Dairy firm installs new combination checkweigher and metal detector
2016-05-30
From:FoodBev
Loma Systems – a manufacturer of metal detection, checkweighing and X-ray inspection equipment for the global food industry – has installed a high-performance CW3 compact combination checkweigher and metal detection unit for Long Clawson Dairy.
The dairy company is a long-standing customer, Loma said, and has opted for the Compact Combo system for its site in Leicestershire, chosen for its reduced footprint and ability to meet the stringent quality standards of the UK’s major retailers. The latest machine has been put in place to inspect different pack sizes of speciality stilton cheeses, operating at a pace of up to 20 packs per minute.
A user of Loma IQ3 metal detectors for some 15 years, including two bulk machines and a standard combination checkweigher and metal detection system, Long Clawson Dairy needed a solution that would fit into its space-poor factory. The CW3 Compact Combo, which was launched by the company just over a year ago, offers a 30% reduced footprint in comparison to standard combination units while ensuring quality assurance and meeting all retailer standards.
Long Clawson Dairy, which was founded in 1911, sources milk from across the East Midlands and produces wedge cheeses weighing 60–650g for supermarkets, as well as bulk cheeses weighing between 1kg and 8kg for deli and wholesale customers.
David Branston, packing manager for Long Clawson Dairy, said: “While we consider our cheese production process quite low-risk in terms of potential contamination, we use cutters with expensive blades to slice the stilton into small portions. This makes it vital to have an adequate inspection system in place, not only for our own quality control purposes, but to also meet retailers’ increasingly stringent codes of practice.”
The CW3 Compact Combo utilises heavy-duty components and offers the “best levels of performance”, Loma said. The modular design saves valuable line space and ensures continuous operation, and the system can adapt to a wide variety of different products because of its true variable frequency metal detection and versatile checkweighing capabilities.
Branston continued: “When we needed to replace an old metal detector in an area where space was at a premium, Loma recommended the CW3 Compact Combo as the ideal solution for meeting size, compliance and efficiency requirements. Like our other Loma equipment, it was easily installed as part of the packing process where it meets all end-of-line HACCP standards in line with our due diligence procedures.”
Offering low lifetime cost of ownership and significant cost-savings, the system features the superior performance and accuracy of a CW3 checkweigher with the high detection performance of an IQ3 metal detector. The checkweigher measures products weights quickly and precisely, with a specially developed diverter rejecting out-of-tolerance products, while the metal detector consistently detects and rejects contaminated products.
“We continue to choose Loma for its service and support, as well as its market-leading inspection technology,” Branston added. “For us, service delivery often takes precedence when purchasing production machinery. Minimising downtime is essential and Loma will endeavour to send a service engineer to site on the day an issue is reported, but their specialist personnel often provides a resolution remotely, by telephone.
“We have a great relationship with Loma. Their contaminant inspection technology continues to lead the field, helping protect our business and reputation.”
