17 minute read
READY-TO-DRINK
COVAP’s first complete aseptic PET line
Thanks to Sidel’s end-to-end complete aseptic PET line, UHT liquid dairy products (LDPs) from Spanish milk producer COVAP are now also available in PET bottles for the very first time. This new PET bottle opens the door to meet changing market demand and ensures product integrity and safety.
COVAP, A SPANISH cooperative, is one of the major milk producers in Spain. The company has one of the most technically advanced dairy plants in the whole of Europe and has been a family of farmers for over 60 years. COVAP also produces ready-todrink dairy products for other retailer brands in Spain. Although LDPs are dominated by carton packaging, major supermarket players have decided to sell them in PET bottles as well based on market preference. To meet demand, COVAP partnered with Sidel for the first time on a complete aseptic PET line with the Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis at its heart, after visiting various dairy plants using Sidel’s equipment in Spain and Italy.
Sidel experts worked in close collaboration with COVAP from bottle design to line startup. The new PET bottles were designed with a sleek shape, providing a similar look and feel to glass bottles. Thanks to the PET barrier properties, the shelf-life of milk drinks has been extended by 4 months to retain their fresh taste. All three bottle formats – 225ml, 1l and 1.5l – can be labelled with sleeve or roll-fed labels based on different brand positioning.
Thanks to 40 years of aseptic packaging expertise, the safe and simple aseptic PET line requires only a few operators and thus facilitates a smooth and efficient production, running at up to 13 200 bottles per hour. As a result, COVAP is now producing 30 million PET bottles annually. Furthermore, Sidel provided intense training for operators to ensure successful production on the line. “Since PET packaging is a new territory for us, Sidel is the right long-term partner to advise us in every phase and to provide end-to-end solutions,” commented Vidal Madrid, director of operations and digital strategy at COVAP. • Sidel – www.sidel.com
Ready-to-drink category on the rise
With more people looking for convenient, on-the-go beverages to keep up with their fast-paced lifestyles, it is not surprising that the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage category is growing rapidly in Africa. Tennille Aron looks at what we can expect from this category in the future.
GLOBALLY, THE READY-to-drink (RTD) market is gaining increasing popularity. According to the IWSR (the leading source for beverage alcohol trends in the world), the RTD market grew by approximately 26.4% in 2020 and was the only beverage alcohol category to grow during the pandemic. If the popularity of these types of drinks continues to increase, the IWSR projects the RTD volume to increase by 26.6% in 2021.
What makes this beverage category so popular?
Whether it is RTD cocktails, coffee or tea, these drinks have taken the world by storm and this is largely due to the convenience factor that these drinks offer. RTD beverages fit in perfectly with the current global grab-and-go culture as they are packaged in single-use containers and are meant for immediate consumption.
Grabbing a RTD iced coffee that you can consume on your way to work, aligns with the fast-paced lifestyle that people now lead. RTD beverages such as energy drinks and coffee have also become a favourite as more people look for something quick and easy to consume to boost their energy levels during a busy day.
AS THIS CATEGORY CONTINUES TO GROW, THESE ARE SOME OF THE TRENDS TO EXPECT: Let’s keep it healthy
FMCG Gurus’ consumer insights 2021 found that 60% of global consumers would like to improve their general health over the next 12 months. Therefore, one of the biggest trends throughout the beverage industry, and especially for the RTD market, would be producing healthier drinks with more nutritional value.
RTD beverages with no added sugars or calories, but that are infused with natural ingredients such as vitamins or plant extracts is becoming increasingly popular in this drinks category. As the world moves towards finding plant-based alternatives to dairy products, RTD beverages that contain these plant-based alternatives are also becoming more trendy.
What’s your flavour?
Another trend that is on the rise in the beverage industry is the need for flavour innovation. Research from FMCG Gurus found that 74% of global consumers said they like products with new and unusual flavours. Experimenting with new flavours and exotic flavour combinations is essential for those in the RTD industry, especially when it comes to alcoholic RTD drinks like hard seltzers.
