Spotlight on quality control
Technology has advanced very quickly. With the right equipment, it’s straightforward to share sophisticated data and reporting quickly and seamlessly with your customers. As a result, you’ll deliver high quality, low risk and compliance with EU legislation and your customers’ codes of practice.
Given current technological capabilities, you might be surprised to learn that one of the main barriers to effective data sharing and reporting in the food industry is the lack of appropriate technology. And this could be putting your business at risk.
Legacy equipment and procedures prevent effective data sharing in the food industry…
Much of the legacy equipment in use today simply does not have the capability to share data with the company network. It’s still common for quality departments to maintain paper records of simple and repetitive daily activities and tasks. This manual process is time consuming and costly. What’s more, it relies on individuals, which means it carries a high risk of human error.
Compounding the technical inadequacies of legacy equipment are legacy procedures that require paper records, sometimes even when equipment that is capable of doing the reporting is in place. The “we have always done it this way attitude” prevents the adoption of automatic data collection and reporting.
… Yet effective data sharing is crucial to avoid costly recalls and damage to your brand
As one of the most regulated industries in the world, food production is subject to increasing consumer scrutiny. Recalls are often expensive and – when combined with the associated loss of business and sanctions – can severely damage your product’s reputation and your brand’s image.
Given this, it’s vital to invest in technology that allows you to communicate and share data. You also need a technical team that drives change to reduce risk, rather than one that attempts to prevent change due to the fear of introducing risk.
Invest in technology that empowers you to communicate and share data seamlessly with your customers
Labelling errors and omissions account for the majority of recall notices, so you need a reliable vision inspection system, and one that’s capable of verifying label content. Demanding more time – especially from a manual inspector – than inspection for other defects, label inspection can become a major choke-point on a production line.
Precision weighing and contamination inspection technology are also important elements of any packaging operation. Satisfying weights and measures legislation is a primary concern, as is the capability to reduce give-away and maximise yield, all of which have the potential to boost your profitability.
The right equipment makes the transmission of data simple, reliable and safe
By automating processes and removing the need for human intervention, you’ll achieve a repeatable and consistent production process, driving efficiency, security and control of product quality.
What’s more, with the right technology, the transmission of data to internal and external networks is simple, reliable and safe. The data can be secured, protected against manipulation, collected automatically, and presented in a way that suits the viewer.
Not only does this reduce risk and costs and improve productivity and profitability. It’s no more complicated to use than the telephone in your pocket.
Want to know how to make a successful investment in X-ray technology? Read our blog.
