Packaging
D&W Fine Pack, has launched a new line of molded fiber products made from sugar cane. The new line of sugar cane-based products will include various sizes of plates, bowls and hinged containers that are designed to complement the existing line of environmentally friendly products that D&W Fine Pack has previously developed. The new sugar cane-based products will also be available with poly-lactic acid (PLA) coating that will approve increased moisture and grease resistance for hot foods.
D&W Fine Pack: (800) 849-0225, or visit www.dwfinepack.com
Microbial Sampling
The USDA/FSIS has issued a Letter of No Objection to Microbial-Vac Systems Inc. for the use of its wet-vacuum microbial sampling system in USDA-inspected facilities. The M-Vac wet-vacuum sampling device has been demonstrated to be a robust alternative to the current gold-standard method of excision on beef trim and other meat surfaces. It has also shown sampling superiority over sponging and swabbing techniques on environmental and product surfaces.
Microbial-Vac Systems Inc.: (801)-523-3962, or visit www.m-vac.com
Stuffers
Handtmann announces two new plus stuffer models designed specifically for small processors, R&D departments and university labs. The VF 608 plus and VF 610 plus are the most flexible small-scale vacuum fillers because they include significant improvements to the hopper throat and vacuum system that allow all product types to feed in gently and reliably. They offer high-quality particle definition, more precise control over lengths and weights and quicker changeovers to meet exacting production requirements.
Handtmann Inc.: (847) 808-1100, or visit www.handtmann.com
Checkweigher
The HC-WD-SL is the logical and ideal combination when it comes to weighing larger products, such as crates, boxes, bags and containers in wet and care-intensive areas. Its innovative hygiene design complies with the strict legal requirements and furthermore it offers the highest possible protection, IP 69K. Designed as a mono-checkweigher, the HC-WD-SL can optionally be equipped with an infeed and/or outfeed conveyor as well as with a rejection system.
OCS Checkweighers Inc.: (678) 344-8300, or visit www.ocs-cw.com
Knife
The MagicGrip knife series from Friedr. Dick has been developed in cooperation with professionals working in the meat industry and improved through intensive on-road tests until it has been brought into production. It has been designed for the daily and concentrated deboning in the meat industry and butcher shops. The unique handle is designed for all hand sizes and cuts. Due to the handle’s run and form easy working without fatigue is provided.
Friedr. Dick: + 49(0)7153/8 17 - 1 02, or visit www.dick.de
Powder Induction
Admix recently introduced its newest Fastfeed model designed for meat and poultry processors. It offers optimum powder feed rates up to 160 pounds per minute and requires no operator adjustments. The FF-425R is designed to handle higher-viscosity marinades, reduce minimum batch size and mix times, ensure full functionality of ingredients and supply multiple tanks with one unit. It’s ideal for powdered broth, spices, starches, sugar, carrageenan, phosphates, milk powder, lactate, soy protein and more.
Admix: (603) 627-2340, or visit www.admix.com
Floor Care
Spartan Chemical offers two new floor care products: The Fixx and Step Down. The Fixx is a high solids floor finish and sealer, with premium gloss and a long lasting response to burnishing, extending the time between recoats by as much as 5 months and strip outs by 18 months. Step Down Low Odor Finish Liquidator is an effective floor finish remover designed to quickly penetrate and eliminate heavy finish build-up.
Spartan Chemical Co. Inc.: (800) 537-8990, or visit www.spartanchemical.com
Motor
Foodmate has developed a replacement for covered motors. Foodmate’s new stainless steel motor and assembly replaces the standard covered motors on cut-up lines. The covers are the critical point when it comes to hygiene. The covers need to be vented to exhaust the hot air that is created by running motors, which allows cutting debris to gather in the motor area. The Foodmate kit is easy to install, and old motors can be replaced overnight.
Foodmate: +31 (0) 186 63 02 40, or visit www.foodmate.nl
Conveyor Belt
Wire Belt offers C-CureEdge patented C-shaped end loops, available for Flat-Flex conveyor belts. C-CureEdge provides maximum safety with end loops that won’t snag or tangle during shipment, storage or installation. Belts on tight transfers, multi-tiered coolers, and hold-down belt applications are most prone to damage from belts catching and tangling. C-CureEdge diminishes the opportunity for damage to a conveyor and minimizes the risk of accidents from sharp or burred open ends.
