Leigh Ann Johnston, CPEA, EHS Training, Communication, & Sustainability Manager, Tyson Foods, Inc. Demonstrating social responsibility is important in being an employer of choice, engaging company critics and effecting improvements in both food and worker safety. Maintaining business-to-business relationships is also a prime motivation. Hear how a leading processor embraces this crucial topic.

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Educational Tracks on State-of-the-Art Methodologies Session A: Packaging Technology 10:30 a.m. Robotics vs Continuous Motion Terrence Southern, Senior Engineer, Flexible Automation, Frito-Lay North America, Inc. 11:15 a.m. Best Practices in Machine Safety Michael Thompson, Golden Peanut Company, a division of ADM Session B: Plant & Process Controls 10:30 a.m. Overcoming the Challenges of Legacy Systems Anass Bennani, MIS Director, Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods, Inc. 11:15 a.m. Best Practices in Automated CIP 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.

Networking Luncheon 1:15 – 2:30 p.m

9:00 – 9:45 a.m.

Special Panel Discussion: The Journey to Sustainability Excellence Speakers: Bill Gill, Assistant Vice President, Smithfield Foods; Amber Brovak, HSE & Sustainability Manager, Sunny Delight Beverages Co.; Jarod Cook, Director, Environmental Services, Del Monte Foods Moderator: Stephen Schlegel, Managing Director, AIOE The Alliance for Innovation and Operational Excellence (AIOE) brings together operations professionals from consumer products companies and solutions providers to address key industry issues and establish best practices on a range of critical operational topics. These members of AIOE’s Sustainability Solutions Group will discuss the industry guidelines created by the strategic collaboration of more than 25 consumer goods manufacturers and suppliers. AIOE was founded by PMMI and includes The Grocery Manufacturers Association as its charter member. 9:45 – 10:15

Ask the Experts Panel: Perfecting Your Continuous Improvement Plan

Refreshment Break

Speakers: Tom Deschler, Vice President, Continuous Improvement, T. Marzetti Company; Tom Lance, Vice President-Operations, The Boston Beer Company; John Mutchler, Executive Vice President, Glanbia USA; Sharri Hall, Director of Manufacturing Excellence, Diageo North America This special session featuring a panel of food and beverage industry experts will present different viewpoint s on various continuous improvement methods such as lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, OEE, KPIs, Kaizen and high performance work teams. These experts will address your top manufacturing challenges.

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.

Lessons Learned on the Road to Sustainability Speaker: Paul Halberstadt, Senior Director, Energy and Environment, ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston This speaker will discuss the many lessons ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston learned on its sustainability journey. Topics will include construction of the first frozen food processing plant in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification; achievement of EPA ENERGY STAR certification at four plants; sustainable agriculture initiatives with growers; and progress and challenges presented by ConAgra Foods’ sustainable reduction goals. 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

2:30 – 3:00 p.m

Wastewater Treatment Paybacks and Benefits

Refreshment Break 3:00 – 3:45 p.m.

Plant Security Audits: Protecting Your People and Assets Speaker: William L. Ramsey, Director of Corporate Security, McCormick & Company Inc.

The cost and availability of fresh water is becoming an issue for some facilities, and many regulators are mandating organic load reductions. High levels of suspended and dissolved sugars, protein and fat pose a special challenge for food plants. This speaker will show how to achieve cost-effective wastewater treatment. 11:45 a.m.

The ability to document access-card use, the condition of perimeter defenses and other aspects of safeguards against intentional food contamination will likely be requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act. Learn how to upgrade your security systems in a costeffective manner.

Closing Remarks 12:00 noon

Conference Adjourns

QUESTIONS? Contact Marge Whalen, Senior Event Manager at 847-405-4071 or [email protected]

Register by December 31 and

3:45 – 4:30 p.m.

Plant of the Year Award Join us as we honor the 2012 Food Engineering Plant of the Year Award Winner. Each year, only one food or beverage plant in North America earns this award.

SAVE $400!

SILVER SPONSORS

Developed and Produced by:

w w w. F o o d A u t o m a t i o n C o n f e r e n c e. c o m

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

SLIDER SYSTEM The ZIP-PAK SLIDER SELECT slider system enhances consumer usability through ergonomic design. Capable of speeds of over 150 closures per minute, the slider features advanced leak resistance to help keep food products fresh and seal in flavor; a small opening or protruding finger is not required for the clip to work properly. The slider is suitable for pre-made pouches and form/fill/seal applications. Zip-Pak; www.zippak.com

INK JET PRINTERS

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See Food Master, p. 18

30

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Videojet 1000 Line continuous ink jet printers feature an advanced print head with automatic setup, calibration and adjustment. A calibration feature automatically adjusts to changes in temperature and viscosity for consistent print quality, while a needle-and-septum based cartridge fluid system eliminates the need for operators to pour fluids. Once the cartridge is inserted, the printer reads its embedded microchip to verify it is the proper fluid type and has not passed its expiration date. Available with a choice of 60 or 70 micron nozzles for higher contrast codes, the printers integrate into existing systems with advanced connectivity technology, including a USB port that allows for hot swapping print jobs and backing up messages. Videojet Technologies Inc.; 800-8433610; www.videojet.com

BOILERS Designed for quick startup and shutdown, Clayton boilers generate clean steam in about 10 minutes; they only need to be turned on for production and can be turned off immediately afterward. Available in 15 sizes from 10 to 1,500hp and with design pressures up to 3,000psi, the boilers have a vertical design and are 100% explosion-proof. Clayton Industries; 800-423-4585; www.claytonindustries.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

EVACUATION SYSTEM The Arena STARFISH Air-Evac system increases the amount of high-viscosity fluids that can be extracted from bag-in-box packages. A hands-free system, it replaces the volume of liquid pumped out of the inner chamber of the bag with shop air introduced into chambers on the outside of the bag. The inflating air chambers push the liquid content toward the bag outlet. Air volume is increased as the liquid content decreases. A.R. Arena Products, Inc.; www.arenaproducts.com

YOU ARE AS SAFE AS THE

FLOOR YOU WALK ON CARTON/CASE LOADER Equipped with 2 FANUC Robotics Delta (spider) robots for specialty cartoning, case loading, and high-speed pick and place applications, the Schneider RCCL/ Spider robotic vertical carton/case loader can handle multiple products and packing combinations. The multi-axis spider robots locate, inspect and orient product for high-speed nesting into a carton. The modular design can be configured to top load cartons, cases or trays, in combination or separately, on the same line. Schneider Packaging Equipment Co., Inc.; 315-676-3035; www.schneiderequip.com

PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY Integrated and mechatronic, EPLAN platform technology provides core functions required in electrical CAE as well as fluid or PCT engineering. EPLAN Electric P8 software includes freely selectable graphical/object orientation, variant technology and reverse engineering. EPLAN Fluid software combines CAD functionality with logic to automate fluid documentation, with links to electrical and mechanical designs. EPLAN Cabinet software for enclosure design provides virtual 3-D models and 2-D/3-D views for manufacturing, routing, drilling templates and NC coupling. EPLAN Software & Service GmbH &Co. KG; www.eplan.de

SlipNOT ® 's slip resistant premier stainless steel product line creates a low maintenance, easy to install, sanitary solution for slippery areas in food p r o c e s s i n g f a c i l i t i e s . S l i p N O T ® i s e n g i n e e re d t o w i t h s t a n d t h e e x t re m e heat of cookers and steamers and cold of cryogenics, as well as daily washdowns and caustic cleaning agents.

Green Products

313.923.0400 | 800.754.7668 | www.slipnot.com | [email protected]

SlipNOT Metal Safety Flooring

®

[

SlipNOT® manufactures slip resistant metal flooring products that are designed to increase safety and decrease your risk exposure.

SlipNOT® Metal Safety Flooring products may be covered by one or more of the following patents; 5,711,119,6,839,951, and 6,863,932.

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www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

31

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

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Intended for small, standalone machine applications, Allen-Bradley Micro800 component-class micro programmable logic controllers are used with other Allen-Bradley componentclass products such as drives, motion control and operator-interface products. The controllers offer simplified communication via point-to-point data exchange. Removable terminal blocks and a range of plug-in modules for analog/digital I/O, communications and expanded memory enable personalization of the controllers to meet specific application needs. Rockwell Automation; www.rockwellautomation.com

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

TECHNOLOGY S O U R C E B O O K

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Multisorb FreshPax oxygen-absorbing packets extend the shelflife of oxygensensitive products, retaining flavors, color, aroma and quality. The Multisorb APA-1000 FreshPax dispenser dispenses up to 70 packets/min.; higher-speed models are available. Multisorb FreshCard oxygen absorber is a flat-profile card with embedded active material; it also functions as a support card that can be printed on both sides in up to 4 colors. The Multisorb APA-5000 FreshCard dispenser uses stacked feeding and dispenses up to 200 cards/min. Multisorb Technologies; 716-8248900; www.multisorb.com See Food Master, p. 45

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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FABULOUS FOOD PLANT ` Extensive use is made of natural light at Hormel’s Dubuque plant. One of 212 skylights is visible in the upper left of the retort area. Source: Gene Lifka, Studio H.