What’s in the box?
Packaging forms a crucial part of RTD beverages as it adds to the overall convenience factor of these products. Finding packaging that is sleek and easy to use on-the-go, but that is also sustainable and environmentally-friendly is a key area that beverage manufacturers will have to consider as RTD beverage popularity rises.
This beverage category arose to suit consumers’ needs and their changing lifestyle, and has become extremely popular as a result. One thing that is certain is that this is a beverage category that is here to stay. •
Deep learning in inspection technology
Anyone who works with empty-bottle inspectors knows that not every bottle that the inspector rejects has a defect. In some cases, it might be water droplets still clinging to the bottle after cleaning, but conventional systems can’t always distinguish these from contaminants. Krones has taken the evolution of its inspection technology to the next level with the Linatronic AI. It employs deep learning software to automatically detect and classify anomalies, making it much smarter than its conventional peers.
THE NEXT RUNG ON THE EVOLUTIONARY LADDER: ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Deep learning is a technology that enables machines to do what humans do naturally: learn from example. However, the one big difference is that a machine can use this ability more efficiently than humans can.
The foundation for deep learning is an artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN can be described as a complex system of multiple consecutive filters. The images captured during the inspection process are fed through these filter layers, one after the other. Each layer extracts a different characteristic of the image. Since one filter’s output becomes the input for the subsequent filter, the complexity of an image’s characteristics can be increased almost infinitely. The chain ranges from simply identifying darker or lighter pixels all the way to classifying very specific objects such as beads of water.
TRAINED USING THOUSANDS OF IMAGES
To ensure that the Linatronic AI applies these filters with the necessary precision in practice, it is trained ahead of time with pre-classified example images. In this way, its neural network learns to filter out and interpret the relevant image characteristics.
The same is true for machines that is true for humans: the more intensively you train, the better the results. Therefore, Linatronic AI’s neural network was continually fine-tuned using thousands of example images until it could accurately distinguish water droplets from other anomalies with a reliability rate of over 99.9%.
Therefore, waste due to false rejects is no longer an issue. The time-consuming process of configuring the inspector during commissioning is also a thing of the past. The neural network doesn’t require manual calibration to local conditions. Instead, the Linatronic AI is delivered fully trained and ready to start work. •
The new Linatronic AI uses deep learning technology for automated image recognition for the first time. “Linatronic AI’s neural network was continually fine-tuned so that it could accurately distinguish water droplets from other anomalies with a reliability rate of over 99.9%”
Krones - www.krones.com
Addressing the “new normal” of factory automation in food manufacturing
Food and beverage companies can now set the course for the time after the Covid-19 pandemic using automation to boost competitiveness and productivity. Manufacturers should focus their resources on four market driven perspectives: workforce, product quality, flexibility and sustainability.
THE PANDEMIC HAS posed immense challenges to companies of all sizes. According to Deloitte Global, food and beverage (F&B) companies are facing significantly reduced consumption as well as disrupted supply chains. But how can manufacturers adapt their business strategies and production processes, factories and machinery to the new circumstances.
The current crisis offers a chance to rethink outdated procedures and to use automation with the aim to boost productivity, efficiency and quality. F&B companies that want to prepare for the future should be appraising the opportunities that innovative robotics, sensor technology and holistic automation approaches provide.
1. Collaboration and factory harmony are key
The first aspect to be considered in this respect are the employees, the workforce perspective of factory automation. Robert Brooks, Omron Europe’s industry manager for Food and Beverage, said, “At the moment, there are millions of people employed in these sectors. This number has an enormous impact on producers in terms of costs, but also primarily in terms of the health and safety of human resources. The pandemic has led to developments such as social distancing and tighter safety regulations that companies need to adhere to. Automation can help in overcoming this challenge while also improving security and efficiency in the longer term. An example is a cobot or mobile robot solution that can relieve employees from challenging and repetitive tasks so they can focus on more value-added and fulfilling roles.”