Wire Belt: (603) 644-2500, or visit www.wirebelt.com
Nedpack has expanded its range of vertical conveyors with the addition of the
Prorunner MK5. The conveyor offers the speed and quality of a continuous product elevator for the price of a discontinuous conveyor. A high-quality flexible application is guaranteed. The Prorunner MK5 can be used to transport products that encompass no critical product transitions to any desired level. This entry-level model has a capacity of approximately 300 products per hour.
Nedpack: +21 341 436 700, or visit www.nedpack.com
Fans
Serco offer the High-Volume Low-Speed (HVLS) Fan series, designed to provide facilities with a cost-effective and energy-efficient cooling and heating solution. The HVLS fans use the laws of physics and aerodynamics to slowly move a massive column of air, creating a deep horizontal floor jet that circulates the air in large spaces. The gentle, non-disruptive breeze created by Serco’s HVLS fans breaks the moisture-saturated boundary layer on the skin, providing an 8-10 degree cooling sensation.
Serco: (877) 933-4834, or visit www.sercocompany.com
Data Loggers
Onset announced the HOBO ZW Series, a family of wireless data nodes for centralized monitoring of energy use and environmental conditions in buildings. HOBO ZW Series data nodes reduce the cost and complexity of data collection by measuring, recording and transmitting real-time energy use and environmental data – from dozens of points – to a central PC. The nodes can measure temperature, relatively humidity, kilowatt hours, CO2, AC voltage, amps, gauge pressure and other parameters.
Onset Computer Corp.: (800) 564-4377, or visit www.onsetcomp.com
Masking Agent
Symrise North America uses patented analytical methodology, SymLife MASK, to provide flavors that overcome a multitude of unpleasant off-tastes. LC Taste is Symrise’s unique proprietary analytical methodology, used to accurately and rapidly identify and isolate components that provide outstanding masking properties. LC Taste enables SymLife MASK to successfully address troublesome off-flavors, eliminating astringency, bitterness, chalkiness, saltiness and medicinal and metallic taste sensations, including off-notes and “throat catch” unpleasantness.
Symrise: (201) 288-3200, or visit www.symrise.com
Grease Gun
For maintenance personnel and others seeking a solution to the problems of grease misapplication and cross-contamination, Lubrication Engineers offers its Clear Grease Gun in pistol grip and lever style versions as well as its newest option – the convenient Battery Powered Clear Grease Gun. Available with the same high-quality clear tubes and anodized aluminum collars, the Battery Powered Clear Grease Gun is especially useful for lubricating hard-to-reach areas or equipment that requires frequent or large-scale lubrication.
Lubrication Engineers Inc.: (800) 537-7683, or visit www.cleargreaseguns.com
Supplier News
Wire Belt Company of America recently installed a 99.3-kilowatt roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system that is the largest solar array in New Hampshire. The new PV system, installed by Nexamp of North Andover, Mass., will offset approximately 20 percent of total electricity consumed each year at Wire Belt. It is comprised of 473 rooftop PV panels covering 3,784 square feet. “This solar array is just one part of our focus on being a ‘green’ company. It is our goal to cut our ecological footprint by 50 percent in three years,” said CEO David Greer. “This means cutting our waste stream and use of electricity, gas, and water usage in half.” The system will produce an estimated 106,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. Based on the U.S. EPA national average, the estimated annual C02 reduction will be 76.5 metric tons. The solar PV panels work on a net metering system, so even when Wire Belt is not in production the solar panels are working to send electricity back to the grid and reduce overall consumption and energy costs.
Debbie Roper has joined Cantrell as senior specialist, sales & engineering. Roper will coordinate and provide support to the sales and engineering departments at the Gainesville, Ga.-based poultry processing equipment sales and service company, including processing of equipment quotes and orders. The Georgia native has more than 30 years of office administration, executive support and event planning experience.
Multivac Inc. has appointed Jay Brewer as regional sales manager for its Food Division. Brewer will serve customers in a newly created Midwestern sales territory that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. The company also announced that Floyd Gillis has joined the firm as product manager, Labeling and Printing Systems. The company offers an extensive line of labelers and related products for use on and off packaging lines. Gillis will work as a member of Multivac’s sales team in delivering these innovative solutions to the company’s diverse clientele.