Hormel’s Progressive Processing plant is built for the long haul A quarter century had passed since Hormel Foods had commissioned a new production facility. In designing its Dubuque plant, engineers aimed to create a facility that would be contemporary for the next 25 years. `

Kevin T. Higgins, Senior Editor

A

daptability is as much an element in sustained operations as energy efficiency, water management and other objectives in corporate social responsibility programs, and the ability to adapt to market changes is as much a part of Hormel Foods Corp.’s Dubuque, IA facility as its sustainable manufacturing credentials. Officially known as Progressive Processing LLC, the 342,000-sq.-ft. plant was conceived in headier economic times as “the culmination of our commitment to sustainable operations,” writes Jeffrey Ettinger, CEO, president and chairman in the

company’s 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report. Financial storm clouds had formed by the time ground was broken in July 2008. When production started, the housing bubble had burst, Wall Street was reeling, and retrenchment in food purchasing patterns was occurring. At the plant’s grand opening, Ettinger noted initial plans for two production lines for microwavable shelf-stable entrées already had been scrapped. Adaption to changing conditions was a given from the first day of design work in 2007, and the facility transitioned to a meat canning line that came on line in fall 2010. Although Dubuque is the first

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

35

FABULOUS FOOD PLANT

` A vision inspection system identifies trays with food on the sealing surface and rejects them before they reach the sealer, a critical safeguard for shelf-stable meals that must maintain an airtight seal. Source: Gene Lifka, Studio H.

36

Hormel greenfield project in more than 25 years, the 120-year-old company knows something about shifting demands and new opportunities in food production. Given a blank slate, planners were able to build to the highest energy-efficiency and resource-use standards. That inspired a quest for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The company’s manufacturing network is struggling to attain goals of 10 percent cuts in energy use, though a similar reduction in water consumption is on track. In Dubuque, there were more ambitious goals of 25 percent reductions in both energy and water use per pound of finished goods, compared to similar production lines. Those goals were surpassed in the first year of operation. “From both a customer relations and business perspective, we were looking at being as sustainable and energy efficient as possible with the project,” explains Mike Devine, vice president-operations for Austin, MN-based Hormel’s grocery products division. LEED certification was not originally considered, but as the project planning evolved, “the LEED structure best fit what we wanted to accomplish,” he says. Six months after production began, the facility joined a short list of LEED Gold food plants.

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Eleven sites in six states were considered for the expansion project, including some existing plants. In the end, “we decided a greenfield would give us the most flexibility to do the things we wanted to do in energy use and efficiency,” says Devine. After a floor plan was devised, “I took it to all our shelfstable plants and said, ‘Tell me what you would want that isn’t in there.’” Based on the feedback, the layout was tweaked to optimize flow. Premium efficiency motors, reflective roofing materials, high-efficiency lighting and other triedand-true technologies help drive down electric and gas consumption, but corporate engineers looked for opportunities to innovate, as well. Arguably the most novel advance is a thermal recovery system that captures waste heat from equipment and product cooling in a closed loop water system. Incoming cold water cools air and ammonia compressors, dryers and other equipment, warming it to 125°F to 140°F. The now-hot water is either used immediately or stored in a 200,000-gallon reservoir. Reuses include sanitary washdowns and space heating. Similarly, after each batch, water from retorts is circulated through a heat exchanger, which recovers thermal energy for reuse. Waste heat from the plant’s three two-stage, oilfree rotary screw compressors is reused two ways. Besides feeding hot water into the piping loop, hot air from the compressors is used to wring out water from the compressed air before it is used. Using water to cool the compressors also delivers greater operational control, according to John Ruprecht, director-sales at Atlas Copco. As a result, the machines run at higher efficiency, are more reliable and require less maintenance. Other food companies are considering installing heat harvesting systems similar to Hormel’s, but to date, Dubuque is the first and only application in the food industry. Water reuse opportunities were a design priority, according to corporate engineer Chad Sayles, manager-mechanical & electrical engineering. For example, retort water typically goes to drain; at Progressive, some is retained for the next batch, while the rest feeds the gray water stream after its heat is reclaimed. Retort cooling water is directed to the closed loop, where thermal energy is extracted and applied to other uses. The plant’s utilities infrastructure set new benchmarks, but other facilities in the manufacturing network are building on those advances, says Sayles. “Even though this is our sustainability model, we now have more advanced systems in locations around the country,” he adds. “We’re not going to keep copying

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` A multi-function packaging system that performs everything from collating single trays to shrinkwrapping finished products reduces floor space requirements 50 percent. Source: Gene Lifka, Studio H.

38

this plant over and over.” Continuous improvement projects are ongoing at every Hormel plant, with those designated as the Best of the Best serving as inspiration for the other 38 US processing facilities. “A little bit of everything” is on display in Dubuque in terms of lighting, Sayles continues. “If we redid it today, we would have the same mix, but we could be 20 percent more efficient.” T-5 fluorescents and metal halide fixtures illuminate much of the space, with some LED lights sprinkled in. Fixtures are equipped with sensors that adjust the intensity and number of bulbs that are energized, depending on occupancy and available light. With 212 skylights, the availability of natural light results in continuous adjustments, with each passing cloud triggering an automatic change in the number of fixtures turned on. Linear layouts, in which raw materials enter the plant at one end and finished goods exit at the other, have been the prevalent industry design in recent decades, but today’s trend is toward a network of rooms where discreet processes are executed. Progressive Processing reflects that shift, with separate areas for blanching, ingredient preparation, cooking, filling and other processes. “By separating operations, the plant can potentially run 24/7,” with production proceeding in one area while another undergoes cleaning or maintenance, points out Mark Zelle, plant manager. “There’s so much cost associated with the equipment,” and prorating those costs over more hours of operation offers great potential in boosting overall equipment efficiency. Since launching Compleats microwavable trays in 2004, the company had scrambled to meet double-digit annual growth, ultimately installing five

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

lines throughout its network. Despite the depth of experience, Dubuque boasts several firsts and process innovations, beginning with an optical scanning and screening system from BEST. Screens or manual picking traditionally have been the only defense against foreign materials mixed in with peas and other produce. The vision system identifies any objects out of color or size spec and removes them. Instead of kettles, the protein cook system relies on a thermal blender that gently and uniformly mixes ingredients with minimal pumping and greater consistency, according to Zelle. Once cooked, product moves to the adjacent fill room, where it is deposited in trays. Gravy or other ingredients can contaminate a tray’s lip, compromising seal quality and raising the possibility of package failure during retorting. A vision inspection system was engineered in-house to identify and reject those trays prior to sealing. Integration of the system, along with downstream X-ray inspection and checkweighing, was performed by Raque Foods, the fill and seal line fabricator. Fully automated loading of individual trays into retort baskets is executed by a multi-function robotic system from Aagard. A twin of that unit unloads retorted product and collates, sleeves, case packs, palletizes and stretch wraps finished goods. All of the handling is executed in a 126 ft.-long unit, about half the footprint required for conventional machines performing the same functions. Loss of flexibility is the downside: The system packs six trays to a case, and variations are not an option. Advanced electronics also mean the plant is “very closely connected” to the machine builder, particularly for machine troubleshooting and programming changes, observes Zelle. A Hartness accumulator between the fill and seal line and the retort-loading system provides a twominute buffer, giving mechanics a narrow window to correct any system hiccups. Having new workers in a new plant is a plus: “It’s a startup, and the team is engaged,” Zelle says. “There’s a sense of ownership.” In-house technical skills now are advanced, he says. More reductions A corporate goal of 10 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions over five years got off to a rocky start last year, when GHG emissions actually increased half a point. The shuttering of an older facility in Turlock, CA and relocation of its Valley Fresh can line to Dubuque should help Hormel get back on track. The change puts finished goods closer to both their markets and raw material sources for chicken and turkey.

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The relocation also provided an opportunity to upgrade key equipment. Open-to-atmosphere water baths stretched the cook process for chunk chicken to more than two hours in Turlock. “The original system was pretty antiquated,” allows Sayles. New spiral ovens reduce cook time by 80 percent, lowering energy inputs despite the superior heat transfer through water vs. air. The process change eliminated the need to manually strip out cooked breast meat from casings, and the larger breast meat pieces now used are more easily diced and produce fewer fines. Besides saving energy, “the quality has been greatly enhanced,” reports Zelle. “We’ve picked up a lot of market share.” Three can sizes are produced, the largest being 12 oz. The five-oz. cans are comparable in size to canned tuna. The low profile is a challenge for conventional labelers when cans roll into the machine. At Progressive Processing, a Krones labeler handles cans in a horizontal orientation. Zelle gives the machine high marks for can control and reduction in label application miscues. Downstream from the labeler, cans are double stacked for case packing, eliminating a cardboard tray and the attendant packaging waste and cost. Pack-out for both lines is in an area that accounts for the bulk of the facility’s square footage, a cavernous space that doubles as a short-term warehouse. Finished goods are held for three

days before shipping, and mountainous stacks of pallets stretch toward the room’s 30 ft.-high roof. To increase worker comfort, aerodynamically designed ceiling fans stretching up to 24 ft. in diameter slowly rotate, moving up to 223,572 cubic feet of air a minute. Despite their size, the fans draw little more power than five 100-Watt incandescent light bulbs. They operate yearround, providing a cooling breeze in the summer and pushing down warm air in the winter. Maintenance workers began their 92-108 hours of on-site training in personal safety, food safety and work-order protocols in September 2009, with the first operators following in November and December. Production commenced in January 2010 Sustainable outreach All Hormel facilities compete in the Best of the Best continuous improvement competition. This year, a dozen Best of the Best initiatives were executed in Dubuque, says Zelle, with the most successful submitted for top honors consideration. Last year’s entry involved reuse of inedible waste, which is blended and shipped to a recycling partner for use as feed stock in anaerobic digestion. Sustainability opportunities with the city and other Dubuque area organizations helped sway Hormel’s site selection decision,

