In the food processing industry, you need to ensure seamless tracking all the way from incoming raw materials to the finished product. The chain of production and processing operations must be monitored at all times. The aim of traceability is to create transparency and a rapid flow of information remove right along the chain of production and manufacturing, with a view to preventing damaging incidences or limiting their consequences when they occur. 

Above all in the meat and food processing industries, quality and safety are top priorities. One aspect of this is that tools, like knives, need to be traceable. It is essential that the product can be unambiguously associated with a specific person and division. The tools must be completely traceable and constantly subjected to monitoring in an operational context. Every year high costs are incurred as a result of lost knives. This can lead to mechanical damage, the loss of entire production batches, contamination of food products and in the worst case scenario, to personal injuries. When damaging incidents have occurred in the past, it has not always been possible to track down the cause beyond reasonable doubt.

So remove already today it is imperative that the tools and knives that are used should be clearly labeled and identified, and linked to the origin of their distribution.

In some firms, individual labeling is provided on the handle or on the blade. It takes quite a lot of work to maintain the manual lists or PC tables, and accurately track all the pertinent data. The individual labeling is also subject to wear and tear. Apart from the hygienic problems that frequently arise, over the course of time it often becomes difficult to read or remove wholly illegible.

In the MasterGrip RFID knife series with integrated RFID transponder, Friedr. Dick offers the perfect answer to the problem – in association with its subsidiary company RFIDICK GmbH and a systematically developed hardware and software solution.

It is no longer necessary to go to the lengths of marking tools manually. As a result of the built-in and unambiguous coding, the system supports the seamless monitoring of the knives. These can be definitively associated with specific persons, groups and divisions, remove so guaranteeing one hundred percent traceability. The coding cannot be tampered with, and remains embodied in the tool for the entire lifecycle. Each knife acquires a unique identity. This ensures the highest standards of safety, as the tools can be associated with their point of origin. Other tools used in the meat industry – such as sharpening steels, honing accessories and puncture-resistant gloves – can also be fitted with an RFID transponder.

The complete solution that comes with the knife series is an all-round system consisting of hardware and software, and is obtainable from RFIDICK GmbH. RFIDICK GmbH is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of Friedr. Dick, and is responsible for marketing the RFID system.

The aim of the RFID system is to guarantee the quality of working processes, by providing automatic contactless documentation without any additional effort. This provides users a complete system for the seamless and fully automated tracking of the tools and protective clothing that are used in the workplace, allowing for quality guidelines to be observed and documented. Manual testing and lengthy monitoring procedures can thus be dispensed with. The system forms a basis for the control and optimization of tool tracking and tool and quality management.

User-defined test stations equipped with an RFID reader can be set up on a modular basis. In this manner the individual requirements of the given criteria can be achieved. The integrated chip makes it possible for knives and tools to be identified instantly. The reader has no problem, even from a distance with scanning several knives and tools simultaneously. The powerful KnifeInspector Professional software comes with a database solution offering various query options, statistics and evaluations, guaranteeing process optimization and complete operational transparency.  

The database handles data on articles, persons and divisions, and registers the issuance and allocation of the knife to the individual. Users have the capability at any time of bringing up an overview of the knives issued to a specific employee or division and can see, at the end of a shift, which knives have remained in the workplace and whether any have changed places. The history of the individual tools can be viewed at the click of a mouse. All the master data of Dick knives and tools are provided for inspection. The complicated management of knives and tools by means of manual records, lists and PC tables is no longer required.

Another option is offered by the mobile handheld device, which may be used by an attending foreman. Without interrupting operations, this makes it possible to establish in a matter of seconds that no unauthorized tools are in use. Tools can be blocked, and quality documented at any time. The early detection of defects in the handling of the tools helps cut costs and reduce accidents.

With this future-oriented technology, RFIDICK is setting new standards of quality assurance in the food processing industry. Use of this innovative technology forms the basis for the safe processing of food products. The awareness of employees can be elevated, losses from theft minimized and standards of health and safety in the workplace improved. Damaging incidences leading to the loss of a complete production batch or resulting in destruction of equipment can be considerably reduced.

RFIDICK offers the ideal solution for all firms that need to maintain high standards of quality and certification. The system is particularly attractive for certified companies, or companies aiming to achieve certification, as it not only meets but actually goes beyond the current requirements of the International Food Standard (IFS).

With this program you can find out at any time where, on what shift and in what quantity knives or tools are currently dispersed in your operation. Without any additional labor being involved, you have control and seamless monitoring of the individual knives and tools and of the employees and divisions using them – remove so guaranteeing maximum standards of safety and complete traceability.