Ashworth Bros.’ new Web site (www.ashworth.com) provides customers on-demand access to comprehensive belting information and facilitates the process of choosing the right belt for their specific requirements. With more than 900 technical documents available, the user-friendly site provides a simple way to find the features, benefits and specifications on each conveyor belt for a wide range of processing applications. The online conveyor belt library also includes installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting procedures to empower customers with an efficient means to keep their conveyor systems running smoothly. The site includes a more efficient site navigation bar, a search field, a larger page size to accommodate today’s standard computer displays, and areas to keep customers informed of current developments, events, and promotions.
Bettcher Industries announced that Bill Wonderlich has joined the company as regional manager. Wonderlich will be responsible for sales and service activities for Bettcher’s Whizard Trimmer and AirShirz scissors product lines. He will support meat processing customers in Illinois and Iowa. The company also announced the promotion of Paul Steveson to regional manager, handling customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Steveson has been with Bettcher Industries since 2000.
The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) announced the selection of the Novus International Global Headquarters Campus in St. Louis, Mo., as one of the first landscapes to participate in a new program testing the nation’s first rating system for green landscape design, construction and maintenance. Novus International, a leader in animal health and nutrition, will join more than 150 other pilot projects from 34 states and Canada, Iceland and Spain as part of an international pilot project program to evaluate the new SITES rating system for sustainable landscapes, with and without buildings. Sustainable landscapes can clean water, reduce pollution and restore habitats, while providing significant economic and social benefits to land owners and municipalities.
Cincinnati-based testing laboratory Q Laboratories Inc. has achieved ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation from the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for multiple microbiological and analytical chemistry methods. The scope of methods covered includes bacteriological and pathogen detection (AOAC, FDA and ISO methods) as well as nutritional values and metals analysis. “Attaining this accreditation is another indication of the excellent staff we have at Q Laboratories. From our Quality Assurance Unit to our lab managers, analysts and support staff, this process has been a team effort and is a testament to the exceptional team we have here at our lab,” said David Goins, president of Q Laboratoriesc.
Mettler Toledo has announced ISO 14001 environmental certification of its Worthington, Ohio facility. The production facility creates weighing solutions for both industrial and retail applications and serves as a distribution center for delivering Mettler Toledo products in the Americas. To ensure its environmental efforts remain a priority, the company created an Environmental Management Team comprised of employees from various departments – including management level representation. The goal of this team is to implement and maintain the facility policies according to ISO 14001.
Eagle Flexible Packaging has joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, an industry-leading sustainability council. “Being part of SPC and their initiatives just makes sense for us — we continue to analyze our product and processes to offer sensible, solid, environmentally conscientious flexible packaging solutions to our customers,” said Tom Tyndall, vice president/general manager. The company’s Nviro Flexible packaging pairs Eagle’s water-based inks and adhesives with renewable materials to provide best-in-class packaging options to have a low impact throughout the product’s life cycle. Eighty-three percent of the company’s film scrap is recycled, and 100 percent of ink waste is converted.
Eagle Food Registrations Inc., a third-party certification body that audits businesses to international food safety standards, certified the Berry Plastics facility in Tolleson, Ariz. to the Safe Quality Food (SQF) standard. Berry Plastics is an ISO9001 certified leading manufacturer of injection-molded plastic packaging, thermoformed products, flexible films and tapes and coatings. The Tolleson plant is one of three manufacturing facilities in the United States to earn an excellent audit rating for certification to SQF2000 category 27 for plastic containers. “Berry Plastics believes certification to the SQF standard will not only help strengthen our organization and the products we provide, but it also reinforces our commitment to food safety and continuous improvement,” said Tim White, vice president of quality for Berry Plastics.
Software
Hollison Technologies, provider of products and services to the food industry to detect and track contaminants in the food supply chain, has released its Contamination Information Management System (CIMS) software. The CIMS software is offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) hosted at multiple geographically diverse secure data centers with full fault tolerance and a 99.9% guaranteed uptime. The software can be accessed by any PCs or mobile device (including, smartphone, iPad, iPhone) using a standard, approved browser.
Hollison Technologies: (270) 200-4264, or visit www.hollison.com
Poultry Moisture Retention
Vitiva launches √Poultry, a ready-made solution for poultry moisture retention and anti-rancidity protection, to the poultry market in Europe. It is a unique combination of naturally mineral-rich sea salt and Vitiva’s patented VivOX 4 formulation. √Poultry is a natural replacement for phosphates and other synthetic moisture-retention ingredients as well as synthetic antioxidants used in poultry processing making it a preferred moisture-retention ingredient for poultry.
Vitiva: +386 2 1788 87 38, or visit www.vitiva.eu