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December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Zelle says. He credits the cooperation received from local officials for ensuring a smooth project and startup. “We want to be a bigger part of the community,” Devine says, and Progressive Processing is raising its profile in municipal and public welfare initiatives. To be a better corporate citizen, Devine has challenged the facility to achieve zero waste to landfill. Worker safety is placed on a par with food safety, and Dubuque’s safety excellence award in its inaugural year is as much a point of pride as its achievements in energy efficiency, sustainability and flexibility. With a background that includes 22 years of QC experience, Zelle notes, “I’m a stickler for following procedures. I tell the staff, ‘There are no safety shortcuts, there are no procedural shortcuts. Don’t think you’re doing us any favors by cutting corners.’ “I was brought here to develop a culture,” he adds. “That culture sticks around a long time after the plant manager is gone.” Good manufacturing practices, food safety programs, superior environmental and energy-efficiency execution and “an open door policy” are the legacy he hopes to leave. Adaptability is another goal. The plant is experimenting with flex scheduling of four maintenance teams, with each working four 12-hour shifts followed by four days off. The approach poses some project continuity challenges, but early results are encouraging. Similarly, operators involved in processes that run

semi-continuously might be asked to work shifts when other areas of the facility are dark. Flexibility is served with the building design. Refrigerated storage is sufficient for current raw material inventories, but glycolheated underground freeze protection was engineered to provide flexibility for frozen-goods storage. “The way the business environment and consumer preferences change, you have to be flexible,” muses Devine. “We want to be able to run cans, run jars, run pouches, even run a refrigerated process. It’s hard to find a product like Spam that’s been around for 70 years in basically the same can.” Brands like Spam and Dinty Moore are Hormel treasures. The Dubuque facility approaches that status, serving as a springboard for updates throughout the network and as a learning lab for company engineers, 125 of whom recently toured the facility for up-close exposure to systems and ideas that might be transplanted to their own facilities. Construction occurred in the teeth of the economy’s freefall, and other projects had to be placed on hold. “I tell the other plants, ‘I’m driving the car, but you paid for it,’” says Zelle. With an infrastructure designed to support a doubling of the current space, it’s a car built for the long haul.❖ For more information: John Ruprecht, Atlas Copco Compressors Inc., 704-504-6931

See Food Master, p. 5-7 www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

41

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SUPPLY CHAIN ` Accounting for the genealogy of finished goods’ contents is an effective way to improve quality control and lower costs. Source: Plex Systems Inc.

Demand-driven production Mastery of the supply chain can yield tremendous cost savings for food companies, but only if production is aligned with what will sell in the months ahead. ` Kevin Higgins, Senior Editor

W

alk the floors of any modern food or beverage production area, and there’s a fair chance no other human beings will be encountered. Hairnets and hard hats still are present in the packaging area, but their numbers are dwindling. Compared to a generation ago, today’s facilities are models of efficiency, incorporating automation wherever feasible and shifting personnel to value-added tasks. Rather than rest on their laurels, manufacturing teams use Six Sigma, TQM, lean and other continuous improvement frameworks to squeeze out more costs and build greater efficiency. Outside the walls of the plant, however, waste abounds. Inefficiencies are compounded as responsibilities are handed off from one organization to the next, making the supply chain the piñata of control-

lable costs, ripe for a solid thwack to shake loose cost savings. It spans raw material management, demand forecasting, logistics, trading partner relations and a host of other business functions. How it is viewed depends on where an individual engages with the supply chain: at the strategic, tactical or operational level. Supply chain management implies collaboration, and production managers often focus on opportunities in transport (see related story on page 44). For Mark Zelle, manager of Hormel Foods’ Dubuque, IA plant, opportunities exist in better coordination with retail customers to minimize the movement of empty trucks as goods are shuttled through the pipeline. For Vanns Spices, inventory optimization offers the most tangible return from its investment in an ERP system. Vanns sources about 350 different spices, both directly and from 50-65 importers, then heat or

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

43

SUPPLY CHAIN

steam sterilizes them before blending and packing for privatelabel accounts in retail and foodservice. Tracking raw materials through the global supply chain and managing the certificates of analysis and other records related to each delivery overwhelmed the Baltimore firm’s old inventory management system, accord-

ing to Mick Whitlock, president. “We were putting a lot of information in, but it was difficult to get any information out,” he says. In August 2010, the company implemented business management software from Syspro Impact Software Inc. “We’re halfway along on the implementation,” estimates Whitlock, and

Alt fuels attract supply chain interest Liquid propane, biodiesel and ethanol blends are intriguing alternatives to diesel fuel and gasoline, and many companies are closely watching developments in these fuels as petroleum prices and availability continue to veer in unpredictable directions. Perhaps the most intriguing option is compressed natural gas (CNG), a fuel that may power a major share of the supply chain in the coming years. Even if transportation is a cost of doing business, it is not a fixed cost. Frito-Lay, which claims to operate the eighth largest privately owned trucking fleet in the country, has a goal of slashing fuel use in half over five years, which would push overall performance to about 30 mpg by 2014. Trucks generate about a third of the organization’s total emissions, corporate engineer Al Halvorsen says, and lightweight, fuel-efficient vehicles can both embellish Frito-Lay’s sustainability credentials and produce significant savings. “Our ultimate goal is to be the most fuel-efficient company out there,” he says, and experiments with electric and hybrid vehicles are underway. Among the most promising possibilities is CNG. “We’re cautiously optimistic CNG may be the future,” says Halvorsen. Spotty availability is the biggest deterrent for manufacturers like Frito-Lay, which dispatches trucks to seven states from its plant in Casa Grande, AZ (see Food Engineering, November 2011). Fewer than 900 CNG refueling stations dot the country, according to Dan Luther, manager-supply & distribution for Mansfield Oil Co., Gainesville, GA, and many of those are proprietary to school districts and municipalities that have converted some or all of their vehicles to CNG. Compared to diesel, carbon emissions can be 85 percent lower, and the cost savings range from the equivalent of $1.75-$2.75 per gallon. “It

` The city of Rancho Cucamonga, CA operates a skid-mounted compressor package from Mansfield Oil for refueling cars and trucks with compressed natural gas. Source: Mansfield Oil Co.

44

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

` Gas Equipment Systems built and maintains more than 150 CNG refueling systems for municipalities and school districts, such as Sonoma County schools. Source: Mansfield Oil Co.

makes financial sense,” says Luther, and with America awash in natural gas, it frees users of the caprice of foreign suppliers. For companies wedded to gas-powered internal combustion engines, a here-and-now option is liquid propane, the fuel of choice for decades at Marshall, MN-based Schwan Food Co. “Propane exists in a multitude of stations already,” points out John Roberts, vice president and managing director of Bi-Phase Technologies LLC, an Eagan, MN subsidiary of Schwan. Several thousand retail outlets carry propane, and installing a refueling station “is pretty straightforward,” he says. “It’s not nearly as cumbersome as CNG.” About three-quarters of Schwan’s 5,500 medium-duty trucks for home deliveries are propane powered. Carbon emissions are about 15 percent of those from gasoline or diesel, and tax credits and other incentives keep cost per mile traveled low. Propane is a byproduct of oil refining, says Roberts, so supplies will be plentiful as long as fossil fuels are around. Bi-Phase Technologies was acquired by Schwan in 1999 because of its propulsion system that keeps propane from converting to a gas until it reaches the intake manifold of a fuel injection system (see “Energy Management: Your new competitive edge,” Food Engineering, October 2008). “It’s a simple install, and from a drivability standpoint, you get a slight bump in power,” Roberts says. The Bi-Phase system, which takes about half a day to install, is one of two selected by General Motors for conversion of GM vehicles to propane, he adds, and a similar partnership is being developed with Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc.

the ability to extract special reports and other data has enhanced his standing with the board of directors because he now can respond to specific operational inquiries. But it is the built-in cycle counts of how much of each spice has been used and what remains in inventory that have yielded a direct payback from the investment. “We’ve definitely seen some healthier profits,” he says, and most of the improvement can be attributed to reduced inventories for each spice to three months or less, based on demand forecasting and the cycle counts. “We wouldn’t have been able to do just-intime before,” Whitlock explains. As guidelines for the Food Safety Modernization Act crystallize, it is becoming clear that imported products will face the most stringent documentation requirements. For companies like Vanns, certifications and genealogy specifics will be more explicit, though the details still are not known. “Whatever the requirements are, the ERP system must have the flexibility to deal with them,” notes Rene Inzana, product manager at Costa Mesa, CA-based Syspro. The key is accommodating additional data fields without the expense of changing the source code, she adds. One-up, one-down traceability is a legal requirement and an industry expectation, and Whitlock expects improved accounting for both finished goods and raw materials will pay off when Vanns undergoes its SQF audit in March, as it seeks certification under the Global Food Safety Initiative. While improving food safety and responding quickly and effectively when a product recall is necessary are important, those goals fall under the category of risk management. Instead of approaching track and trace systems as insurance policies, manufacturers would be better served by regarding them as tools to improve raw material quality and to lower manufacturing costs, suggests Mark Symonds, president and CEO for Plex Systems Inc., Auburn Hills, MI. A supplier’s base price is only part of a manufacturer’s sourcing cost, Symonds points out. Order lead times, on-time delivery, material defects and machinability all impact manufacturing costs, and food companies are tracking those attributes to refine their supplier selection processes. An early example is USDA’s school lunch program, until a decade ago a dumping ground for low-quality beef trim. By requiring grinder operations to track bacterial plate counts from incoming trim and record results in a statistical process control (SPC) program, the program was able to screen out suppliers of poor-quality trim while lowering finished goods costs for hamburger patties. In another SPC application, quality inspectors at Sor-

rento Cheese track deviations in quality parameters and their impact on manufacturing costs, feeding the results back to suppliers to help them improve the consistency of their cheese. Those types of programs are common in the automotive industry, where Plex initially focused its sales efforts. “As far as reducing parts per million defects, those numbers have come down dramatically” in automotive, where adherence to ISO 9000 and related standards over the last 11 years has forced “the whole supply chain to clean up its act,” says Symonds. A degree of visibility to trading partners’ systems is necessary to push quality management outside the plant, however, and the food industry lags in achieving a comparable level of supply chain management. “Those who are on top of their processes are happy to show what inspections and quality checks they’ve done,” he says, “but there’s a lot of fear.”

