Packaging

Interpack 2011: Bizerba makes a positive contribution to the fight against the urgent problem of global food wastage (hall 14, booth C14)

Monday 18. April 2011 - The figures are frightening: Experts believe that over 70m tonnes of food is thrown away every year in the European Union alone. This kind of wastage is found along the entire supply chain: right at the start in the fields where the food is grown, during the manufacturing process, during transport and then of course in households.

At the Interpack 2011 trade fair, the SAVE FOOD congress is therefore getting to grips with the issue of how different elements of the supply chain can make their own contribution to the fight against avoidable food wastage. Bizerba is also involved with the .BRAIN software family, the CWP Neptune check-weigher and the TTI system label (hall 14, stand C14).
So that goods are not just left in the corner of the warehouse to rot: Software makes intralogistics transparent
Employees can weigh delivered goods upon receipt with the help of tabletop scales and floor scales and then label them using the GLP label printer. Communication with the primary data processing system of the company is carried out through the new iS70 PC terminal. This is where the .BRAIN software family modules create transparency by giving a decentralised overview of stocks and new deliveries. The new iS70 terminal has a scratch-resistant touch-screen display, WLAN and connectable temperature and moisture sensors.
“The company can place the goods into storage in an optimal manner and this allows a neat “first in, first out” approach,” explains Dieter Conzelmann, Director of Industry Solutions at Bizerba. “The danger that goods are left in the corner of the warehouse to rot away is minimised by a considerable amount.” The GLP printer also has the option of an integrated RFID unit for simple traceability of the goods.
Hygienic check-weighing in the production process: Foodstuffs remain fresh for longer
The CWP Neptune check-weigher is particularly hygienic in design and helps producers to keep bacterial contamination of unpackaged foodstuffs to a bare minimum. The positive effect: easily-perishable food such as mincemeat, fish, poultry, baked goods and milk products remain fresh for longer. Goods with incorrect weights are picked out and fed back into the production process before they are packaged up. A large majority of packaging waste is therefore not even accumulated in the first place: “There is currently no better way to conserve resources,” says Conzelmann.
Competitiveness and customer loyalty: Optimise filling processes through tendency controls
Employees can rapidly optimise the upstream filling process through continuous tendency controls with the help of the _statistics.BRAIN software. They reduce give-away and avoid illegal under-filling. If portions fall short of the target weight, then they are removed from the production process before they are packed up. The weight values are documented in full so that the company can prove that every batch left the factory weighing the right amount in case of doubt.
“Consumers are happy, brand loyalty and competitiveness are increased and raw material wastage is minimised. Overall, this is an investment which will pay off sooner rather than later,” says Conzelmann. The CWP Nepture also has a WS-FOOD interface, which is the new standard in terms of recording operating data in the meat-processing industry and can be connected to the company’s data processing system easily as a “plug-and-play” unit.
Correct transport and correct storage: Labels provide retailers and consumers with information
The intelligent TTI system label documents the entire cold chain and highlights weak points in the transport chain – both for the retailer as well as for the consumer. It is charged with UV light during application in industrial manufacturing by a fully-automated tagger, the GLM-Imaxx and starts by taking on a dark blue colour. The longer the product is stored above the ideal storage temperature, the quicker the colour changes to white. White means that this product is not fit for consumption.
Using this system, producers can safeguard product quality and consumers obtain a sensible addition to the product’s expiry date and are able to identify weak points in their own cold storage systems. The TTI system label is already being used with great success by many different foodstuff manufacturers all over Europe, for example by the Swiss company Kneuss Güggeli.
The exhibits can be seen from 12th to the 18th May at the Interpack 2011 trade fair in Düsseldorf (hall 14, stand C14). Bizerba will also be presenting a new inspection system for increased product and consumer safety as well as a wide range of multifunctional labels, including ones with RFID technology. Using a new TCO analysis method, interested companies can obtain a sample invoice for the total cost of ownership of Bizerba systems.
More on the CWP-Neptune: Hygiene advantages compared with conventional check-weighers
For unpackaged foods, most check-weighers use individually-powered conveyor belts. The transitions between the feed belt, weighing belt and outlet belt can cause problems with hygiene as a result of their susceptibility to corrosion and how hard they are to clean. The CWP Neptune is, in accordance with the hygienic design criteria of the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group), constructed in such an ergonomic way that it offers next to no chance for corrosion and bacteria to build up.
The system does not require driving rollers or deflection rollers, as it only uses a single conveyor belt and motor. If food residues fall from the conveyor belt, they cannot be re-integrated into the production process, something which is the case with other check-weighers, because the conveyor belt is the widest part of the system. The CWP Neptune is hygienically cleaned with water pressure in short cycles. Cleaning agents and water are drained automatically thanks to the slanted surfaces.