Daniela Moles, communication expert at Omron Solution Partner LCS Group, explains it as follows, “We carried out a project where we implemented a fully automatic system for the handling of heavy rolls of fabric that weigh up to 30kg. These rolls were previously handled by humans. Automating this exhausting task meant that the company could support its employees while also boosting efficiency and productivity. The value of automation is in the mix of humans plus machines, robots and artificial intelligence. Collaboration is key. While robots show their advantages when it comes to speed and accuracy, human colleagues can take care of business-critical issues, customer communication and daily individual tasks. Collaborative and mobile robots working alongside their human colleagues assisting in lifting or transporting goods, material and fulfilling tasks employees can’t do because of distance or safety rules.”
2. Product quality and traceability play an increasingly important role
Product and production quality as well as traceability are further aspects that are increasingly important for both manufacturers and customers alike. Barcode quality is one example that is a key element in many applications.
Regulations from international organisations like ISO or GS1 are widely adopted, but in addition there may be further project specific specifications driven by suppliers and customers. This leads to a need for reliable systems and tools that ensure a barcode is correct and readable. Solutions can be adapted so they can also check pack design aspects and package integrity and completeness. Alberto Giordani,
Superior image sensing speed and precision
FH Series
• High-precision object detection • Ultra-high-speed searching • Flexible functionalities to provide high compatibility Flexible functionalities to provide high compatibility with manufacturing machines
Would you like to know more? +27 (0)11 579 2600 info_sa@omron.com industrial.omron.co.za
product and project manager at Omron Solution Partner Alfacod, explains, “Moreover, innovative solutions can understand the quality grade and if it's decreasing before it's too late. They can, therefore, plan preventive maintenance actions to avoid potentially costly errors.
In the food industry, it is useful to check labels while they are printed by a thermal transfer machine with an integrated barcode verifier on the printer. Customers, especially large distribution companies, want to receive only products with the correct information, labelling and barcodes. If this information is wrong or incomplete, they might return the goods or levy a fine on the supplier. “
Information taken from the packaging in the form of codes is also becoming increasingly useful for consumers at the point of purchase. When reading the code at a self-scanning system or the retailer, as seen at larger retail stores, they can get information about allergens or other specific ingredients such as gluten. Consumers are taking an interest in information such as country of origin.
3. Flexibility as the engine of future food manufacturing
Mobile robots and flexible production lines provide companies with valuable support. Moles describes a LCS customer producing coffee pods, “Our customer receives requests for very different pods, such as normal plastic or reusable, ecofriendly, different colours and different sizes. By implementing a fleet of Omron’s mobile robots that can manage the fluctuating demand across periods of time or two entirely different requests, we were able to help them to achieve a more flexible environment within the plant. Being able to adapt and evolve will become even more relevant and important in the future.“
Many solutions still rely on inflexible conveyor systems, whereas mobile robots provide the manufacturer with the flexibility to move stock and consumables to the required locations at the right time. Cobots are very easy to train, easy to deploy and transportable, making them a useful companion in achieving more flexibility.
Omron mobile robots can change routes quickly, dynamically avoiding obstacles or working on different priorities. They can be customised with special accessories that allow for even more flexibility.
The latest solution from Omron combines cobot and mobile technology to offer a mobile manipulator or MoMa solution.
4. On the way to sustainable food manufacturing
Automation is closely connected with sustainability. It can control temperature and pressures, ensuring a product is correctly packaged and reducing waste and scrap. A more detailed example could be one where a producer must consider multiple variables such as packaging thickness, ambient temperature and packaging film speeds. This approach requires a system to capture data in real-time, analyse it and make decisions. “If we are able to process and read through this data, we have all the guidelines in order to work better, implement sustainable actions to achieve a sustainable future,” says Brooks.