` Bar coding has emerged as an effective tool in linking internal processing with the rest of supply chain management. Source: Plex Systems Inc.

This ERP’s for you While the food industry trails some others in streamlining and improving its mastery of the supply chain, CDC Software Inc.’s Steve Halula believes great improvement has been made in recent years. “Companies have totally disappeared because they couldn’t trace back quickly,” points out the director of customer strategic solutions at Atlanta-based CDC, and their fate as a consequence of poor inventory management was a lesson to other manufacturers. Now, companies are turning supply chain software from a defensive shield to a proactive weapon to improve efficiency and bottom-line performance. CDC characterizes its ERP components three ways: basic back office functions, regulatory compliance modules and supply chain programs that www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

45

SUPPLY CHAIN ` Supply chain optimization is forcing food manufacturers to improve source records of the raw materials and ingredients that make up their finished goods. Source: Prather Ranch.

improve the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness. In the past, supply chain elements sometimes were viewed as discretionary, but organizations that don’t deploy them risk the same fate as the grinder that ships pathogenic hamburger patties, Halula suggests. Information sharing with trading partners is essential to get the most from these tools, he adds, and the Internet is proving to be a great facilitator in exchanging information. Transportation management, warehouse management, advanced order management and demand chain planning are the modules in CDC’s supply chain suite that require collabora-

tion between trading partners to achieve the best outcomes. Data re-entry and redundant information capture are counterproductive activities. “Sharing the information is key to everyone; you shouldn’t have to keep replicating it,” he says. “Even competitors see they can be more efficient by collaborating and letting the product being sold be the differentiating factor.” Cost-effective and timely delivery of the right product also is important, and the shift away from transaction-based production and toward forecast-driven manufacturing is possible with an integrated ERP solution. Vendors of supply chain management solutions take issue with ERP’s competency in demand forecasting, inventory optimization and distribution efficiency. “ERP traditionally focused on the transaction and the system of records,” points out Danny Halim, vice president-industry strategy for process manufacturing at JDA Software Group Inc., Scottsdale, AZ. Cobbling supply chain modules to ERP won’t yield the kind of demand forecasting accuracy at the heart of programs like JDA’s, he insists. Not surprisingly, Logility Inc.’s Karin Bursa seconds Halim’s position on the shortcomings of ERP. While excellent at managing transactions, “they’re not planning systems,” Bursa says

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of ERP. A reliable demand forecast must reconcile changes both upstream and downstream from the production facility, she adds, and adapt as scenarios shift. The forecast model either demonstrates its reliability over time or is scrapped. Best-in-class models for food products are accurate 60-90 days out 75 to 80 percent of the time, she suggests. Vendor managed inventory (VMI) programs are on the rise, and food companies get involved both as “a category captain” for their customers and as customers collaborating with VMI suppliers, according to Bursa. Continental Mills, a client of Atlantabased Logility, utilizes VMI to improve order fulfillment to its retail and foodservice accounts. On the supply side, “They know what they need from a procurement perspective, and they are likely to share that with their suppliers because they don’t just want bulk commodities; they want time-phased deliveries of those commodities,” she says. Goya Foods uses a variation of VMI to manage a supply chain complicated by Goya’s dual roles of food manufacturer and distributor of finished goods sold under the Goya label. The company’s SKU portfolio mushroomed from 1,000 to 1,600 items in five years, and demand forecasts generated from Excel spreadsheets were not up to the management challenge. Black beans sold in a Caribbean neighborhood move at a faster velocity than in a Puerto Rican enclave, so aggregating black bean demand is insufficient: It must be store specific, according to JDA’s Halim. A year after implementation, demand forecasting continues to improve, greatly reducing out-of-stock rates and improving production scheduling and supplier scheduling. JDA gives end-users the option of installing its software on their server or operating in the cloud environment, with JDA maintaining the program and providing analytical services. “A number of food and beverage clients are using the cloud,” Halim says. “It’s gaining a lot of users.” The cloud delivered Vanns Spices’ program. Syspro relies on a network of resellers to reach food companies. In Vanns’ case, Operations Resource Group in Sunnyvale, CA delivered the solution. According to Whitlock, no one from the group had to make a transcontinental site visit. Plex System relies exclusively on the cloud. Also known as software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing dramatically lowers installation and maintenance costs for manufacturers, according to Symonds. Companies that installed ERP in preparation for Y2K are entering their replacement cycle, and he believes this is “a ripe time to make the change” to SaaS. ❖ For more information: John Roberts, Bi-Phase Technologies LLC, 952-886-6450 Steve Halula, CDC Software, 414-365-4736 Danny Halim, JDA Software Group Inc., 301-255-5000 Karin Bursa, Logility, [email protected] Dan Luther, Mansfield Oil Co., 678-450-2285, [email protected] Mark Symonds, Plex Systems Inc., 248-391-8000 Rene Insana, Syspro Impact Software Inc., 714-437-1000

See Food Master, p. IFC3 www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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SITE SELECTION

Redefining location, location, location What makes location the most important criterion in selecting a site? Transportation, logistics, labor force, water and utility costs—to name a few. ` Wayne Labs, Senior Technical Editor ` Sara Lee’s new meat-slicing facility in Kansas City, KS represents an investment of more than $140 million and features robotics and no-touch processing. Hixson provided A&E services to the processor. Source: Sara Lee Corp.

U

nless you’re looking to locate an abattoir, you’ll find it easier than you thought to find an appropriate site for a new food and beverage facility or even a brownfield site you can turn around. Thanks to the economy, most communities, through their economic development corporations (EDCs), are doing everything they can to get you to set up shop in their vicinity. But that doesn’t mean you should jump at the first site that comes along. “I have seen a few cases where economic development agencies or property representatives advertise properties they say are particularly well suited for food processing operations,” says Andy Mace, supply chain solutions managing director of Cushman &

Wakefield. “While this may help draw the attention of a food industry company seeking a location, it does not remove the need for full due diligence of the site’s suitability for a given project’s needs.” In the present weakened economy, communities are wooing manufacturers. The food and beverage industry has generally been regarded as a good match for several reasons, but especially because it puts people to work. In fact, according to Mace, the food industry has been one of the most active segments in terms of adding new production capacity. Brad Lindquist, specialist leader for Deloitte Consulting, notes that his company’s food and beverage processor clients tend to have solid funding in place. These processors usually have free capital or access to credit and are looking to expand

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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SITE SELECTION

Corp. senior vice president. He explains that while large processors often have funds for capital investments, the smaller ones are limited by their ability to free up capital or obtain loans. Processors are, however, getting more creative in funds allocation and looking at multiple options for financing.

` Monogram Meat Snacks employs more than 400 people in Martinsville-Henry County, VA. The company makes beef jerky and packaged cheeses that are sold in convenience stores across the nation. Source: MartinsvilleHenry County, VA.

