Case Study Ecolait Stainless steel 15� industrial computers ensure traceability of meat processing
noax industrial PC’s at Ecolait Ltee veal processing facility
Tracking the Path to Productivity “Quebecers annually consume seven pounds of veal per capita. Throughout Canada, it is three pounds; in the United States, it is under half a pound,” notes Daniel Carrière, VicePresident and General Manager of production for Ecolait, North America’s major producer of milk-fed veal. This ”noax units offer meat is among the most much more by having prized in the culinary multiple RS232 hookups, world. When a calf is two PCI slots and more born, females head off to choose from.” to the dairy farm and the males are either raised to maturity to become beef cattle or selected to provide veal. Once they leave their mothers, the veal calves are fed milk supplements from 18 to 20 weeks to produce meat that is ivory or creamy pink in color, having a fine, firm, velvety appearance and a delicate flavor. To ensure profitability and its reputation in an international marketplace, Ecolait must exercise tight control over every pound of veal among the 13,000 tons of meat the company produces from the 100,000 head of calves slaughtered and processed at their LaPlaine, QU facility.
Satisfying consumers and inspectors Along with satisfying consumers and restaurants, Ecolait must meet the exacting standards of a number of regulators, including certification by HAACP and CFIA. As part of an active export business, their veal must pass inspections by a variety of countries. Furthermore, Ecolait complies with both Kosher and Halal dietary laws for Jewish and Muslim consumers respectively. “In North America and around the world,” says Ecolait’s Vice President of International Sales and Public Relations,
Arthur Batista, “consumption of veal is somewhat limited, so our strategy is to go into the inter national market.” With that amount of supervision, Ecolait must make exhaustive use of data to keep everyone happy. “My specialty is veal,” says Carrière, “and when it comes to tracking the huge volume of data we use to protect product quality, my specialist is Grégory Pétrieux.” Petrieux is Vice-President of Sales with Epsilia, a firm that specializes in processing systems and traceability that have helped operations, such as Ecolait, successfully handle both since 2001. In order to help Ecolait manage that data, Petrieux recommended noax S15 industrial touchscreen computers with easy-to-read 15-inch displays.
into the housing,” said Daniel. “Of course, we wouldn’t know about the problem until the computers were turned on first thing in the morning.” After doing some research, Pétrieux determined that noax computers offered the best fit for Ecolait’s operating environment. Because he specializes in providing solutions for meat processing operations, he is well aware of the conditions under which these machines must operate. “We conducted an online search,” Petrieux explained, “and found that based on the experience noax had in the food
Computers provide the first line of defense for safety Food safety has always been a problem in the industry, but in recent years governments have enacted more aggressive regulations. The challenge is having the means to accumulate the necessary data both efficiently and cost effectively. Although veal is a high quality product, producing it is a low-margin business and costs must be tightly controlled. The computer and software systems needed to monitor and provide this data go through a continuing evolution in response to changing needs and improving technology, and by 2008 both Petrieux and Carriere perceived it was time for an upgrade. Ecolait does maintenance and cleaning on the second shift. All components and surfaces used in slaughter and processing are painstakingly cleaned and disinfected. “This step is necessary, but the high-pressure water used during the cleaning shift gave us problems, disabling the computers when it seeped
Each delivery box is scanned for accuracy of its contents
processing industry with companies like Olymel L.P., a Canadian leader in the processing and distribution of pork and poultry,
Whether scaloppini, parmiginiana or wiener schnitzel, veal has been among the most prized ingredients in cooking since ancient times and continues to be a staple in French and Italian cuisines today. With its French heritage, the Canadian province of Quebec is a major consumer of veal. With the help of noax industrial computers, Ecolait Ltee can profitably provide a quality product both domestically and internationally.
From the farm to the plate, traceable processing at every step
we invited noax to provide us with a demo PC. We were pleased,” said Carriere, “and did not want to return to the old technology. With noax computers, we know that when we begin operations in the morning, our computers are ready to go.”