One good example for innovative technology is the Omron Sysmac AI Controller, a smart artificial intelligence solution that collects, analyses and utilises data on Edge devices within a controller to prolong equipment longevity. It also detects abnormalities to prevent failures. It combines control functions of manufacturing lines and equipment with AI processing at manufacturing sites in real-time. •
Omron - www.industrial.omron.co.za
Successful food and beverage operations embrace innovations in product quality inspection, packaging inspection, assembly verification, allergen management, traceability and food safety to minimise downtime and deliver consistently high quality, safe products with fewer defects and less waste. Tracepack’s machine vision systems and industrial barcode readers offer powerful solutions to protect product quality and safety, ensure package integrity, manage allergens and maintain traceability.
DATE AND LOT codes, batch codes and expiration dates are required on food and beverage products to identify when and where a product was made. These codes often combine 1D symbologies and plain text to encode information about the batch and manufacturing date. Optical character recognition (OCR) is used for reliable process control, helping manufacturers meet labelling requirements and ensuring consumer safety. Quality inspections must verify that the codes are present and printed correctly to ensure traceability and more easily manage product recalls.
In-Sight vision systems with OCRMax technology detects the presence or absence of date and lot codes and verifies that its chain of numbers and letters is correct. Deep learning solutions ensure codes are accurately read and verified, and deciphers deformed, skewed, and poorly etched characters using OCR and optical character verification (OCV). The pretrained, omni-font library identifies most text without additional programming or font training. The In-Sight 7000 series is a powerful vision system that performs fast, accurate inspections of a wide range of parts across all industries. Its compact footprint easily fits into space-constrained production lines and the unique, modular design is highly field-customisable to application requirements. Along with the internal and external power/control lighting options, this series also has a highly visible pass/fail LED indicator light ring around the camera body, making it easy to see the inspection status no matter where the system is installed. OCRMax is a font-trainable Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Verification (OCV) tool that offers 99% accuracy on difficult-to-read characters. It prevents misreads, handles process variations and provides easy font management with minimal training. OCRMax achieves unprecedented read rates for OCR and OCV applications even under the most challenging conditions, while giving the customer the flexibility to optimise their system for speed, read rate or a combination of the two. This gives users the chance to optimise the OCR/OCV for millisecond character reads, 99.99% read rates or anywhere in between. Unlike other OCR reading tools, OCRMax technology includes an auto-tune capability. With a few clicks, auto-tune dramatically decreases the time it takes to set up the tool by acquiring a sample image and automatically training fonts and adjusting the tool to its optimal segmentation parameters.
Packaging traceability is critically important for the overall safety of food and beverage products, which must be continuously monitored and occasionally recalled. It is also important for the security of products that are increasingly threatened by counterfeiting and theft. Finally, there are also global regulations that must be met to provide a trail of information that follows each item through the supply chain. To ensure proper packaging traceability, food and beverage producers must be able to quickly identify and locate products in the supply chain. To achieve this, many companies use 2D barcodes, vision systems and image-based barcode readers as key components in a simple yet robust traceability system. Data Matrix codes have been adopted as standard in many applications because they allow the storage of information such as manufacturer, product ID, lot number, expiry and even a unique serial number. Track and trace solutions assure full compliance with food safety and traceability laws by capturing an image of a code at each scan point and storing its encoded data in a central database. Tracepack’s barcode readers reliably read 1D and 2D codes at read rates of 99.9% regardless of barcode quality or orientation. Image-based barcode readers have the speed and accuracy to ensure packages of all shapes and sizes are properly sorted, picked, stored or shipped and can be easily identified and located in the event of a product recall. In-Sight vision systems with OCRMax technology read alphanumeric date/lot codes and store the information in a central database that can track and trace goods throughout the supply chain.
Industries are increasingly turning to product security solutions to safeguard their products and meet industry requirements. In-Sight industrial barcode readers and machine vision systems address these concerns head-on by delivering the industry’s highest read rates, superior quality and assembly inspections and supply chain protection. This technology reads, inspects and authenticates products at the unit and package level, easily exchanging security data with third party software and hardware systems to verify the safe and accurate movement of products. •
To watch a video about the OCRMax, visit the digmag.
Tracepack - www.tracepack.co.za
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