50

to meet market growth whether in metro, state and/ or countrywide markets. Dean Foods located its Meadow Gold dairy, milk and ice cream greenfield facility in North Las Vegas. Big-D Construction guided the processor through the site selection and due diligence process, including the short listing of feasible properties to meet the dairy’s needs up to the purchase of the property. While this process was ongoing, the A&E firm’s team was well on its way in the schematic and conceptual design of the facility. As a result, when the purchase was complete, construction began immediately. But growth and expansion are not limited to just large processors. The decision to expand is more a function of a processor’s business strategy (e.g., growth plans, competitive advantages a new plant can provide, etc.) and the condition of an existing facility, says Chris Harmon, Hixson Architecture & Engineering senior vice president and project manager. Monogram Meat Snacks, located in MartinsvilleHenry County, VA, makes beef jerky and prepackaged cheeses that are sold in convenience stores across the nation. Starting out with relatively limited distribution, the processor soon had national coverage and needed to pick a site where it could expand to meet its growing customer base. The processor opened a plant in Henry County in 2004 with 105 workers and has expanded a couple times since then, according to Spencer Johnson, director of research, Martinsville-Henry County EDC. The company now employs more than 400 people and is one of the area’s largest employers. In this economy, there is a focus on expansions and remodels rather than greenfield sites. “The banking industry still has the handcuffs on the business world,” says Forrest McNabb, Big-D Construction

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

Beyond location, location, location What makes a location great? Some might argue that it’s the warm climes of the South, the manufacturing know-how of the Midwest or the high-tech industry of California. But beyond these stereotypical regional features, several factors add up to equal a nearly perfect site (assuming no site is 100 percent perfect). These include the cost of energy (electric, natural gas, etc.), water, access to transportation, labor availability, incentives and sustainability issues. Some other important issues, according to SSOE Project Manager Roger DeGood, include: • The neighborhood (distance to residential areas, shopping, hospitals, low crime rate) • Quality of site (soil bearing, groundwater table, no expanding clay, no rock, height restrictions [usually related to air traffic], number of site owners, no nature reserve nearby, nearness to seismic zone, wind loads, tornado/hurricane area, floodplain, etc.) • Business climate (right-to-work state, high degree of industrial engagement, political stability) • Education environment (close proximity to high schools, universities; region willing to support further qualification of workforce) • Risks/permits/schedule impact (site already owned by state or city, connection time of utilities to the site, grading/leveling of site, 404 wetland permit required, blue lien stream permit required, PSD [Prevention of Significant Deterioration] air permit) • Costs (incentives, tax abatements, site development, funding) • Existing amenities (for example, a building that can be converted to meet a processor’s needs). Sometimes a processor wants to expand in the same area to minimize disruption to production as well as to its employees. “After all,” says Bob West, A M King Construction business development manager, “one of the biggest and most expensive disruptions involves replacing the workforce if a facility needs to be geographically relocated.” Keeping a new facility within 10-15 miles from the original site causes the least disruption, but may pose the bigger challenge when searching for a location. While open ground may not be available for a new facility, a brownfield site in the community may offer a solution. Mark Redmond, president of Hendon &

` When Frank-Lin Distillers had to move from its San Jose location, it found a site with a rail connection and I-80 access in Fairfield, CA, 75 miles from San Jose and close to Anheuser Busch/InBev and Jelly Belly Candy Company. Source: Fairfield County, CA.

Redmond, tells the story of a bakery client that was experiencing a growing customer base. The existing operation could not be expanded, so a search for a greenfield site was initiated. Desiring to relocate near its existing facility limited the options available for open land in this urban area. Not being able to find a suitable site caused the processor to change direction and consider using existing building structures. A building of the correct size was found in a desirable location, but the building was too low in height. Hendon & Redmond’s engineers and designers devised a way to raise the entire 120,000-sq.-ft. roof by 12 feet to accommodate the operation. The creative use of an existing building helped the owner remain in the area of choice and saved the cost of a new building project by reusing an existing structure. Mace suggests some existing buildings may be better suited to conversion than others, though available modern buildings ready for occupancy tend to be warehouses or distribution centers (DCs). Of course, reusing them for the same purpose will pose fewer problems than converting them for food manufacturing. Consideration for turning a DC into a processing plant should include floor and roof load-bearing capabilities, water supply and industrial wastewater treatment capacities, electric capacity and redundancy, and temperature and humidity control. Also important is the adaptability of the internal floor plan for manufacturing equipment and material handling. Energy costs vary widely The cost of electricity seems to be all over the map, and can vary by as much as 100 percent depending on location, according to Mace. As a result, food processors that consume significant amounts of electricity should carefully evaluate projected elec-

tricity costs for their specific operating characteristics during the site selection process. Lindquist suggests the cost difference from location to location can even span a 4:1 ratio. And these differences can vary greatly within a small geographical area. The two unknowns affecting rates are: • Difficulty in determining how long these differentials will last. • Inconsistent fuel sources and their costs for generating plants. Lower electric rates have been a drawing card for some processors that opted to settle in Henry County, VA, which has competitive rates compared to those in the Northeast and some urban areas, says Johnson. These rates are expected to remain competitive into the foreseeable future. For some industries like poultry processing, the cost of energy can be a major factor in site selection. But for others, while the cost of energy isn’t necessarily the number one deal-breaker when it comes to choosing a site, it can certainly be an issue that might swing the outcome when it’s time to make final decisions, says Redmond. Bob West points out that utilities are getting involved in drawing industry to their communities by offering some attractive incentives—so much so that it’s common for the EDC team to bring the utility along and discuss future energy needs. West explains that during one recent project, the utility kicked in some very nice incentives to come up with a design that could save up ` This 44-acre site with an 18.4-acre, graded pad is a certified food processing designated site. In the summer of 2010, the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development contracted with the consulting group Ady-Austin to certify the tract of land, making it “shovel ready” for any prospective food processing company. Source: Martinsville-Henry County, VA.

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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SITE SELECTION

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

35,000

"1-in-100 chance flood" based on data from 1940-1996 30,000

25,000

"1-in-100 chance flood" based on data from 1940-1975

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

Highest annual flows 0

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

Chehalis River near Doty, Washington ` Stream flow data collected since 1975 on the Chehalis River near Doty, WA indicate the estimated stream flow of a 1-in-100 chance flood is higher than it was 20 years ago, which underscores the importance of continued river monitoring. Source: USGS Fact Sheet 229-96.

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to 15 percent energy usage over an original design. Other big savings come from load-shedding agreements, especially where energy is critical in summer months. Some utilities have even paid the bill to install generators on a processor’s site so the utility can take the processor off the grid in an energy crunch. Water, water everywhere Water issues are multifaceted. “Utility [water] access is a major concern,” says Harmon. “Wastewater discharge, storm water retention, water rights, what the plant will process and how it will operate can all be problematic depending on the locale in which a processor wants to build.” While some areas such as Texas and parts of Atlanta have suffered droughts and water shortages, other areas have fared better. For example, Henry County, VA has an excess water capacity of 9.2 million gallons per day (MGD) and an excess wastewater capacity of 9.5 MGD, according to Johnson. Since food processors typically require significant water and wastewater capacities, municipality capacity numbers are very important and should be part of due diligence, according to Lindquist. “As part of the due diligence process,” says McNabb, “prior to purchasing property, verify water availability to meet needs and include written agreements with the seller and/or municipality.” The same rules apply to wastewater treatment. Also, find out what capacity the public water treatment has and whether it will be necessary to preprocess wastewater on site. While water as a utility is indispensable, too much of it can be devastating at worst and annoying at best. West offers simple advice: Do floodplain studies and check on the infrastructure to support the flood-

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

plain. During site selection, always locate the floodplain and never build inside it. Pick a high and dry area away from rivers, creeks and streams and their immediate floodplain. While not necessarily a flooding issue, selecting a site near or on wetlands will provide lots of expensive, recurring issues and worries—especially if the wetlands is next to or registered as a nature preserve. With the more chaotic weather that’s been occurring, heavy snows, torrential rains and hurricanes have caused flooding that seems to occur more frequently than it should. “The floodplain of a site is one of the first things that should be addressed,” says DeGood. Site selection experts should not pick a site that has been recently affected by a 100-year floodplain event, he adds. According to the US Geological Survey, the term 100-year flood is misleading because it leads people to believe that such an event happens only once every 100 years. Unfortunately, a big flood can happen any year. The term 100-year flood is a statistical designation, and there is a 1-in-100 chance that a flood this size will happen during any year. A better definition might be a 1-in-100 chance flood. The actual number of years floods of any given size will occur varies, and big floods are affected by long-term and short-term climate changes. In the case of flooding, maps indicating potential flooding risk and frequency are typically available for a given property as an initial due diligence step: Sites well outside the 100-year floodplain are preferred, and in some cases, the location of the 500-year floodplain may be known, says Mace. However, for large investments and in areas of perceived elevated risk, it is worthwhile to retain experts to evaluate site-specific risks and mitigation costs. This is particularly true if the floodplain maps are dated or watershed conditions have changed significantly over time. Transportation: Take the train? Many processors have been reluctant to look at new possibilities for transportation of ingredients and shipping of products because they stay with the familiar options, says Mace. But the volatility and overall rise of transportation costs has encouraged processors to consider new shipment modes and intermodal facilities. Choosing sites with access to rail and water transport provides opportunities to lower unit transport costs and increase flexibility/leverage with respect to road-based transport options.