Processing veal and data The ability to identify each carcass is critical to the process. Immediately following slaughter, a line worker scans an RFID ear tag with a sensor and enters the tag number into the noax computer, as the carcass passes by on an overhead rail conveyor. Next, the hide is removed, followed by the head and the offal. Because the carcass is now identified with a bar code, the RFID tag remains attached to the hide. The carcass is then split into halves before reaching a weighing station. At a second noax S15 computer, the line worker reads the RFID chip with a scanner and enters the number ID to verify the carcass identity while the weight is being entered. The computer activates a printer to run off a bar code, which is attached to the carcass. Meanwhile, a chromometer connected to the computer takes a laser scan of the carcass to determine the grade based on the color of the meat. Ecolait works with Epsilia, to provide a system that tracks the animals as they pass through and eventually out the door. The data collected by the noax computer is coordinated with information accumulated on the calf by the Epsilia system, in real-time via ethernet, providing the ability to pinpoint problems should the need for a product recall ever occur. For this harsh environment, the computers are equipped with the rugged N8B motherboard developed inhouse by noax. Furthermore, the Epsilia system
is integrated with the Agri-Tracabilite Quebec (ATQ) system to enable Ecolait to obtain an animal’s certified age, essential information for export to certain countries such as Japan, which needs to know the exact date of birth. The noax PC with its high-contrast 1024 x 768 resolution, displays all the data the operator needs to see. Thanks to its resistive analog touchscreen, operation is easy even with rubber gloves. In addition, the noax Steel Series PCs use food-grade, bacteria-resistant, V2A stainless steel enclosures, completely sealed to IP65 (NEMA 4) standards and able to withstand high-pressure washdowns. This design prevents unexpected breakdowns when the line starts up.
Readability leads to accuracy “Because this information is important, that computer is our tool to ensure that the information on the product matches what the ATQ system is tracking. We appreciate the readability of the noax touchscreen to maximize our accuracy,”
Ecolait ensures traceability while remaining efficient
says Daniel. Once the carcass reaches the scale, a veterinarian will identify any diseased or injured portions of the carcass based largely on decolonization and that information is entered into the computer. The carcass enters a cooling tunnel and is then aged for 48 hours before it is cut up to ”We receive immense specifi-cations provided savings due to inby Ecolait’s supermarket, creased efficiency and food service, and fine reductions in customer restaurant customers. product claims.” The company has added a new packaging conveyor line including a noax computer, also running Epsilia software, that will be used to collect data and print labels that will go on boxes for delivery. “We appreciate the speed of the noax computers,”notes Carriere, “which enables us to take full advantage of the real-time data the Epsilia system captures. Therefore, important decisions can be made throughout the process.” The demand for data in the food industry will only increase and thanks to noax computers, Ecolait will be able to keep up with it.
Ecolait
Specifications and Application
Overview of Components
Company Profile:
Objectives:
Hardware:
From its founding in 1979, Ecolait Ltee has grown to a $200 million company with 350 employees, making it the largest producer of milk-fed veal in North America, aiming to provide the highest quality product possible. To achieve this goal, the company specializes in the tight vertical integration of veal husbandry, slaughter and processing. Ecolait is fastidious about controlling micro-bacteria contamination, conducting daily tests at every step along the process by employing their own laboratory and research expert. The company has expanded through acquisitions, by holding 61% of the market share in veal-hungry Quebec and by producing 50% of its revenue through exports into the United States and International markets. In recognition of the role that Ecolait plays in the Canadian red meat industry with more than $20 billion in annual sales, a $5.4 million dollar investment was made in 2010, enabling it to increase its capacity and enhance their slaughter and processing plant technology.
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Real-time data collection during meat production
- Industrial PC S15
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Building a traceable database from the farm to the plate
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Efficient order-based product specifications
- In-house developed noax All-in-one motherboard -- Input: particularly robust touch panels -- Bright, high-contrast TFT display -- Protection class IP65 -- Completely sealed, without external fan
IPC Requirements: ··
High-speed processing for real time information on the process
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Function in harsh, demanding environment, including exposure to cleaning chemicals, extreme temperatures including hot and cold, high humidity
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High level of reliability to prevent work stoppages in plant
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Protection of components against sanitation procedure
Software: - Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - Application programs: Developed in-house by Epsilia
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