“We have seen rail play a larger role from an inbound raw material perspective,” says Lindquist. Bulk inputs to the system can typically be moved more efficiently for many processors. The outbound rail and intermodal needs are highly dependent on the regional scale of the market, he adds. Five to 10 years ago, processors would not have entertained the idea of shipping perishable products by rail car since temperature controls on the rail car were not sufficient to preserve the food for longer than 48 hours, says West. Today, however, technology has made it possible to monitor and control the temperature of refrigerated/frozen products on the rails and assure food will stay at the intended temperature during intermodal transfers. And with access to ports, processors find intermodal transport economical and practical. DeGood suggests another reason for choosing a site with rail access relates to the construction of the plant. Heavy and large processing equipment and building materials can be brought in by rail where they may not fit on a truck or on the highway system. Incentives: Scrutinize carefully According to Harmon, the current economic situation has had a profound impact on local communities’ willingness to embrace industry. Communities that in the past were not particularly open to development are now quite interested and are offering

IFI

ED

V C H M F

C

T ER

inducements that make their sites very attractive to a processor. While incentives are always a factor in the site selection decision, processors need to make sure the site is suitable before considering incentives. “A less desirable site may increase production and operating costs or create other limitations,” Harmon explains. “These issues need to be considered when evaluating the benefits of the incentives offered.” Besides incentives, EDCs provide much more in the way of helpful services. When San Jose, CA-based Frank-Lin Distillers had to relocate due to an imminent domain proceeding, the City of San Jose tried unsuccessfully to find another location within the city. The processor made inquiries within California, with a successful contact to the City of Fairfield. Curt Johnston, Fairfield economic development division manager, provided background on the suburban San Francisco area with access to I-80 and a railroad system, which was a sought-after amenity. Johnston’s city staff served as a liaison to the brokers and property owner, facilitating the land transaction. It also worked with the PUC for a rail siding and railroad crossing and made improvements to an access road. In addition, Fairfield allowed a four-inch connection to the water system at the cost of a twoinch connection, saving Frank-Lin $200,000. Also, the City of Fairfield worked through the California Enterprise Development Authority to issue a $22 million tax-exempt Recovery Zone Facility Bond whose proceeds were used to finance construc-

SSING SITE OCE R DP OO

Our 44-acre tract with 18.4-acre graded pad is certified as a designated food processing site. That means your company can begin construction immediately in Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia. This certification saves you a lot of time, money, and research. Over 500 pages of it. That’s because we’ve worked diligently with the Ady-Austin Consulting Group to compile the key information you need, such as property and environmental information, utilities, site photos, maps, surveys, and more. In addition, there are a number of incentives available, including the Tobacco Opportunity Fund. To learn more about this site, along with the many other advantages of locating to Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia, call us at (276) 403-5942. Visit us today at www.YesMartinsville.com.

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

53

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SITE SELECTION tion of the $34 million, 288,000-sq.-ft. building. The project was finished late last year, and several employees moved from San Jose (75 miles away) and bought homes in the area at $200,000 less than the cost of comparable homes in San Jose. The right incentives combined with a brownfield site proved worthwhile for Sara Lee’s Kansas City plant, according to Hixson’s Harmon. Hixson helped the processor by selecting the right brownfield location, evaluating the sustainability of the building for its intended use. The A&E firm then provided a comparison of costs and schedule as opposed to other options, and procured incentives from the city. In the end, the Kansas City plant received a 75 percent property tax abatement from the improvements. Labor concerns Harmon points out that workforce concerns are always a major factor in site selection. Processors need reliable workers who are able to function in a team environment and are willing to do repetitive jobs. Skilled workers must be able to operate and maintain highly complex equipment such as robots and packaging systems and understand process control. Therefore, processors should consider sites near colleges, technical schools and technical training centers. After all, maintenance people need familiarity with technology—the days of the “wrench turners” are over. Labor is typically the largest recurring, geographically variable cost for processing facilities. Processors should know who is competing with them for employees when they consider sites, says DeGood. This competition is good for employees, but can push up the cost of labor. Processors that automate more are less likely to be concerned about filling some jobs, says Redmond. However, locating near urban areas can help in finding labor across the board. In addition, areas where jobs have been lost in skilled manufacturing (e.g., autos, textiles, etc.) can be an excellent opportunity for both the processor and the community, says Johnson. ❖

Brad Lindquist, Deloitte Consulting, 312-486-3000,

Bob West, A M King Construction, 704-365-3160,

[email protected]

[email protected]

Spencer Johnson, Martinsville-Henry County, VA

Roger DeGood, SSOE, 419-255-3830,

EDC, 276-403-5940, [email protected]

[email protected]

Forrest McNabb, Big-D Construction,

Chris Harmon, Hixson Architecture

810-415-6000, [email protected]

& Engineering, 513-241-1230,

Mark Redmond, Hendon & Redmond,

[email protected]

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Charles Ching, City of Fairfield, CA,

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for food and beverage facilities There are a number of unique challenges when it comes to deciding where to locate a new food or beverage processing facility. Let Austin help you make the right decision relating to: à Supply Chain Optimization à Site and Building Evaluation à Site Selection

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For more information: Andy Mace, Cushman & Wakefield, 717-505-8046, [email protected] www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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` Installed at Luxco, a St. Louis, MO distilled spirits bottler, StandardKnapp’s Model 939 Versatron case packer replaced a 17-year-old system, cutting changeover time from 20-30 minutes to 8-10 minutes. Inset photo shows the HMI, which has all maintenance procedures built into it. Source: Standard-Knapp.

Teaching packaging machines to communicate

`

Thanks to open standards, packaging machine controls communicate up and down the line and with MES and ERP systems to provide key performance data.

I

n addition to increased flexibility and performance, food and beverage processors are seeking packaging machines that foster food safety, machine safety, reliability and lower energy usage while providing data collection systems that not only monitor line performance but also track maintenance. And, because no system is an island, the packaging machine’s control system has to communicate horizontally with other devices on the line (e.g., robot controllers and motion/position controllers) and vertically with MES and ERP software systems. The good news is that communication is markedly improving over what existed in the notso-distant past.

If you were an auto manufacturer 25 years ago trying to automate an assembly line, you were faced with several automation and robotics systems that simply didn’t talk to one another, notably referred to as “islands of automation.” Today, if you’re planning a completely automated packaging line, you’ll find the process a lot smoother—though not perfect— due to 25 years of experience that machine builders, system integrators, controls and robot manufacturers and component suppliers have chalked up. Some rules never hurt While MAP (Manufacturers Automation Protocol) tried to set hardware and communications network-

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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T E C H U P DAT E

` This lightweight valve terminal (Festo Model VTUB-12) is capable of flowing up to14 scfm with a maximum pressure of 120psi. The valve terminal is available as a multi-pin electrical connection, handles up to 35 valves and can be installed on a packaging machine. Source: Festo.

58

ing standards for automation equipment in the auto industry, it met with limited success because most users weren’t willing to invest $3,000 per network node for hardware and software. MAP didn’t catch on that well, but with the ubiquity of Ethernet today, networking is relatively inexpensive—at least at the hardware/communications level. “There certainly is something familiar about the old ‘islands of automation’ and today’s challenges on packaging lines,” says David Kaley, Mitsubishi Electric industry market manager. He explains there is, however, one very significant difference: In the ’80s, open networks still had to be created, and vendors were reluctant to adopt open standards without trying to put their own twist on them. Today’s engineers don’t have to create the network; they have Ethernet. Their task is to define blocks of data that can be transferred from one machine to the next. It’s at this application level where a challenge still exists in getting packaging machine, robot and line controllers to speak the same language. Each machine has its own unique addresses for I/O and equipment functions, so a common language is needed to get machines and application-level software programs communicating. PackML is a mark-up language in plain English dedicated to removing the “bits and bytes” of machine configuration for systems designers. The primary objective of PackML is to bring a common “look and feel” and operational consistency to all machines that make up a packaging line. PackML provides: • Standard defined machine states and operational flow • Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) data • Root cause analysis (RCA) data, and • Flexible recipe schemes and common SCADA or MES inputs.

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

“We’re still struggling with the adoption of PackML,” says Leo Petrokonis, Rockwell Automation business development manager for the packaging industry. “I think one of the reasons is that the standard costs money to be compliant, but there are some machine builders who have fully invested in PackML.” Machine builders that have adopted PackML find real savings in startup costs because all their machines are compliant and communicative. Engineers find it easy to reuse code, creating PackML macros that are easily editable in English. “There are benefits for machine builders,” says Brian Deal, Schneider Electric market segment manager, packaging. “By implementing PackML, OEMs can improve and shorten their machine development cycles.” PackML lets machine builders choose the automation platform best suited for their machine, reduce creation of customized code and improve their delivery times to processors. “The OMAC Packaging Workgroup (OPW) has been reenergized with the leadership from Bryan Griffin of Nestlé,” says Jorge Izquierdo, PMMI vice president. “Among the latest developments, OPW has continued to update the PackML standard, which continues to gain traction in the end-user community.” Izquierdo reports that OPW sees continued support for PackML from all participants in the supply chain—food processors, OEMs and control suppliers. Does PackML matter to processors? The short answer is yes, because communications with both legacy and new equipment will mean processors have the data they need to continuously improve their operations. The data you need to improve Processors want data they can turn into KPIs and OEE, and they want it as a plug-and-play system. “OMAC is actively continuing to drive out standards for OEE and S88.5 (batch control),” says Martino Caranti, GE Intelligent Platforms global segment leader for advanced packaging and assembly. “We see these standards as a method of reducing cost by simplifying line integration for both OEMs and end-users. Food and beverage end-user adoption of OMAC standards will drive more open communication requirements, pushing OEMs to supply this functionality going forward. Driving the OMAC standards back into the OEMs will enable end-users to ‘plug-and-play’ their multi-vendor production equipment more easily, allowing reduced costs and better asset utilization.” Integrating horizontally, machine-to-machine, is not the chore it used to be. The platforms are open and no longer proprietary, thus enabling systems

to communicate. “Some plants are taking this integration to the next level by layering MES and ERP systems,” says Mitch Vanover, Hixson Architecture & Engineering manager, automation. “This not only integrates equipment horizontally, but also vertically as well by tying the factory floor to upper-level enterprise zones for better coordination of people and resources, while improving quality.” While data collection and reporting systems obviously help the processor, they still need a fair degree of improvement. “It’s a huge task for machine builders to develop data collection/efficiency/reporting systems,” says Khalid Ikram, Evergreen Packaging engineering controls manager. “It would be beneficial if someone in the industry could provide already developed systems that can be easily interfaced with any machine.” The vertical integration to MES and ERP is a work in progress, and tools are available to make it happen. Processors need to download information from the MES layer to machines for setup and product management. Machine builders need to aggregate the machine data to the MES layer for analysis of production runs, product quality and capacity utilization. “This entails increased LAN or WAN connectivity, ERP connectivity, local and I/O motion connectivity, and some programming with powerful integration tools,” says Caranti. Improving machine performance As packaging lines collect more data, new challenges occur and are being met by machine developers. “[Processors] are asking for more diagnostics and access to more performance data,” says Kim Magon, Triangle Package Machinery Co. marketing manager. “As a result, programs are getting very large, slowing down processor speeds. We need to see faster processors to be able to provide better diagnostics while at the same time, controlling our machine devices.” One way to offload PLC processors of heavy data I/O transactions is to dedicate a module to communicate directly to an external database. However, it’s important that machine builders make sure these modules can talk to all PLCs in the system and use any database protocol that is used in the MES and/ or ERP systems, according to Kaley. Faster processors are not the only way to improve performance. “Faster sensors are allowing us to get data measurement instantly and make quicker changes to the machine,” adds Magon. For example, Triangle Package Machinery’s bagger can make automatic adjustments as necessary. If the jaw closes on a frozen chicken nugget, the sensor will detect a product is in the way, and the jaw will open auto-

matically, preventing possible damage to the jaw that could lead to significant downtime. Machine builders are also taking advantage of I/O devices like sensors and drives that can be mounted directly on the machine, avoiding long cable runs and potential signal loss. With many of the high-performance sensor buses available, wiring is also simplified on the machine as sensors and other devices can be daisy chained together. Flexibility and changeovers While machine performance/throughput is important, changeover time can have a major impact on production costs if the packaging machine isn’t flexible enough to adapt to various package sizes and shapes. Ideally, all an operator would have to do is key in a new SKU and select it when changeover is required. The way Evergreen accomplishes efficient and quick SKU-based changeover is through the use of servo technology, which allows running various motion profiles without any mechanical changes.

` Triangle’s X Series VFFS baggers meet strict USDA/3-A sanitation standards. Bottom left: The control box is UL listed and available in NEMA12, 4, 4X and 6 versions. Communication and integration needs are simplified by using one control box and HMI for both bagger and scale. Bottom right: The forming tube is USDA/3-A approved. Source: Triangle Package Machinery.

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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T E C H U P DAT E

` Servo-driven technology provides repeatable package performance and makes it easy to set up the machine for several product shapes and sizes. Source: Evergreen Packaging.

60

For machine builders, the use of soft PLCs (IEC 61131-3) and motion controllers that provide graphical cam and gearing design lets them design machines for quick changeovers, according to Andy Hansbrough, Kollmorgen vertical market manager, packaging. System designers can run into performance limitations with traditional PLCs. Many PLC suppliers offer combined motion and PLC systems in the same box, and in many cases, programmable automation controllers may be PC-based—so the trend is to provide integrated motion systems regardless of what label is attached to the box. With hardware, the use of servo motors provides the flexibility of a machine to make quick changeovers between products. “The latest developments in servo-based motion and position control are being used to automate guide rail position and other changeover settings, not only reducing the changeover time but also improving the reliability of the adjustment,” says Doug Ferguson, Hixson manager, manufacturing engineering. According to Petrokonis, machine builders are trying to phase out pneumatics wherever possible because pneumatic devices typically are inefficient. While electrical equivalents have been prohibitively expensive in the past, their costs are coming down, and machine builders, with the aid

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

of powerful design tools, are no longer specifying oversized components (such as a 2hp servo when a 1hp device is sufficient) to make sure the machine can handle the job. Closed-loop pneumatic positioning control systems go a long way in extending the overall potential of pneumatic systems. “These systems combine an internal or external position sensor— calibrated to the cylinder’s stroke length—that provides a continuous feedback signal to a pneumatic ‘valve bank’ that increases or decreases the pneumatic flow to extend or retract the cylinder position,” says Tom Wood, Bimba Manufacturing marketing manager. “These systems are easily programmable to allow position flexibility and accuracy, allowing a single machine to service different packaging applications.” Electric actuators have become a more attractive solution. “These actuators, with either a ball or lead screw in combination with a servo or stepper motor, provide greater accuracy and speed than pneumatic systems,” adds Wood. Although electrical drive systems have been historically higher in price than pneumatics, recent technology advances have made electrical systems more affordable to use in packaging machines, also increasing packaging machinery flexibility. Responding to line variations might have been the operator’s responsibility some time ago—e.g., to shut down the packaging machine gracefully when there were no products to be packaged. Under servo-based control and with connection to fillers, conveyors and robots on the line, this is no longer true. “We are now able to improve machine flexibility by providing an option that can automatically change the speed of our bagger based on upstream or downstream signals without operator intervention,” says Steve Bergholt, Triangle control system development manager. In other words, the bagger can speed up or slow down without stopping, which improves efficiency and reduces rejects. Tools for machine builders and processors Many automation suppliers offer simulation software products that speed packaging machine design. “Built-in machine simulators allow designers and users a low-risk way to iterate machine designs quickly and easily as machine and motion elements are developed to meet production requirements,” says Hansbrough. This iterating or tuning can be used to size the servos and all the motion and position components based on loads, inertias, etc. Rockwell worked with SolidWorks to create a system called

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T E C H U P DAT E Motion Analy zer, which not only can tune the system but also suggest changes in structural design and create prints and bills-of-material as well. In addition, these tools prevent the gross over-specif ying of equipment that wastes energy and also makes sure equipment is only energized when it needs to move or work.

Processors benefit from these tools indirectly; they also benefit from improvements to HMIs. Like some infamous Windows error messages that needed translation into plain English to be useful, packaging machine error messages like “AXIS 1 SERVO FAULT” are becoming a thing of the past. Operators may not know what an axis is, what

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December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

number one refers to and just what is at fault. “Why not,” suggests Petrokonis, “tell them ‘The pusher arm is jammed?’” Machine designers are responding through the use of pictures, graphics and international symbols that transcend an operator’s native language. Operators often have a selection of half a dozen languages, and there are often pictures, canned videos and PDF files to help them fix a problem—much like today’s office copy machine that explains where and how to fix a jam, says Deal. “In 2012, we’ll be introducing a new feature that allows us to include a PDF parts manual as well as the operations and maintenance manual right on the HMI screen,” says Triangle’s Bergholt. Processors already have the option of bilingual displays and enhanced graphics and videos to show and explain proper procedures, he adds. Control suppliers like Rockwell Automation have been partnering with robotics and motion manufacturers to try to consolidate various control screens from different components on the machine to a single interface, with the goal of combining as many as possible machine control screens on a single packaging line interface, according to Petrokonis. “We’re trying to make that integration a lot easier and cleaner,” he explains. Touch screen technology with integrated safety, smarter menus driven by a bigger screen and the ability to host multiple software interfaces as a single interface are ways to provide operators with a single, unified system, says Caranti. This will simplify the experience for operators, improve productivity and reduce the chance of human error. Stoppages and machine safety Integrated safety systems are becoming a more important part of machine control. With many older machines, if an operator needs to take a break, the only way to do that is to hit the combined E-stop/off switch, says Petrokonis. This raises several issues: Did the machine shut down without jamming? What happens to OEE data if it’s being recorded? Are any food safety issues involved with

an idle machine? These issues and others also apply to whether a jam occurs in the machine: Does the whole machine need to be stopped? Does the machine have to be cleaned before it’s placed back in operation? As more safety systems get designed into the control of a packaging machine, it may not have to be shut down when a small door is opened to remove a jam, says Petrokonis. Rather, the machine can be slowed down safely to prevent injury and avoid a complete stoppage, which might result in a total clean-up. Machine builders are beginning to get some standards with which to design safety systems, and automation suppliers are providing the tools to integrate safety and machine control. Continuing advancements in operational productivity require tight integration w ith machine safety, thus requiring machine designers to keep abreast of international machine safety requirements and regulations, according to Hansbrough. “PMMI has been instrumental in including international requirements and regulations while developing the new ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2011 Safety Requirements for Packaging Machinery and Packaging Related Converting Machinery standard, which became effective in September 2011. The B155.1 standard provides design safety guidelines for industrial and commercial machinery and contains several control design options. The standard is available to purchase from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).” Machine builders have a lot on their plate as they create new generations of smart packaging machines, which make a processor’s job a lot easier. The brains they build into the controls will provide more throughput, efficiency and safety, giving operators new tools to monitor quality and performance. ❖

Jorge Izquierdo, PMMI, 703-243-8555,

Doug Ferguson, Hixson Architecture & Engineering,

[email protected]

513-241-1230, [email protected]

David Kaley, Mitsubishi Electric, 847-478-2213,

Kim Magon, Triangle Package Machinery Co.,

[email protected]

800-621-4170, [email protected]

Martino Caranti, GE Intelligent Platforms,

Andy Hansbrough, Kollmorgen, 540-633-3545,

39 02 4888001, [email protected]

[email protected]

Khalid Ikram, Evergreen Packaging Inc.,

Tom Wood, Bimba Manufacturing, 708-534-7549,

319-399-3200, [email protected]

[email protected]

Mitch Vanover, Hixson Architecture & Engineering,

Steve Bergholt, Triangle Package Machinery Co.,

513-241-1230, [email protected]

800-621-4170, [email protected]

When it comes to food safety, we’re listening. Bühler Aeroglide has a long history partnering closely with food processors. Today is no different. As an integral player in the Safe Food Engineering Round Table (SFERT), we’re listening closely to major suppliers in the food industry. While Aeroglide dryers already lead the industry in sanitary design, we’re about to raise the bar. Stay tuned...

Bühler Aeroglide 100 Aeroglide Drive, Cary NC 27511 USA Tel +1 919 851 2000, Fax +1 919 851 6029 [email protected], www.aeroglide.com

For more information: Leo Petrokonis, Rockwell Automation, 414-382-2000, [email protected]

Innovations for a better world.

Brian Deal, Schneider Electric, 610-662-3533, [email protected]

See Food Master, p. 24 www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

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www.theaustinconsulting.com

55

Lubriplate Lubricants Co.

800-733-4755

56

www.-bel-ray.com

39

Marchant Schmidt Inc.

920-921-4760

14-17

Belt Technologies

800-832-2358

59

Martinsville Henry Co. Va. Eco. Dev.

276-403-5942

53

Bimba

800-44-BIMBA

12

Material Transfer & Storage

800-836-7068

27

Breddo Likwifier

800-669-4092

IBC

Nord Drive Systems

www.nord.com

26-27

Bühler Aeroglide

919-851-2000

63

Omega Engineering Inc.

Bunting Magnetics, Co.

800-835-2526

40

Reid Supply Company

Burns & McDonnell

816-822-3831

37

Reiser

Austin Company

Bel-Ray

Clarion White Oils

855-MY-CLARION

24-25

Ross, Charles & Son Company

888-82-OMEGA

2

800-253-0421

47

781-821-1290

21

800-243-ROSS

42

www.seweurodrive.com

11

800-SLIPNOT

31

Demaco

321-952-6600

33

SEW Eurodrive

Douglas Machine

800-331-6870

20

SlipNOT Metal Safe Flooring

Dur-A-Flex

800-253-3539

62

SPX

www.spx.com

IFC

Electricites of North Carolina

800-768-7697

54

Summit Industrial Products

800-749-5823

32

Eriez Magnetics

888-300-ERIEZ

18

Terlet USA

800-965-6065

10

Flexicon Coporation

888-353-9426

BC

Triple S Dynamics, Inc.

877-542-8010

9

Urschel Laboratories, Inc.

219-464-4811

1

Fluke

www.fluke.com/answersnow

5

Further information on these companies can be found in the 2011-2012 FOOD MASTER CATALOG. This index is published as a convenience. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions.

70

PAGE

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

ENGINEERING R&D Kevin T. Higgins, Senior Editor

Talent pool development

`

With a large cadre of American workers ready to retire, training and educating the next generation of technicians and engineers is a critical need in manufacturing. Development of new systems and technology is essential for economic survival. Of equal or greater importance is cultivation of the human talent necessary to operate those systems and build the machinery that supports them. Higher education needs all the champions it can get. One of education’s biggest supporters from the packaging machinery industry is Nick L. Wilson, founder and president of Morrison Material Handling Solutions in suburban Chicago. Wilson’s company produces changeover parts and systems for packaging machines and a variety of material-handling equipment, but its core product is part of its former name: Morrison Timing Screw, established in 1971. Feed and timing screws orient and position fast-moving packages entering filling machines and other equipment. They are ubiquitous in packaging halls, notably those of food and beverage companies. An advocate for better training and education for the people who design and build packaging machinery, Wilson serves on the board of directors of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers

` Nick L. Wilson, president and CEO, Morrison Material Handling Solutions, Glenwood, IL.

Institute (PMMI) and is currently board chairman. Wilson also serves on the advisory council of the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana, a business incubator, and the Dean’s Technology Advisory Board at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN, where he played a seminal role in the establishment of the nation’s first four-year degree program in electro-mechanical engineering for packaging, also known as mechatronics, in 2008. A native of Edgewood, IA, Wilson earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA in accounting from Chicago’s Loyola University.

bring their line speeds up considerably. I don’t see that kind of collaboration anymore. The nearest thing is when engineers from multiple industries get together occurred. When we started, 120 bottles per minute and share concerns. People like to know that others was the typical infeed speed. Now, you’re looking at are dealing with the same problems and that their 300-500 containers in most industries and 800-2,000 problems are not unique. in beverage. The issues change tremendously when you’re handling those speeds. FE: Is it fair to characterize timing screws as The transition from mechanical systems to servos niche products? was a huge change. It requires people with knowledge Wilson: Container handling often is seen as a minor of electro-mechanical systems, and that kind of skill component, but if you can’t get the containers in the set wasn’t being taught 15 years ago. It’s hard to find machine, automation will fail. That’s why a lot of filler hands-on people who understand electronic controls OEMs and others will outsource the design work. and the logic involved to use them in a machine. When I started, the engineering groups in the FE: What types of projects do you get involved in? liquor industry regularly shared knowledge on the Wilson: We did some work for a munitions company production side. Companies fought on the market- in Kansas City. There was equipment literally from ing side and cooperated on the production side. All the 1940s in the plant. They were moving bullets in of them benefited, and cooperation allowed them to totes from station to station, throughout the process.

FE: What are the most striking changes you’ve seen over 40 years? Wilson: Tremendous consolidation and change have

www.foodengineeringmag.com | Food Engineering | December 2011

71

ENGINEERING R&D ` Armando Garza sets up a prototype timing screw for a particular bottle-handling solution in the Morrison Container shop. Source: Esmeralda Torres/Morrison Container Handling Solutions.

We came up with a number of solutions for them that made the process continuous. FE: How did your education in chemical engineering prepare you for this work? Wilson: I thought there was more oppor-

tunity in chemical when I went to college, but I ended up working in mechanical engineering. After graduating, I was a research engineer for Standard Oil in Whiting, IN, which is only 16 miles away. After five years in the corporate world, I decided to be an entrepreneur, like my father. I grew up in a rural community in Northeast Iowa. My dad had an implement and propane business. We always built things and fixed things. Material handling is about solving problems, and solving problems tickles my mind. Personally, I’m not interested in cookie cutter solutions; once you get the cookie cut, there’s no challenge. My team comes to me when there are unique problems to solve. FE: Your alma mater recently honored you with the Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering (PACE) award in recognition of your work. What accomplishments most appealed to the award committee? Wilson: I’ve worked with Purdue Univer-

sity Calumet’s (PUC) School of Technology to establish the first four-year degree in mechatronics, which combines mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines necessary in the design and construction of today’s packaging machinery. This is a degree for people who get their hands 72

on equipment and make it work. Finding qualified people is one of the most challenging issues facing the packaging industry, and mechatronics is one of the most severely limited skill areas. You can’t survive and grow without educated workers. The PUC program is important, but we’re not even touching the demand.

Thirty percent of PMMI’s membership is based within 100 miles of the school, which has helped in arranging internships for the students so they can gain hands-on experience. Since the degree program started, the Center for Packaging Machinery Industry has been established to bring the school and industry together to address needs. But the need for more training is global.

FE: When did your involvement with PUC begin? Wilson: Some of the engineering pro-

education committee, where we’re developing mechanical certifications at multiple levels of skill competencies in PLC programming, mechanical drive components and other competencies. Training is done online. And PMMI supports student visits to PACK EXPO. We have at least a dozen PMMI certified trainers on the Morrison staff. We use them both to train people inside our company and out, teaching endusers’ workers not only how to maintain the equipment but to continuously improve changeover performance. Education is critically important to our country, and we actively encourage and pay for our employees to pursue a course of study, regardless [of whether] it is related to their jobs. It changes the way they see things.

fessors were looking for ways to adapt the curriculum to meet contemporary needs, and I suggested that the school get involved in packaging and take advantage of scholarships available from PMMI and others. It was hard to get traction, though, so I paid for two professors to visit PACK EXPO Las Vegas in 2007. They had no idea of the possibilities. They were like kids in a candy store when they walked the aisles. They wrote a first draft of the curriculum on the flight back. I arranged for the professors to visit several OEMs so they could see firsthand the engineering and manufacturing process. When the OEMs saw how enthusiastic the professors were, they became excited, too, and the effort snowballed. OEMs have contributed almost $1 million worth of machinery and equipment to the school’s engineering lab. I worked with the school on adjusting the curriculum and met with the state certification board to get mechatronics recognized. Approval was granted in a year, which was considered lightning speed. Early in the process, Niaz Latif joined the school as the dean of technology. He saw the possibilities of this program and has been a major supporter. This is interesting work, and the jobs are not exportable; they stay here.

December 2011 | Food Engineering | www.foodengineeringmag.com

FE: Are you involved in other efforts to recruit and train young engineers and technicians? Wilson: I’ve been active on PMMI’s

FE: Given your commitment to education, why didn’t you pursue an advanced engineering degree? Wilson: I needed to go to work. Back

then, you could earn as you go, and I could just keep ahead of the bill collector. W hi le in school, I worked as a research assistant at the Iowa State atomic energy lab, now known as the US Department of Energy Ames Laboratory. Those kinds of jobs, as well as the lab itself, could likely go unfunded in the current federal debt-reduction climate. I think it’s a mistake. ❖

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